norweigan cruise to baltic capitals

[Sauer-kraut]

For all that are contemplating or planning for the Baltic cruise please please

visit the PORTS OF CALL boards for Europe. For the Northern Europe board there is a resident expert called TravelAnni and she has a HUGE thread on how to get to places from Warnemunde/Rostock ports. She also has a detailed webpage http://travelanni.webs.com/ where she details train information and fares.

 

The thread is called: Welcome to NE Germany, happy to help you enjoy

Its better to start at the end of the thread because the most recent information will be there.

[Doughboy139]

The thing to remember about St. Petersburg, Unless you have your own Visa, the only way you will be able to see the city is either thru a ships excursion or contacting a company in St. Petersburg that give tours of the city to tourists.

[cml4958]

Not wanting to highjack this thread but I have been looking into the Baltics also. Waiting to see what 2018 will have but I see 2017 has the Getaway sailing from Copenhagen and Berlin. I understand it is quite a distance from the port to Berlin.

 

My thoughts are embarking in Berlin and staying a few days precruise because we would love to see more of the area. We chose Rome for our embarkation this past cruise for the same reason, we wanted to see more of Rome over Barcelona.

 

Those of you experienced in the Baltic cruises what are your thoughts and ideas. Places to stay and transportation or tour operators in Berlin are more than welcome. I know it is a long way off but I take so much pleasure in researching.....

 

I traveled to Berlin from Copenhagen this past September. I took the train there. I believe from Berlin to Warnemunde is about 3 hours by train or car. Train obviously is the most efficient and the post from Sauer-kraut about Anni is spot on. She's a wealth of information about North East Germany.

 

In Berlin, I took a Fat Tire bike tour the first day to get a feel for Berlin and sort of figure out my way around town. I stayed in Mitte at the Courtyard by Marriott. It's not in the prettiest area but it's a couple of blocks from Checkpoint Charlie and if you can get the rate with breakfast included, an awesome deal. The rooms have fridges and it's key card access to all floors.

 

The rest of my time in Berlin I did on my own. I went out to Sachsenhausen one day and then roughly planned out what I wanted to see. I was there 4 full days but would have been much happier with a week.

 

People are very friendly and as long as you're in the city, most people speak English. Please let me know if you have any more questions.

[TSUmom]

Thank you all for the input ideas and links!! I love cruise critic!

[kpms]

Love the information in this thread!

 

Will be boarding the Star on May 8/16 and have had this trip booked since January 2015 - We are going with 2 groups of friends.

 

We've decided to 1 day in Copenhagen then the cruise (We are doing on our own except for St. Petersburg) back to Copenhagen then flying to London for 5 days.

 

It's been lots of work planning but one of the most exciting to plan for...

 

Kris

[cml4958]

Kris - Hope you're having a great trip and have safe travels home!

 

Carrie

[signora]

Thanks for all the info and advice on this thread--I've booked the Breakaway for July 31, 2018 leaving out of Copenhagen where I hope to stay pre and post-cruise. A Scandinavian cruise has been on my bucket list for a long time! Interesting to hear of an option to head to the sea in Germany instead of Berlin--3 hours each way seems too much, especially for DH who likes to maximize his relaxing times on cruises! Any advice on whether to do NCL sponsored excursions versus on your own? (I've chosen the credit for shore excursions as a perk but I expect I could change this...).

[KeithJenner]

Any advice on whether to do NCL sponsored excursions versus on your own? (I've chosen the credit for shore excursions as a perk but I expect I could change this...).

 

 

 

If you are happy doing your own thing then this is a really good cruise for doing so.

 

Obviously, if you want to go into Berlin then you will need a tour of some sort, but otherwise, the ship docks right next to the train station.

 

Tallinn is easy to get round by yourself and the old town is an easy walk from the port.

 

You need a tour of some description in St Petersburg (assuming you don't want to deal with getting visas). However, private tours are a better option than ship ones.

 

In Helsinki, the ship docks a little way out of the city, but it is walkable. There are also hop on hop off buses right by the port. The city itself is fairly compact, so once you get there then it's quite easy to get round. We found the HOHO bus did the job fine.

 

Stockholm may be a problem depending on where you dock. If you do dock in the city then it's really easy to do yourself. I'm not sure though if you end up at Nynashamn. I'd keep an eye on what happens with the Getaway this summer.

[FredZiffle]

If you are happy doing your own thing then this is a really good cruise for doing so.

 

Obviously, if you want to go into Berlin then you will need a tour of some sort, but otherwise, the ship docks right next to the train station.

 

Tallinn is easy to get round by yourself and the old town is an easy walk from the port.

 

You need a tour of some description in St Petersburg (assuming you don't want to deal with getting visas). However, private tours are a better option than ship ones.

 

In Helsinki, the ship docks a little way out of the city, but it is walkable. There are also hop on hop off buses right by the port. The city itself is fairly compact, so once you get there then it's quite easy to get round. We found the HOHO bus did the job fine.

 

Stockholm may be a problem depending on where you dock. If you do dock in the city then it's really easy to do yourself. I'm not sure though if you end up at Nynashamn. I'd keep an eye on what happens with the Getaway this summer.

 

I agree almost 100% with KeithJenner. Other than St. Pete, we did every port on our own with no problems at all. We thought about taking a train to Berlin from Warnemunde, but decided it just wasn't worth 6 hours of travel for only a couple of hours in the city. So, we caught a train west-bound through Rostock in the direction of Hamburg. We got off at several towns, walked around, and then caught the next train. Schwerin Castle was well worth visiting. Just do your homework on train pass options before the trip because there are very economical passes available that cover the entire trip.

 

I can't imagine paying for a tour in Tallin unless you've got mobility issues when you can walk right off the ship and the town is in front of you. Good exercise walking up to Old Town.

 

Helsinki has a great bus system that does a loop around the town and past most of the sites. You can catch it right outside the port and just get off when you want to see something.

 

Stockholm is very walkable plus the water taxi is fun getting from the Vasa Museum to the old town area. If you do dock outside of town, I'd explore transportation options like a taxi or shuttle to get you to town before spending money on a tour.

 

I don't know if Copenhagen is on your itinerary, but that port is also walkable, with the exception of Tivoli Gardens, where you'll need to catch a taxi or bus. BTW, there's a cool little WWII museum in Copenhagen just past the Little Mermaid that is worth an hour of your time.