Flying to Copenhagen Denmark. Should I book independently or thru cruise line?

I am looking at taking a cruise that departs from Copenhagen Denmark next year. Option # 1 Since I live on the east coast I was thinking of booking a flight 2 days before the cruise. (the flight leaves at around 10 pm and gets in the next day) then we will spend one night at a hotel and board the ship the following day) Option #2 is book thru the cruise line. Right now the price sounds good, but the problem is they can't tell me what the flights are like and it sounds like we get in the day we board the ship. The upside is that they guarantee to get me to the ship no matter what. The down side is some of the flights have multiple stops and one flight showed a total of 35 hrs!

Can you offer any opinions. Independent or thru cruise line. If I go independent is 2 days lead time enough? This will be our first time internationally meeting a ship.

If you look around this board you will see tons of discussions of the pros and cons of cruise airfares. You have noticed several of these issues.

No, the cruise line can't guarantee to get you to the ship, no matter what. They will help you catch up with the ship if their tight scheduling (or any other issue) causes you to miss your ship, but wise planning on your part (like arriving a couple of days early) can also be the better, wiser, proactive choice.

Getting in touch with the cruise line to help with any issues that arise while traveling internationally can be a hassle, and while the airline is the primary agent, you need the cruise line to follow through on getting you to your ship.

In summary, it is your choice. If price is your blinding motivator, go for cruise air. They have gotten somewhat better over the years. But we book all of our flights, since cruise #3 (cruise #22 is 17 days away), and many other flights, domestic and international. Never had a problem, particularly with careful planning for appropriate arrival and departure times.

Go on your own a few days ahead. You will love the city, so much to see. Get a credit card that will get you there for nearly free. Same for hotel.

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A agree with all of the advice.

I would plan to spend at least two nights there and not one night.

Why?

It will give you time to get over the jet lag.

Should any luggage go missing it gives you more time for it to hopefully be located.

It gives more time should the flight be cancelled or delayed.

I prefer to book my own flights and control my destiny. Even the recommended flights from the airlines are not ideal and I often allow for longer connection time when switching planes. I find that I often can do as well as the cruise line pricing if not better.

Copenhagen is a wonderful city. If you have the time and money I would spend three nights there. If not I would go with two and not one night for the reasons I mentioned.

Keith

Listen to Keith 1010, he's giving you the absolute best advice.

Is your cruise a transatlantic, starting in Copenhagen? That might be a reason for using cruise line air, since many airlines charge just as much for a one way flight as a two way.

But, I agree with Keith....try to go into Copenhagen a few days early. And, even if it is a TA cruise...there are ways to get around the one-way premiums most airlines charge.

We sailed from Copenhagen for the 3rd time earlier this year. It was our fifth visit to one of our favorite cities. Our self booked airfare was lower than cruise air. That doesn't always happen.

Each cruise line air program has multiple options and they may have one that will allow you to choose your flights rather than take what they offer. You do need to do your homework however. Go to Google Flights, Kayak or ITAMatrix to choose your ideal itinerary then see what the cruise air program has to offer. As always, monitor your flights for equipment or flight time changes.

Also, are you aware that some European carriers charge extra for seat selection or only allow seat selection at check in which could be 24 to 30 hours before departure. Baggage fees could also be charged on some of the low cost airlines.

If you still have flight questions check back here BEFORE you book. It's easier to adjust your flight goals with the help of some very knowledgeable flyers.

If you can possibly arrange to spend extra days in Copenhagen do so. It's a wonderful city, expensive but wonderful. And just as you are concerned about your airfare pay heed to your choice of hotels in the city. Many are not airconditioned and it can be uncomfortably warm and noisy in an unairconditioned hotel. The transit system is still a work in progress but surely things will be better by next summer. (Most tourist destinations are not affected by the construction.) The train from the airport to Central Station is quick and easy and there are some decent hotels near the train station which is an easy walk from many sites. The Ports of Call forum has a wealth of information and your Roll Call members will surely have much to offer too.

...pay heed to your choice of hotels in the city. Many are not airconditioned and it can be uncomfortably warm and noisy in an unairconditioned hotel.

I haven't chosen a hotel yet, planning on staying Friday-Saturday-Sunday nights before the Monday cruise. If no A/C, would a fan keep out the noise? Is the noise just weekend revelers or what?

Quasar1011,

Copenhagen is a vibrant city. Many of the tourist hotels are in the city center, some close to Nynhavn and some near Central Station. If you are there during the summer months and close to Tivoli you will also be entertained by their nightly fire works display. In other words there are few really quiet areas to avoid noise.

When you are checking out hotels do ask about fans and find your hotel choice on a map to determine the proximity to larger streets like Hans Christian Andersson which would always be noisy no matter the time of day or night.

Trip Advisor or the Ports of Call forum on Cruise Critic would give you good advice too.

Good luck and enjoy one of our favorite cities.

What line are you sailing with? Our experience has been that with Princess and Celebrity, we could use "their air" and still fly a few days before or after when doing a European cruise or TA. For us though, it's much more palatable as always flying to/from JFK we pretty always are on a non-stop. Depending which city you're flying in/out of, sometimes there just is no such thing as a non-stop to Europe.

DW and I just cruise out of Copehagen this past August. We chose to arrive a few days early to enjoy the city.

We booked our air through the cruise line (Choice Air ) as pricing the flight to us this was way cheaper.

We stayed at the Hotel Bethel in Nyhvan and it was great. The prices were really reasonable. We booked a corner room as there are only a few which offer a great view.

We were able to book the hotel through a few emails as their online system was not accepting reservations on their website as we book far in advance.

As far as the noise it really was not an issue at all even with the hotel windows open. At night I was surprised on how quiet it was.

I looked at Hotel Bethel in Nyhavn, Tony O, but it said it was sold out (or perhaps hasn't been listed yet this far out?). Anyway, I just booked Ibsens Hotel. Seems like plenty to do within walking distance! At least it's refundable if I see something better.

I looked at Hotel Bethel in Nyhavn, Tony O, but it said it was sold out (or perhaps hasn't been listed yet this far out?). Anyway, I just booked Ibsens Hotel. Seems like plenty to do within walking distance! At least it's refundable if I see something better.

I would email them to see if they have availability.

That is how I made my reservations since it was over a year out and the system didn't take online reservations but they bypassed the system and I was booked

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When I flew to Copenhagen a few years ago for a T/A cruise, I opted to fly Iceland Air because of their excellent fares and use the option of a free stopover in Iceland. I'm so glad I took advantage of that opportunity as I don't think I would ever have seen Iceland otherwise. From there I went to Copenhage and stayed a couple of days prior to the cruise. It was great and I highly recommend it.

I've done two cruises out of Copenhagen and for both used Princess airfare and pre cruise hotel traveling (from the West Coast) Both times pricing was at least as good as I could do on my own if not better. Booking thru Princess also included transfers to the hotel and ship. I had a non stop flight from SF which made things a bit easier.

Copenhagen is a great city to walk around and I recommend coming in at least two days before the cruise if not more. Lots to see in both the city and countryside nearby