soedergren

Both ships have been renovated since I last travelled on this route, but maybe I can answer a few of your questions.

How close is dock where this ship sails as compared to the cruise ships docks?

In Copenhagen, it used to be much closer, but even the new berth is not too far away... under 5 minutes by car or 15 minutes if you're walking. The Little mermaid is a 20 minute walk away.

In Oslo, the distance is about double, but the ferry docks closer to the downtown area.

Is there a place to store luggage while we go into Copenhagen for a few hours?

I know they have a lost luggage desk, but I'm not sure if they have lockers or other storage. I'd just ask them directly: www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/customer-service/denmark-norway-ferry/

Have any of you traveled in the Commodore cabins?

We had a Commodore de Luxe on Pearl Seaways, and standard Commodore cabins on other DFDS ships such as Queen of Scandinavia, King Seaways, etc. We always liked them and had a great time on board. Check out the pictures I took: Copenhagen-Oslo Album

As mentioned, the pictures show a Commodore de Luxe cabin on Pearl Seaways when she was still Pearl of Scandinavia. She has since been renovated twice.

If you visit my Mini Cruise to Newcastle album, you'll find more pictures of cabins on other DFDS ships. Especially the Commodore Class cabins on Queen of Scandivia should give you a good idea of what the normal Commodore cabins are like.

Is the view approaching Oslo in the morning viewable from the commodore lounge?

Depends on whether you are on the Crown or the Pearl. Full details of the location of the Commodore de Luxe lounge can be found here:

www.dfdsseaways.dk/*****-bord/oslobaaden/skibs-fakta/

If you follow that link and click on "kahytter" or "De Luxe, suiter & lounge" you'll find more up to date pictures of the cabins.

My wife and I were on the Pearl of Scandinavia about two years ago. Maybe these pictures will help you with your decission: http://s248.photobucket.com/albums/gg175/europrolanguage/Mini%20Cruise%20to%20Oslo%202008/

And, depending on the cabin category of course, you'll find some cabins on board that are even better than the average cabin on a 'real' cruise ship. This is the cabin we had:

For those of you who asked for pics of IoS, here's a link to a Danish/Norwegian board with loads of pics:

http://shipsforum.dk/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1558&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=independence++the+seas

We saw IoS in Villefranche in early June this year, she sure looked huge against our little cruise ship.