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Copenhagen Plaza Hotel or Crowne Plaza Copenhagen pre-cruise & tips on what to do with kids

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We are a multi-generational family of 13 who are all flying into Copenhagen at various times & locations from the US (NYC, DC, Chicago) We are starting a Baltic cruise out of Copenhagen in July 2020. We will be arriving around 1 pm on Friday & leave for our cruise the following day on Sat. We also arrive back in Copenhagen & plan to do an all day tour on our final day but we would love to get some recommendations on what to do in Copenhagen before our cruise when we first arrive into the city.

I will be there with my husband & our 2 girls age 7 & 9, before my parents who are in their early 70's & the rest of my siblings & their respective families arrive in Copenhagen.

Could we get recommendations on where to go during our short stay before our cruise, things that may not be covered during an intensive all day tour & good for kids? Also, if we could get some feedback on whether it would be better to stay at the Copenhagen Plaza Hotel or the Crowne Plaza Copenhagen?

We are open to other hotels but these were the 2 that I narrowed down after doing an initial search. Both have A/C which many hotels did not seem to have & since we will be there in July was a concern. The Crowne Plaza is not central it seems but it is clean & spacious & has shuttles to the cruise port which I am worried we might have trouble with since none of us have been to Copenhagen before. The Copenhagen Plaza was a hotel recommended in Rick Steves Scandinavian cruise book & it seems to be central to sites in Copenhagen but I'm worried that it did not get the best reviews on Trip Advisor & seems a bit run down though it seems to be high in character & charm. We are excited for our trip & thank you for any & all recommendations & tips! Thank you so much!!

Posted by
150 posts

Hi,

I'm guessing most tours would show you Nyhavn, Rosenborg, maybe the Little Mermaid (the little mermaid is not worth it, it's almost a guaranteed letdown), and stuff like that. But I don't know the itinerary of the tour that you're interested in. I'll just say that you don't need a tour to explore Copenhagen. Everybody speaks English, the city centre is very pedestrian-friendly and compact.
Copenhagen has a lot to offer, but I wouldn't say that there's a single attraction that every visitor have to see. Rather, there are many good sights and attractions - so it really depends on your interests. So what are your interests?

I would recommend anyone visiting Copenhagen for the first time to take a harbour/canal tour. It's a great way to see many of the main sights, and it can help give you a bit of overview of the city, in a short amount of time. Strömma and Nettobådende operate large tour boats, but there's also Hey Captain with their smaller and more intimate boats. Most canal tour boats depart from Nyhavn, so you'll also get to see that.

Copenhagen Plaza vs. Crowne Plaza

I haven't stayed at either. In terms of location, I'd choose Copenhagen Plaza. It's centrally located in the city, and right next to Copenhagen Central Station, meaning it's easy to get to/from the hotel and around the city. Crowne Plaza is on the other hand in a somewhat bland suburb, but it has both a train and metro station nearby - so it's easy to commute to the city.

I'm guessing that your cruise ship dock at Oceankaj? Check with your cruise line if this is the case or not, as there are several cruise piers in Copenhagen. A taxi van (with room for up to 8 passengers) from Crowne Plaza to Oceankaj will cost around 500 DKK on a Saturday morning. I believe a taxi will be cheaper than the shuttle bus you mentioned: https://www.cpcopenhagen.dk/Files/bcfiler/cruise/Cruise_Shuttle_Crowne_Plaza.pdf (I just found this document on Google, but it's not dated so I can't tell if it's up-to-date or not).
A taxi van from Copenhagen Plaza to Oceankaj will cost you around 300 DKK per vehicle.
Public transportation is an option too, of course - but I understand that dragging your luggage in and out of a train/metro and onto a city bus may not be appealing.

I know that some hotels write they have air-condition, when they actually mean that they have a ventilation system (at least they used to do that). Just keep that in mind. I can't promise you that air-condition won't come in handy while you're here, but you may very well end up not needing it. Climate change is affecting our weather though, so it can go both ways.

Posted by
11569 posts

With children, visit Amalienborg Palace to see the palace guards and , perhaps, the changing of the guards.
Also, we took a canal boat tour of the city's waterways which showed us much more than we could have seen without it.
It is a charming small city and I recommend that you add a few days if you are able.

Posted by
8236 posts

We have stayed at the Crowne Plaza Copenhagen twice, both times prior to cruises. The first time, our cruise line included transport from the hotel to the ship if we booked through them. The hotel was filled with cruisers.

The Crowne Plaza was a great choice and the cost was significantly lower than booking a hotel in the central area of Copenhagen.

The hotel is located very close to a rail station that can take you quickly to the airport or to the main rail station.

We did a lot of sightseeing in Copenhagen on our own, after taking a free walking tour. We did take a great tour of outside areas, such as the Viking Museum and historic castles that was excellent.

Taxis are expensive in Copenhagen, but educate yourself with a good map and use the train to go into the city. Check for a free walking tour. Also, we did take a harbor cruise that was nice.

The Crowne Plaza is at a minimum a four star hotel with spacious rooms.

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