Travelanni

Hi Anni

 

My question is now what itinerary you would recommend for when we (4 fellow Aussie adults) dock in Kiel (8-5). I'm leaning toward spending the time in Lubeck rather than trying to squeeze in too much with a visit to Hamburg...but open to suggestions. Could you please advise on times, transport and places to see?

 

Geoff :D

Hi again, just another idea.

If you decide that a visit to Lübeck would be a bit rushed and wanted something nearer to Kiel a nice alternative would be to take the ferry to the small seaside town of Laboe further down the fijord. The ferry leaves fairly frequently from the landing stage right alongside the cruise terminal and the 1 hour trip takes you through sheltered water, close to the very pretty shoreline.

http://www.sfk-kiel.de/en/index.php

Laboe is a typical German seaside town but the main interest here is the Naval Memorial.

http://www.deutscher-marinebund.de/geschichte_me_english.htm

Part of the complex is a naval museum and the grounds feature various artifacts including the World War II-era German Submarine U-955, the world's only remaining type VII U boat, which is open to the public.

http://www.warmuseums.nl/gal/061gal.htm

Traditionally every ship passing the Memorial (and there are dozens every day going to and from the Canal) dips its flag in salute as this is the only memorial in the world to commemorate ALL sailors of ALL nations.

However it is by no means a grim place. The setting is beautiful, both the exterior and interior architecture is unusual and interesting and the view from the top of the tower is stunning! The little town is very pleasant with cafes and restaurants as well as the usual shops for souvenirs.

Anni

Hi Anni

 

I have really enjoyed and appreciated your threads on this forum and "Travelanni Times" in preparation for our HAL cruise in July. I've made plenty of notes for our day in Warnemunde and plan to use your recommendation of visiting Rostock, Wismar and Bad Doberan...with a morning and evening walk exploring and enjoying Warnemude. I've got train/tram tips and prices from your excellent information.

 

My question is now what itinerary you would recommend for when we (4 fellow Aussie adults) dock in Kiel (8-5). I'm leaning toward spending the time in Lubeck rather than trying to squeeze in too much with a visit to Hamburg...but open to suggestions. Could you please advise on times, transport and places to see?

 

Geoff :D

Hi to my fellow Aussies (truly, I'm from Brisbane). Thank you for your appreciation .

The train service between Kiel and Lübeck is fast and frequent. If you wish to use the Schleswig Holstein Kleingruppenkarte, cost 32.70 euro -unlimited travel for up to 5 persons after 9am to 3am the following day, it is valid on the following trains.

RB departs Kiel 9:04 arrives Lübeck 10:32 Stops at every station

RE departs Kiel 9:44 arrives Lübeck 10:52 Stops only at larger stations

and so on at hourly intervals throughout the day.

to return to Kiel

RE departs Lübeck 14:06 arrives Kiel 15:15

RB departs Lübeck 14:28 arrives Kiel 15:55

and so on until 21:06.

With limited time a good walking itinerary might be:-

From the main station turn right into Konrad-Audenauer Strasse, across the park and over the bridge to the Holstentor, the most important city gate, now a museum and tourist information office.

Walk up Holstenstrasse, there are some good photo opportunities in the lovely little side streets, to the City centre. The main attractions are the Market Place, St Marien Church and the Rathaus; in Koenigstrasse St Katherines Museum and the Heiligen-Geist Hospital; further along Gross Burgstrasse is the Burgtor, second most important city gate and the Burgkloster, another great museum.

From there you can, if you wish, catch a 12 or 34 bus back to the train station or walk along the waterfront which runs parallel to the city wall all the way back to the Puppenbrücke.

A good page for information on the sights is

http://www.luebeck-tourism.de/culture/unesco-world-heritage-site.html

Happy cruising, :)

Anni

I'm a roller coaster enthusiast and would love to see theme parks while in Europe. It looks like we have time to get back and forth from the Hamburg port to Heide park. (We'll be in port 13 hours.)

 

Any insight on this? Is there good transportation available? Is this a crowded park or would I have time to ride the coasters?

 

Anytime I can ride a new coaster is a good time! :D

Hi, according to the Heide-Park web site

http://www.heide-park.de/en/heide-park/

you can take a train from Hamburg Hbf to Soltau (Han) and from Soltau station it is a short bus ride or a 20min walk to the park.

Trains depart Hamburg Hbf at 15 mins past every hour, one change in Buchholz (Nordheide), travel time 1hr 11mins. Timetable at

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

No idea if the park is crowded, I suppose it depends on the time of day, week and year. School holidays here are staggered and run from early July until early September. Hope you enjoy your ride although it makes me feel queasy just to think about it :eek:

Happy cruising :)

Anni

Very good information. We are also going to Berlin same time.We are traveling with good friends, she born in Germany, he met her there , fell in love and married. So we will have our friends as guides. We are staying outside of Berlin in Frankfort on oder. Is the train ride into Berlin a long one?

Hi, there are two RE trains per hour from Frankfurt on Oder, throughout the day, stopping at 4 Berlin stations (Ostbahnhof, Alexander Platz, Freidrich St and Hbf), journey time about 1hr 10mins. The Brandenburg-Berlin Lander Ticket is valid on these trains, 29euros for up to 5 persons travelling together between 9:00 one day ( or 1:00 at weekends) and 3:00 the next day. This ticket can also be used on all the public transport in Berlin. Very good value!

Enjoy Berlin,

Anni

I cannot thank you enough for all your help! You gave us lots of stuff to read. Too bad we already have our flights; I think 2 weeks in Berlin would be better!! We'll just have to come back.:D

Hi, thank you for your appreciation.

I forgot to answer your question on Saschenhausen.

Many tour companies offer tours to and of the camp but the one which we took is

http://www.stiftung-bg.de/foerderverein/fuehrungen/en/

We took the tour from the meeting place in the camp and afterwards spent time walking around by ourselves. The atmosphere was less 'touristy' than some similar tours we have experienced and certainly gave food for thought.

One more tip - if your days in Berlin include Monday, just watch out for places which close on that day when planning. Nowadays many places stay open 7 days but if they are going to have a 'day off' it is usually Monday.

Anni

Thank you so much, John and Anni! We will be staying at the Adina Apartments Hotel Hackescher Market. I believe that is in East Berlin and we will be very close to the train station. We are interested in WWII stuff and not so much in museums unless war related. We want to spend a day at the concentration camp. If we take the train to Sachsenhausen on our own, do they have tours we can join once we are there? Will definitely take the ho ho at least one day, maybe two.:cool:

Hi, JB has pretty well covered the usual sights.

Your apartments are just one block from the entrance to the s-bahn. There are several HOHO bus lines but the nearest stop seems to be at the Red Rathaus near the Neptune Fountain.

Here are a few other things which may interest you

Two museums which deal specifically with WWll and the aftermath.

http://www.topographie.de/en/

http://www.alliiertenmuseum.de/en/home.html

For tours which explore the network of bunkers under the city see

http://berliner-unterwelten.de/guided-tours.3.1.html

and a walking tour dealing specifically with WWll related sites

http://www.insidertour.com/tours.php/cat/27/id/44/title/Tourdetails

There is also the the one remaining flak-tower near the Gesundbrunnen station. It is in a public park and can be explored DIY on the outside (the views from the top are very good) but to explore inside see

http://berliner-unterwelten.de/tour-2.14.1.html

If life in the DDR (East Germany) is of interest there are two good exhibitions.

http://www.ddr-museum.de/en

and

http://www.hdg.de/fileadmin/static/english/berlin/traenenpalast-am-bahnhof-friedrichstr/

Hope this has given you something to work on.

Happy cruising,:)

Anni

We will be in Berlin for 5 days in late August before our cruise leaving out of Warnemunde on the Royal Princess. What are your suggestions on how best to spend our days to get the most out of our trip.:confused:

You have really set me one here!

Berlin is a very spread out city but you have the luxury of a few days so with planning should be able to achieve a great deal. You need to know what your options are. A good place to start is

http://www.berlin.de/en/

The public transport system is very good. The City Tour Card, Zones ABC for 5 days would be good value.

http://www.bvg.de/index.php/en/index.html

I would suggest that you set aside one day to visit Potsdam, both the city itself and the Palaces, Sans Soucci etc. It is worth while to go at least one way by boat.

http://www.potsdam-tourism.com/

Would love to help further but to do that I need to know in which part of Berlin you are staying, what you find interesting and the things which you feel are 'must see'

Happy planning :)

Anni

Hi, Anni,

 

No worries :)

 

The rule is to avoid excursion operators or their friends promoting themselves.

But your number of posts, the variety of your posts, and your valuable contributions demonstrate that you're a genuine member.

 

I've frequently mentioned local operators - mainly taxi & transfer operators, parking sites, hotels, restaurants etc, and that hasn't troubled the moderators.

I feel sure that they know I don't have a hidden agenda.

Hopefully another regular will chip in to say something similar on the subject, but of course you will make your own mind up

 

I do try to mention more than one, and only give a personal recommendation to (or cautioned against) any that I've actually used.

Slightly off-topic, I've learned to generally avoid personal recommendations anyway - if someone goes by my recommendation & the operator lets them down I feel personally responsible. That happened once, made me feel bad. :o

 

Keep posting, Anni, you always seem to give useful information.

 

JB :)

Hi John, thanks for the re-assurance and encouragement but, having already had one post deleted and a warning notice following an innocent mention of an organisation doing tours in my town, I think I will play it safe. No names, no pack drill!

Re-commendations of large, multi-nationals like car hire companies and the often mentioned tour providors seem to be safe, although I would only recommend those of which I have had personal experience. I agree entirely with your remarks on personal recommendations, especially restaurants and hotels, they can backfire!

Don't worry, I will keep posting, its addictive :rolleyes:

Anni

Hi Anni,

If you're referring to Cruise Critic rules, those rules don't permit the mention of specific travel agents - the agencies which book cruises and other holidays.

But no problem in mentioning excursion operators, and I'm sure that any recommendations would be welcomed by the OP & others.

JB :)

Only following the rules in the 'sticky' above entitled Participation of Tour Operators, Locals, Business Owners & Guides!

Quote:-

Participation of Local Experts in Ports of Call

Locals living in ports of call are encouraged to contribute, as long as their recommendations are general in nature. Those living in ports of call who recommend individual businesses or tour operators/guides will find that their posts have been removed and their posting privileges may be suspended. (My italics)

I enjoy helping others to enjoy my part of Germany and do not intend to risk suspension

Anni

Have you done this on your own and if so how? Thanks.

 

ETA Self-drive is not an option......

 

Linda

Hi Linda, me again!

This subject has been discussed at length on this forum, just use the search facility at the top of the page and you will find it on several threads. I hope that a cruiser who has done Berlin on their own will answer you but meanwhile here are a few comments on getting to and from Berlin from someone who makes this journey frequently as a local.

The train service is OK from our point of view but not so good timewise for cruisers. I note that your ship is due to berth in Warnemünde at 7:00 so the earliest train to Berlin would be an s-bahn at 7:40, 7:48 or 8:04 (this last would be cutting it a bit fine) to connect with the RE from Rostock dep. 8:34 arr Berlin Hbf 11:14. If for any reason you cannot make the 8:34 the next train would be 9:07, change in Schwerin, arr. Berlin Hbf 12:32

On the other hand some ships and private companies offer a transfer only tour (.ie a bus/coach to Berlin and back with your time there free to do your own thing) departing the ship at 7:30 arr. Berlin at approx.10:00.

The return journey is equally awkward as one train gets you back way before sailing time whilst the next is too late. The transfer by bus/coach is timed to give maximum time in Berlin whilst getting you back in good time for 'on-board'. In some cases the bus/coach option as opposed to the train will give you as much as three hours extra in the city with drop-off/pick-up right in the main tourist area saving the time wasted getting to and from the station, finding the platform, waiting for the train etc.

I am a great fan of DIY and rarely take tours, ships or otherwise, but to get the most out of the limited time for Berlin then a bus/coach transfer would seem to be the best option.

Sorry but, as a local, I am not allowed to mention any specific company. Using your search engine should bring up several possibilities.

Happy cruising :),

Anni

So, as a guide, if your ship departs Copenhagen in the early evening and arrives Warnemünde after 7:00 it is probably taking the Northern route and vice versa.

 

:o Oops, could be wrong :o

 

Hi Linda, in the case of Legend on 18th June this does not seem to apply. On the map of the route which I found on the web site of a travel agent (not allowed to give you the address here) the indication is that she will take the southern route. In that case you will be doing a bit of drifting during the night!

However I would be more inclined to trust information direct from RCI as other map could be just the most obvious route.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

Thanks for taking the time to reply! Much appreciated.

 

Linda

And I thank YOU for having the courtesy and taking the time to acknowledge my reply and for your appreciation. It makes it all worthwhile.

Happy cruising, :)

Anni

This question was asked on our roll call :

 

Is there any way to find out if our ship, departing from Copenhagen, will go south by the tunnel/Oresundbridge to Warnemunde, or go north and around and under the Great Belt East Bridge (3rd longest suspension bridge in the world) to Warnemunde?

Hi, Freighters of all sizes use both routes so size and draft are not a great guide although height could be a consideration. In the case of cruise ships tides may play a part as they like to depart in the evening and arrive at the next port in the morning.

Many cruise ships go out one way and back the other, usually south if the first port of call is in the Northern Baltic (Tallin etc.)

Given the time allowed by some cruise ships, ie departing Copenhagen around 17:00 arriving Warnemünde 7:30 the next morning, they would either have to go backwards or round in circles if they took the southern route to that port! A ship travelling at 12k (very slow for a cruise ship) would take only around 8 hours at most to complete the journey.

So, as a guide, if your ship departs Copenhagen in the early evening and arrives Warnemünde after 7:00 it is probably taking the Northern route and vice versa.

If you look at the little map which goes with the description of the cruise on the company's web site it will usually tell you.

Please don't sue me if your ship does not go the way you expect! Just enjoy the surprise.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

Anni, we are in Warnemunde on a Sunday & I understand we could go earlier than the 9:07 since not a weekday (using Lander billet). Are there better trains, earlier, faster trains since it a weekend?

 

Assume it will be more crowded but other than that any other advantages/disadvantages with being a Sunday. If like in USA, lunch is higher priced in most places on Sunday. Any recommend for Lunch in Schwerin for traditional German? I've found Cafe Prag & Altstadtbrauhaus. Any comment on those? We may be in a hurry with the full day so maybe a bratwurst will have to do.

 

Thanks for your great service.

Hi, thank you for your appreciation.

The only earlier train to Schwerin on which the Lander ticket is valid would be the 7:07!

Warnemünde itself and the local s-bahn trains are certainly more crowded on a Sunday but Schwerin is probably a bit quieter than on a weekday as the shops are closed although all the museums etc. are open. As far as I know there is no surcharge in restaurants and cafes.

It depends what you mean by 'traditional German' food. Every region has its own specialities and in Mecklenburg this is fish, prepared and served in every way imaginable. However, there are restaurants of every kind in Schwerin and I am sure you will find one serving the kind of food you are looking for. My favourite is in the Orangery at the Schloss. Sorry, I have no experience of the two you mention.

Just a word of warning if time is short. Europeans do not eat and run, they like to take their time in a restaurant and therefore table service is slower than in the US so allow plenty of time or go for an establishment where you order at the counter.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

Hi, we're arriving at Hamburg airport midday on a Saturday and need to get to MSC cruise ship in Kiel by late afternoon. What is quickest, most reliable way to get there? Does Kielius have regular schedule on Saturday and are taxis available at station in Kiel to take us to cruise ship?

Hi, the Kielius would be the quickest and most convenient way. It does have a regular timetable on Saturdays, departing Hamburg Airport every hour from 7:05 until 17:05.

http://www.bahn.de/autokraft/view/angebot/kielius/en-time-table.shtml

You can order a taxi from the bus station to the cruise terminal from the bus driver when you pay your fare.

Happy cruising :),

Anni

Hello Anni,

 

We (husband and I) will be boarding the Royal Princess June 6, 2014 in Warnemunde. We fly into Dusseldorf and we are going immediately to Berlin pre cruise. Post cruise we are going to travel to Munich and then back to Dusseldorf. I believe the cheapest way to do this is by purchasing the German Twin rail pass for 4 days for 333 Euros. I have priced the discounted fares on line and it totals 447 Euros. With the German Rail Pass, are we able to reserve a certain train or do we just show up and hope we will have a seat?

 

Thank you so much for giving of yourself and guiding us tourist. It is greatly appreciated.

 

Best regards,

Jill

Hi Jill, thank you for your appreciation.

A German Twin Rail pass is certainly the way to go in your case, four days long-distance travel within one month.

With this pass you can use any type of train at any time and if you choose EC, IC or ICE to book ahead if you wish. You can just show up for most trains but for some, booking ahead is advised. This information (an R within a square) can be found next to the ticket cost on the timetable.

I would advise booking a seat on any long-distance train, especially those serving Berlin. You do not have to do this when buying the ticket, 24 hours ahead of the intended journey is enough. A seat booking can be made at any DB station office, cost 4euro per seat.

Happy cruising, enjoy Berlin :)

Anni

Anyone who looks like their passport photo is too ill to travel (Will Kommen)

 

Hi John, I know this is off the subject but your signature always makes me smile as my passport photo, which makes me look about 90 and at death's door, bears it out. So I shared it with the lady Immigration Officer at the Port of Hull (UK) when boarding the ferry last week. She thought it was hilarious and wrote it down! Said it had made her day.

Would not try it with an Immigration Officer in Russia or the US though. Humour is not their strong point, even a smile seems to be suspect.

Anni

Hi Anni, you are so helpful and I thank you so much for taking the time to help us folks traveling to Germany! We are on the cruise that leaves out of Warnemunde on Sept. 2, 2014. We are thinking of taking the train from Berlin and I read one of your posts about the two trains that go directly to Warnemunde without having to transfer. We will be staying at the Adina Apartments in Hackescher Market. I believe there is a train station close by. :o Could we get the train there?

Hi, thank you for your appreciation,it makes it all worthwhile!

The two trains you are speaking of are the InterConnex (private train company) departing Berlin Hbf (main station) at 10:59, arr Warnemünde 13:51 and the ICE (DeutscheBahn) departing Berlin Hbf 17:23, arr Warnemünde 19:45.

Otherwise, there is an RE (DeutscheBahn) departing every two hours from 8:44 onwards, travel time to Rostock about 2hrs 45mins.. From there you would usually take the S-bahn or a taxi to Warnemünde but as you are embarking in Warnemünde it would be worth enquiring if your cruise company runs a shuttle from specific Berlin trains. I know some of them do.

There is a train station just across the street from your apartments but unfortunately main line trains do not stop there. You would need to take the S-bahn from that station, #5 direction Spandau or #7 direction Potsdam, to Berlin Hbf. which is the second stop or a taxi to the Hbf.

All the main-line trains are modern, comfortable, air-conditioned and have plenty of luggage space. So good in fact that 1st.class is not really worth the extra, certainly not on the ICE.

For the Connex, tickets can be bought on the train or booked on-line at www.interconnex.com (all in German but easy to follow).

For DB trains, tickets can be bought on-line at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en , from a machine, in the ticket office or on the train. Special fares, a considerable saving, will be available on-line from 3/6/2014 but they go fairly quickly.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

You can find more info on my new thread

'Welcome to NE Germany - happy to help you enjoy'

I realise that the poster is speaking from the point of view of a German national in his own country but for the benefit of British nationals travelling in Germany I would like to quote the following extract from the www.gov.UK website

"A valid British passport must be held for entry to and exit from Germany as a visitor. There is no minimum passport validity requirement but you should ensure that your passport is valid for the duration of your visit.

There is an “Ausweispflicht“ in Germany. This means that you must carry proof of identity on you at all times. For British nationals, this is a valid original British passport. This is a legal requirement. Copies of passports cannot be carried."

For my own peace of mind I checked this with the British Embassy in Berlin and they confirmed the requirement. They also confirmed that the above applies to British nationals living in Germany.

I do not profess to know what the law says in relation to other than British nationals.

Anni

Re-reading this I realise that the underlined sentence is somewhat ambiguous.

It should read - They also confirmed that the above applies to both British nationals who are visitors and British nationals living in Germany alike.

Sorry about that.

Anni

In place like Russia or the US, I would of course carry a passport with me. Several automotive executives were recently arrested in the US for not having a passport on them. http://autos.aol.com/article/car-executives-arrest-in-alabama-gets-national-attention/, so I would also put the States in the category of countries where I would not want to mess with the authorities.

 

In EU countries though, I would always leave the passport on the ship. In Germany, it is definitely not the law to carry a passport. The risk of losing the passport is greater than any of the risks described above and medical treatment will certainly not be denied because someone does not have a passport.

 

Per my earlier post, I would nevertheless recommend to bring a copy of the passport and another form of ID, that is easier to replace.

 

Regarding spbstan's post, of passports being the only internationally acceptable form of identification: my German ID card is an acceptable travel document for a whole host of countries including all EU countries, Switzerland, Turkey, Tunesia and others.

I realise that the poster is speaking from the point of view of a German national in his own country but for the benefit of British nationals travelling in Germany I would like to quote the following extract from the www.gov.UK website

"A valid British passport must be held for entry to and exit from Germany as a visitor. There is no minimum passport validity requirement but you should ensure that your passport is valid for the duration of your visit.

There is an “Ausweispflicht“ in Germany. This means that you must carry proof of identity on you at all times. For British nationals, this is a valid original British passport. This is a legal requirement. Copies of passports cannot be carried."

For my own peace of mind I checked this with the British Embassy in Berlin and they confirmed the requirement. They also confirmed that the above applies to British nationals living in Germany.

I do not profess to know what the law says in relation to other than British nationals.

Anni

I am surprised by the resistance to carrying a passport, and not wanting to carry the only ID which is valid outside your country is interesting. Nothing in your wallet serves as ID unless those needing to identify you are just being lax in their duties. Yes, in many places you can get by but luckily you had no accidents or questions from authorities, because your drivers license, national health care id, credit card or anything else is useless.

If you got lost or needed medical attention as an undocumented person, will usually be treated as an illegal entry until you prove your identity. That can delay medical treatment.

Here in St Petersburg, when someone loses their passport(by far the highest proportion are found or recovered in a few days) means you do not board the ship until your identity is positively assured. An American citizen can get a new passport for travel purposes within 5-36 hours(provided the responsible, sponsoring tour operator has a relationship with the consulate) as long as there is amble clues for the consulate to go by as to who you are. Other nationalities such as Canadian require traveling to Moscow and seeking assistance there, a 1 to 2 week process . Experienced travelers do not question this and carry their passport when a guest in another country, cruisers are not probably used to this common sense basic foreign travel need.

Each port call in St Petersburg usually has a few lost passports, 1 death, a couple pickpocket victims and several with health problems that requires medical attention off the ship. Even some pretty minor issues can cause the ship's doctor to refuse boarding until a qualified medical professional has certified the patient as stable and non-communicable.

Not having a passport with a visa in it is the main problem in each of these cases. In the cases of citizens from countries which do not have a consulate in St Petersburg, the sponsoring tour operator has to accompany them to the city with the consulate and stay with them until a passport or travel document is created. If the overstay is due to illness, an emergency visa is applied for by the tour operator.

A prudent traveler takes care of these problems before they happen and does not dare fate to make an example of them.

I have read this post with great interest as should everyone travelling to SPB (and anywhere else for that matter).

A couple of points which apply anywhere stand out.

Quote "I am surprised by the resistance to carrying a passport, and not wanting to carry the only ID which is valid outside your country is interesting."

Yes, before you all jump on me, I know that other forms of ID are usually acceptable, especially in Europe, but it only takes one extra officious person to demand your passport as the only acceptable ID of a foreign national in their country as they have every right to do.

Quote " Experienced travelers do not question this and carry their passport when a guest in another country, cruisers are not probably used to this common sense basic foreign travel need."

Not a criticism but a fact as cruisers can usually rely on the shipping company or tour operator to get them out of trouble. So, you can send back to the ship for your passport but meanwhile you will probably be held somewhere and waste your valuable shore-time. A resident would be given the option of presenting their passport at a police station within a given time but that choice is not likely to be given to a cruiser.

On the question of passport safety, in the last 10 years I have been ashore in 35 countries, on every continent, mostly travelling solo, always carrying my passport on my person, never letting it out of my sight and have never once feared for it's safety. Passports are usually lost by people who are silly enough to allow them out of their sight, go into dangerous areas and are mugged or become incapacitated by drink/drugs. I recently read an article about the further problem of people who 'lose' their passports on a regular basis, quite a lucrative source of income which the authorities are trying to stamp out but it seems that in most countries, as the law stands at present, a person who loses a passport cannot be denied a new one.

As has been said before, it is a matter of feeling comfortable with what you do. Each to his own but thanks Spbstan and Len. :) Its nice to know there are others who think as I do on this subject.

Happy cruising

Anni

Maybe these were some leftover DDR practices. When my wife had to renew her American passport a few years ago, the process was that she had to mail in her old passport (with her German residence permit) and received her new passport a few weeks later in the mail. She called the Bürgeramt to ask if it would be a problem not to have a passport for a few weeks and was told not to worry.

 

In case police needs to establish a person's identity and that person has no form of ID whatsoever, police could take that person to a police station for identification though. Therefore it might be wise to carry some form of ID, such as a driver's licence, that is easier to replace and not so critical for the trip home.

Thanks for the good idea, just one problem - I don't drive, so no drivers licence! However, I am in the fortunate position of having dual nationality and therefore two passports. So I carry the British (EU) passport while at home here in Germany and leave the Australian passport in a safe place to be used when I go to visit my family in Australia.

Anni

I don't think that's correct. Here's the link to the actual law: http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pauswg/__1.html

 

Germans are required to possess an ID (ID card or passport), but not to carry it with them at all times. I am German and usually have my ID card in my wallet, but I by no means have to. My wife is American and never carries her passport with her. In the 14 years she been living in Germany, her driver's license was always accepted as identification.

 

We of course take our passports / ID cards with us when crossing land borders into other Schengen countries, since random checks can be performed. On a cruise however, we would not take a passport with us unless required. On some recent Med cruises, the cruise line (MSC) collected the passports of non EU citizens and kept them for the duration of the cruise, so it would not even been possible to take them ashore.

I am only repeating what I was told by the Bürgeramt when registering my residency and again when I failed to be able to produce either an ID card or passport when my friend and I were checked by the police, returning home late one night ( a very rare occasion on which I had forgotten it - doesn't it always happen!).

I was given a copy of the law (in English) with the second sentence (quote) "You must present it upon request to any authorised person to establish your identity" highlighted and told that as a non-citizen I am not entitled to a German ID card but should use my passport and residency certificate instead. I took this to mean that it must be carried at all times. Most of my German friends seem to believe that this is the law too. Maybe it is just a left-over from DDR in this part of the country.

FYI - ship's authorities have every right to collect passports and keep them for the purpose of immigration procedures but once Immigration have cleared the ship they have no right whatsoever to deny a passenger's request for their passport when going ashore.

Anni

 

Desdichado62 is definitely correct in that especially the large cruise ports will be able to add a few ships per day. This would not hold true as well for the largest ships as there are many berths, but only some of them long and deep enough for the largest vessels. And in fact I do not think that many "new ships" would be added as pretty much all the cruise ships in the region do call at St. Petersburg. Closure of St. Petersburg to cruise ships would result in quite a rescheduling challenge for the cruise lines and ports involved.

 

I suppose that rescheduling would be quite likely if St. Petersburg was skipped as there are no other potential cruise ports east of Helsinki and Tallinn. Therefore the options for the cruise lines would be either to backtrack to an alternate port, spend two sea days on a crossing that is made by ferries in two hours, or try to rearrange their schedules.

Exactly the points I made earlier in posts 205 and 207 and which were soundly de-bunked by those with superior knowledge of the Carribbean and Mediterranean.

Glad to find that someone from the Baltic region agrees with me. I was beginning to doubt what I had learned in nearly 50 years association, both working and leisure, with the shipping industry and northern ports. :rolleyes:

Anni

Personally, I don't think things will get to the point of SPB calls being cancelled. That said, one must remember they aren't trying to find 250 berths for the same day - it's over a whole season. The cruise lines were quite nimble in finding alternate ports during the Arab Spring issues and for Athens during it's strikes. And, do it on the fly all the time in the Caribbean with weather issues.

I do realise that the 250 berths are not all required on the same day! I thought that was clear in the first sentence.

I don't think that it will come to cancelling either. I sincerely hope not, mostly for the sake of all we passengers but also for the sake of the cruise companies, the logistics would be horrendous.

As well as the problems already mentioned SPB is the worst possible port to cancel from the point of view of its position. It would be impossible to add in a different port without either back-tracking (extra fuel cost) or re-arranging the whole schedule, a glance at a map shows that there are no possible ports of call between Tallin and Helsinki except SPB.

I don't know how the companies manage in other parts of the world, I can only speak for the area of which I have some knowledge.

Happy cruising, :)

Anni