hallasm

I'm considering a 'Ovation of the Seas' cruise from Sydney to New Zealand  in February 2020 - I'm currently looking at two dates - the itineraries are almost identical except for Napier or Auckland. Not done a lot of research yet but in general in favour of beautiful nature.

What are the pro's and con's for Napier and Auckland?

My favorite is RCCL Quantum Class - Anthem of the Seas and a Canada and New England Cruise.

- right now considering Ovation and a New Zealand Cruise February 2020

6 minutes ago, mickeysgal said:

How far is the train from the dock and how long does it take to get there?

Very close - less than 5 minutes walk.

Here are som google links to hotels close to Central station (Marriott and Tivoli hotel a bit further away and the last two close to Nyhavn and Kongens Nytorv.

Copenhagen Marriott Hotel

Radisson Collection Hotel, Royal Copenhagen

Scandic Palace Hotel

Tivoli Hotel

71 Nyhavn Hotel

Hotel Skt. Annæ

It was expected to open at the end of 2020 - right now it’s more likely to be summer 2021.

I’ll need a passport for all cruises. 

2 hours ago, mtown27 said:

on the 6/23 7-night HAL Nieuw Statendam trip

I think you might get better answers in your roll call 

.. or get some inspiration in this topic.

In Fredrikstad  you can make a boat trip through the scenic archipelago of Hvaler, Visit Hvaler with 833 islands and skerries.
or take a tour to the fantastic Canal system of Halden and have canal boat tour.
Some more inspiration Fredrikstad cruise port
Unfortunately I cannot help on Oulu, Pori or Luleå.

Very interesting ports - those four ports at the same cruise?

- very few cruise ships are visiting those ports - Oulu in Finland only two cruise ships while four in Luleå In Sweden in 2020. 

Fredrikstad In Norway a little bit more commonly visited while I’m not aware of any cruise ships sailing to Pori in Finland.

Might not be a lot of help here at CC - I have visited all the cities but never on a cruise.

Excellent itinerary and perfect timing for midnight sun from Svolvær and back to Bodø - below a short video sailing from Svolvær to Tromsø during night.  Just be aware of temperatures in the range of 40 to 55 F in Honningsvåg .

Off cause you must rent a car in Bodø for a visit to Sulitjelma - its a 57 miles scenic drive  (1.5 hours)  along saltfjorden and Skjerstad Fjord - on you way back you can make a south bound route via Rognan to Misvær and Saltstraumen - 100 miles and will take 2.5 hours - easily done within 5 hours.

For Flåm book the railway on your own - you can also make a boat tour through Nærøyfjord. - and in Geiranger bus tour to view points like Flydalsjuvet, the Eagle Bend or Geiranger Skywalk. is a must.

I have not visited the Viking Museum is Svolvær - however, nature at Lofoten Islands is beautiful.

6 hours ago, purduemom1 said:

we were the only ship in port and I don’t know where a second ship would dock.

No - second ship will tender - Link to ship arrivals.

‘Kai’ is docked while ‘anker’ is anchor and tendering.

2 hours ago, whogo said:

Does anyone know why the itinerary was changed?

Due to very bad weather conditions- cold and bad weather should be expected on a Baltic cruise at the end of September - safety first and not another Viking Sky incident -  here is a link to the Actual Roll Call

13 hours ago, Bav said:

Can you use them in Denmark and Norway ?

This is the standard - most terminals are contact less and can be used for mobile phone payments as well like ApplePay.

Please be more specific -  ship and date? different docking locations in Copenhagen. 

11 minutes ago, naturelovergirl said:

I did not like all of the jockeying of people trying to see the views out of the train windows. That was not very enjoyable

Not what I have experienced - at my trips my fellow travelers have been quite civilized.

29 minutes ago, mickeysgal said:

Now how do I pick...the train or this???

... or do both. Should be sufficient time.

Might be your only visit to Flåm.

20 hours ago, drmomto3kids said:

Should we do a fjord cruise here instead of Flam? 

Just make sure you’re at the deck early in the morning - it’s an 4 hours sailing through the Fjords.

Also don’t miss the Seven Sisters Waterfall at port side just before you reach Geiranger.

1 hour ago, mickeysgal said:

Which one of these ports (or all!) are beautiful sail in/outs? 

As by naturelovergirl definitely Flåm - Cruising Sognefjord and Aurlandsfjord on your way into Flåm early in the morning  - you must be at the upper deck at 4:00 am - sailing the same way out - but often during dinner time. The scenery in video below

1 hour ago, mickeysgal said:

Or are the fjords something you travel to see once you're in port?

Also in Flåm you can take a Boat trip to the UNESCO heritage fjord - 'Nærøyfjord' - in addition to the train.

In Stavanger you can take a boat trip to the 25-mile-long glacial fjord 'Lysefjord'

Sure:

24 minutes ago, naturelovergirl said:

Nature is the true star of Norway

1 hour ago, Coral said:

Uniworld ship (River Countess)

uniworld Michelangelo 

23 minutes ago, saltshell said:

Sailing fjords april 22 through may 2. Will port excursions be closed? How cold should I plan for? I know I'll need rain gear; what else?

Which ports and how far north?

Personally I would buy a local SIM card for my mobile when arriving to Europe and then share the phone WiFi with the other users. No need for a portable device.

the solution will only work when ashore anyway.

It’s absolutely possible to walk the 2 miles to the top + 45 to 60 minutes walk.

- recommend to buy tickets for Fløibanen online at www.floyen.no in advance at. A reduced rate. Choose the direction Either from City station to Top station or the opposite direction. Remember to choose the right date and for correct number of persons. It is not possible to book for a spesific depature time. However, when there are many guests the funicular runs continuously. You can also use the  app “Fløibanen” and buy tickets, but only if you are travelling the same day as you buy the tickets.

In the app you can also find information about the next depature to Mount Fløyen.

I did the park In the morning and the village in the afternoon - both highly recommendable.

- number of visitors to the village is very limited - book the tour well in advance it will be sold out.

Thank you for the clarification.

My recommendation for a day in Aarhus  is ‘Den Gamle By‘ open air museum.

For your reference also a Link to Gammel Estrup Castle.

Gammel/Gamle is ‘Old’ in Danish.

I can recommend to purchase the Aarhus Card and use the HoHo bus to get around.

Entrance to Den Gamle By and HoHo bus included.Can be bought online.

More information About Aarhus

Your question is not that specific  - do you plan for a ship excursion? - which ship and departure time from Aarhus?

Anyway - if tour is 5 hours starting at 9:45 AM you'll be back at the ship 2:45 pm - depending on departure time you might be able to have a short walk in town - it's a 10 minutes walk from the pier.

In general a more detailed question will provide more detailed and accurate answers.