Designed for a mother and daughter from Victoria, BC. Two goals. Three countries. One coastal voyage they hadn't planned on.
They came to me with two things on the list: Ireland, properly — the Ring of Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher, the whole green circuit — and Stavanger, Norway, where family was waiting. Two destinations, a mother and a daughter, a trip with a clear purpose.
What they left my office with was something more. During our meeting I mentioned Havila Voyages — a Norwegian coastal line that sails the full length of the country, port by port, from the Russian border all the way south to Bergen. Not a cruise ship in the conventional sense; a working coastal vessel that also happens to offer seaview cabins, a full meal package, and a route that threads through fjords, fishing villages and Arctic archipelagos no road reaches. They were immediately interested.
So the shape of the trip became: do Ireland properly with an expert-guided tour, fly to the very top of Norway, and sail south for five days — the first of them under the midnight sun — then continue by ferry and a short flight to Stavanger for the reunion. Three chapters, each distinct, each complete.
Ireland by escorted tour. Norway by sea. Family on schedule.
Clayton Hotel Burlington Road — one night to land, breathe, and be rested when the tour begins.
A professional Travel Director, every landmark explained, every hotel chosen for location. Day one is Dublin itself: an orientation tour with a Local Expert, the Book of Kells, Trinity College, a welcome dinner. Then the circuit:
This is the part most people attempt by rental car, and most find exhausting. They came to see Ireland. The coach let them.
Back at the Clayton Burlington Road. One calm night before the journey pivots north.
Scandic Kirkenes, the night before sailing. The ship departs at 12:30 whether you're on it or not — being there the night before wasn't optional; it was the trip.
Havila Voyages is one of only two operators — alongside the better-known Hurtigruten — licensed to sail Norway's historic coastal route. Havila is the newer, quieter name, running battery-hybrid ships that rank among the greenest at sea. The Polaris carries up to 640 guests and feels more like a beautifully built ferry-hotel than a cruise ship — which is exactly the point.
A Seaview Superior Twin cabin, all meals included, onboard credit for the extras. More than two dozen ports on the way south: Vardø · Honningsvåg at the gateway to the North Cape · Hammerfest · Tromsø · the Lofoten Islands · Ålesund — some calls fifteen minutes, some hours, the ship keeping its schedule regardless.
And because it was late June above the Arctic Circle, the sun simply didn't set for the first nights of the voyage. Midnight on deck, full daylight, the coast of Finnmark sliding past. No photograph prepares you for it.
Right on Torgallmenningen square in the heart of the Hanseatic city. One night to walk the Bryggen wharf, eat at the fish market, and let the voyage settle.
Scandic Stavanger City, one night's rest before the reunion. The travel chapter ends; the personal chapter begins.
A route like this looks simple. Here's the invisible work underneath it.
Ireland and Stavanger were the brief. The question I ask on every trip is: what's between them, and what would make the journey itself worth taking? The Norwegian coast was the answer. They didn't come in asking for a cruise. They left with the best one I know.
A rental car through the Ring of Kerry is a classic — and so is spending the day watching the road instead of the scenery. An escorted tour with a great operator means every landmark explained, every dinner reserved, every hotel chosen for location. Seven days, zero logistics.
Both sail the same legendary route. I recommended Havila for this trip: newer ships, quieter atmosphere, and a Flex-rate Seaview Superior Twin with all meals and onboard credit for $3,498 USD total for two — five nights, fully fed. Less than many Norwegian hotel stays.
Bergen to Stavanger is 45 minutes by air — or five and a half hours by sea past some of the most beautiful coastline in Norway, for two people who had just spent five days falling in love with that coastline. The flight was faster. The ferry was correct.
The two ocean crossings — overnight to Dublin, and the ten-plus hours from Zurich home — are lie-flat business class. The short European hops are not. Every dollar of the flight budget went to the hours that count.
One night at the Oslo Airport Radisson turned an early Arctic connection into a calm morning; one night in Kirkenes meant boarding the Polaris rested, steps from the pier. Regular readers will recognize the trick — it protected the Bernina Express in the Alps and the Catania flight in Italy too. Cheap nights protect expensive days.
Two very different products share this trip, and both deserve straight talk. On the escorted tour: the coach allows one suitcase per guest, maximum 23 kg, and you should be able to lift it; optional evening experiences run roughly €25–95 each on top of the fare; and gratuities for the Travel Director and driver are customary. It's a sociable, scheduled style of travel — wonderful if you lean into it. On the coastal voyage: the Havila Polaris is a working ship, not a resort. Locals ride it between towns, some port calls are minutes long, and there are no production shows or casinos — the entertainment is Norway itself, through very large windows. My clients knew all of this before they paid a deposit. That's the job.
CAD · Also in the total: the Havila Polaris voyage — 5 nights, Seaview Superior Twin, all meals + onboard credit — $3,498 USD ≈ $4,800 for two · SAS intra-Europe flights $1,201 · six independent hotel nights (Dublin ×2, Oslo Airport, Kirkenes, Bergen, Stavanger) ~$1,900 · the Fjord Line ferry in reserved lounge seats ~$260. Ireland end to end, the Norwegian coast under the midnight sun, and a family reunion delivered on time.
They asked for Ireland and a family visit in Stavanger. They sailed the whole coast of Norway under the midnight sun to connect them.
What's between your destinations?These travellers came to me with two destinations. The journey between them became the story.
Ask Max about building a journey around yours