May 3^rd, 2018 we were off to Copenhagen to sail with Royal Caribbean on a 7 Night Norwegian Fjords cruise. After an overnight flight from St. John’s, we had 2 days to explore Copenhagen before our cruise. After a quick train ride from the airport to Central Station, we walked to our hotel and dropped off our bags.

We walked around the block to purchase a 48-hr Copenhagen Red Bus Hop On / Hop off– Bus and Boat tour. This pass allowed us to hop on and off as many times as we wanted to plus enjoy a 1-hour scenic boat tour through the canal. Our ticket also allowed us to catch a free shuttle to the pier to catch our ship on Sunday.

We were able to see the highlights and get an overview of Copenhagen. Once we got familiar with the area on bus, we started to explore the city on foot. Copenhagen is a very walkable city. If you feel real comfortable with biking, there are plenty of places to rent a bike and peddle around the city with the locals.

One of our stops included the Carlsberg Brewery where we got off to tour the brewery. Our guide took us through the history of Carlsberg from the foundation in 1847 where J.C. Jacobsen started up until today. We were told stories about J.C. Jacobsen's lifelong journey developing a world class beer, Carlsberg's unique role within research, the Jacobsen family's personal dramas and to see some of the original architecture. The tour included the biggest collection of unopened beer bottles in the world, the stables and of course a stop at the Jacobsen Brewhouse & Bar to sample some beer at the end of our tour.

Some of our highlights include eating and hanging out in Nyhavn, one of the most iconic places in Copenhagen. Nyhavn is a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen. It is famous for its 17^th and early 8^th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. The canal harbours many historical wooden ships.

We visited Tivoli Gardens, a 175-year old amusement park in central Copenhagen which offers rides, games, musicals, ballet, and major concerts.

If you like shopping, head to the famous shopping district of Strøget. This is one of Europe's longest pedestrian streets with a number of shops, from budget chains to some of the world's most expensive brands. This is a 1.1km area that covers the streets of Frederiksberggade, Nygade, Vimmelskaftet and Østergade. It runs from City Hall Square to Kongens Nytorv square.

Finally, a visit to Copenhagen wouldn’t be complete without a visit to see the statue of the Little Mermaid. Based on the fairy tale of the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, the statue is a Copenhagen icon and has been a major tourist attraction since its unveiling in 1913. The Little Mermaid was a gift from Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen to the City of Copenhagen.

Serenade of the Seas - Launched: June 20, 2003

Length: 293m  Guest Capacity: 2,490 Ship Crew: 891

After two days of sightseeing, we took the Hop On/Hop Off Bus to the Port to catch our cruise. This was our 2^nd time sailing on the Serenade of the Seas. We sailed out of Fort Lauderdale on a 11-night sailing in the Caribbean. This is a beautiful ship, which is part of the Radiance class of ships.

We unpacked our bags and walked around the ship. There were lots of activities onboard which included swimming, exercising, cinema, bingo, casino, spa, cooking classes, wine tasting, dancing, card games, trivia, etc. I could go on and on as there was something to offer for everyone.

Today was the first of 2 sea days. Although the temperature wasn’t real high, it wasn’t too cold for the Jacuzzi or hanging out in the Solarium, the adult’s only retreat. There were lots of activities around the ship. Tonight was our one and only formal night where there were opportunities to get your picture taken with the Captain.

After supper, we headed to watch the headliner show which featured an American Four Tops Motown Show. Afterwards, we headed to the Centrum where there is always some form of entertainment and music.

We were up early for our Pulpit Rock Adventure Hike excursion in Preikestolen. This started with a bus ride and ended with a ferry ride to Prekestol Chalet. We got to see some of the best land and seascapes during this ride. Once we arrived at the Chalet, we set out on a 5-hour journey across some rugged mountain trails. Our final destination was Pulpit Rock, which stands nearly 2,000 feet above Lysefjord. The hike is approximately 6 kilometers on the return where we experienced uneven trails and steep inclines and declines. Sherpas from Nepal have been upgrading the trail to Preikestolen and today the trail boasts a very high standard. Although the hike was challenging, the view was worth every step.

Once we finished the trail, we returned to the Chalet to wait for the rest of the group. As we had some extra time before departing back to the ship, we took advantage of the time to enjoy a drink outside in the sunshine. We returned to town and spent an hour walking around before we were due back onboard the ship.

After a fantastic meal in the dining room, we watched a production that featured West End & Broadway Musicals turned into Movie Musicals.

Bergen is often called 'the city between the seven mountains' as they surround the city centre. We took full advantage of our day by taking an early morning excursion which included a guided walking tour in Bergen and a Funicular ride up Mount Floien. We walked through the grounds at the Bergenhus fortress and strolled around the old streets and alleyways. We saw small wooden houses and cobbled streets. Our guide told us stories about the legendary Hanseatic wharf and visited the Hanseatic Museum which shows how the German merchants from The Hanseatic League lived and worked. We walked through the building from 1704, the only house on Bryggen which has kept its original interior.

Bryggen is a historic harbor district in Bergen, which is considered a UNESCO work heritage center. Our guide lead us to Mount Floien in the Funicular.  We finished off our tour with a walk through the Bergen Fish Market. The rest of afternoon was spent exploring the city before heading back to the ship.

After supper, we headed to the Tropical Theatre for another great headliner show.

We didn’t have a scheduled tour today but we took the Hop On / Hop Off bus which was located at the pier. Unfortunately, most of the shops in town were closed due to a Bank holiday. One of our stops included the viewpoint of Aksla. This location gives you a panoramic view of the town and the Sunnmore Alps.   You can also reach this viewpoint with a 418 step walk up/down from the city park. We cheated and got dropped off at the top but we did walk down the stairs. After spending a couple of hours walking around the town, we stopped at the Fjord Cinema and watched a 20 minute movie that showed the fjords in an aerial view. After a coffee break, we headed back to the ship to get ready for supper.

We got up at 4:15am to watch our ship sail through the Fjords. It’s hard to describe the feeling of standing outside on the deck and sailing through the Fjords. There was hardly a ripple in the water as we moved slowly past the waterfalls and mountains. You got to see everything up close and personal. Although we got to see and experience some great things on this trip, this was by far, the highlight of our cruise.

After a full day of touring and walking around, we headed back to the ship for our 7:30PM all aboard time. We sailed out of the Fjords at 8:00pm and spent a couple of hours up on deck soaking in the view.

This was our 2^nd and last sea day before heading back to Copenhagen. After 4 busy days, we took most of the day to relax.

This ends our 7 night cruise. It’s off to the hotel to spend one last night in Copenhagen.

We took a cab to our hotel where we dropped off our bags. We walked to Christianshavn, a neighbourhood that is known for its hip cafe culture and canals lined with colorful houseboats. We visited the Church of Our Saviour, which is famous for its spiral, external winding staircase that can be climbed to the top. Once you climb the 400 steps, you are rewarded with panoramic views of central Copenhagen.

After we left the Church, we walked to Amalienborg Palace where we watched the changing of the guards. The ceremony takes place daily with the guard leaving Rosenborg Castle at 11:30 to arrive at Amalienborg Palace for the ceremony at 12:00.

We spent the rest of the day walking around Copenhagen with one last stop in Nyhavn for supper and to top it off with an ice cream for dessert.

Overall

Copenhagen is a beautiful, walkable city and offers so much. We got to see some of Scandinavia's beautiful cities during this cruise and experience some of the greatest things in each city. I highly recommend adding this vacation to your bucket list!

If you have any questions on this trip, please contact Janet Masse!