Warnemunde to Berlin: DIY vs excursion group

[hobbess]

How much time I would save by joining up with an excursion group vs going to Berlin by myself on a train?

 

I'm on Norwegian cruiser that will dock at Warnemunde on May 12, 2015 at 7:30 AM and leave at 10PM.

 

I'm not sure if I'm looking at it correctly at the bahn site, but I think that day that there's a train leaves Warnemude at 8:03 AM and reaches Berlin 11:12 AM.

 

And, there's a ICE train that leaves Berlin at 5:24PM and reaches Warnemunde at 7:43PM.

 

So, if I read the train schedule correctly, I'd have about 6 hours in Germany by myself on a train.

 

Will I be able to get on the train leaving Warnemude at 8:03 AM if the ship docks at 7:30AM?

 

There's another train leaving at 8:33AM, but that takes multiple stops so it won't reach Berlin until 12:32PM so I don't think I would go to Berlin DIY if I can't reach the 8:03AM train.

 

The cruise's excursions reach Berlin by express train but how long does that take? How much time would I save on these express trains with the cruise's excursion groups?

 

I also know there are private companies that also do excursion groups to Berlin but they reach Berlin by coach buses. How much time would I save by going on those buses? I would have thought that a train would have been faster than a bus.

[Sauer-kraut]

The cruise excursion train is a chartered train, it is usually an older one that is no longer used for regular service.

 

Does NCL offer a Berlin on your Own? They will provide motor coach transport and you can explore on your own terms. That might be your best bet. Look at TravelAnni's website or the very long thread about NE Germany for tips. I think I remember reading that there will be track work this summer, but it might not affect the Berlin lines.

 

You really only save time if you rent a car at the port and drive yourself to Berlin. Everything else takes about 3 hours. It will be cost effective if you can get some of your roll call to join you and split the costs.

Edited March 15, 2015 by Sauer-kraut

[Sauer-kraut]

I found an answer to a similar question here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2176217

[hobbess]

The cruise excursion train is a chartered train, it is usually an older one that is no longer used for regular service.

 

Does NCL offer a Berlin on your Own? They will provide motor coach transport and you can explore on your own terms. That might be your best bet. Look at TravelAnni's website or the very long thread about NE Germany for tips. I think I remember reading that there will be track work this summer, but it might not affect the Berlin lines.

 

You really only save time if you rent a car at the port and drive yourself to Berlin. Everything else takes about 3 hours. It will be cost effective if you can get some of your roll call to join you and split the costs.

 

I wanted to get all the information first before I committed to anything with other cruise members from roll call.

 

NCL doesn't seem like it offers any Berlin on your Options or motor coach transport, only express train and then tour with them of the city.

 

Does anybody know how long it takes the cruise's excursion charted train to reach Berlin and back vs the five hours it'd take on the German bahn trains?

[hobbess]

I found an answer to a similar question here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2176217

 

I had a couple further questions raised in that thread:

 

How early do I need to be back to Warnemunde if the ship leaves at 10PM?

 

TravelAni warns against the bahn train because the ICE train may be occasionally late but the ICE train is scheduled to be in Warnemunde by 7:43PM and the ship leaves at 10PM.

 

She says the ICE train isn't late often, but even if it was the one of the few times it was late, shouldn't that be enough time? Worst case sceanrio, if it was late 1 hour and it got back to Warnemunde by 8:43PM, wouldn't that still be enough time?

 

TravelAni says you'll save additional time because you can leave right away at 7:30 whereas you'll need to wait till 8:03 for the bahn train. But, don't you have to factor in the time it'll take to get off the boat? That's why I was asking if there was even enough time to reach the 8:03AM ship if the ship docks at 7:30AM?

 

Finally, does anybody know what time the cruise ship's excursions and private excursions would leave Berlin in order to make it back on time? It seems like they'd leave early too to have enough time to get back to the cruise ship even if something happened.

[Giantfan13]

I would say the problem is more than just transportation, it is seeing Berlin.

 

Berlin is quite a large city and with really limited time, personally, I think you would be better off either on a tour, (travel and tour) or going on a guided tour once you get to Berlin. You have such limited time and if you really want to see the highlites of this great city, I would suggest you try for a tour where they will get you to all the places you want to see, during your short time there.

Not that DIY isn't an option, but if you have never been, why chance missing some of the real highlites?

 

Again, just my suggestion.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Sauer-kraut]

 

How early do I need to be back to Warnemunde if the ship leaves at 10PM?

All aboard will be 9:30 p.m.

 

TravelAni warns against the bahn train because the ICE train may be occasionally late but the ICE train is scheduled to be in Warnemunde by 7:43PM and the ship leaves at 10PM.

 

She says the ICE train isn't late often, but even if it was the one of the few times it was late, shouldn't that be enough time? Worst case sceanrio, if it was late 1 hour and it got back to Warnemunde by 8:43PM, wouldn't that still be enough time?

Should be....but what if its over an hour late?

 

TravelAni says you'll save additional time because you can leave right away at 7:30 whereas you'll need to wait till 8:03 for the bahn train. But, don't you have to factor in the time it'll take to get off the boat? That's why I was asking if there was even enough time to reach the 8:03AM ship if the ship docks at 7:30AM?

Can't help with that, I don't know how long the port takes to clear the ship.

 

Finally, does anybody know what time the cruise ship's excursions and private excursions would leave Berlin in order to make it back on time? It seems like they'd leave early too to have enough time to get back to the cruise ship even if something happened.

Sorr I can't be more helpful.

[Travelanni]

Hi,

I am certainly not a scare-monger or a timid traveller. I do just about everything DIY, the only time I have done a group tour was in SPB. I travel mostly on cargo ships, docking in non-tourist ports with very little signage etc. and absolutely no organised tours but I go ashore in every port. Ashore you are on your own and if you are not back on time the ship will not wait, even for crew members.

 

These are my reasons why Berlin DIY is one trip which, given my local knowledge, I would not try.

 

Quote TravelAni warns against the bahn train because the ICE train may be occasionally late but the ICE train is scheduled to be in Warnemunde by 7:43PM and the ship leaves at 10PM.

 

She says the ICE train isn't late often, but even if it was the one of the few times it was late, shouldn't that be enough time? Worst case sceanrio, if it was late 1 hour and it got back to Warnemunde by 8:43PM, wouldn't that still be enough time?

 

That would certainly be enough time and, as stated, this does not happen often but I have known a long distance train to be over 1 hour late at it's destination! That one time would cost you a hell of a lot of money and possibly a missed port.

Another point to consider. Berlin is a big city. Traffic jams, hold ups on the s-bahn etc. also happen. When you are not familiar with the city, frequency of buses and trains etc., it can be hard to estimate the time it will take to get back to the station. With all my knowledge and experience of Berlin I have missed a train for both these reasons but I didn't have a ship to catch. If you miss your train the next one does not get into Rostock until 9.24 then you still have to get to Warnemünde. Not a hope of making sail-away!

 

Quote TravelAni says you'll save additional time because you can leave right away at 7:30 whereas you'll need to wait till 8:03 for the bahn train. But, don't you have to factor in the time it'll take to get off the boat? That's why I was asking if there was even enough time to reach the 8:03AM ship if the ship docks at 7:30AM?

 

If you get off promptly and hurry you should make the 8.03am train as long as you have bought your ticket on-line beforehand. The time allowed for the change of trains in Rostock is 10mins. Plenty as long as you are confident about finding your way from platform 1 to platform 8 in a busy station.

If the ship is late docking then you will not make the 8.03 and you will have to go through all the drama of getting a refund on your ticket at the Rostock main station where there is rarely an English-speaking clerk!

The coaches leave as soon as possible and you are conveyed straight from the ship to the centre of Berlin - no hurry to the train, changing trains or finding the right transport from the station to the centre of Berlin. Same goes for the return journey.

 

Quote Finally, does anybody know what time the cruise ship's excursions and private excursions would leave Berlin in order to make it back on time? It seems like they'd leave early too to have enough time to get back to the cruise ship even if something happened.

 

I don't know the exact answer to this but imagine it is somewhere between 6pm and 7pm. They will wait a few minutes at the pick-up point (they know from experience that there will always be one in a group who is late) and have plans B and C in case of hold-ups on the way back.

 

I am not trying to put anyone off going to Berlin DIY, I am just pointing out why I would not risk it myself when there are other, less stressful, alternatives at very little extra cost.

 

I hope this answers your doubts on my advice,

Happy cruising, :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Edited March 17, 2015 by Travelanni
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[parmen123]

Travel Anni,

Our family will be arriving June 27th a Saturday...I rented a car and reserved Fat Tire Bicycle tour. Give me peace of mind, please.. Would the drive be manageable since its a Saturday to and from (Warnemunde to Berlin)

[Katgoesonholiday]

Travel Anni,

Our family will be arriving June 27th a Saturday...I rented a car and reserved Fat Tire Bicycle tour. Give me peace of mind, please.. Would the drive be manageable since its a Saturday to and from (Warnemunde to Berlin)

 

We are looking at this exact same option. How did it work out for you?

[mskaufman]

The disadvantage of signing up for an excursion is that it might not go exactly where you want and it might be more expensive than a DIY. The advantage in Berlin might be time efficiency. We used SPB. The bus took us directly from place to place. We did not have to arrive at a train station and then take local transportation from place to place. When done, the bus headed back to the ship versus us having to allow enough time to get to the train station to get the train.

[eandj]

Berlin is so large and you will want to see as much as you can in both the east and west. We had an excellent guide with SPB and a small group of about 20. We got so many stories and interesting history, that we are glad we didn't try doing it all on our own. We definitely got a big enough taste that we'll plan another longer visit. Don't use ship excursions if you want more flexibilty and smaller groups.

[mskaufman]

We also used SPB in Berlin. While the group was also about 20 and the guide was excellent the itinerary was well planned and there was not room for modification.

[tetleytea]

The traffic jams were what decided it for me. Need a local who knows the rhythm of the place. In the end, though, I just opted out of Berlin altogether.

[arne42]

Wismar is quite a distance from Berlin so we decided that it would be wise to have professional assistance to manage the travel. Jeremy arranged for a car to pick us up and return us to the ship, which was WAY faster than public transit. In addition, there is a great deal to see in Berlin so we needed a great guide to help move that along. We recently sailed with Windstar, and we had only 12 hours to get to Berlin, see the sights and return to the ship.

 

We used Jeremy Minsberg of The Berlin Experts ( http://www.theberlinexpert.com ) as our guide. He was fabulous. Jeremy is from the USA but has been living in Berlin for the past 15 years. He has exceptional knowledge about the city, and Germany in general. More importantly, he has great ability to pass the information on. The tour was customized to meet our requirements and interests. We learned more about Germany & Berlin that day than we learned in all our years in school. The six hours we spent with Jeremy flew by.

 

We have been traveling for many years and frequently go without guides. This time, we are exceptionally pleased to have chosen Jeremy Minsberg.

[parmen123]

We are looking at this exact same option. How did it work out for you?

 

 

Great. I would highly recommend it

[Katgoesonholiday]

Great. I would highly recommend it

 

 

Glad to hear that! My husband has been to Berlin before but the kids and I haven't.

 

What rental car agency did you use? Was it easy to pick up/drop off the car? Any issues with parking etc in Berlin?

 

Any tips or advice?

 

Sorry for the inquisition but I would love to hear your experience if you have the time to post. [emoji1]

[parmen123]

We are looking at this exact same option. How did it work out for you?

 

 

We rented via Sixt rental. I asked for a automatic transmission and requested it have a gps. At time of pick up I asked them if they would set the gps to English and if they would enter my destination address. I should have asked them to enter the return address so I could just select upon return. The drive was very nice and smooth just stick to the right , vehicles pass fast on left. I hit 160 kilometers (100miles ph). And felt smooth. The Fat Tire Bike Tour was great. You need to experience for yourself! We parked at nearby underground parking across from a hotel. I forgot the name. Ask Fat Tire , on the return trip we filled up at a gas station about 20 miles before the port.

[Katgoesonholiday]

Awesome! Thanks for that. I'm pretty sure this is exactly what we will be doing. We've loved the bike tours we've done in Paris & London. It's a great way to see a city.

[parmen123]

Glad to hear that! My husband has been to Berlin before but the kids and I haven't.

 

What rental car agency did you use? Was it easy to pick up/drop off the car? Any issues with parking etc in Berlin?

 

Any tips or advice?

 

Sorry for the inquisition but I would love to hear your experience if you have the time to post. [emoji1]

 

 

Please don't hesitate to email me parmen321@gmail.com. I was very nervous and concern about driving in Germany without knowing the language. I ok with adventures but had my wife and two kids and our niece and did not want anything to happen. So I tried to get as much info as possible. So I understand.

[Travelanni]

The drive was very nice and smooth just stick to the right , vehicles pass fast on left. I hit 160 kilometers (100miles ph). And felt smooth.

 

Hi, glad to hear you had such a positive experience driving at a reasonable speed on the Autobahn. :)

Although I would still not recommend DIY Berlin by train from Warnemünde and am sure that a bus tour is the best way to go for the majority, if you are really set on DIY then hiring a car is definitely the next best option.

To all those who choose to give it a go; good luck, just drive sensibly (like parmen123), allow plenty of time to get back and I'm sure, like his family, you will enjoy the experience.

Happy cruising (and safe driving) :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Edited August 14, 2015 by Travelanni