We have long wanted to visit the Baltic, with a particular interest in Russia, and found that the itinerary, timing, and price of this cruise worked well for us. We had originally booked a mini suite, but bid on, and "won" the upgrade to a Haven Courtyard Penthouse Suite. We found out nearly 3 weeks in advance of our sailing date, and I had a bit of anxiety thinking I had bid too high, but the savings over paying "sticker price" were so significant that I'm glad we bid.

We spent a night in Copenhagen prior to embarkation at the Copenhagen Island Hotel, which was sleek, modern and beautifully designed. It was also on the water and next to an upscale mall with some reasonable (relatively speaking) restaurants for dinner that evening/

We had decided to take a taxi to Oceankaj and had researched costs. The very attentive and helpful young man at the hotel’s front desk offered to arrange a flat-rate cab ride to the port, and the taxi driver was informative and helpful. Once at the port, we encountered a cluster of people somewhat unsure of what to do with bags. Eventually, we discovered that we were to take them with us and place them on a conveyor belt to go through a metal detector. Some folks had left their bags outside, though they were told that was fine. A little coordination and direction would have been welcomed. After we made our way through security, we were directed to the Haven check-in area, and were very quickly processed and escorted to The Haven lounge. We weren't there long, as our suite was ready. After dropping off our carry-ons, we headed to The Haven restaurant for a wonderful lunch... the first of several there. Read more