The Sisters Go Royal--Our Scandinavia and Russia Cruise

[GolfMom321]

The Backstory:

 

My sister and i had a year from hell, with multiple medical issues, surgeries, and way too much time in hospitals. So we decided to celebrate the fact that we survived, and go on an awesome cruise. We booked the Royal Princess sailing from Copenhagen on July 6.

 

Less than 2 weeks before we sailed, we were upgraded to a Full Suite. Thank you Princess for treating US like Princesses!

 

Precruise—Copenhagen

 

We stayed at the Palace Hotel, across from City Hall. It was a very nice area, with a 7-11 right up the street for water and snacks. After checking in, we set out to explore the city. We took a taxi to the Rosenborg Palace. It was pretty cool to see the Danish crown jewels, as well as the royal thrones.

 

Throne Room

 

The Crown Jewels

 

 

Afterwards, we tried to find a bus or taxi, and were going in circles. So we set out on foot, and finally a taxi came along. We went to Nyhavn, a really nice and colorful area along the canal. I loved the colorful buildings and old world architecture. We got hot dogs (Danish style) , and took a canal cruise. It was such a nice area. We went out into the bay, and we saw some people sitting on a bench by the water, stark naked! They dived into the water when we waved. You sure don’t see that at home!

 

 

Nyhavn

 

After the cruise, we went back to the hotel briefly, and then walked over to Tivoli Gardens. It was really beautiful, with all sorts of different pavilions. I especially liked the gardens—wish I could get mine at home to look like that! They even had a parade.

 

Tivoli Gardens

 

 

We looked at some of the restaurants, but the prices were just obscene! So, after walking around awhile, we headed out onto the main road where Deb had seen an Irish Pub. Well, it turned out to be a Scottish Pub that was a Mexican restaurant. In Denmark. Kind of surreal. It was cool to sit out along the street and people watch, but it started getting cold, so we moved inside. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at 7-11 to get water.

 

[cdngrl]

thanks for doing this, I love picture reviews!

when can we expect more?

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Looking forward to your review, this is on my bucket lust and hopefully getting closer ;)

Whoo hoo on the upgrade and a great way to wish you good health for years ;)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - Oy, excuse the auto correct ;)

[judylou]

Great photos!

[Working 2 Cruise]

Wonderful beginning! I hope this cruise began a great and healthy year!

[Sea Day Cruiser]

I will be on this cruise next month so I'm really looking forward to reading your review. Thanks for taking the time to do it.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for your comments and photos.

[GolfMom321]

Day 1--Copenhagen

 

In the morning, we went back to 7-11 to get breakfast (the hotel wanted a ridiculous amount for a breakfast buffet, and we weren’t all that hungry. ) Then I headed out to meet our Cruise Critic friends for a Segway tour around the city. Deb had opted out due to concern about her ankle. The tour was outstanding. Our guide, Dea, was very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. We had speakers in our helmets, so we could hear her as we rolled along. It was quite bouncy over the cobblestones, but we managed without any mishaps. We got a closeup look at the Little Mermaid, Amalienborg Palace, City Hall, Nynavn, and some typical European squares and narrow streets. Afterwards, Deb met up with us and we took a van to the port to board our ship.

 

City Hall Clock Tower, across from our hotel

 

Our wonderful Segway guide, Dea

 

 

The Little Mermaid

 

Panoramic view of the palace

 

Embarkation wasn’t bad at all. Our luggage was collected as soon as we arrived at the port, and we then went into the terminal to check in. We waited in a long line to be handed a health form asking if we’d had any signs of illness in the past couple weeks. I guess they’re screening for Norovirus, but as they had no way of knowing if people were telling the truth, I don’t see that it’s very effective. Fortunately, the line moved quickly. Once we had those forms, we got in the much shorter line for Suite and Elite passengers. Before we knew it, we were onboard!

 

We found our way to our cabin, R614. Our cabin steward, Ernie, from the Philippines, introduced himself and said he would switch out our minibar contents—taking away the booze and replacing it with water and some Cokes. He opened our complimentary bottle of champagne and poured us each a glass. Within about 3 minutes, our luggage arrived.

 

We headed up to the Horizon Court buffet to grab some lunch, and found out they offered a fondue dinner on the last night of the cruise. We signed up for that ($20 a person), as well as our complimentary first night at the Crown Grill, and our main dining room reservations for the first few nights. After lunch we returned to the cabin to unpack a little, and change into our sports jerseys for the first Cruise Critic meet & greet.

 

The meetup, in the Horizon Terrace bar area, was really nice. We saw the gang from the Segway tour, and met some other folks we’d "seen" online. It was nice to put faces to the names. We brought our life jackets along so we could go directly to the lifeboat drill afterwards. It is so much more civilized to have the drill seated comfortably inside, rather than standing on deck like sardines.

 

Following that, we headed back to the cabin to change for dinner at the Crown Grill. We had filet mignon, which was pretty good, and some overly salty potatoes. Dessert was a sampler of their offerings, which was obscenely good. It did not bode well for our figures…

 

 

After dinner, we checked out the show in the Princess Theater. The singers and dancers were pretty good, but we left during the illusionist, as it really wasn’t our “thing”. We headed to our first of many, many game shows, the “Where in the World Am I”? show. Unfortunately, it conflicted with the first karaoke session, and the second one, at 11 pm, was too late for us to stay up for. The time change was still slowing me down.

[Kewz1]

I'm sorry for your bad year but glad it ended with a wonderful cruise! Great pics!

 

Kristen

[GolfMom321]

Day 2—Oslo

 

We had changed a small amount of US Dollars into Danish Kroner (DKK) at the airport, but hadn’t made any arrangements for Norwegian Kroner. There were money exchange machines on Deck 4, and we decided we should get at least SOME, lest we be in need of a rest room and lacking in funds to pay for it. (We’d been warned that they are often not free in the ports we were visiting.) It was a complex procedure. First we had to take dollars out of the ATM, at an outrageous $6 transaction fee. Then we had to put the dollars into the change machine, which spit out the requested currency, minus a $4.50 service fee. So we paid $10.50 to get $50 worth of DKK! That is highway robbery in my book. We did NOT make this mistake again.

 

Welcome to Oslo

 

We stopped at the International Café to try to pick up sandwiches or something to take along on our tour, which would begin just at lunchtime. We ended up eating them there at the IC. Both the Ham & Cheese and the Tomato & Mozzarella were very good.

 

With that taken care of, we headed to Brunchtime Trivia in the Vista Lounge. This was the first of many trivia sessions for us, as we really enjoy it. (We’re also quite good at it, as was evidenced by the 14 water bottles and miscellaneous other Princess prizes we accumulated over the course of the trip!)

 

Then it was time to report to the Princess Theater for our tour. We were taken out by groups and quickly got off the ship and into the port, where we met our driver, Thor, and our guide, Kirsti, who spoke excellent English. Our first stop was the Hadeland Glassworks. We watched some beautiful vases being made via a really interesting process of twirling, blowing, heating, and many other steps. I can’t imagine how hot it must be for the workers. It rained on and off all afternoon, but we had some clearing while we were at the glassworks. They had some little shops, and a café where we had tea and pastry. The shops offered glassware made on site, as well as various other gifts. I got the requisite postcards and refrigerator magnet—I collect them from everywhere I go.

 

 

 

Next we visited the Viking Ship Museum. It was amazing to see the ancient ships so well preserved. The intricate carving was really beautiful.

 

 

We then drove back into the city, with Kirsti pointing out the sights along the way. We saw a girl riding what appeared to be an elliptical bicycle or scooter, which I determined to look into online when I got home.

 

Back onboard, we had dinner in the Symphony Dining Room. We’d made reservations for 6:30, and arrived about 15 minutes early. We were seated promptly, as no one else was waiting for a table. Dinner was good, and the Crème Brulee for dessert was outstanding.

 

After dinner, we headed to the Vista Lounge for a comedy show. The comedian, Tim Walkow, was pretty decent, and we had some good laughs. Deb wanted to see the “Dynamic Entertainer” Chris Watkins, so we went to the Princess Theater. We weren’t terribly impressed, so we left and opted for the “Yes/No Game Show”. One of the guys who won was Michael, who we would get to know very well as the cruise went on.

 

Our final activity for the evening was Princess Pop Star karaoke. It was the first of 3 heats for the “famous” contest. We met some of our fellow Cruise Critic folks there, and one of them, Ken, was chosen as a finalist for the first heat. Alas, I was not so fortunate, and resolved to try again the next time.

[Colo Cruiser]

Sounds like a great time.

 

A driver named "THOR" in Oslo? Go figure! :D

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your report and photos.

 

Keith

[NMCruiser55]

Enjoying the report and pictures. Looking forward for more. :)

Glad you have recovered. It was a tough year.

[dchip]

Thanks for taking us along. Sounds like a great time with your sister!!

 

Cheers, Denise

[GolfMom321]

Day 3—Aarhus

 

We were up early, so after breakfast at the International Café, we headed up for Morning Trivia. The Assistant Cruise Director, Nat, who is from Brazil, remembered us from the day before, and began to refer to us as “The Sisters”. The name stuck, as we found out many times over the course of the cruise.

 

Next up was the Taboo Challenge. There were only four of us playing, under the direction of the Cruise staff. We remembered Michael, who had won the game show the prior evening, and met his lovely wife, Tessa. The game ended in a draw, and the four of us became fast friends, spending lots of time together in the coming days.

 

We headed off to the Vista Lounge for BINGO, which is one of our favorite things to do on a cruise. Much to our delight, I won $150 in the second round, which paid for 2 games apiece. It was worth missing Trivia for that!

 

We grabbed lunch back at the International Café—some lovely quiche that I’d have loved to get the recipe for. Then we headed ashore to board a bus which would take us to the Welcome Center just outside of Aarhus. There was free WiFi, and people were just standing around, phones in hands, checking mail, sending messages, taking advantage of that tenuous tether to the outside world. Unfortunately, the connection wasn’t very good—possibly due to the overload of users. And Deb realized she had a dead battery and no charger, so she headed back to the ship to take a nap. I decided to wander into town to look around and find some souvenirs, as I hadn’t gotten any in Copenhagen. After quite a bit of walking, I finally did find some postcards. I was running so low on DKK that I couldn’t even afford to splurge on a chai at Starbucks, but I did manage to purchase a Coke before I went back onboard.

 

Panorama of port of Aarhus

 

 

Town square and cathedral—there seemed to be major reconstruction going on everywhere we visited.

 

 

Cafes and shops along the canal

 

 

We met up with Michael and Tessa for Afternoon Trivia, which we won handily. The water bottles were starting to pile up. And David, one of the Assistant Cruise Directors, was becoming a favorite of all of ours with his wacky sense of humor.

 

Before dinner, we went up to Deck 16 for the “Watercolor Fantasy” of pool fountains. It was supposed to be “like the fountains at Bellagio”. Well, it WAS fountains, but that’s where the similarity ended. It probably would have been much better if it were at least somewhat dark out, but in the daylight it was hard to see much of anything. It was a disappointment, but we soldiered on. Dinner was back in the Symphony Dining Room, and again, we had no wait to get in.

 

After dinner, it was time for 70s Music Trivia. Then we had some time to kill before karaoke, so we played Mahjong, which Deb had brought along. Brazil was playing Germany in the World Cup, so the Vista Lounge was hopping! We stayed at Karaoke long enough for me to get a song in, and to hear a few others, but ran out of steam before it ended, so we trudged on up to the cabin to get some sleep.

[GolfMom321]

Day 4—Warnemunde/Berlin PART ONE

 

Since we had to report at 7 AM for our tour, we requested room service breakfast for 6:30. Promptly at 5:50 AM, there was a knock on our door, and breakfast had arrived. We were NOT amused, and promptly went back to sleep for half an hour. We had requested “croissants”, and were provided with exactly ONE. The meal was passable, but that’s about all. Not a great start to the day, but fortunately, things got better.

 

Warnemunde

 

We assembled in the Princess Theater again, and were then called out in groups for the tours. Rather than buses, we boarded a train for the long ride to Berlin. It was quite a hike out to the train, which we had not expected. The train ride was fine, and gave us an opportunity for a decent nap. They also provided drinks and snacks, which was appreciated, given our breakfast fiasco. We had been warned that the trains were not air conditioned, and it wasn’t an issue at all.

 

When we got off the train, we transferred to buses, and ended up in the same group as Michael and Tessa. Our driver was Ingo, and our guide, Birgit, was outstanding. Her English was impeccable, and she had a wealth of knowledge about everything we saw. It was obvious that she had very strong feelings about her country’s past, which made it all more personal. We were equipped with headsets, through which we could hear Birgit speak. With a large group, this was a huge help.

 

Our first stop was the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. All I can say is, it was haunting. Seeing the actual buildings where prisoners lived, the conditions they endured, reading/hearing their stories, seeing the gas chambers and the ovens—very, very emotional. Our group, like most of the others, was very, very quiet. There were some groups of younger, probably teenage visitors, who were chatting, laughing, smiling. I couldn’t understand that. Birgit told us that school children in Germany take trips there to see the past of their country. I certainly hope these were not those German students, having such a cavalier attitude towards the atrocities of the Holocaust.

 

 

 

 

Toilet room for 400 men

 

Memorial Tower

[GolfMom321]

Day 4--Berlin PART TWO

 

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

 

Execution Trench

 

Foundation of the gas chambers

 

The ovens

 

We stopped for lunch after leaving the camp, and our moods brightened up considerably. Then we were off for a driving tour of the city. We saw the Reichstag, with its dome. We stopped off in the square by the Brandenberg Gate, and saw the US Embassy right on the square (a really ugly building compared to the beautiful old buildings around it). So much was damaged in the war, as photographs along the way depicted. There has been a good deal of reconstruction, much of it happening in the past decade or so since the wall came down. We walked around the block to the Holocaust Memorial. Another quiet spot of reflection. We had a few minutes to grab some souvenirs, and then we were back on the bus. We drove through East and West, noting the typical Soviet era drab and ugly buildings, a stark contrast to the beautiful pre-war architecture.

 

Reichstag

 

Brandenburg Gate

 

US Embassy

[GolfMom321]

Day 4--Berlin PART THREE

 

Holocaust Memorial

 

We went to Checkpoint Charlie—a total tourist trap if you ask me. Then, just after we boarded the bus again, down came the rain, in a torrential downpour. We had planned a stop where we could get out and actually touch a part of the wall that was still standing, and I feared the rain would prevent it, but we did stop, and a few of us brave souls stumbled out, umbrellas in hand. The rain suddenly stopped, and then everyone climbed out, only to have it start up again. The timing was great though, and while we were a bit damp, it didn’t put a damper on our experience.

 

Checkpoint Charlie

 

 

Part of the wall remains standing as a reminder

 

Typical Soviet-era apartment building

 

The train ride back to the port was uneventful. We were served some sandwiches and snacks, and fortunately had plenty to drink, as we were thirsty from all the walking we’d done. When we arrived, we remembered we still had that long hike back to the ship. Ugh. But we made it! We opted for a quick bite up in the Horizon Court. We were consistently impressed with the quality of the food up there—as good as the main dining room. And the variety was also very good.

 

The evening’s activities began with the Princess Pyramid Game Show. We won (again), and were promptly “drafted” by David to participate in the next event, the “Hollywould You” Game Show. Deb and I were split up for this one. It was hilarious, with Lisa, Toby and David from the Cruise staff. Deb’s team won, but it didn’t matter as we all laughed our heads off the entire time! Our final event was karaoke, and I ended up singing first and leaving soon after. We had to set our clocks ahead an hour, so we were grateful it was going to be our first sea day.

Edited July 30, 2014 by GolfMom321

[GolfMom321]

Not sure what's going on with all my photos. I will try to resolve it tomorrow.

[bearette]

Great so far!

 

Sent from my KFTHWI using Forums mobile app

[Grammyluvs]

Enjoying the review. Hope you get your photos back up....I always love pictures.

[Woobstr112G]

Hope you get your picture issue resolved. Looking forward to be able to view your photos.....:):):)

 

Bob

[caribill]

Not sure what's going on with all my photos. I will try to resolve it tomorrow.

 

If you make any change to a picture on the web site (relabel it, update a new version, etc.) it will be in a new location on that web site and the old link will not work.

 

If you have the access privilege set up incorrectly, then the general public will not be able to see the photo even if the photo did not have any change to it.

 

If it is the former, you will have to make your posts again as there is no way to get the new addresses into the old posts.

 

If it is the latter (access privilege), then fixing the access privilege will make them visible again.

[GolfMom321]

Can't I edit my posts? If not, I guess I'll have to repost them all, but I swear I have edited before.