Pre-cruise information: I selected this particular cruise for the simple reason that the itinerary provided 3 days in St. Petersburg, 2 days in Stockholm, and 2 days in Copenhagen (not counting the day of embarkation). It didn't hurt that I had read great things about the Azamara ships and that the itinerary coincided with our daughter's work schedule. It turned out that there were many other reasons that made this cruise wonderful, and a few hiccups (mostly outside the control of the ship) that made the trip "interesting." 

I originally booked a sky suite (to better accommodate 3 adults), but when prices started falling in the spring, I found a penthouse suite that became available after final payment was due that cost us, after taking into account OBC and prepaid gratuities, all of $140 more than we originally paid. This may well be the only time we ever end up in a penthouse suite. The second great thing about the cruise, obviously, was the itinerary and the independent excursions we arranged and undertook in each of the six ports (see below). Finally, and contrary to the forecasts even the day before our departure from the US, was the weather - other than 30 minutes of misting in Copenhagen on the day of our embarkation, we had perfect weather, meaning lows in the low to mid 60s F and highs in the mid to high 79s F. 

We arrived in Copenhagen a day early and took a taxi (about $40 US) from the airport to the Marriott (booked via a Priceline bid). The cost was acceptable (everything in Copenhagen is costly), the amenities and condition of the hotel were great, but the location was simply not good. The Marriott is several long blocks from Tivoli Gardens and even farther from most other major attractions in Copenhagen (e.g., Stroget, Nyhaven, Little Mermaid). The city is walkable, but make sure you have good walking shoes! Read more