2011 promises to be a good cruise year in Oslo with 180 reported ship calls. This breaks all previous records. In 2010, 150 cruise ships visited Oslo carrying more than 261 000 passengers from 136 countries. In 2011, it appears that more than 320 000 tourists will visit Oslo by sea. 

Germans in majority
Germans are in majority on cruises to Oslo in 2011. This is because the German cruise line AIDA is calling in Oslo no less than 46 times. 36 of these are so-called over-night calls where the ship arrives in the evening on one day and stays into the late afternoon the following day. This way, the tourists have a great opportunity to experience more of the vast variety of entertainment and experiences the capital can offer. One can imagine both musical events, sightseeing, strolling around independently, swinging by for example Icebar, various exhibitions and so on.



Because of Norway’s bright summer nights the evening has barely started at 10 p.m. How about a guided late evening walk through the unique Vigeland Sculpture Park?



The statistics show that most cruise passengers to Oslo do not stay on board the boat, but go ashore to partake in different experiences. With cruise piers in close proximity to the city centre, the conditions are perfect for independent tours as well as organized sightseeing.  Also, Holland America Line and Seabourn Cruises will have more over-night-calls this year. We would like to continue this trend and would like to see it expand even further as it is very interesting for the city's many attractions!



Passengers from the U.S. and UK are the next major groups of cruise tourists. In 2011, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines will again start/end cruises in Oslo. One can simply stroll down the pier at Filipstad and go on a cruise to several famous European destinations. In 2010 there were about 20 000 people who travelled on a cruise from Oslo, of which 30% were foreigners. The ships continuing to the West coast and the Baltic StatesHalf of the ships coming to Oslo have the capital as the only Norwegian port. The journey continues on the Baltic Sea to St. Petersburg as the big attraction. The rest of the ships are on their way to or from the Norwegian fjords.

There are many of us who look forward to the sparkling life that cruise ship arrivals bring with them. Five days in the summer will experience four simultaneous cruise ships, and 12 days will experience three ships visiting at the same time. 29 days, there are two ships in port and 61 days one ship. But those who think that the harbour would be blocked for ordinary people on days like these are wrong. Security gates will open as soon as the ship leaves the dock in the afternoon. Additionally, there are 10 days in the summer months (June – September) without cruise-calls at all. 

Written by Margrethe Austad, Marketing Manager Cruise – Port of Oslo, 21 February 2011