Warnemunde vs. Gdansk on Princess Baltic Heritage

Looking at two different dates for the Baltic Heritage Tour. Itineraries are identical other than the June sailing visits Warnemunde, Germany, and the July goes to Gdansk.

I would love to hear from anyone who has visited either or both of these ports; would it be a deal maker/breaker in choosing a sailing?

Depends on what you want to see or do. If you want to go to Berlin, then Warnemunde. It’s an all-day trip. If you want a port where you can walk around and see charming, historical sites, then Gdańsk.

Princess purposely has a few Baltic sailings each season that omit any German ports. For those with long memories.

Personally I would never take a cruise again that has an intermediate turnaround port in Germany, which the Regal Princess Baltic cruises do. Though I am guessing you are asking about Sapphire Princess from Southampton, which does not advertise as offering embark/disembark in Warnemunde as Regal does. But for myself I would choose Gdansk simply as a port I am less likely to return to. Unless of course you find the three hour ride from Warnemunde to Berlin so irresistible.

We've been to Berlin (on a land trip for about 5 days) and Gdansk as part of a Baltic cruise. We loved Berlin, especially if you're a history buff. However, I would never spend that much bus travel time for a significantly less than one day visit. Save Berlin for a vacation where you can dedicate at least a couple days.

We also very much enjoyed Gdansk. It's a beautiful, scenic and historic city and well worth the visit. Plus the port is close to the city.

Now if you're also asking about Warnemunde as a touring destination, others will need to chime in.

Whatever you decide, have a Great Cruise.

In our last Baltic cruise on the Regal, we were able to get around Warnemunde and Rostock. A nice option to spend time while skipping Berlin. Have not been to Gdansk.

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Have been to Warnemunde. The main attraction for passengers is Berlin. The train cars were lined up right next to the ship to head for Berlin. It is a 3 hour ride each way.

We chose to take a private walking tour of Warnemunde and Rostock. It was very nice and only about 5 hours long. If Berlin isn't in your plans then there is no real advantage to Warnemunde.

I did not find any issues with new passengers embarking at Warnemunde, if you have them. There were maybe a few hundred. No big issue. It was just like any other port day.

I have not been to Gdansk.

Have been to Warnemunde. The main attraction for passengers is Berlin. The train cars were lined up right next to the ship to head for Berlin. It is a 3 hour ride each way.

We chose to take a private walking tour of Warnemunde and Rostock. It was very nice and only about 5 hours long. If Berlin isn't in your plans then there is no real advantage to Warnemunde.

I did not find any issues with new passengers embarking at Warnemunde, if you have them. There were maybe a few hundred. No big issue. It was just like any other port day.

I have not been to Gdansk.

Was in Warnemunde a couple of years ago. We did a SPB tour with a guide and 4 others. Took the train to Rostock and Schwerin (Palace) and did a walking tour. Out guide was local; she was great! Warnemunde was pleasant enough for walking around and had a nice beach. I would agree that Berlin is better suited for a non-cruise vacation.

We have stopped in both Warnemunde and Gdansk. Since we had been to Berlin previously we toured to Rostock and Schwerin castle while in Warnemunde. It was a pleasant excursion. This past summer we were in Gdansk. Seeing this part of Poland was more exciting to us. We really wanted to see the shipyard and Solidarity museum. They did not disappoint. We used SPB tours and had an excellent guide.

We went to Gdansk on the Crown this past July and did a tour with SPB who did a great job.

Beautiful old city and nice walk along canal.

Our cruise ship stopped in both ports. It's hard to compare the two. We took SPB tour to Berlin and managed to see a lot inspire of the very hot day. Of course, it would be better to have more time and not be rushed, but if you will not have another chance to go to Germany, at least you have an idea. Gdansk is very charming with very cute old town. No need to rush there, just stroll around. It's like any other Eastern Europe old town. Some folks took a tour to the concentration camp site. My personal opinion, I would pick Germany, but you decide.

We had a better choice when we did a Baltic cruise on the Star Princess in 2007. The itinerary alternated weeks with the German port and Oslo. We picked one with Oslo and it was one of our very favorite ports (which we did on our own).

The ship did stop in Gdynia (might be spelled wrong) with excursions to Gdansk.