Berlin Excursion

[emeyers]

Our cruise next July will give us an opportunity to visit Berlin.

We are a group of 8-16.

For those who have hired a private company for an excursion to Berlin, whom would you recommend or stay away from.

Are we better off with a Princess excursion? What has been your experience?

Any reviews you can share with me?

 

Ellis

[Trey]

I don't think there is really any other option than the Princess tour. The chartered train meets you right at the dock. There is no way a private car can get you in and out of Berlin in time.

 

We did the "Elite Berlin" and it was worth every cent. We had a private car on the train with excellent service. Snacks, booze (if you want), not crowded. Saw a lot of Berlin given the time constraints. To me, it was the highlight of the trip.

 

We were on the Star Princess late May 2005.

[Globaliser]

I don't think there is really any other option than the Princess tour. The chartered train meets you right at the dock. There is no way a private car can get you in and out of Berlin in time.

I don't agree. There is plenty of time to get to and from Berlin by car. When I went to Berlin from a cruise ship stop on the Baltic coast I simply rented a car and drove myself there and back. It was a much more satisfying day than any organised tour - those who went on the chartered train were actually full of grumbles about the problems with it that day - but doing things on my own is my personal preference anyway, as I like the flexibility and being able to see the things I want to see, not the things the tour operator (whether ship or private) wants to take me to.

[CruiseAholic]

Have done Berlin 2 times while on a Princess cruise, they were from Hamburg, first one on a bus, 2nd time on the train. This past summer, I was on the Star Princess docked in Warmunde, the train was stopped right across from the ship.

 

An option other than Princess? Sure, if you want to take the chance of something happening and being left behind.

 

The tours I've been on were very well organized, the train was a great trip into Berlin and they gave us a great lunch and time on our own. When overseas, I most always take a ships tour.

[Host CJSKIDS]

We were on the Golden Princess this past July docked in Hamburg overnight and we took a train into Berlin on our own as did a lot of our CC group from here. It worked out beautifully and we saved a tremendous amount. One in our group then hired a car service to take him around and the rest of us did a hop-on hop-off bus which was great. The day was a highlight of our cruise and we all really enjoyed it. I booked my train ticket ahead of time right on with Die Bahn and by calling them directly in Germany got an even better deal than was on the website. We all just grabbed cabs once we got off the ship and cabs were waiting to bring us back when we returned in the evening.