To be able to go on this cruise, I had to get permission from the Primary Head Master of the School. Dutch laws are quite stringent on attendance rules and there are only certain instances that allow for exemptions. The girls missed the last week and a half of school because this was the only time this particular cruise was scheduled for this summer (I would have booked a different time otherwise). I am very grateful the girls were able to have this opportunity!
The evening before the cruise was to set sail, we headed to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, and flew to Copenhagen, Denmark. The cruise sailed from here and ended in Dover, England. The flight is a short one for us – about an hour and half. But flights from here to there are rather far between when looking for a direct flight! My option was to leave at 6:30pm and get into Copenhagen around 9pm (1 hour time difference).
When researching information for this cruise, I discovered that many of the people from the Facebook group I joined were staying at the Tivoli Hotel in Copenhagen. Many people were flying in from other parts of the world, and were taking a few days before the cruise to site see. After having to do so much research on the ports of call – the last thing I wanted to do was research a 1 night stay in a hotel before the cruise, so I just booked the Tivoli as well, not really giving it much thought. I knew several cruise families were going to be there, and I thought it would be nice if the girls met a few of the other kids who would be on the cruise beforehand.
Honestly – I did zero research regarding this hotel (so unlike me!!). It was a hotel recommended by Disney (I discovered this later). I found the room we had to be quite small. I had booked a Family Room for 2 adults, and 2 kids. Usually I find that to mean a suite of sorts (even in Europe, where hotel rooms are notoriously small) – a bedroom area and a living room area that is somewhat separate that has a sofa bed/tv, etc. When we arrived, we had 2 single beds, and a couch made into a bed for the girls, all in one compact space. It was a tight squeeze. It was difficult to find room to put all our luggage – 5 bags total: 3 large suitcases, 1 medium, and 1 small carry on (full of Fish Extender gifts – more on that later!), not to mention the bags we had as carry-ons and personal items (like purses and backpacks). 
One cool thing about the room though – the bathroom had an anti-fogging mirror, which was really nice! 
It was a very modern/artsy hotel. I wasn’t able to get many pictures of the inside, and none of the outside (because I forgot!). But this guy was in the lobby. 
The rest of the hotel was really nice – it ended up being a kid’s paradise! There was a mini golf course! 
A slide for kids. 
And one huge room was dedicated to a bounce house, ping pong tables, Foosball, and an air hockey table. 
Even the restaurant in the hotel had fun house-style mirrors! 
I was kind of bummed that we only had the morning of the next day to see any of Copenhagen. But we tried to get in what we could! So we headed to Nyhavn of course!! It’s a very popular port in Copenhagen, where a lot of restaurants and shops are located. Very busy with tourists, but it’s where you see neat architecture.
We stopped in this really cool ice cream parlor for a snack. There was a guy making waffle cones, and we had a great time watching him! The first few he made as we watched didn’t turn out right (see the pic with his silly face), so he tossed those in the trash and tried again. 
MyMan and I stopped for a more “adult” beverage…
While relaxing for a bit, we watched as a man set up for his “show” across from where we were having a drink. The girls thought he was hilarious! And he was. He would occasionally wait for a “fresh” group of people to walk by and make a noise or do a movement and people would scream! It was really quite comical how people didn’t take notice of him until he moved or made a noise! 
It was time for us to go back to the hotel if we wanted to get to the port on time for our Port Arrival Time of 2pm. So we headed back via a taxi. I took a couple of pictures of some sites along the way back to the hotel.
Next stop….The Port to board the Disney Magic!!
First Port of Call – Oslo, Norway!!
From Here to There - A Move Across an Ocean 
