What a wonderful trip. Spend time in Copenhagen. Spend time in the Sanctuary on the ship. Take time to absorb the culture and food. The castles and palaces aren't to be missed.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Wives got on early and checked us into our rooms. My brother-in-law and myself walked right on with no delay.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
I'm more of a steak & potato guy so I wasn't impressed. All others enjoyed the food. Don't miss out on the Lemon Chellos(sp) shots at night. Russian dining room maître dies are not very friendly and all business. (huge downside).
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Not much to do in general aside from shows. Lots of impromptu dancing in open area of ship.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Below average. Crowded
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
In general it was good; excellent in the private lounge area at front of ship.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cleanliness was very good. Design was poor with insufficient elevators/stairs. Long ship to walk. Sky Bridge was very cool.
Stay a few days before the cruise. Take the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus to get a feel. Rent a bike. SEE THE VARIOUS PALACES! Skip the zoo & Trivoli Gardens. Get to the Little Mermaid statue very early. You can walk/bike most places. Spend time in Nyhaven in the evening and take a canal boat tour. If you are going to be there several days, get a Copenhagen Card. Airport transfer to Downtown is easy, don't really need a car with their transportation network.
Get out on deck early, early AM to watch boat pull in thru the Fjords. See the Vigeland Sculpture Park, Kon Tiki Museum (popular), and the Norwegian Resistance Museum.
Make sure you see Schwerin Castle (Alla Tours) and then spend time down by the water eating local cuisine & drinking German beer before getting back onboard. DO NOT MISS DISEMBARKING FROM THE DOCK! The ship plays the theme song from The Love Boat as it leaves and the residents come out to watch it leave. Great time to be on deck (dock side) and watch the sun go down as you pull out.
Beautiful buildings, palaces & castles. Pickpockets are everywhere, people are grey....with no life. Don't miss Catherine's Palace/Amber Room and the gardens (spectacular), the Hermitage Museum, St. Issac's Cathedral and Peterhof. Make sure you are on deck pulling out of port. Its interesting to see the security of the port going back to early ages. Immigration is cold and a bit unnerving. Overall I was glad to say I went once but wont be back.
Helsinki is beautiful and its people warm. Take a Hop-on/Hop-off and then spend the day just shopping in the market and eating/drinking in a nice courtyard.
Glad that you guys had such a wonderful journey. It is the sights etc that you will remember always. Not so much the ship. Your photos are terrific!! The Sanctuary we missed doing on Caribbean Princess, but other venues made up for it. The Scandinavian countries, and possibly Eastern Europe is on our bucket list. Luckily we have family in Sweden, so built in tour guides!
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