castles near Copenhagen - managing steps with artificial knees

[Joanne G.]

A friend and I are looking at Princess excursions from Copenhagen, specifically to either Christianborg Castle or Fredicksborg Castle.   The descriptions for both these excursions mention multiple steps, like 150 - 200.  My friend has had both knees replaced.  She can do steps, as long as there are railings, and as long as it is pretty much one flight at a time, and as long as the pace of the castle tours isn't rushed.   Can anyone give some insight on what we will encounter in these castles?   We really want to choose one of these to see, but we want to avoid an unpleasant surprise of encountering a situation that is difficult or impossible for her.   I appreciate any insight, including whether one or the other might be a better choice given her situation.  Thank you.  

[dogs4fun]

4 hours ago, Joanne G. said:

A friend and I are looking at Princess excursions from Copenhagen, specifically to either Christianborg Castle or Fredicksborg Castle.   The descriptions for both these excursions mention multiple steps, like 150 - 200.  My friend has had both knees replaced.  She can do steps, as long as there are railings, and as long as it is pretty much one flight at a time, and as long as the pace of the castle tours isn't rushed.   Can anyone give some insight on what we will encounter in these castles?   We really want to choose one of these to see, but we want to avoid an unpleasant surprise of encountering a situation that is difficult or impossible for her.   I appreciate any insight, including whether one or the other might be a better choice given her situation.  Thank you.  

I can't speak to the Princess excursions - you might have better luck finding answers to these specific tours on the Princess forum.

That said, I have visited both castles DIY and yes, although there are many stairs, there are bannisters on the main staircases. 

Fredricksborg: has a special entrance for the mobility challenged (located the the right of the main entrance) & there is also a restroom in the basement (wheelchair accessible). There is an elevator that one can use to access all floors - one need not utilized the stairs if mobility is an issue.

Christianborg: also has a special entrance. As I recall, the elevator services only to the 1st floor (Royal Reception rooms).

Exteriors of both palaces are covered in cobblestones - wear comfortable shoes with adequate support. 

 

[Turtles06]

My wife and I spent several pre-cruise days in Copenhagen this past August, and used one of them to take a full day tour with Hamlet Tours to four sites outside Copenhagen, including Frederiksborg Castle.   I have one "new" knee and one original knee that is nearing the end of its shelf life.  There are stairs in the Castle, but my recollection is there were railings.   Lots of walking too (it's a huge palace) and on cobblestones and other hard surfaces.  We were pretty rushed because of how this tour was run (we were given a certain amount of time on our own), but I did it.  I can't comment on how the Princess excursion will be operated, and agree you should also ask on the Princess board.

 

Fredericksborg Castle was fantastic, sort of a Danish Versailles.  I loved the visit; I wish we could have spent the entire afternoon there at the very least, and would happily go back.

 

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

[Joanne G.]

Thank you both for taking the time to respond.   I probably will post on the Princess board eventually, but knowing the administrators' policy of immediately moving port questions to the port boards, I want to be able to say that I already did that!  I love Cruise Critic, but I hate that questions about port activities, especially about ship-sponsored excursions, are moved to the port boards, which have so much less viewer traffic and seem to be more geared towards independent excursions.

 

OMG, Turtles06, those photos are fabulous!  Thank you.

Edited December 16, 2018 by Joanne G.

[Turtles06]

5 hours ago, Joanne G. said:

Thank you both for taking the time to respond.   I probably will post on the Princess board eventually, but knowing the administrators' policy of immediately moving port questions to the port boards, I want to be able to say that I already did that!  I love Cruise Critic, but I hate that questions about port activities, especially about ship-sponsored excursions, are moved to the port boards, which have so much less viewer traffic and seem to be more geared towards independent excursions.

 

OMG, Turtles06, those photos are fabulous!  Thank you.

 

Joanne, I find that if you post in a cruise line forum specifically to ask about ship-sponsored shore excursions, you should be okay.  And that would be especially if you use a thread title like, “Princess excursions to castles outside Copenhagen— managing steps with new knees.”

 

Thanks for the kind words about my photos. Have a great cruise!