{"id":585904,"date":"2026-08-31T13:32:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T13:32:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/585904\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T13:32:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T13:32:32","slug":"i-took-my-77-year-old-mum-on-a-nordic-cruise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/585904\/","title":{"rendered":"I took my 77-year-old mum on a Nordic cruise"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s how we tackled the journey and made memories to last a lifetime.<\/p>\n

\" Mum takes in Bergen harbour views with binoculars. Photo \/ Erika Ebsworth-Goold<\/p>\n

Prepare and plan<\/p>\n

As much as Mum was excited, she\u2019s not accustomed to long-haul flights. My primary objective was to ensure her comfort with the things we could control, which would allow us to take anything else that might pop up in stride.<\/p>\n

The first step? Making Mum a carry-on queen. Our connections were tight, and one missed flight could mean our bags might not make the ship. <\/p>\n

She eventually embraced the idea of a capsule wardrobe for our eight-day cruise. Several months before our departure, I gave her one of my favourite Lojel carry-on roller cases and she began practising her packing. She finally got everything she needed crammed into that single case.<\/p>\n

\" A boat cruises past colourful harbourfront houses. Photo \/ Erika Ebsworth-Goold<\/p>\n

It paid off. When we entered Europe, security lines were hundreds of passengers long, owing to the European Union\u2019s disastrous new enter-exit system. <\/p>\n

We barely made our connection to Norway, and I was thankful we had our belongings with us instead of leaving everything to luck, chance or airport baggage handlers.<\/p>\n

I also put together a detailed itinerary of our trip, with flights, transfers, excursions, spa appointments and even free time listed. <\/p>\n

This is something I never do for myself, but I knew Mum would appreciate the effort. She admitted it gave her an extra boost of confidence knowing we had a plan for each day. <\/p>\n

\" Mum poses with a lobster dinner onboard. Photo \/ Erika Ebsworth-Goold<\/p>\n

We also made sure she had access to her Viking online cruise portal; counting down to departure day built excitement for both of us.<\/p>\n

Finally, I made sure all my travel apps were updated and sending push notifications. When we got word of any change, from an airport gate or a shipboard announcement from Viking, we received it immediately. It gave her peace of mind to know we were on top of everything.<\/p>\n

Address limitations and preferences<\/p>\n

My mum is in terrific shape. After all, this is the woman who insisted on a same-day down-and-out Grand Canyon hike to celebrate her 70th birthday a few years back, an outing that gutted my four younger sisters and me. <\/p>\n

While I initially thought she might want to go fjord kayaking or bicycling, she insisted she didn\u2019t feel the need to overdo it on this trip. She simply wanted to enjoy each port of call at a leisurely pace.<\/p>\n

The last thing any of us want to do is unnecessarily push our ageing parents, especially if they have limitations. <\/p>\n

\" Mum enjoys coffee and fjord views aboard the train. Photo \/ Erika Ebsworth-Goold<\/p>\n

Viking had plenty of activity options for people of all mobility levels. We opted for gentle walking excursions included in each port and splurged for Flam Railway tickets, delighting in the dramatic scenery during the epic two-hour journey. <\/p>\n

On our lone onboard day, we spent hours blissed out on loungers in the indoor pool area, sipping champagne and watching the North Sea waves.<\/p>\n

I wanted to make sure Mum enjoyed herself as much as possible and leaned into her preferences. <\/p>\n

Tranquillity was the vibe of the week. While the pace was much slower than my usual, I appreciated the pause just as much as Mum.<\/p>\n

\" Mum kicks back with a cocktail on relaxed sea day. Photo \/ Erika Ebsworth-Goold<\/p>\n

Solo time is okay too<\/p>\n

I truly love my mum. That said, during this holiday, we spent more one-on-one time together than we had in decades. While our veranda stateroom – with its full balcony – was delightful, it still felt close at times. Add together every shared meal, excursion and activity \u2026 well, you get the picture.<\/p>\n

I realised you need not be attached at the hip with your parent to have a terrific holiday. Mum and I took occasional breaks. <\/p>\n

\" Their veranda stateroom had space to unwind. Photo \/ Erika Ebsworth-Goold<\/p>\n

Most mornings, I woke up early and ran on the upper deck while she slept in. After a lovely excursion outside of Skagen, Denmark, she went back to the stateroom to relax while I power-walked downtown. <\/p>\n

We booked separate spa treatments and ducked into the library and Explorers Lounge on our own. The time apart was restorative and made us appreciate each other\u2019s company all the more.<\/p>\n

Living in the moment<\/p>\n

For all my preparations headed into the trip, the one thing I didn\u2019t expect was the meaningfulness of all that Mum-time. <\/p>\n

From playful snowball fights and sauna sweat sessions in our ship\u2019s Nordic Spa to stopping to smell the blooming roses and linden trees while strolling through charming Norwegian towns, each day was filled with delights both onboard and in port.<\/p>\n

\" Erika and her mum toast under a grand glass ceiling. Photo \/ Erika Ebsworth-Goold<\/p>\n

Our ship was in Oslo as Norway played France during the World Cup. Mum loved the fan energy, including that iconic Viking row. <\/p>\n

A full military trooping also took place through the streets that day, and none of the locals seemed to know why. (I joked that they were there to serenade Mum). And when a soft mist fell on us outside of Flam, we joked about not bringing our raincoats.<\/p>\n

\" A bicycle rests by a signpost pointing to Fl\u00e5m. Photo \/ Erika Ebsworth-Goold<\/p>\n

Then there were the epic conversations. We sat on our balcony, chatting late into the evening as the summer sun struggled to set. We filled each other in on our lives, fully present. I caught her journaling every evening before bed. When I teased her about it, she insisted it was necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to forget a thing,\u201d she told me.<\/p>\n

Witnessing her enthusiasm made me understand I should never take my own travels for granted. <\/p>\n

Nothing \u2013 not health, travel, nor time \u2013 is guaranteed. Recognising that, and cherishing the special time with Mum, was the true gift of this epic holiday.<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t forget a thing, either.<\/p>\n

The writer travelled courtesy of Viking Cruises.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s how we tackled the journey and made memories to last a lifetime. Mum takes in Bergen harbour…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":585905,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[288455,1443,74,10791,138,2037,4731,167883,13845,83897,40484,2721,4977,111,139,36720,69,90,6185,180,6382,14344,6923,102],"class_list":["post-585904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-77yearold","tag-about","tag-after","tag-ageing","tag-business","tag-cruise","tag-days","tag-ebsworthgoold","tag-eight","tag-erika","tag-learned","tag-mum","tag-my","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nordic","tag-nz","tag-on","tag-parent","tag-shares","tag-took","tag-travelling","tag-what","tag-with"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=585904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585904\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/585905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=585904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=585904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=585904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}