Help! Warnemunde - Berlin or Schwerin/Rostock?

We're booked for a 9-day Baltics cruise (August 2019) porting in Warnemunde, Stockholm, Talinn and St. Petersburg. I have researched all of the options and am firmly decided to do an excursion in St. Petersburg (private 2-day tour) and DIY in Stockholm and Talinn. However, I am wavering on Berlin and would love to hear other people's opinions.

Left to my own devices, I would say a firm "no" to Berlin. I've been to Berlin, it's an amazing city, but I cannot imagine doing it in 6 hours, any more than 6 hours in New York or Paris would be anything other than an exercise in frustration. Also, 12 hours in a vehicle (6-hour train or shuttle + 6 hours on a sightseeing bus) sounds like a nightmare. The cruise is part of a 3-week European vacation for my immediate family, and if we wanted to go to Berlin, we would spend several days there, especially as the cost of the excursion would pay for airfare to Berlin and then some.

However, we are travelling with extended family: my parents, my brother and sister and their families (8 adults, 6 teens ages 13-19). I expect they will think otherwise and push for Berlin (my sister is already pushing). Also, they will do everything they can to keep the family together. Typically somebody insists on paying for everything, my parents will guilt me on the importance of keeping the cousins together, and my kids will get worked on by their cousins. And no, I am not immune to this kind of pressure.

So my main hope is convincing them that regardless of money, the Berlin excursion is an inferior experience to staying closer to port and touring Mecklenburg state. But I don't know if this is true because I haven't done either. If Warnemunde-Berlin really is the best experience, I'm willing to do it.

Can someone help? If money was no object, how does the experience of Berlin vs. Schwerin/Rostock or somewhere else in Mecklenburg State compare? What is it about the Berlin excursion that justifies 12 hours stuck on a train/bus?

(Note, we're there on a Monday so Schwerin Castle will be closed but we can still walk the grounds and see the town.)

I am with you - Berlin is, IMHO, a destination city and best seen by spending at least several days. However, if seeing Berlin via cruise ship is the only opportunity that some in your familial group may have then ... it may be worth the drive time to see it.

They will really have no time to visit inside - most tours are driving tours with photo stops.

Schwerin Castle is beautiful - not so much the interior but the location and setting. Rostock is also an interesting Hanseatic town and easy to reach via train (station is next to the cruise terminal).

The Molli Steam train to Bad Doberan is also a nice option.

Forgot to mention - Travelanni is a local expert.

Her website is a wealth of information: http://www.travelanni.webs.com/

We are on the July 1 Celebrity Eclipse Baltic sailing and are traveling with our three kids, ages 10-25, and my sister in law. My husband and I made the decision to not do the trek to Berlin, even though we have never been due to the things you mentioned...long time wasted in a train/bus and then a frantic tour of the city. We hope to get back to Germany at some point in the future on a land-based trip and spend a couple of days in Berlin. We are renting a mini-van and driving to the Schwerin castle. We will be there on a Tuesday so will be able to tour inside and outside and then plan to walk around the downtown a bit and try to have a German lunch before driving to Rostock and doing a walking tour of the main sites. We should also have time to do a bit of exploring in Warnemunde and hope to put our toes in the ocean.

I can come back to the boards and provide an update after our trip but, I won't be able to compare it to Berlin.

Well, you sound just like me! Berlin is a long trip. You have a very exhausting port intensive cruise, you need a little down time and if strolling Warnemunde and having a beach day sound lovely I would not do Berlin.

I honestly think that the group does not need to be attached at the hip. Let those who really truly want to spend the long day in Berlin do that excursion. Others do the Molli train, Rostock, etc. Have a fish broetchen on the quayside :D and enjoy the relaxed day.

I am saying all this because I too, have been to Berlin several times....its a big city. I also spent a week vacation in the Warnemunde area and loved it there. They are two different excursions.

:halo:STICK TO YOUR GUNS!!

We were in Warnemunde a few days ago and had a wonderful day. We actually felt sorry for those who opted for the 12 hour trip to Berlin which was a 3 hour drive each way and rushed sightseeing, which we gather was mostly "drive by" and photo stops only.

There is more than one dock in Warnemunde. We were docked almost at the train station, barely 3 or 4 minutes walk away. Rostock is the city, Warnemunde a beach suburb. Buying a day ticket means you can travel the 20 mins or so by train to Rostock for some sightseeing. Then tram. Only a few stops to the main market square. Check with Tourist Info or look at the local transport website . Your day ticket good for this too, or buy only 2 single tickets for 1 Euro less.You can use 1 ticket for the train and the metro to Rostock, and one for the return as transport is integrated.

You could easily view the main sights in Rostock on foot without much effort. Most sights are central, close together and easily walked. They are worth seeing and do include the glockenspeil in Bottcherstrasse at 12 noon if you can. This street leads off the main square and is worth viewing even if you cannot be there at noon. And also visit the Schnoor District which is just under 5 minutes from the main square. Some of the lanes are wide enough for only one person. Very touristy but fascinating all the same. Plenty info on Tripadvisor, plus photos.

Return to the ship for lunch then back to the train station as Warnemunde begins there. This was a great surprise to many as it is visited by locals at weekend, and second home owners, and folks from around Germany for vacations. What a super place it is. There is a wonderful beach, lots of pretty little coloured houses and streets to explore, and a canalside walkway lined with shops, bars restaurants etc. The canal has lots of fishing boats moored there which sell all sorts of "fishy" snacks. On a lovely sunny day it was a great afternoon. Back onboard, all we overheard were positive remarks. All the emphasis is on a Berlin trip, but Warnemunde/Rostock is actually well worth a day.

It is also a day when the younger ones could enjoy the beach if they want, and the older ones could enjoy the stroll, a respite from more demanding sightseeing other days.

Lots of photos on Tripadvisor.

We visited Berlin 2 years ago. We had 6 full days, two of which were spent in Potsdam. You really need more than a few hours to appreciate Berlin.

Our 3 year old really loved the Moli steam train. For the adults, I'd say it was a very nice experience, but honestly not a spectacular or a must see experience. It was quite lovely to walk around Rostock, Warmeneude and the small town Moli runs through (you can get ice cream outside at a cafe and watch the trains whiz by inches from you). We were also there on a Monday, which is why we didn't visit Schwerin.

Honestly, I think separating is your best bet. I wouldn't want to go all the way to Berlin (especially with kids) but I'm not sure that if Schwerin is closed that your sister who wanted to go to Berlin would be happy with the quite lovely but not spectacular visit to the local towns. A Baltic cruise is quite exhausting - there's a ton of walking (especially in Tallinn) and you will have a lot to see in a relatively short time (especially in St. Petersburg even with two days and Stockholm) so I think exhausting yourself traveling to Berlin at the start of the cruise isn't the best choice. Spend a nice, leisurely day visiting the nearby towns and then have a lovely local lunch and dinner and save your energy for the rest of the cruise. Since you are traveling with children, it's even more important to conserve your energy. Also, my signature line has a lot about the ports and kids if that would be helpful. I don't think teenagers would handle this much travel in one day easily so perhaps one group can take all the kids to Moli/the local towns and another can go to Berlin.

Have a great trip.

Choose to separate.

Those who have never been to Berlin should experience at least a taste of this great city (I used to live there). It will be a long day, but “some” Berlin is better than “no” Berlin for those have expressed an interest in taking this excursion.

But there’s no reason for you to have what will be an inferior experience compared to what you have previously seen/done in Berlin. Because we felt no reason to return to Berlin, we rented bikes in Warnemuende for a great morning along the coastal hike/bike trail. After a tasty lunch in Warnemuende, we boarded the S-bahn to Rostock to visit the (free) Stasi Museum and to walk and shop on the downtown pedestrian zone.

We had a fun, relaxing day. Our table mates who did the Berlin tour had a long, exhausting one (but they said they were glad they did it.)

we did the trip to Berlin because we may never get there again. We took the train and it was long and hot. I don't know if I'd want to do that with kids. We had lined up a Fat City Bike Tour in Berlin which was great. No time to go inside anywhere, just go, get the history, view and onward.

People who scheduled tours so they had a minivan pick them up had air conditioning, wifi, and a shorter trip. But to me their tours sounded boring because there wasn't time to go inside.

So, I'd convince them to stay if you can. Otherwise with your size group I'd hire a car/van for the a/c and quicker trip

our first Baltic cruise about 10 years ago we chose to do private tour which was 2 1/2 hours bus trip each way which gave us about 6 hours in Berlin and we saw the highlights-not just driveby

however in 5 weeks we will return for Baltics cruise and will fly to Berlin for 3 days before we get train to Warnemunde

the first short trip made us keen for a longer stay but we still felt the "taster" day was worthwhile

Our cruise is in 3 weeks and I also debated whether to do Berlin or stay in Warnemunde. After reading about the long drive with very little time to actually get off the bus and see the inside of the sights, I decided it's not worth it. Instead, we decided that we'll be back and do a more thorough trip of Berlin and other parts of Germany.

Since your family likes to stay "together," why don't you propose the Friends of Dave Tour as an alternative?

https://www.fodtours.com/

Tons of great reviews on CC and Trip Advisor and it's also an all-day tour. I think it's a better alternative than Berlin.

Our cruise is in 3 weeks and I also debated whether to do Berlin or stay in Warnemunde. After reading about the long drive with very little time to actually get off the bus and see the inside of the sights, I decided it's not worth it. Instead, we decided that we'll be back and do a more thorough trip of Berlin and other parts of Germany.

 

Since your family likes to stay "together," why don't you propose the Friends of Dave Tour as an alternative?

 

https://www.fodtours.com/

 

Tons of great reviews on CC and Trip Advisor and it's also an all-day tour. I think it's a better alternative than Berlin.

Friends of Dave Tours are wonderful. He books up fast so if this option interests you, I recommend contacting him asap.

We opted not to travel to Berlin and instead booked a tour with the tour operator we booked for St. Petersburg. Since we docked in Rostock instead of Warnemunde, we had some added logistical issues (we were docked nowhere near public transportation), Our tour was a morning in Warnemunde, followed by pubic transit to Rostock, where we had lunch at a local restaurant followed by a tour of St. Mary's Church with its wonderful astronomical clock. We were back at or ship before dinner; the ship had a special buffet set up with local beer on tap and a local band. If we had taken the Berlin excursion, we would have arrived back at the ship just before sailing. As much as we would have liked to visit Berlin, we were happy with the more relaxed day we had.

Left to my own devices, I would say a firm "no" to Berlin. I've been to Berlin, it's an amazing city, but I cannot imagine doing it in 6 hours, any more than 6 hours in New York or Paris would be anything other than an exercise in frustration.

Berlin is a fantastic city, plenty of things to see and do. Nightlife is fantastic. Restaurants are extremely cheap compared to neighbouring Holland. I've been to Berlin a few times by car, and everytime there's more to see.

Then again, I think it's ridiculous to spend a whole day just to get a picture at Checkpoint Charly and another one at Brandenburger Tor before the guide tells everyone that the ship won't wait.

We did a Baltics cruise and actually Warnemunde was a nice surprise. A very relaxed place to visit.

Also, they will do everything they can to keep the family together.

How about: the teens get 1 (one!) day to be together without their parents, all the adults get a day together without their bored kids to really enjoy Berlin, and you're the exception because obviously someone needs to look after the kids?

Thanks for the input, everybody! This is really helping. I was reading all the great reviews of the private tour operators offering Berlin excursions and I was starting to crumble. But I can't help but think that many of them are rated so highly because compared to the Cruise excursion, the private tour operator is excellent value, and not because a Berlin excursion is such an amazing experience in and of itself.

I can see why you'd want to go to Berlin if it was your one and only chance. But my parents and sister have been to Europe lots and can go at any time (my sister's in-laws live in France half the time and her family visits every year). I think my sister is motivated by the fact that she went on an Alaskan cruise and was blown away by the excursions, so now she thinks every cruise excursion will be an amazing, can't-find-anywhere-else opportunity. My parents have travelled so much they are blase and will go anywhere as long as they are with their grandkids. The only person I can think of who might enjoy it is my brother, because he is an architect and actually enjoys driving around and taking photographs of buildings from different angles.

Lol, I have offered to take all the teens and give them a low-key day with free time in Rostock and Warnemunde (which is what I think they'd like best) but my sister does not want to be parted from hers! We are a weird family, everybody is competing to grab the kids. This was cool when my kids were younger and I wanted a break from them once in a while, but more recently I feel like I hardly see them on extended family vacations because they are always being whisked away.

I think I will stick to my guns, and I will insist my immediate family stays together and everybody else in my group can decide what's best for them. Thanks for all the info, it gives me more confidence that's the right choice. I was starting to wonder if I was just being a selfish stick-in-the-mud and imagining awful scenarios of everybody glowing about Berlin and my kids feeling miserable the rest of the cruise that they missed it (even if right now they inform me that 12 hours on a bus sounds like hell on earth unless they're allowed to play on their devices the whole excursion -- which is NOT the experience I am looking for for them!).

I am interested in the Friends of Dave tour mentioned above, and if we opt for a structured tour, that is at the top of my list.

We're booked for a 9-day Baltics cruise (August 2019) porting in Warnemunde, Stockholm, Talinn and St. Petersburg. I have researched all of the options and am firmly decided to do an excursion in St. Petersburg (private 2-day tour) and DIY in Stockholm and Talinn. However, I am wavering on Berlin and would love to hear other people's opinions.

 

Left to my own devices, I would say a firm "no" to Berlin. I've been to Berlin, it's an amazing city, but I cannot imagine doing it in 6 hours, any more than 6 hours in New York or Paris would be anything other than an exercise in frustration. Also, 12 hours in a vehicle (6-hour train or shuttle + 6 hours on a sightseeing bus) sounds like a nightmare. The cruise is part of a 3-week European vacation for my immediate family, and if we wanted to go to Berlin, we would spend several days there, especially as the cost of the excursion would pay for airfare to Berlin and then some.

 

However, we are travelling with extended family: my parents, my brother and sister and their families (8 adults, 6 teens ages 13-19). I expect they will think otherwise and push for Berlin (my sister is already pushing). Also, they will do everything they can to keep the family together. Typically somebody insists on paying for everything, my parents will guilt me on the importance of keeping the cousins together, and my kids will get worked on by their cousins. And no, I am not immune to this kind of pressure.

 

So my main hope is convincing them that regardless of money, the Berlin excursion is an inferior experience to staying closer to port and touring Mecklenburg state. But I don't know if this is true because I haven't done either. If Warnemunde-Berlin really is the best experience, I'm willing to do it.

 

Can someone help? If money was no object, how does the experience of Berlin vs. Schwerin/Rostock or somewhere else in Mecklenburg State compare? What is it about the Berlin excursion that justifies 12 hours stuck on a train/bus?

 

(Note, we're there on a Monday so Schwerin Castle will be closed but we can still walk the grounds and see the town.)

I literally think I’d go nuts constantly staying with a group that large and doing everything together. Maybe let the grandparents take the cousins to berlin and you go have a relaxing day nearer to the port! Personally I booked our family of 4 with a friends of Dave tour, but I don’t think you’d be able to get one for that sized group at this point.

I think I will stick to my guns, and I will insist my immediate family stays together and everybody else in my group can decide what's best for them. Thanks for all the info, it gives me more confidence that's the right choice. I was starting to wonder if I was just being a selfish stick-in-the-mud and imagining awful scenarios of everybody glowing about Berlin and my kids feeling miserable the rest of the cruise that they missed it (even if right now they inform me that 12 hours on a bus sounds like hell on earth unless they're allowed to play on their devices the whole excursion -- which is NOT the experience I am looking for for them!).

Also, if you are on an organized excursion in Berlin I'd imagine quite a bit of it would be about Cold War sites, which would have limited interest for teenagers. My friends and I both went to Vietnam for our honeymoons separately, and her organized tour visited a lot of places with significance for the Vietnam war. Since we were all born in the late 70s, these sites didn't have a lot of personal meaning for us. I planned my tour independently and we spent most of our time exploring smaller villages and most of the historical sites I chose were from Vietnam's dynastic history instead of the Vietnam War (except for the Cu Chi tunnels, which were fascinating). My friend really didn't love her tour or her time in Vietnam and told me after she saw my pictures she'd have much rather gone on my tour. So no, I wouldn't want to take my kids 6 hours on a train to see Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg gate. I'm sure if you had a lot more time to explore Berlin, you could put together a tour that would interest kids but the long travel time combined with short time in Berlin make this problematic (my son loved St. Petersburg and Stockholm on our Baltic cruise).

I literally think I’d go nuts constantly staying with a group that large and doing everything together.

Tell me about it. Every time, I say, "Everybody should just do what works for them," and my family obligingly agrees, but when we actually get together it's like we never had that conversation and the pressure and machinations start. I'm not really complaining, I know they are awesome and I am lucky. But vacations with them are always so devastatingly inefficient, which is why I am trying to head this off at the pass. My sister's preferred solution is to book us in the most expensive prepackaged tour available, but I do not have her unlimited budget or time (nor am I willing to let her pay all the time, nor am I particularly fond of prepackaged vacations) so that does not work for me.

All of the tips here gives me an idea. It's a good point that Berlin is a must-see, but it is definitely not true that the rest of my family does not have options to see Berlin in a different way. We are all flying to Europe from Canada, and everybody has the option to come early (as we are doing) or linger -- my retired parents already intend to stay for an extra month and meet up with other friends. Instead of talking the Berlin excursion down, I think I will talk Berlin up and tell them they really need to meet up in Berlin before or after the cruise as it's the only way to see it properly. Compared to North American distances, Berlin is a short hop by plane from wherever they are staying elsewhere in Europe. Once they see they have options, maybe that will kill the desire, lol.

Maybe let the grandparents take the cousins to berlin and you go have a relaxing day nearer to the port! Personally I booked our family of 4 with a friends of Dave tour, but I don’t think you’d be able to get one for that sized group at this point.

@dogs4fun Thanks for the tip on Travelanni -- I got all of my train/bus information for Rostock/Schwerin from her site!

We are on the July 1 Celebrity Eclipse Baltic sailing and are traveling with our three kids, ages 10-25, and my sister in law. My husband and I made the decision to not do the trek to Berlin, even though we have never been due to the things you mentioned...long time wasted in a train/bus and then a frantic tour of the city. We hope to get back to Germany at some point in the future on a land-based trip and spend a couple of days in Berlin. We are renting a mini-van and driving to the Schwerin castle. We will be there on a Tuesday so will be able to tour inside and outside and then plan to walk around the downtown a bit and try to have a German lunch before driving to Rostock and doing a walking tour of the main sites. We should also have time to do a bit of exploring in Warnemunde and hope to put our toes in the ocean.

 

I can come back to the boards and provide an update after our trip but, I won't be able to compare it to Berlin.

Yes, please!!!

We’ve done both. I actually enjoyed a walk around warnemunde in the sunshine on another occasion

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Thanks for the input, everybody! This is really helping. I was reading all the great reviews of the private tour operators offering Berlin excursions and I was starting to crumble. But I can't help but think that many of them are rated so highly because compared to the Cruise excursion, the private tour operator is excellent value, and not because a Berlin excursion is such an amazing experience in and of itself.

 

I am interested in the Friends of Dave tour mentioned above, and if we opt for a structured tour, that is at the top of my list.

Weighing in here...going on a Baltic Cruise in August. We thought, like you, we didn't want to do a 12 hr day to see a little of Berlin so we are going to spend 3 days prior to cruise in Berlin. Then we decided to do the "Friends of Dave" tour for our Warnemunde port.... I have heard great things about the tour. It is a little pricey but it does sound worth it. We had friends who went on it a few yrs ago and thought it was a highlight of their cruise!

-Elaine

We did the Molli train with two teenagers and we all loved it. At the end there’s a lovely town to stroll and spend some time and even spend some time on the beach. It was one of our favorite ports and we did it on our own based on travelannies website.

another vote from me for your group to do separate things for this port. do common things on other ports.

on our Baltic cruise last year, we opted not to go to Ber;in.

our friends went on a lomg tour just to see Chcekpoint Charlie. they took the Berlin HOHO bus and were advised not to hop off in case they could not hop on again!

it was a short walk from the port to the train station. we took the train to Rostock after 9 am, did a very quick walk around central Rostock and then caught the 11 am train to Schwerin.

Schwerin is a very picturesque city.

yes, we were there on a Monday and the castle interior was closed to the general public.

the grounds of the castle are beautiful.

the whole city is beautiful.

have a look at the savings you get with the Mecklenberg train ticket where two people travel for a set price and another three people only pay an additional 3E per person (conditions - ticket is valid from 9.00 am until the next morning, group must travel together)

we caught the train back from Schwerin at around 3.00 pm (sit in the first two front carriages)

we had time to stroll around Warnemunde before we boarded the ship.

our day in Schwerin was one of the highlights of our cruise

I think sticking with a group of 14 seems exhausting. We have done lots of family cruises with my siblings, parents and the kids and our goal is to have dinner together. If we catch each other during the day - great - otherwise no big deal.

we caught the train back from Schwerin at around 3.00 pm (sit in the first two front carriages)

Does this mean you didn’t have to change trains in Rostock?