MNfamilycruiser

My DW brings the Command Strips and has had some luck with it sticking. She uses the wire basket type of holders that are usually in the corner of the shower. I hope I made sense here with my description of what she does.

Yes, thank you! I will see if I happen to have command strips that fit my existing caddy.

We leave tomorrow for Copenhagen, so I am running out of time to go buy things. :D

I don't know the wall type. But perhaps going with a hanging caddy will work? This one completely drains and could hang off the shower knobs or sit on the floor. https://amzn.com/B0167NI3SE

 

Maybe search CC and google for videos of your room number or category.

Thanks for the suggestion - I would have to use next day shipping though ;)

I will possibly bring my small caddy anyway - other things can be packed inside it so it doesn't take that much room.

I will be sure to make a note to myself after this trip :D

I have a shelf that attaches by suction cups to a shower wall, I was thinking of bringing it for the smaller bathroom in a two room suite (also called a Royal Family suite). This bathroom will be shared by 3 teenage girls - in case you were wondering why I would need it. ;)

BUT, I vaguely remember that when we were on Radiance, that the shelf would not stick to the wall. This time we are on Serenade and I am wondering if I should bother to bring it.

Does anyone know what the shower walls are like? Smooth? Or more like textured tile? The "master" bath has a tub/shower combination. The smaller bathroom just has a shower. I also don't know if the smaller bathroom would be like a regular inside/outside/balcony room.

Apparently I am going to have to start writing notes to myself to remember these things.....:o

A weird question I know, but at least I am not asking about drink packages, tipping or what to wear in the dining room....

We just arrived home and saw a short post in the Trib regarding a fatality in a tour bus accident. It mentioned falling into a ravine? Just curious about where since we had recently been touring there. I think it happened on Saturday, 7/30?

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/07/30/world/europe/ap-eu-norway-bus-accident.html?_r=0

[emoji4]

 

In theory, I can accumulate points over the next 5 years and then use them for a free cruise (or two) as long as I use the points to book the free cruise in the next 5 years.

 

Next, I have to calculate how much I have to spend on my Visa to get two balcony cabins.

[emoji849]

 

 

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Just so you know, it is MUCH more difficult to get a good deal using the RC Visa points than it used to be. It is a confusing maze of rules relating to what things can be combined - Visa reward points with sales, balcony discounts etc. Pretty much nothing can be combined.

I am remembering that we couldn't use them with the "sale" price - which we all know is not really a sale. So they used the "full price" - and then applied the reward (it might have been free companion fare). In your case - when you are looking for a free cruise - and they give a maximum value of the cruise you are taking - you have to look at the non-sale prices to see if your cruise is under the maximum. It is all in the fine print for each reward that you want to use.

Let us know what you call the new one so we can follow you

This IS the new thread. :D

Danish Vikings original post starting this thread in March of 2016 was just quoted yesterday.

For me it is as easy as I prefer to drive down Trollstigen because its just that more dramatic and spectacular.

I would suggest Valldal - Trollstigen - Åndalsnes - and back out to Ålesund.

 

If you have time and the weather holds I would suggest stopping at Trollveggen (the Trollwall mt) Its the larges vertical wall mt. in Europe. The Trollveggen is only a 20 minute drive from Trollstigen.

 

As for berries - the season is coming to an end so not sure if you are able to get any berries.

I know its been a hit and miss to get them in the shops this year.

Thank you - that is just the kind of tip that makes CC so wonderful - I really appreciate all your help on this thread.

I put Trollveggen in our "possible" list - as you said, depending on time, weather and potential car sickness.

For anyone else worried about directions and maps - I used google maps to map this drive on my phone. Google maps noted that we would be without cell reception for some of the trip and asked if I wanted to be able to download the directions so they could be used offline. That didn't happen when I was researching on the computer - so I was happy to see that option on the phone.

I am finalizing my notes for our trip and have gotten to Ålesund :) We have rented a car and are going to drive to Trollstigen, stopping off at the Fjellstua viewpoint before returning the car. We should have time to see a little of the town in the afternoon or evening - our ship is there from 8am-8pm.

My question - we would like to drive a loop to Trollstigen and back instead of backtracking. Does it matter which way you go up and which way back down? So E39 and E136 up in the morning and RV 63 toward Valldal back down in the afternoon or switched :D

Better traffic going one way vs the other - most people might tend to take E39 &136 because that is the shortest route? It shows as the marked route on Google maps for example.

Better scenery morning vs. afternoon on one route vs the other?

Is it too late in the season to get fresh berries near Valldal?

Its mostly the Michelin restaurants where you need to reserve a table.

 

If you are a little flexible with your dinner time it should be okay to book a day ahead.

 

Some restaurants has problems with people not showing up when they have reserved a table and that means 2 things.

 

1) its a possibility that you can get a table by just showing up.

 

2) some restaurants has started to add a booking fee so maybe you have to pay when you book.

Thanks - I think we can be flexible! We have multiple choices for each meal - if one doesn't work out we will try another.

We will have 6 people, 2 of whom are teens/young adults who will be paying for themselves, so we are looking at places on the cheaper end ;)

Thursday and Friday evenings - will it be impossible to get into restaurants without reservations? Easier if we are doing more casual/cheaper places?

I am looking at Grøften in Tivoli Gardens for Thursday.

And I really don't know at all for Friday - Spaghetteria La Perla, Sporvejen, Restaurant Karla, or even Torvehallerne are all possibilities. I am planning on Copenhagen Street Food for lunch.

We arrive Thursday afternoon after a 10 hr. flight and 7 hr time change - I am really having a hard time predicting how hungry we will be, or when.

It is possible we could try and make reservations the day before, or earlier the same day once we see how we have acclimated.

I am wondering about the exact same question and hope someone can help.

 

Otherwise, if you do get to the port early trying to drop off your luggage, could you let us know if it worked and what time you were there?

I asked on the Royal Caribbean board, and many people said they plan to be there to check in, or did check-in, between 10:30 and 11:00, - so I would say 10:30 is probably the earliest you could count on, very likely you could drop it off a little earlier - like 10:00? But the check-in might not be open yet.

We will no longer try to drop luggage off ahead because I was reminded that I can probably just have the hotel store it until we are ready to go to the ship. I already contacted the hotel and they will do that for us. The place we want to see that morning is closer to the hotel than the port anyway - so it works out better this way.

I'm not sure what port is the best for whale watching but we did ours at Icy Straight and it was excellent. We booked a private tour with Glacier Winds. They and several others are mentioned on this thread in the Alaska forum: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2020899

We did also did the tour at Icy Strait with Glacier Winds - Juneau has a LOT of other things to do, ISP, not so many. There will not be more whales at one point vs. the other - so plan out what you will be doing at each stop to decide.

Hello! Can anyone tell me what brand of over the door organizer they used that I can be sure will fit on the door and be able to close it? I need this for my cruise on Freedom in January since we are bringing the kids!

Thanks!

I don't think only certain brands will work. I just randomly bought something and it has been fine on many different ships, lines and hotels even.

We sailed on the Serenade out of Copenhagen last August. We arrived around 11:00am and dropped off our luggage and checked in. I don't think it would be a problem to drop it off at 10:30 and come back later. I might suggest going ahead and checking in, but not get on the ship though. That way when you return, you're already checked in and can just walk on the ship.

 

As others have noted, it is a bit of a logistic nightmare to take public transportation from the city to the port (series of trains and busses) and a taxi is not cheap. We did take a taxi, but the cost would have prohibited me from taking a taxi there and then back to the city, and then back to the ship again.

 

If you are staying in a hotel the night before, it might work best to leave your bags at the front desk and then picking them up on your way to the port.

 

On another note, maybe it's my paranoia, but I would never plan to arrive at 3:00 with a 3:30 check in cut-off. It's a personal choice and I imagine people do it, but I get nervous with all of the "what ifs" that can happen getting to the port. It might be worthy to reconsider your plans that morning and see if you can work out a 2:00 or so check-in instead. Just my opinion.

 

Whatever you choose, enjoy. We loved Copenhagen and the Serenade.

Thank you for the suggestion of the hotel.

Yes we are taking a taxi from the hotel to the port, we have 6 people plus luggage. I have already arranged for a mini-bus taxi for us.

The location I was planning on visiting that morning was Rosenborg Castle it is a pretty easy bus ride. The 25 bus from the port stops at a location within a few minutes walk of the castle. The 27 bus also goes from that stop to the port.

Yes, the timing makes me nervous as well - if we can either leave from the hotel earlier, or drop of the luggage earlier I would try to get back for check-in a little early.

For us, dropping and leaving after having spent multiple hours and dollars getting to the ship to just drop and leave my luggage seems counter productive. For me fighting the crowds wanting to board the ship for a second time is not something I would want to do. I don't want to take the chance of missing the ship due unforseen problems in a foreign country. That is us.Once I am there it is time for me to start enjoying the ship.

 

If you are staying at a Hotel the night before, why not leave your luggage there and go to the ship later?

Yes, I might be able to do that, thank you for the suggestion. We will check with the hotel and see if they can hold it for us. I can also check to see if it will take more time to go back and forth from the ship to Rosenborg Castle or back and forth to the hotel.

We have the added issue that we will have a young friend from Amsterdam with us in Copenhagen, but he will not be cruising with us. I was trying to extend the time we can spend with him as much as possible rather than getting to the ship early. And since we have been on the Serenade before, and the Radiance - I would rather spend the extra time seeing more in Copenhagen.

In the family suites, or any stateroom I think, they can only put 4 on a reservation. Ours is split up with 4 people on one number and 1 on another even though we are all staying in the same stateroom.

Don't know anything about the rest of your issue, but something like this might be why they are showing a single.

We will be on the August 26, 2017, Serenade TA from Copenhagen, we plan to arrive at the Terminal around 10:30 or 11:00. I have found, visiting Roll Calls to be very helpful in getting information. We also will be arriving 3 days early to be able to enjoy our visit to Copenhagen.

Thanks, I will go to roll calls of people who just got back and see if anyone has specific information. But your timing is exactly what I was thinking many people would do, so likely they are ready to take the luggage 1hr- 30 minutes before check-in is supposed to start.

I assume that the security is pretty much like in the air business, luggage not belonging to anyone checked inn will not get accepted. As soon as we dropped our luggage (in Barcelona) we were sent to a RCCL rep which officially checked is in.

 

Just call RCCL tomorrow for a correct answer :)

 

PS: Which ship is it?

Serenade

I don't think RCCL would have the answer, my understanding is that the people working at the ports are NOT RC employees, they are employed by the port. I think that part of the system is only minimally under RC control.

Unless it is different from other ports, it doesn't really work like an airport where you check-in at the same time or before giving your luggage.

You give your luggage to the port workers outside of the terminal, they load them into huge crates or on carts. I don't know if they check off which staterooms they have taken luggage for - I guess I haven't paid that much attention, but it doesn't seem like it.

Then you make your way into the terminal for the rest of the process. It is done by different people sometimes it can take a long time to get through the process. I would guess they would worry about it if you didn't show up before the ship left port.

I personally would not drop my luggage and leave the terminal. But if you want to I will tell you that the cruise terminal is in a rather industrial area of the city. As a side note, Copenhagen is an expensive city. If you are planning a taxi trip be prepared for sticker shock.

 

Granted we were there 2 years ago. If you just want to see Copenhagen I highly suggest that you consider taking a later flight home and doing the transfer/tour after your cruise that drops you at the airport offered by the ship. It was a great tour and we had no worries hauling our luggage around with us.

 

Either way enjoy your cruise and Copenhagen!

May I ask why you would not drop off the luggage?

I am talking about dropping it off with the same people you would if you were checking in. You drop it off and you don't see it again until it arrives outside your stateroom.

If so, how early were you able to drop off luggage?

Yes I know there is a board for northern Europe - but my question has gone unanswered there for 6 days so far, both as it's own post and within the Copenhagen thread. I was hoping I might have better luck here. :)

We are at the newer Oceankaj terminal, check-in is from 11:30 - 3:30. I was hoping to drop off the luggage at 10:30 or so, then return around 3:00 to actually check-in. We depart at 5pm. Checking in that late make me a little nervous - but it does give the 3:30 time on our cruise documents.

I am wondering about the exact same question and hope someone can help.

 

Otherwise, if you do get to the port early trying to drop off your luggage, could you let us know if it worked and what time you were there?

Yes, I will. I am hoping we can do it around 10:30.

I am thinking of asking over on the Royal Caribbean board. If I get an answer there, I will post it here.

Sorry for my inactivity but I got pneumonia (I think it is, Lungebetændelse in Danish) after I got home from Roskilde so I haven´t been on top. :D

 

 

I will return with replys to the many questions if they aren´t answered yet but First I will reply to an ongoing question about the kissing bridge.

 

 

The bridge that will connect Nyhavn with the Opera, Copenhagen Street Foood etc etc should have opened 3 years ago but now it has happened.

 

 

https://www.periscope.tv/w/1nAJEqYlreoJL

This is wonderful! - I just figured out this was open We are thinking of walking across to get to Copenhagen Street Food. I was reading an older travel guide on tripadvisor and they suggested a bike or water taxi. But using google maps I see that it should take us less than 10 minutes to walk across. :D

Actually google maps has been very helpful in planning. I think we will be walking between most of our stops. At the most they seem to be 15 to 20 minutes apart walking.

Hi Danish Viking,

 

My cruise is coming up soon. I am not sure if you have given me directions on how to get to town hall, if so please forgive me, I thought I saved it somewhere.

 

I have booked my free Copenhagen Walking tour. we need to be there for our 11:00 Am tour. We are leaving Cabin Scandinavia to go to the Dragon Fountain at the Town Hall.

 

I tried getting the schedules from Rejesplanen but I did not know the address of the Town Hall.

 

Can you help me?

Town Hall address: Rådhuspladsen 1, 1599 København, Denmark

Assuming your Cabinn Scandinavia is in Fredricksberg, I used google maps.

Walking it would take 17 minutes, I saw public transportation takes 12-14 minutes.[/url]

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Cabinn+Scandinavia,+Vodroffsvej,+Frederiksberg,+Denmark/Copenhagen+City+Hall,+R%C3%A5dhuspladsen+1,+1599+K%C3%B8benhavn,+Denmark/@55.6783828,12.5587823,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x46525259bf96e567:0xbbc98435b67fa50d!2m2!1d12.5559139!2d55.6812623!1m5!1m1!1s0x4652530df9af1805:0x44b329679d55715c!2m2!1d12.5701632!2d55.6752833!3e2

See if the link works

Smk730--

 

1. Get a copy of Rick Steves' Northern European Cruiseports. There's a good self-guided walking tour that you could do portions of on your way from the dock to the Radplasen where the Free Walking Tours begin. We did the Copenhagen Free Walking Tour last summer and the tour in the Rick Steves book. There was little, if any, overlap.

 

2. The Rick Steves book also has a great tour of Rosenborg Castle which comes in handy because there are not many explanatory signs in the castle. I did the Rick Steves tour last summer and spent nearly 2 hours in the castle and another 45 minutes or so walking around the gardens.

This is good to know :D We will be doing the Free Walking tour, and a canal tour, but we also have the Rick Steves book.

I am hoping to drop off our luggage as early as possible, then go back and visit Rosenborg before checking in. 3:30 is the latest check-in time. Check in begins at 11:30

Does anyone have previous experience with how early they were able to drop off bags at Oceankaj?

We are with Royal Caribbean, although I don't know if that matters since port employees take the luggage in most ports.