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Train to Berlin via Princess Tour


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Hope someone has done this tour! I like the idea of doing a train rather than a bus to Berlin. DH and I are train people. However, Princess site just says the train is reserved just for Princess cruisers and that it is not air conditioned. That kinda concerns me in the fact we would be using it the beginning of September. Also is the train car considered first or second class? Any specific information about the train would be greatly appreciated.

 

Pooh

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Hope someone has done this tour! I like the idea of doing a train rather than a bus to Berlin. DH and I are train people. However, Princess site just says the train is reserved just for Princess cruisers and that it is not air conditioned. That kinda concerns me in the fact we would be using it the beginning of September. Also is the train car considered first or second class? Any specific information about the train would be greatly appreciated.

 

Pooh

 

all the cruiselines use chartered old trains which have no air conditioning and depending on weather can be uncomfortable

advantage is that the train station is very close to ships

 

Private tour companies such as SPB use buses that are actually quicker at getting into Berlin even with a toilet stop at a service station

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then they bus you from the train station in Berlin to a meeting point

 

We had to get special permission to grab a cap at the train station because we were late for a bike tour

 

We did this because we wanted to be sure if we were late that the ship would wait. There was a huge delay due to Princess, we were late, and the ship did wait.

 

they serve box lunches on the train and I think they sold cocktails on the way back to the ship

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  • 1 year later...

I know this thread is somewhat dated, but can someone expand on the train accommodations?  Are the seating configurations all facing forward, or are they in sets of 4 around a table?  

 

Any additional train info would be appreciated!

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We enjoyed the van ride to Berlin too, despite the long hours. The van for 6 Anastasia Travel provided us with was clean and cozy and the advantage was we got a lot of bathroom breaks and breaks for refreshments. The van had A/C too. I believe buses and vans from private agencies are way better than the second class trains.

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We did this last month. All Princess Berlin excursions use the same chartered train, but each tour group has its own guide and car(s). You don’t wander throughout the cars. It’s about a .25 mile walk to/from the train. About half the seats are facing each other, and the other half are just facing one way. There are no separate classes onboard.

 

We were lucky that our car wasn’t full. Pro tip, if yours isn’t full, walk to the furthest point (because people tend to grab the closest seats and now look further afield) and grab a set of seats facing each other even if you’re a party of 2. That will give you room to spread out, and you’ll want that for the very long 3 hour ride each way. We only had 3 couples in our car, and the other car was completely full; no one thought to move.

 

The countryside is pretty part of the time and desolate other parts. I activated phone service that day, so I’d have internet onboard (there’s no WIFI); I only had intermittent service, though. There’s no AC, BUT you can open the windows to allow glorious airflow! That prevented me from being hot, and we were there on a day that reached the high 70s. The snacks served were basic, and I didn’t really eat them. I did appreciate the bottles of water each way. The guide will sell you beer and soda on the way back only. The guide is available to answer questions and give you info on Berlin the whole journey.

 

Once in Berlin, you board a bus with your group to the city center. The drop-off/pick-up location is excellent for a self-guided walking tour of Berlin (if you’re going with the Time On Your Own excursion). 

 

We loved our day in Berlin! The ride home felt like it went on forever, but I’d still pick the train over a bus. The train arrived 30 minutes late, which delayed the sailing of the ship by about 1.5 hours as many pax from the train were unable to walk fast, and it took a while to re-board the hundreds of pax returning at the same time. We are speed walkers and were able to high-tail it ahead to beat the crowd and enjoyed our Bavarian night in Horizon Court while people were still re-boarding.

 

The community of Warnemunde gave us a wonderful send-off with cheers and crowds! 

 

Hope you enjoy your Berlin day!

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11 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

We loved our day in Berlin! The ride home felt like it went on forever, but I’d still pick the train over a bus. 

Ordinarily, I would agree but not on this particular route. We frequently use the trains in Germany and love them. However, the rolling stock used on the Warnemunde - Berlin route are nothing like the newer trains that Deutsche Bahn utilizes. We have experience on both the bus and train from Warnemunde - no contest, the bus was a much better experience with air conditioning and convenience store breaks along the autobahn for snacks/toilets.

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On 6/25/2018 at 10:51 AM, PoohUnderstands said:

Hope someone has done this tour! I like the idea of doing a train rather than a bus to Berlin. DH and I are train people. However, Princess site just says the train is reserved just for Princess cruisers and that it is not air conditioned. That kinda concerns me in the fact we would be using it the beginning of September. Also is the train car considered first or second class? Any specific information about the train would be greatly appreciated.

 

Pooh

Pooh,

 

I have friends that used the Princess train several years ago.  They had a problem with the coupling on their car and missed going to Berlin.  Their car was uncoupled and they were left at the side of the track.  After a significant wait a bus showed up and took them back to the ship.  

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16 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

We did this last month. All Princess Berlin excursions use the same chartered train, but each tour group has its own guide and car(s). You don’t wander throughout the cars. It’s about a .25 mile walk to/from the train. About half the seats are facing each other, and the other half are just facing one way. There are no separate classes onboard.

 

We were lucky that our car wasn’t full. Pro tip, if yours isn’t full, walk to the furthest point (because people tend to grab the closest seats and now look further afield) and grab a set of seats facing each other even if you’re a party of 2. That will give you room to spread out, and you’ll want that for the very long 3 hour ride each way. We only had 3 couples in our car, and the other car was completely full; no one thought to move.

 

The countryside is pretty part of the time and desolate other parts. I activated phone service that day, so I’d have internet onboard (there’s no WIFI); I only had intermittent service, though. There’s no AC, BUT you can open the windows to allow glorious airflow! That prevented me from being hot, and we were there on a day that reached the high 70s. The snacks served were basic, and I didn’t really eat them. I did appreciate the bottles of water each way. The guide will sell you beer and soda on the way back only. The guide is available to answer questions and give you info on Berlin the whole journey.

 

Once in Berlin, you board a bus with your group to the city center. The drop-off/pick-up location is excellent for a self-guided walking tour of Berlin (if you’re going with the Time On Your Own excursion). 

 

We loved our day in Berlin! The ride home felt like it went on forever, but I’d still pick the train over a bus. The train arrived 30 minutes late, which delayed the sailing of the ship by about 1.5 hours as many pax from the train were unable to walk fast, and it took a while to re-board the hundreds of pax returning at the same time. We are speed walkers and were able to high-tail it ahead to beat the crowd and enjoyed our Bavarian night in Horizon Court while people were still re-boarding.

 

The community of Warnemunde gave us a wonderful send-off with cheers and crowds! 

 

Hope you enjoy your Berlin day!

Thank you so much for the detailed information! I appreciate your tips and will keep this info for our cruise.  

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5 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

We have experience on both the bus and train from Warnemunde - no contest, the bus was a much better experience with air conditioning and convenience store breaks along the autobahn for snacks/toilets.

 

We will be there in September so I'm hoping the temperature won't be a big issue.  However, per your comment about convenience store breaks for snacks and toilets -- the excursion description says restrooms and snacks are available on the train.  Is that incorrect info?  I would think the train would be quicker by not having to stop along the way, such as the bus?

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34 minutes ago, Paula_MacFan said:

 

We will be there in September so I'm hoping the temperature won't be a big issue.  However, per your comment about convenience store breaks for snacks and toilets -- the excursion description says restrooms and snacks are available on the train.  Is that incorrect info?  I would think the train would be quicker by not having to stop along the way, such as the bus?

Actually, the bus vs train is a wash in terms of the time taken to reach the city and begin the tour. The tour we booked with Alla (bus) left port 15 minutes after our ship docked & we were on our way to Berlin.

The train took some time boarding all passengers (there were many) and we were on our way about 35-40 minutes after docking. 

Hopefully, September will be a tad cooler - it was very warm this past year into early October. Weather in the Baltics is pretty unpredictable.

Yes, there are toilets on the train as well as snacks (snack choices are pretty basic). 

If the train is your preferred mode of transport, by all means, book it. You should do what most appeals to you.

Edited by dogs4fun
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We took the Princess  Berlin/concentration camp tour  in early July. The train  was ok in the morning,not too hot. It was a hot day in Berlin the train ride back was horrible.We had the sun shinning on us through the open window very hot, nothing we could do but get through it. 

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Hi, as a resident of Rostock who travels everywhere by train I agree with most of the above comments re the excursion trains to Berlin but please do not confuse the standard of the trains used by the cruise lines with the scheduled trains between Rostock and Berlin.

The trains chartered by the cruise lines consists of old, even obsolete, rolling stock no longer used by Deutsche Bahn on their regular services but trotted out every summer for charter.  There would be an outcry if local passengers were expected to use them.

As to the time taken for the trip, the bus is faster! The trains are on a very busy route for both passengers and freight and, not being part of the regular schedule, have to give way    and allow the normal traffic to go through.

 The trains on the regular schedules have modern, A/C, spacious, open seating cars; they are clean and comfortable; second or economy class is equal to first class in many countries and the slight differences are not worth the extra cost.

 Unfortunately the regular services do not fit well with the schedules of the cruise ships and, being at the 'end of the line' there is a greater chance of late arrival into Rostock in the evening so DIY to Berlin is not recommended.  Although the ship will wait for its own trains it will not wait for late, regular DB trains.  The buses, however, have a plan A,B, and even C to deal with delays and do not miss ships. It is more than their business is worth.

So, IMHO, the bus is far better than the excursion trains for a day trip to Berlin but if you are travelling between Warnenemünde and Berlin for any other reason then Deutsche Bahn is the way to go.

Happy cruising :classic_smile:

Anni

travelanni.webs.com

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6 hours ago, Travelanni said:

Hi, as a resident of Rostock who travels everywhere by train I agree with most of the above comments re the excursion trains to Berlin but please do not confuse the standard of the trains used by the cruise lines with the scheduled trains between Rostock and Berlin.

The trains chartered by the cruise lines consists of old, even obsolete, rolling stock no longer used by Deutsche Bahn on their regular services but trotted out every summer for charter.  There would be an outcry if local passengers were expected to use them.

As to the time taken for the trip, the bus is faster! The trains are on a very busy route for both passengers and freight and, not being part of the regular schedule, have to give way    and allow the normal traffic to go through.

 The trains on the regular schedules have modern, A/C, spacious, open seating cars; they are clean and comfortable; second or economy class is equal to first class in many countries and the slight differences are not worth the extra cost.

 Unfortunately the regular services do not fit well with the schedules of the cruise ships and, being at the 'end of the line' there is a greater chance of late arrival into Rostock in the evening so DIY to Berlin is not recommended.  Although the ship will wait for its own trains it will not wait for late, regular DB trains.  The buses, however, have a plan A,B, and even C to deal with delays and do not miss ships. It is more than their business is worth.

So, IMHO, the bus is far better than the excursion trains for a day trip to Berlin but if you are travelling between Warnenemünde and Berlin for any other reason then Deutsche Bahn is the way to go.

Happy cruising :classic_smile:

Anni

travelanni.webs.com

Well said, Travelanni - I couldn't agree more strongly. Thank you for posting.

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