SCandinavian Cruises - 2026
Monday 18 May'26 - Copenhagen (Denmark) [the 19th is further down this page]
Copenhagen, here we come! The 1st photo is where we were positioned as I awoke this morning, just after 0600. We were about to enter Øresund, which is the Strait between Denmark and Sweden. The 2nd photo is from the aft of the ship (rear for you landlubbers...), with Denmark on the left (but really the starboard side) and Sweden on the right (or port side). Now the more astute amongst you will say, I have that wrong but remember, the photo is taken looking at where we have been, not where we are going :). At it's narrowest part, it is only 4km's wide. We are scheduled to dock at 1400 and have plans to use the Hop ON Hop Off bus to just get a lay of the land and settle of a plan of attack for tomorrow, as we overnight here and are not leaving until 1600 which means we have until 1530 to be back on board.
Tuesday 19 May'26 - Copenhagen (Denmark)
Another beautiful day in wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen. Minimal cloud and an expected max of 17'c. Early breakfast so the 0800 HoHo shuttle was caught to allow maximum touristing (is that even a word?) time. Got off near Central Railway Station. I have to say that the 1st thing that struck me on the bus yesterday, was the amount of bikes that travel through out the city. Then proceeded to walk to City Hall before strolling down Stroget (the main shopping street) where a few little momento's were acquired. The weather was great and Copenhagen literally has all these small squares scattered through out it, each with a statue. As we walked towards Nyhavn, where we would catch our canal boat tour, we passed the Tivoli Gardens and the Royal Danish Theatre. It has some amazing mosaics within it's entry area.
An interesting thing was the Amager Bakke, or Copenhagen's waste disposal plant. It not only incinerates everything that can't be recycled but has a facade that allows for rock climbing and on the reverse side allows residents to roller skate or downhill ski (on artificial snow if the real stuff isn't around). After a nice hour on the canals it was time to disembark. A very pleasant way to spend sometime on the water & in the sun. After returning to land, a light lunch in one of the many cafe's along the canal, before heading to Amalienborg (home to the Danish Royal family or as I like to say - the home of the Queen from Tassie...). Compared to Buck Palace, very laid back...
Next stop, Gefion Fountain (based on Danish folklore and the links explains it very well). From there, a nice walk through Churchillparken, which borders Kastellet (The Citadel) and passing Frederik's Church (The Marble Church) before King's Park. Rosenborg Castle was next then onto the point of pickup for the shuttle back to the Celebrity Apex. After some 14,100+ steps, a well earned rest before dinner which was in the Oceanview Cafe (buffet style). The some pre-sleep drinks in the Martini Bar where we were treated to the great sounds of the resident violinist. Brilliant!!!
The Hop On Hop Off was great and the day was perfect. A lovely 17' and sunny with little wind. They run a special stop on cruise ship days (isn't there normally) if you are on the cruise ship, which does the "normal loop" and from Stop 12 (The Little Mermaid), which is closest to the terminal, they have a direct shuttle back to the ship so you can head back rather than keep on the bus, which would mean you would need to catch a cab or walk (45 minutes minimum)... We took the shuttle but have tomorrow planned now as a lot of the stops obviously use the roads but after checking maps, walking will get us around as it is very easy, because the city is very flat. They are extremely proud of the fact that Hans Christian Andersen was a native. The Little Mermaid was like the Mona Lisa, quite small. Back on board about 1745 then a drink in Craft Social, the sports pub where Di decided she needed to have a cocktail, a Smoking Bull. Lucky we have the drinks package!!!
Our timing was perfect as we only had to wait a few minutes before boarding for the 1st tour of the day. It was interesting seeing many of the things that were sighted via the bus yesterday afternoon from a different perspective. We passed the Danish Royal Yacht moored near the naval base as well as a very different perspective of the city, especially The Little Mermaid & Opera House.