August 16, 2017 Bergen, Norway > Hirtshals, Denmark
Somewhere among the last few days in Bergen, I got to thinking: “The girls are headed back to the States and we as a family are going to Denmark. How are we getting to Denmark? Daniel hasn’t told me…I haven’t asked…maybe I should find out.”
Excuse me? Did he say…a ship?
This one, in fact.
It couldn’t have been nicer.
When traveling with children, sometimes you just want a bit of privacy. You know, after public planes and public buses and public trains, it seems like your entire life is on display. Everyone can hear and see your child(ren) crying and you have to keep up appearances at all times for everyone’s sake. For this leg of our journey, Daniel selected a cabin with a window (oh bless him!), 4 pull-down or fold-out beds and our own tiny bathroom. I truly felt like I was in a book. “Betsy and the Great World” anyone? (Of course, she was very single in that book…and I am…very not…but it was almost the same. Somewhat.) It was about an 18 hour overnight trip and it took us down around the bottom of Norway, to the top of Denmark.
We spent our time alternating between our little room and exploring the ship. There was live entertainment at the bow of the ship with dining.
On various levels there was artwork to check out.
Naturally, we spent a fair amount of time supervising Natasha who loved the children’s ball pit and play area. There was even a scavenger hunt for children to do with clues on various floors of the ship and a little prize at the end.
Back in our little cabin, we could relax privately and enjoy the ride. I was slightly worried about being seasick, and both Natasha and I felt a little funny at times once we got out more on the open sea. But we just took ginger capsules and it was fine.
Out on deck, we could let the children run more freely, to the great amusement of bystanders.
I truly felt like I was in a book. The wind, the salty air, the sunset…can you tell I was slightly giddy? It felt surreal.
And that, my friends, is how we arrived in Denmark.
If you go:
- Get a cabin with a window. You won’t regret it.
- Take snacks. We had our typical salami, meat sticks, clementines, apples, bread, chocolate, etc… Food on the ship is pricey. There is a small shop on board, but the food (well, probably everything) was highly overpriced.
- If you want to sit in the common areas the best seats are taken fast. So if you see a desirable seat, snag it up.