To contribute to the ongoing discussions about sustainable cruise tourism on the Lofoten Islands, we look into the practices associated with cruise-related activities, offering a detailed and nuanced understanding of how cruising is executed, including its opportunities and challenges. Our findings suggest that to improve sustainability of cruise tourism there is a need to leverage local enforceability, collaborate with cruise operators, establish realistic requirements to cruise operators, adjust to local norms and guidelines, and address concerns of local carrying capacity. Additionally, the report puts forth tools and measures for the governance of cruise tourism, including economic incentives, tourist taxes, environmental regulations, local networks, and information dissemination. In conclusion, we underscore the need for stakeholders to take into account the complexity of interconnected practices, and advocate for the establishment of novel local approaches to balance between development and sustainability interests when developing the local tourism industry on the Lofoten Islands.