Regent Seven Seas Baltics Cruise from Copenhagen Trip Report

Copenhagen pre-cruise stay

We decided to take the 13-minute metro train from Copenhagen airport (CPH) to Nytorv station downtown despite pouring rain, as the hotel assured me it was very close to the station. It was pretty close, but Google Maps couldn’t point me in the right direction until I started walking. A few blocks in the downpour and we were at the Sanders Hotel. Note to self: Next time take a taxi if it's raining.

The Sanders is a boutique hotel of 54 rooms with a nice restaurant called Sanders Kitchen, a rooftop lounge and a popular cocktail bar next door called Tata. The owner of the hotel was a former local ballet star and the theme of much of the decor is ballet related. The hotel is situated close to the old stage of the Royal Theater, Christiansborg Palace and the Royal Danish Opera. The street in front was quiet and there were no issues with noise in the comfortable king bedroom. With our Virtuoso amenities, full-service breakfast was included, as was a chef’s choice three course dinner for one night. The food was very good and served in a variety of intimate settings. The drinks at the award-winning Tata bar were exceptional as were their talented mixologists. The location is ideal for a short stay as it's very close to Nyhavn which is the famous waterfront area we all see in the Copenhagen ads. It’s lined with restaurants and cafes, and we had a wonderful experience and had the best Onion soup ever at Bistro 23 one of the many side by side restaurants along the canal.

The mixologist at Tata was an Arkansas transplant who was so happy to be living in Copenhagen as was everyone we met. He followed a girl, the girl moved on and he stayed. This is a country of happy people. He suggested we have dinner at Goldfinch, a Chinese restaurant with talented Danish chefs. It was a short walk from the hotel into an unassuming alley way. We had no reservations, but I would highly recommend them. Absolutely amazing is the only way to describe this place. Creative oriental cooking done so perfectly.

The next day we booked a bike tour with City Bike Adventures. We did a three-hour bike tour and saw so many sights including the popular little mermaid statue. We rode along the canals and crossed a bridge to Freetown Christiana, an island that is a small commune of artsy folks in their own little space. This was a great way to explore the city.

Other things to do: I highly recommend a visit to the nearby Magusin department store. If you are a foodie visit the bottom and top floors. There is a great assortment of local foods to try and buy and a big selection of Smorrebrod, the open face local sandwiches.

The next day we boarded the Regent Seven Seas Navigator for our Baltics cruise. I’ve been on over 50 cruises but never on Regent. The ship was built in 1999 and refurbished in 2016. The capacity is 490 and is considered a small ship. It handled the guests well with its decent size pool deck with grill area, nearby breakfast and lunch buffet and Compass Rose dining room a few decks down. There is a steak house specialty restaurant Prime 7, and the buffet dining room converts to Sette Mare for an Italian themed dinner with buffet appetizers and à la carte served entrees. The menu entrees change every two days. There is no extra fee for the specialty dining. The food and service overall were excellent as was the main dining room Compass Rose.

Entertainment consisted of a variety of nightly shows or a comedian. There was also a musical duo and pianist. For those that like to gamble, the casino was small but nice.

Regent is somewhat unique in the ocean cruise market in that they offer a truly all-inclusive experience. You can choose to book with airfare and transfers or, as we did, without air but including gratuities, drinks and almost unlimited tours. There were full day tours and even bike tours at no extra charge. The free valet laundry is a great perk. You send it out in the morning and it's back the next afternoon. There are also self-service laundry rooms on several decks. We’ve learned to pack light and do laundry every day or two, much less stress than losing luggage as we often see. The service and food on board was wonderful. Even with the added costs, the savings on tours, laundry and drink packages make Regent a solid choice even at the premium price point. I also got $300 in Virtuoso shipboard credit for booking a Virtuoso hosted cruise — Fora perks are amazing!

Not every cruise will be eligible for these perks but they're worth checking out.

Our itinerary included stops in Gdansk, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Tallinn and Kotka, Finland and ended with an overnight in Stockholm. This overnight allowed us to tour the city before our trip home.

The weather was bit cooler than expected. It was mostly between 56 and 70 degrees and even had a bit of rain. Pack light jackets or sweaters — even in July. The dress code on the ship was elegant casual: no jackets or ties required, men can wear collared shirts and slacks and there is a "no jeans" policy in the dining rooms. People tended to dress a little nicer for Prime 7 the specialty steakhouse. There was deck party dinner outside one night, with excellent food and no dress code.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Copenhagen. In need of further inspiration? Check out Jeff Goldstein’s guide, Site Visit at Four Seasons Anguilla.