Copenhagen Boarding

[jayslater]

We have decided to book on the Emerald Princess for a 10 day Scandanavia/St Petersburg cruise departing Aug 24th.

 

Can anyone tell me about arriving by plane in Copenhagen and getting to the ship? Seems like Princess' charges for transfers are outrageous. How far of a ride is it by taxi? We are facing the same situation upon our arrival back in Copenhagen on Sept. 3rd.

 

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[CruisinChris]

It's not that far at all. I would recommend just taking a taxi. I seem to think I was even able to get one that would accept a credit card. The ride from the airport to the pier will take you through town. IT's maybe 30 minutes. Some here may tell you about the train...unless you like schleeping luggage around and then hiking with your bags (while potentially jetlagged) I'd stick with the taxi. You'll get there faster and with less hassle than P. transfers.

 

BTW, there's nothing really within walking distance from the ship to town in Copenhagen. I'd recommend that you taxi back into town after boarding to the Nyhavn area where you can easily walk the stroget, have a lunch and beer at one of the cafes or pick-up a boat tour (highly recommend).

[TvlDreamer]

We took this cruise a few years ago on the Grand so things may have changed. When we were there, Princess docked away from the large cruise ship terminal. There wasn't anything by her at that time, but the train station. Just keep that in mind if your taxi pulls you up to the cruise terminal.

 

We were in town early, but then just walked to the ship as it was a wonderful day. On the return we took the train with no problem.

 

It's a great cruise. Tallin was and still is a favorite that we've been back to (sans cruise). Also had a surprising good time in the Germany port, we skipped going into Berlin. No complaints at all!

[martij6]

You can take a cab, but there is alot to be said for the Princess transfers. From CPH to the pier is $39 (USD) per person. Granted a cab will be less, but you have to lug your bags around and then tip a driver. With Princess, you get your bags at the airport, take them to the bus and don't have to worry about them again until your on board the ship. I've done both (cab & transfer) and have to say, "I'm on vacation, let someone else worry about getting my bags." We used Princess's transfer in LA once and were loaded into a cab for the drive. The Princess Rep that greeted us made a point of telling us that no tip to the driver was needed. They already took care of it.

 

We did the trip in 2005 and really enjoyed it. If you can, try to fly in at least the day before. The jet lag Cruisin'Chris mentioned wiped us out when we arrived. We took an afternoon powernap (1 hour) and then hit the streets for the evening. Copenhagen was my favorite city of the cruise. So much to see, do and the people were great.

 

Have a great trip.

[BLS]

Just a note for anyone wishing to use a credit card for the taxi in Copenhagen. Be sure to tell the driver that's what you want to do when you get in the cab, if you wait until the end of the ride they cannot do it.

Enjoy the trip, Copenhagan is a beautiful City and cruise and all the Port are great!

Enjoy

[sunsetme]

Princess docks at Frihavn which is north of the city. You can take the train back to town after checking in.

[jayslater]

JDECHTER,

 

Our flight gets into CPH around 8 in the morning. Our Princess ship sails at 8 pm. Do you suggest an immediate taxi to the pier with our luggage and then back into the city for some sightseeing or schlepping our luggage into the city then to the ship?

About how long of a taxi ride is it to the terminal from the airport and how far from City Center to the pier?

Thanks

Jay

[jacketwatch]

We chose a cab in June of 2007 for this cruise. It was aroung $55.00 or so vs. the Princess charge of $40.00 pp and as there were three of us it was a no brainer. It took around 20-25 min. IIRC. I am not sure when you can endorse off your luggage to Princess if you use a private transfer. We arrived later so boarding was alreading taking place but as you are arrivng so early I'm not sure about how they work that.

[polymerpig]

We are also thinking of taking this cruise. We arrive at 6 am and the ship leaves at 8 PM. When would embarkation usually begin? I'm trying to figure out how much time we will have to tour the city. We would like to see at least the Little Mermaid statue and Tivoli Gardens before the cruise (more afterwards). Any suggestions on how to accomplish this with jet-lag and luggage? Has anyone ever used a private guide in Copenhagen or know of a day tour company to recommend? (We were in this situation in Rome a few years ago and we found a great guide who picked us up at the airport, took us around the city for the day, then dropped us off at our hotel.) Thanks for any suggestions.

[jayslater]

Hi Polymerpig,

Our flight from Newark via Dusseldorf arrives in Copenhagen in the early morning. We are going to take a taxi from the airport to the ship, as it is not that expensive. We will leave our luggage at the port and then go into the city to do some sightseeing. My wife has been there before and there aren't a lot of major "must sees". The Little Mermaid is close to the ship terminal and is a disappointing few feet tall :-( Tivoly Gardens seems to be expensive and I am not sure worthy of the price. I may be wrong.

There are some excellent guide books (Rick Steves Scandanavia) that can really assist in Copenhagen and all the ports of call the Emerald is making in August.

Most of the towns only require a walk around the city and none of the cities are that large. St Petersburg is the only city that will require a bit more effort, mostly due to the need for a "guide" and the amount of history to see.

It really seems like getting on board the ship around 2 would be ideal. That would leave the bulk of the day to acquaint yourself with the ship and just relax.

Hopefully this helps a little. Join us, it sounds like it is going to be a wonderful trip.

Jay

[Pia1913]

For all of you thinking about this cruise, please reconsider flying in the same day. If you can spend at least one night in Copenhagen, not only will you be rested, but you'll be able to stash your luggage and see some of the city too.

 

A downtown hotel somewhere near the train station (Tivoli is nearby too) is my recommendation. You can take the train for 30 kr. which is approx. $6.00 US. This is current; we there there in September. The train is right in the airport, no steps; a moving ramp. No hassle. A taxi from train station area to port will take about 15/20 minutes or less and cost about $30.

 

Check in time is approx. 12:00 PM. We were on board shortly after noon.

[Shoalwater]

For all of you thinking about this cruise, please reconsider flying in the same day. If you can spend at least one night in Copenhagen, not only will you be rested, but you'll be able to stash your luggage and see some of the city too.

 

A downtown hotel somewhere near the train station (Tivoli is nearby too) is my recommendation. You can take the train for 30 kr. which is approx. $6.00 US. This is current; we there there in September. The train is right in the airport, no steps; a moving ramp. No hassle. A taxi from train station area to port will take about 15/20 minutes or less and cost about $30.

 

Check in time is approx. 12:00 PM. We were on board shortly after noon.

 

involves going down a long set of stairs and across a reasonably busy street, then a rather long schlep to the ship! Use a taxi.

 

Also, in Tivoli, be careful when eating in the restaurants. Some offer a fixed price buffet which IMHO is the way to go. A few years ago when we were there my wife insisted on getting lobster off the menu. We disagreed on the pricing strategy, and I reluctantly gave in to create a learning situation. Well, it was a $200 dollar lesson. Yep, that sucker when priced by the gram and in Danish Kroner came to just under $200. She admitted my interpretation of how it was priced was correct (not a bad investment I might add). I used to travel to Scandinavia a lot in years past, and always came through CPH, a wonderful if not expensive city.

 

Finally, a strong recommendatiojn to purchasing the inclusive 2-day tour package from Princess in St. Petersburgh. Its very expensive but is oh, so inclusive. We usually book on our own, but in this port we agreed it was well worth the money.

[Pia1913]

Didn't say to take a train to the ship. That I did not recommend.

[polymerpig]

Thanks for the info and ideas!

 

"The Little Mermaid is close to the ship terminal and is a disappointing few feet tall :-( " I know she's small...still a must see for my daughter who has read so many versions of the story. By "close to the terminal" is it walking distance, or short cab ride?

 

There are five of us - will we find a cab that will take 5 people? Even in NYC they are not that easy to find. If we have to do this in 2 cabs then it may not be as easy/economical as I'm hoping. It's sounding like if we take a train to the ship there are stairs and luggage-hauling involved, but a cab may turn into two cab fares. However we solve that problem and get to the ship... we will be able to drop off our luggage that early in the morning? (I've always just checked in and boarded the ship within an hour - I've never left luggage and left the terminal).

 

Once that is all worked out, luggage in the terminal, we could take the train into the city, correct? Is there a stop near Tivoli or just a central station? (this is my other daughter's must see as it was an inspiration to Walt Disney and she is interested in Disney history) Am I making too much of this - is the city compact enough that I shouldn't be worried about getting places? Looking at maps but I'm not sure...

 

Thanks everyone!

[Pia1913]

Thanks for the info and ideas!

 

"The Little Mermaid is close to the ship terminal and is a disappointing few feet tall :-( " I know she's small...still a must see for my daughter who has read so many versions of the story. By "close to the terminal" is it walking distance, or short cab ride?

 

There are five of us - will we find a cab that will take 5 people? Even in NYC they are not that easy to find. If we have to do this in 2 cabs then it may not be as easy/economical as I'm hoping. It's sounding like if we take a train to the ship there are stairs and luggage-hauling involved, but a cab may turn into two cab fares. However we solve that problem and get to the ship... we will be able to drop off our luggage that early in the morning? (I've always just checked in and boarded the ship within an hour - I've never left luggage and left the terminal).

 

Once that is all worked out, luggage in the terminal, we could take the train into the city, correct? Is there a stop near Tivoli or just a central station? (this is my other daughter's must see as it was an inspiration to Walt Disney and she is interested in Disney history) Am I making too much of this - is the city compact enough that I shouldn't be worried about getting places? Looking at maps but I'm not sure...

 

Thanks everyone!

 

1. Little Mermaid is not near the ship.

 

2. City is very compact; walkable w/o transportation.

 

3. Central train station is near Tivoli

 

4. There are taxi vans that can hold 4 + luggage; don't know about 5, unless 5th is a small child.

 

5. Can't tell you about dropping off luggage; didn't do it that way.

[cruisemom42]

Thanks for the info and ideas!

 

"The Little Mermaid is close to the ship terminal and is a disappointing few feet tall :-( " I know she's small...still a must see for my daughter who has read so many versions of the story. By "close to the terminal" is it walking distance, or short cab ride?

 

 

There are, I think, 3 docks in Copenhagen. The one that Princess uses, Frijhavn, is not close to the Little Mermaid statue -- that is a different dock area, sorry.

[love2bonboard]

JDECHTER,

 

Our flight gets into CPH around 8 in the morning. Our Princess ship sails at 8 pm. Do you suggest an immediate taxi to the pier with our luggage and then back into the city for some sightseeing or schlepping our luggage into the city then to the ship?

About how long of a taxi ride is it to the terminal from the airport and how far from City Center to the pier?

Thanks

Jay

 

I would take the train from the airport (about $5.00) to the central train station, then leave all of your luggage at the "left luggage" storage lockers. Everything is all around there...Then walk around, go to Tivoli, see as much of Copenhagen as you can. You don't have to check in until 6:00ish (I think). When you are done sightseeing, go back to the train station and pick up your luggage and either take the #26 bus (you can bring luggage on it) or take a quick taxi ride to the port.

[Mimi39]

We're on the August 24 sailing and are arriving the day before and leaving the day after the ship gets back to Copenhagen. Don't forget to sign-in on the "roll call" for this sailing. I'm wondering about a city tour when we get back on 9/3 -- can we book this through our hotel tour desk when we arrive on 8/23?

[polymerpig]

When are the cabins usually ready ? And what is the official vs the actual (earlier) check in/boarding time? I'm trying to figure out just how much time I'll have that morning in Copenhagen. Thanks!

[alabama ghost]

For a city tour I would recommend the Hop On Hop Off Bus which is excellent in Copenhagen, gives you an all around view of the city and also lets you spend as much time as you like at each location.

 

It seems to me we got to the pier about 10-10:30am and only had to wait a short time--one of the smoothest and easiest embarkation procedures ever, but this was in 2007.

 

Enjoy your trip.

[Pia1913]

When are the cabins usually ready ? And what is the official vs the actual (earlier) check in/boarding time? I'm trying to figure out just how much time I'll have that morning in Copenhagen. Thanks!

 

Embarkation was about noon on September 7, 2008.

[caribill]

When are the cabins usually ready?

 

Embarkation on Princess ships is not usually scheduled to start until all the cabins are ready.

[Pia1913]

Embarkation on Princess ships is not usually scheduled to start until all the cabins are ready.

 

REALLY? :eek: LOL :D

[CruisinChris]

Princess almost always begins boarding between 11:30 and noon (unless there's something odd going on and then they're pretty good about trying to send out emergency notifications).

 

I supposed it implies less causality to say that cabins are ready when you board on Princess, rather than saying they don't begin embarkation until cabins are ready. (as the stewards are getting stretched thinner across rooms the state of readiness varies - but you will have access to your room.)

[caribill]

REALLY? :eek: LOL :D

 

 

Except for a Princess cruise in Tahiti, the cabins have always been ready on a Princess cruise at the scheduled start of embarkation for me.

 

I supposed it implies less causality to say that cabins are ready when you board on Princess' date=' rather than saying they don't begin embarkation until cabins are ready. (as the stewards are getting stretched thinner across rooms the state of readiness varies - but you will have access to your room.)[/quote']

 

Please note that I said "scheduled start".