May 17-29, 2017. Two places to visit on my bucket list were Norway and Scotland, so when I saw this HAL cruise to both places, I was sold. This was my first cruise on the Zuiderdam and I was very pleased. The itinerary was round-trip Copenhagen, with ports every day of the 12 night cruise except the last day. Ports included Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Flam, Bergen, Lerwick (Shetland Islands), Portree (Isle of Skye), Invergorden (Inverness), South Queensferry (Edinburgh), and Newcastle on Tyne (England).

Copenhagen: We arrived early in Copenhagen in order to recover from jet lag and to see the city. Glad we did. We had an overnight flight arriving on Sunday the 14th in the afternoon. I flew from Sacramento to Chicago (4 hours), had a 5 hour layover, and then a 9 hour flight. Upon arrival, we decided to take a cab instead of trying to figure out the excellent public transportation options. All cabs accept credit cards. It cost about $40 for the cab ride to our hotel, which was The Admiral Hotel next to Amelianborg Palace. I had purchased a Copenhagen Card on line (www.copenhagencard.com) before we left for 89 Euros for a 72-hour adult card. You receive a voucher which you print out and exchange for the card when you get there. The time starts the first time you use it. You can also buy them for 24, 48 or 120 hours. This card was a wonderful purchase. It gives you "free" passage on all buses, trains and the metro, a free canal cruise (note specific location where valid), free admission to all public museums and the Tivoli Gardens. We didn't sit down to figure out if we saved money, but the convenience was well worth it. We neglected to exchange the paper voucher I had printed out for the card at the airport, and so had to scurry to the Central Tourist Information location (right across from Tivoli Gardens and the Central Train Station) to get there before it closed at 4:00 (it was Sunday). Not sure where to get it at the airport, but that would have been a better place. We used it to take a canal tour; take the bus to Tivoli Gardens and admission to TG; bus back to Christianborg Palace; admission to Palace residence and guided tour; bus to Danish National Gallery and admission to same; admission to Rosenborg Castle; bus back to our hotel; admission to Amelianborg Palace Museum. There is so much more we could have used it for, but that was all we had time and energy to do. It was so easy to use - just show to bus drivers and admission persons. The Tourist information office folks were very nice and helpful and spoke excellent English.

We had heard prices in Copenhagen are high so we were prepared for that. Some good finds for food: Irish Pub on corner of canal on corner of Nyhavn and Holbersgade (excellent hamburger and fries and a beer); Joe and the Juice on Skt. Anne Plads between Amaliegade and Bredgade (saw the Crown Prince having coffee there one morning); and Kompasset (great smorresbord - open faced sandwiches, and selection of aquavits). We loved our hotel - The Admiral - great view of the water and comfortable room with giant timbers and wood paneling. Read more