My wife and I arrived in Copenhagen two days before our cruise to acclimatize ourselves and do some sightseeing in the city. This was good as it took us longer than normal to get over the jet lag this time and with our flights being delayed, it would have been very hard on us if we had arrived the same day as the cruise. We took the train from the airport and it was an easy experience. For 36 Kroner each (about 7 dollars) we were shuttled to Central Station with no problems. When exiting follow signs to trains, purchase tickets at a automated kiosk or at the information desk in the main hall and take track 2. To go from Central Station to the ship, purchase a ticket for zone 2 for 24 Kroner (about $4.50) and take track 9/10and go 4 stops to Nordhavn station. From there it is a bit of a walk but not unobtrusive. Just follow the signs and look for your ship, you won't be able to miss it.

Embarkation was very easy and the port is not hampered with American style security so everything goes smoothly. We arrived at the port at 11:45am and were in our ready state room by 12:30pm.

The ship is very similar to the other Princess cruise we took on the Ruby Princess. The layout of the ship is almost an exact replica so finding our way around was very easy. On this cruise we went to Aarhus, Oslo, Warnemunde, Tallinn, Stockholm, Helsinki and St Petersburg. Despite the rain, Oslo was a great port of call with lots to see and do. The best way to see the city is on public transit with a one day pass and museum entrance ticket. It is 216 Norwegian Kroner ($38) per person and will get you into everything you could possibly want to see. Stockholm is another great port of call. Walking to town is not obtrusive; it was only marred by President Obama's visit causing sections of the city to be closed off depending on where his motorcade was. My wife mentioned that she would like to come back and really see the city. Wernemunde is the port for Berlin. I would not recommend taking the trip there though. It is a long journey there and you would only see a snippet of the city. It is best seen on a separate trip so you can explore the city over a few days or even a week. I would take the train to see Rostock instead. It only costs a few Euros and is a very interesting medieval city. Tallinn is also a interesting place to see with things off the beaten path to explore and see. Helsinki is also easily explored inexpensively by public transit. Purchase a day pass for 8 Euros from the bus driver at the stop right next to the port. I recommend printing out a transit map before arriving. It makes it easier to plan where you want to go without getting on the wrong bus or tram (like we did). The port presentation on the TV in the state room is very informative and helpful for those who like to explore on their own and will tell you which stops to get off of but a map would have helped me a lot. The only stop that was not the greatest was Aarhus. We arrived on a Sunday and not much is open. I don't know what excursions are available as we generally don't take them, but if you walk in don't expect to see much. Read more