Life in Norway Show Episode #69: Captain Victor Stoica of the Fred Olsen Cruise Lines ship MS Borealis chats about life at sea, the responsibility of captaining a cruise ship and his favourite parts of Norway.
I’m just back from a two-week cruise to the north of Norway in search of the northern lights. I’ll write much more about the journey and experience in the weeks to come, but in the meantime I have an interesting interview for you.
On board I was fortunate enough to meet Captain Victor Stoica on the bridge. He was kind enough to sit down with me for a few minutes.
Captain Stoica is from Romania and has worked for Fred Olsen since 2001, with almost 12 years experience as a captain. We talk about his life at sea, the challenges of sailing in and around Norway and what the future of cruising may look like.
Whether you love them or hate them, cruise ships are a common sight along the Norwegian coastline, so I thought hearing from a seasoned captain would be a curious diversion from our usual interviews.
Listen to the show
You can listen to the show using the web player below, or on your podcast player of choice. This includes: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, YouTube (audio only) and Spotify. Simply search for ‘Life in Norway' on your platform of choice to get started.
Wherever you listen, don't forget to hit ‘subscribe' so you don't miss a future episode!
Highlights from the show
Captain Stoica emphasises that safety is the most important job of everyone on the bridge. The team constantly monitoring the sea conditions and weather forecasts in order to take any necessary adjustments to the planned route.
He says that cruising is an extremely international environment, and the same is true on the bridge. Working with and learning about other cultures is one of the most enjoyable parts of the job, according to the Captain.
Captain Stoica also reveals what else he enjoys about working on the Borealis, together with his favourite places in the world to cruise.
