Odyssey at Sea: WWII Voyage from Denmark to England

Activity note: Copenhagen Airport (CPH). Refer to your personal air itinerary for specific flight information. Transfer to the hotel will take approximately 30 minutes.

Afternoon: After checking in at the hotel and getting your room, take some time to freshen up and relax before our Orientation session. Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: In the hotel dining room, have what you like from the dinner buffet with beverage choices of wine, coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Activity note: Getting on/off motorcoach. Walking up to 2 miles; uneven surfaces. Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We'll board a motorcoach for a panoramic introduction to Copenhagen with a local expert to see some of the city’s highlights. We’ll travel past City Hall, Tivoli Gardens, the old Stock Exchange, and Nyhavn harbor. Our local expert will provide commentary as we drive. We will stop at Christiansborg Palace, which contains the Danish Parliament and Supreme Court. The palace's Great Hall is home to colorful tapestries, which show history spanning from the Viking Age to the year 2000.

Lunch: On your own.

Afternoon: Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Dinner: In the hotel dining room, have what you like from the dinner buffet with beverage choices of wine, coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check out in the morning.

Activity note: Getting on/off motorcoach. Walking up to 2 miles; uneven surfaces. Embarking the ship. Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: After checking out from the hotel, we will board a motorcoach to visit Rosenborg Castle. Built in 1607, for King Christian IV, the castle hosts the treasury, crown jewels, and art collected during nearly half a century. We will then transfer to the cruise port and board the Aegean Odyssey.

Lunch: In the Terrace Café.

Afternoon: After completing boarding procedures and getting your cabin, take some time to unpack, freshen up, and relax. Then begin to become familiar with this comfortable ship that will be our floating home for the duration of the program. The ship’s friendly and courteous staff are scrupulous about hygiene and you will find numerous dispensers with hand-sanitizer we are encouraged to use. Along with everyone on board, we will meet at muster stations when called for the ship’s safety drill. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. The extent and duration of elective walking and other free time activities is according to personal choice. In most ports, complimentary shuttle busses will be available for those who wish to explore independently.

Dinner: Aboard ship, have dinner in the venue of your choice: the à la carte Marco Polo restaurant, open for dinner as well as lunch on full days at sea; and the Terrace Café with its extensive buffet, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Meals feature fresh local ingredients in tasty preparations. Both restaurants offer open-seating dining. All meals aboard ship are included, as well as afternoon tea and late night snacks. Non-alcoholic beverages plus select wines at dinner are included; other beverages are available for purchase.

Evening: Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow.

Activity note: Full day aboard the ship. Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.

Breakfast: In the Terrace Café or on the Lido Deck in nice weather.

Morning: The Kiel Canal is a 98-kilometre long freshwater canal in northern Germany. The canal was finished in 1895, but later widened, and links the North and Baltic Seas. As we pass through this important canal, we'll listen to expert commentary on the subject.

Lunch: Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant.

Afternoon: Free time. Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship. Late afternoon, we will gather with our Group Leader for a port talk.

Dinner: You may choose either the Marco Polo Restaurant that serves a variety of á là carte items or the Terrace Café with its buffet.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow.

Activity note: Getting on/off motorcoach. Walking up to 2 miles, uneven surfaces. Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.

Breakfast: In the Terrace Café.

Morning: We'll board a motorcoach to set out on our panoramic exploration of Amsterdam, taking in the incredible network of canals and learning the rich history of Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands.

Lunch: In the Terrace Café, or on your own in port.

Afternoon: Free time. Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship.

Dinner: You may choose either the Marco Polo Restaurant that serves a variety of á là carte items or the Terrace Café with its buffet.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow.

Activity note: Full day aboard the ship. Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.

Breakfast: In the Terrace Café.

Morning: We will gather for a lecture on topics relevant to our program.

Lunch: In the Terrace Café.

Afternoon: Free time. Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship. Late afternoon, we will gather with our Group Leader for a port talk.

Dinner: You may choose either the Marco Polo Restaurant that serves a variety of á là carte items or the Terrace Café with its buffet.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow.

Activity note: Getting on/off motorcoach, ship. Walking up to 2 miles at a time; cobblestone streets, uneven and even terrain. Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.

Breakfast: In the Terrace Café.

Morning: We will board a motorcoach to drive to Honfleur, where we will enjoy the unique architecture of Historic Honfleur on a guided exploration of the city on foot. Learn why this city has one of the few remaining all-wooden churches and the important role Honfleur played in the settlement of New France. We will return to the ship for lunch.

Lunch: In the Terrace Café.

Afternoon: Following lunch, we will depart by motorcoach to discover the beautiful white cliffs of Etretat, which were famously painted by Courbet and Monet.

Dinner: You may choose either the Marco Polo Restaurant the Terrace Café. Alternatively, you may choose to eat in port, on your own.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow. Ship remains in port overnight.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 125 miles, approximately 4 hours. Walking up to 3 miles throughout the day; extended periods of standing at field trip sites; sandy terrain on beaches, occasional cobbled areas; access to beaches is by steps and slipways that can be slippery in wet weather and after high tides.

Breakfast: In the Terrace Café.

Morning: Stepping off the ship, we’ll board a motorcoach and set out on a field trip to explore key sites of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of occupied Normandy that began with the D-Day landings of 6th June 1944. We will begin at Pegasus Bridge at Bénouville, an early objective of the Allied operations. Pegasus Bridge and nearby Horsa Bridge were strategically important crossing points for the Caen Canal and River Orne. Securing these in the early hours of D-Day hampered the mobility of German armored vehicles. We will reboard the motorcoach and move on to Ouistreham, where the Caen Canal meets the sea.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Ouistreham was the eastern extremity of the Allied landing zone. The five miles of coastline stretching from the town’s harbor to Langrune-sur-Mer were code-named Sword Beach. We’ll expand upon what we have learned about the amphibious assault from onboard lectures as we explore the beach with our Group Leader. Scottish soldiers traditionally marched into battle to the skirl of bagpipes. A photograph of Piper Bill Millin playing bagpipes as troops waded to the beach from a landing craft is an enduring image of the D-Day landings. Millin was the personal piper to Simon Fraser — Lord Lovat — the Scottish clan chief who commanded the 1st Special Service Brigade during the assault, and is commemorated today with a statue in Ouistreham. We’ll continue by motorcoach to Arromanches-les-Bains, where a floating “mulberry harbour” was installed in the days following D-Day so that heavy materiel could be brought ashore in relative safety. A number of the concrete structures that were used to construct the harbor remain at Arromanches today, some a short distance offshore and others on the beach where we’ll walk during our field trip. We’ll return by motorcoach to the ship at Honfleur. At the end of the afternoon, we’ll gather with our Group Leader for our daily port talk.

Dinner: You may choose either the Marco Polo Restaurant that serves a variety of á là carte items or the Terrace Café with its buffet.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 125 miles, approximately 3.5 hours. Walking up to 3 miles throughout the day; extended periods of standing at field trip sites; sandy terrain on beach, paved and gravel paths and sidewalks.

Breakfast: In the Terrace Café.

Morning: We’ll step ashore and board a motorcoach to continue our investigation of American maneuvers in Operation Overlord. We’ll begin at Omaha Beach, where we’ll learn about central D-Day operations while exploring on foot with our Group Leader. The assault on Omaha was one of the most challenging of all; the beach lies in front of steep hills and cliffs, concentrating the German defenses and machine gun fire on the beach itself. Harsh weather and sea conditions complicated matters further, as nearly all of the Allied units landed some distance from their planned targets and few tanks made it to shore. By evening, the Allies had gained a tenuous foothold at Omaha, but this came at a heavy cost. Casualties numbered in the thousands, and first-hand accounts make for sobering reading. We will also pay our respects at the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) Normandy Cemetery, above the beach at Colleville-sur-Mer.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Next, we’ll go to the Pointe du Hoc to see the Ranger Monument overlooking Omaha Beach. It was erected by the French to honor the American Second Ranger Battalion under the command of Lt. Col. James E. Rudder. The Rangers scaled the 100-foot cliffs to seize German artillery. We’ll return by motorcoach to the ship at Cherbourg. Late afternoon, we’ll gather with our Group Leader for our daily port talk.

Dinner: You may choose either the Marco Polo Restaurant that serves a variety of á là carte items or the Terrace Café with its buffet.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow.

Activity note: Getting on/off ship. Walking up to 2 miles at a time. Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.

Breakfast: In the Terrace Café.

Morning: We will disembark the ship in Guernsey, the second largest Channel Island. Our Group Leader will take us on a walk around St. Peter Port, the island's capital.

Lunch: In the Terrace Café, or on your own in port.

Afternoon: Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Dinner: You may choose either the Marco Polo Restaurant that serves a variety of á là carte items or the Terrace Café with its buffet.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 5 miles, less than 1 hour. Gangways at Historic Dockyard steep at high tide. Low ceilings, trip hazards, uneven floors, steep stairs, low doorways aboard historic vessels. Some museums at Historic Dockyard accessed by waterbus boat across the harbor; four steps with handrails to board, not wheelchair accessible. Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.

Breakfast: In the Terrace Café.

Morning: We’ll step off the ship and walk to a motorcoach for a short ride through Portsmouth’s docks to the Historic Dockyard. After a brief introduction from our Group Leader, we will set out independently on a self-directed exploration at our own pace to see what we choose of the Dockyard’s many museums, including a number of preserved historic naval vessels. The vessels at the Dockyard include HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship built in 1759, on which he was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar; HMS Warrior, 1860, the Royal Navy’s first armored battleship, powered by both sail and steam; the monitor HMS M33, one of only three British warships remaining from World War I; and HMS Alliance, the only remaining World War II-era submarine. Museums include the National Museum of the Royal Navy, which tells the story of the Navy over the last 350 years; The Dockyard Apprentice, focusing on Portsmouth’s boatbuilding heritage; the Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower, an interactive museum housed in the former Navy Ordnance Depot; and Boathouse 4, where students of the International Boatbuilding Training College learn their craft by repairing and restoring historic small naval boats. Regular 45-minute boat trips, departing from a pier close to HMS Warrior 1860, offer the chance to view the harbor’s fortifications and the modern Navy vessels in port with accompanying expert commentary. We will regroup at a designated time and place, then return to the ship by motorcoach for lunch. Those who wish to stay ashore and dine out independently are welcome to do so.

Lunch: In the Terrace Café.

Afternoon: Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Dinner: You may choose either the Marco Polo Restaurant that serves a variety of á là carte items or the Terrace Café with its buffet.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow. Prepare for disembarkation in the morning.

Activity note: Getting on/off ship. Driving about 40 miles, approximately 2 hours. Walking up to 3 miles, walking and standing for up to 2 hours. Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.

Breakfast: In the Terrace Café.

Morning: The Port of Tilbury is located on the River Thames. Following disembarkation, we’ll walk to a river cruiser to travel along the Thames to the Royal Borough of Greenwich, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site. Here we’ll explore all things nautical at the National Maritime Museum and the Old Royal Naval College, with some time for independent exploration in Greenwich. Those who wish to delve deeper into Britain’s maritime heritage may join local experts to explore the Cutty Sark, the fully restored Victorian tea clipper that was the fastest ship of its day; or, visit the Royal Observatory where techniques of astronomical navigation were developed.

Lunch: On your own.

Afternoon: After lunch, we will transfer to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the afternoon is free for you to do and see what interests you most.

Dinner: Enjoy a farewell dinner as a group.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for departures in the morning.

Activity note: Transfer to London Heathrow Airport.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will board a motorcoach to take us to the airport. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!