Train tours to Berlin--what's the difference between them?

[karlsselindh]

We're on an August Baltic cruise on the Silhouette, and I've been looking at Celebrity's various tour offerings.

 

Three different train tours from Warnemunde to Berlin are listed, all of which claim to be "new," so I can't find any reviews. The names of the tours are: "Berlin From All Sides," "Berlin Discovery," and "Berlin, a 20th Century Experience." The costs are $239.75," $259.00," and $299.00" respectively.

 

All three tours say that the duration is 12.5 hours. The first tour doesn't mention the length of the train ride, and the last two claim that the train ride each way is 2.5 hours. The list of important attractions visited by the tours seems very similar, although the cheapest tour gives you a boat ride on the Spree river and lunch at a traditional German café, the mid-priced tour mentions that the city visit ends at the Gendarmenmarkt, while the most expensive tour gives you a 3-course lunch at a 5 star city-center hotel.

 

Has anyone on a Celebrity Baltic cruise scheduled for this coming season researched the Wernemunde-Berlin train options?

 

From what I've read, the train ride between Warnemunde and Berlin can be 3 hours in length and require switching trains, so is Celebrity using a special charter express train? Is it likely that all 3 tours are using the same train? Is one tour preferable to the others?

[Iamthesea]

It is my opinion that you cannot do Berlin in half a day, which is really what you get when you take away the train portion. Berlin in one day would be just too stressful and tiring, plus in August, it will be terribly hot! :rolleyes:

 

If you have not bought your plane tickets, I highly recommending what we did for this same cruise in May, a couple of years ago. We flew into Berlin and spent 2 nights in a hotel and 1.5 days touring. We met German friends that were very familiar with Berlin and we still did not get to do half of Berlin. We were able to hit the main sights.

 

Once on the ship, out of Amsterdam, we enjoyed our stop in Warnemunde (charming) and then took a quick train ride to Rostock for the remainder of the port day. We had a private guide. ;)

 

After the cruise, we flew back home from Amsterdam. The round trip ticket did not cost anymore than the one-way from AMS-AMS. The extra cost was the Berlin hotel, food, and a small regional air flight from Berlin to DUS (we visited with our friends and then drove to Amsterdam, but you could fly straight into AMS.)

Edited February 26, 2016 by Iamthesea

[az_tchr]

Suggest you need a couple days or more to do Berlin and especially Potsdam. would think your roll call would have several tours organized before and after your cruise. If air not purchased suggest first looking at Cruise air and then go to the Condor Airline web site. Great airline and associated with Lufthansa and now pert of Cook Travel. Their premium economy is wonderful.

 

Berlin would take at least 4 nights with part of that time spent in Potsdam. Agree evenings and early morning best as likely to be hot and humid.

[98Charlie]

I have to agree that a 12 hour tour will give you maybe 7 hours in Berlin. So much to see and do that it is truly better to take a few days if you can arrange it.

 

I believe that New York City is the only American city larger than Berlin. So it's like seeing Chicago or LA in a day.

 

Charlie

[rkacruiser]

I have not done a Berlin tour on Celebrity, but have done so on the Eurodam, docked in Rostok. The train ride is every bit of 2.5 hours, maybe 3 hours. I found it interesting to see the countryside from the train. It was a very long train, so I do believe it was chartered with no change of trains involved. We were seated in 2nd Class coaches which means 5-6 people to a compartment. Plenty of room and this was not an issue.

 

The amount of time spent in Berlin was 6 hours. It was a whirlwind tour, touching many sights lightly. Arrive at a site, get off the bus, quick--take a picture or so--, back on the bus, etc. We had a pleasant lunch with good musical entertainment at biergarten, but that took almost an hour.

 

On such a tour, one can only receive a glimpse of the city.

 

I hope, while not a Celebrity Cruises experience, my comments will be of use to you.

[karlsselindh]

Thanks, RKACruiser. Your remarks were very helpful.

 

I know you can't see much of Berlin in a few hours, but a longer visit isn't possible at this time, so it's one of these tours or nothing.

 

The discussion on our roll call and on other sites mostly deals with tours that travel to Berlin by bus/coach. It takes 3 hours each way with bus/coach, and the time could be affected by traffic problems, weather, etc.

 

The train tours are labeled as "new" on the Celebrity website, and the travel time seems faster. I would think it would be more fun and relaxing to travel on a train than a bus/coach.

 

Since Celebrity makes more than a dozen visits to Warnemunde/Berlin this coming season with Eclipse and Silhouette, I hope others on various cruises might have more info on these train tours.

[alcpa1]

I can't speak to the new tour options but I can tell you a little about the train transfer. The ship willl dock a short distance from the train station in Warnemunde. It's a very leisurely 15 minute walk. The "local" will make a couple of brief stops before you get to the station in Rostock where you will make your transfer. It's very easy. When you exit the local there will be sign boards with connecting trains.

I would presume you will be escorted from the ship to the train and tours and back. But since this is Celebrity who knows!!!

I would still count on a 3 hour trip that includes the wait time in Rostock.

The train would be more comfortable and the countryside will be comparable until you enter Berlin. The bus does make a pit stop at about the half way drive which was probably advertised as 15 minutes but in reality was much longer so if given the opportunity I'd take the train too.

Look again at the middle option. I love a good leisurely lunch but only when in a city I have visited before and food is more important than new sites. The same would be true of the river cruise. Just a thought......

[Iamthesea]

Thanks, RKACruiser. Your remarks were very helpful.

 

I know you can't see much of Berlin in a few hours, but a longer visit isn't possible at this time, so it's one of these tours or nothing.

 

The discussion on our roll call and on other sites mostly deals with tours that travel to Berlin by bus/coach. It takes 3 hours each way with bus/coach, and the time could be affected by traffic problems, weather, etc.

 

The train tours are labeled as "new" on the Celebrity website, and the travel time seems faster. I would think it would be more fun and relaxing to travel on a train than a bus/coach.

 

Since Celebrity makes more than a dozen visits to Warnemunde/Berlin this coming season with Eclipse and Silhouette, I hope others on various cruises might have more info on these train tours.

 

If that is the case, then I agree you should take the cruise sponsored tour by train. Enjoy! :)

 

PS - Do a lot of reading and movie watching to know what all the sites are about BEFORE you see them. They will have much more meaning. I knew about some, but others I did not and had to wait until I came home to really understand what I had seen.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Iamthesea

[pjs678]

We're on an August Baltic cruise on the Silhouette, and I've been looking at Celebrity's various tour offerings.

 

Three different train tours from Warnemunde to Berlin are listed, all of which claim to be "new," so I can't find any reviews. The names of the tours are: "Berlin From All Sides," "Berlin Discovery," and "Berlin, a 20th Century Experience." The costs are $239.75," $259.00," and $299.00" respectively.

 

All three tours say that the duration is 12.5 hours. The first tour doesn't mention the length of the train ride, and the last two claim that the train ride each way is 2.5 hours. The list of important attractions visited by the tours seems very similar, although the cheapest tour gives you a boat ride on the Spree river and lunch at a traditional German café, the mid-priced tour mentions that the city visit ends at the Gendarmenmarkt, while the most expensive tour gives you a 3-course lunch at a 5 star city-center hotel.

 

Has anyone on a Celebrity Baltic cruise scheduled for this coming season researched the Wernemunde-Berlin train options?

 

From what I've read, the train ride between Warnemunde and Berlin can be 3 hours in length and require switching trains, so is Celebrity using a special charter express train? Is it likely that all 3 tours are using the same train? Is one tour preferable to the others?

 

For a lower price per person, you can take a 6 person private tour with a driver from Warnemunde and a guide in Berlin. The vehicle will be smaller and less likely to make a stop on the way unless someone really needs to. You will be able to move faster and see more in the short time in Berlin. Check out the following options as a starting point:

http://www.theberlinexpert.com/

http://heidileyton.com/

 

We are doing this with Jeremy Minsberg from the Silhouette in June with two other couples from our roll call.

[Banjo]

About 4 years ago we did a Baltic cruise on Princess. We had kind of amusing time in Warnermunde. We did a kind of DIY tour that included Schwerin. Here is a post from that cruise:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?p=32743671#post32743671

[mickeysgal]

Thanks, RKACruiser. Your remarks were very helpful.

 

I know you can't see much of Berlin in a few hours, but a longer visit isn't possible at this time, so it's one of these tours or nothing.

 

The discussion on our roll call and on other sites mostly deals with tours that travel to Berlin by bus/coach. It takes 3 hours each way with bus/coach, and the time could be affected by traffic problems, weather, etc.

 

The train tours are labeled as "new" on the Celebrity website, and the travel time seems faster. I would think it would be more fun and relaxing to travel on a train than a bus/coach.

 

Since Celebrity makes more than a dozen visits to Warnemunde/Berlin this coming season with Eclipse and Silhouette, I hope others on various cruises might have more info on these train tours.

 

We are like you. We have only so much time and just can't see Berlin for more than what's allotted on this cruise. So if that's all we can manage, it's better to see what we can as we don't know when/if we can come back. Our pre/post cruise stays are in other ports.

 

This has been on our mind too...what train option is better, bus vs. train, etc.

 

Thanks for this thread.

[rkacruiser]

Train or bus? I would take the train everytime!

 

On my HAL tour to Berlin, a morning snack and a light box dinner was offered on the train going to and from the city. Water and sodas were available as well when the snacks were served. I think other beverages could be purchased, but not sure about that.

 

If one is considering one of the Celebrity trains tours, this might be a question to ask.

[Corvette]

I am looking for the train tour that you mentioned in your post, but it is not on Celebrity website. Where did you find it?

[2psoki]

We are on the Silhouette in May 2016. We are not taking the train to Berlin. We have set up a tour with Viator.com (have used them many times in the past for Europe and the British Isles). It is a 12 hour tour with pick up and drop off at the ship. The tour is called Berlin City Highlights Tour. The price was $113.76pp. Includes a local guide with visits to Tiergarten Park, Reichstag, Potsdam Plaza, Holocaust Memorial, Brandenburg Gate, The Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and Berlin's Museum Island plus a few more places. They have a guarantee on-time return to ship or they arrange your transport to the next port. I agree with previous posts about the time. Consider this a whirlwind tour and go back at a later time. We were here on our own back a few years ago and stayed at a hotel in what was East Berlin. My husband was Army Security (ASA) stationed in Bad Aibling (Bavaria) in Germany in the late 60's and never dreamed he would ever have the opportunity to step foot in the East. Quite an experience for him. Berlin is a wonderful city. A tour will whet your appetite. Viator.com

[karlsselindh]

I am looking for the train tour that you mentioned in your post, but it is not on Celebrity website. Where did you find it?

 

You can find the tours by going to the Celebrity website, Celebritycruises.com, and click on "Onboard Experiences."

 

Then click on "Shore Excursions," and "Browse Shore Excursions."

 

Then select "European" as your destination.

 

In the left margin of that page, you should get a list of European port cities that Celebrity visits.

 

Scroll down the list and select Warnemunde, Germany. You should see the train tours, along with many other tours.

 

Maybe this link will get you there directly:

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/asr/shorex/BrowseByLocationLanding?destinationCode=EUROP