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Hi Anni,

 

Thanks very much for your very informative website. Our cruise ship is arriving in Rostock LP31 on a Sunday and no ship shuttle information is available. Could you help with the following questions?

 

- If taking the bus from Seehafen, would we only have option to pay single fare (local day pass only available at stations?)

 

- If single fare: is it exact cash, change given by driver, or credit card?

 

- If we get the Lander ticket for Schwerin, it includes the S-bahn between Rostock and Warnemunde (Whereas the local Rostock ticket includes S-bahn AND tram)?

 

- Finally, any difficulties with taxis being available at Seehafen on a Sunday early morning?

 

Thanks again for all the information. We're very much looking forward to visiting your part of the world :)

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Hi Anni thanks for this great thread. Is renting a car in Warnemunde and driving to Berlin just to park it and tour on our own a good option? It appears I could rent a car for less than 100euro versus pay the cruise line 200euro per person for a train (600 euro). Is the drive pretty easy? We're arriving on August 1 (Monday).

Anyone have experience with renting a car in Warnemunde? Is Hertz best?

 

Thoughts? Thank you

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Hi Annie

We are starting to plan for next years Norway to Arctic Circle cruise from Hamburg. I am so confused as to what area to look at for hotels. We will have 3 days , 2 nights so would like to be central. Hotel with some character would be great, mid-price excellent.

Just from looking at trip advisor I liked Hotel Bellevue and the Movenpick and the Empire Riverside but not sure to base in which area.

 

Also some ideas on best sights to see and those to miss would be most helpful.

 

Thank you so much, Karen

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Hi Anni,

 

Thanks very much for your very informative website. Our cruise ship is arriving in Rostock LP31 on a Sunday and no ship shuttle information is available. Could you help with the following questions?

 

- If taking the bus from Seehafen, would we only have option to pay single fare (local day pass only available at stations?)

 

- If single fare: is it exact cash, change given by driver, or credit card?

 

- If we get the Lander ticket for Schwerin, it includes the S-bahn between Rostock and Warnemunde (Whereas the local Rostock ticket includes S-bahn AND tram)?

 

- Finally, any difficulties with taxis being available at Seehafen on a Sunday early morning?

 

Thanks again for all the information. We're very much looking forward to visiting your part of the world :)

 

 

Hi, thank you for your appreciation.

You can buy a local transport day ticket on the bus.

All local transport tickets are available from machines situated on all buses and trams and at some bus stops. The machines have instructions in English, give change up to 10€ notes and take cards with a PIN. The driver does not handle tickets.

Correct - if you have a Lander ticket and wish to visit Rostock City you need a Ticket for the tram from Rostock main station.

I have no experience of taxis from the Seehafen but expect that there will be plenty. If you wish to order in advance, Google Rostock taxis and you will find the appropriate page. Sorry this info is a bit vague but I am on holidays in Australia and have only my iPad and very limited internet access.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

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Hi Anni thanks for this great thread. Is renting a car in Warnemunde and driving to Berlin just to park it and tour on our own a good option? It appears I could rent a car for less than 100euro versus pay the cruise line 200euro per person for a train (600 euro). Is the drive pretty easy? We're arriving on August 1 (Monday).

Anyone have experience with renting a car in Warnemunde? Is Hertz best?

 

Thoughts? Thank you

 

Hi, thank you for your appreciation.

Cost wise it seems to be a very good option. The drive is easy, all autobahn but beware of roadworks etc. holding up traffic and allow yourself a good margin when returning.

Most people park at a convenient s-Bahn station in the suburbs but some OPs have reported parking right in the city without hassle. Maybe someone who has done this journey could help here ?

Sorry for the scarce info but I am on holiday in Australia with only my iPad and limited internet access.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

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Hi Annie

We are starting to plan for next years Norway to Arctic Circle cruise from Hamburg. I am so confused as to what area to look at for hotels. We will have 3 days , 2 nights so would like to be central. Hotel with some character would be great, mid-price excellent.

Just from looking at trip advisor I liked Hotel Bellevue and the Movenpick and the Empire Riverside but not sure to base in which area.

 

Also some ideas on best sights to see and those to miss would be most helpful.

 

Thank you so much, Karen

 

 

Hi, as I only visit Hamburg on day trips I'm afraid I have no knowledge of the hotels. Maybe one of our Hamburg residents could help there.

I am on holiday in Australia until September with very little internet access but you will find more info regarding best sights to see etc on Hamburg-travel.com

Happy cruising:)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Edited by Travelanni
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We are starting to plan for next years Norway to Arctic Circle cruise from Hamburg. I am so confused as to what area to look at for hotels. We will have 3 days , 2 nights so would like to be central. Hotel with some character would be great, mid-price excellent.

Just from looking at trip advisor I liked Hotel Bellevue and the Movenpick and the Empire Riverside but not sure to base in which area.

I personally would avoid 'Movenpick'; area is not so good and hotel far away from sights, 'Bellevue' is also away from sights. Hafen City district has some new hotels, including the 'Westin Elbphilharmonie', due to open in November this year. 'Empire Riverside' is ok with good view, but please avoid walking out to the west ('Hafenstraße').

 

The point is, you can get to most sights by Walking if you choose a hotel within or at the half circle around the city center. If you look at the map at Tripadvisor for example, the half circle is limited by the park 'Planten un Blomen' in the west, the 'Kennedybrucke' in the north, the central station in the east, and the half circle also includes our new 'Hafen City' with famous 'Speicherstadt' (ware-/storehouse district; UNESCO heritage) in the south east, with some very new hotels. Comfortable walking time from one point to it's farthest within this half circle is less than 1 hour.

 

Also some ideas on best sights to see and those to miss would be most helpful.

Way too many to list; depends on your interests and time availability. Hamburg has lots of architectural sights, for example. You better not miss our town hall, and the 'Poggenmuhlen-Brucke' (ware-/storehouse district; UNESCO heritage) in the late evening, very famous photo spot; harbor cruise of course from 'Landungsbrucken', where you can also get the famous 'Fischbrotchen' (fish buns); but they are more expensive here. Hamburg has lots of shopping temples and some shopping streets like 'Monckebergstraße'. Lake Alster is very beautiful ...

Edited by JMHamburg
forgot something to mention ...
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi, we are getting on MSC Musica in Kiel. We fly into Hamburg and have booked train tickets to get to Kiel. It looks like we can walk to the port of Kiel from the train station but we will have luggage. Is it a difficult walk or do you know if there is a port bus? Thank you

 

 

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Hi, we are getting on MSC Musica in Kiel. We fly into Hamburg and have booked train tickets to get to Kiel. It looks like we can walk to the port of Kiel from the train station but we will have luggage. Is it a difficult walk or do you know if there is a port bus? Thank you

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

We walked from the port to the train station in Kiel (and back again at the end of the day). It's about a 15 minute walk and would not be difficult with wheeled carry-on sized bags. If you have more than one bag each or larger bags, you would do better just getting a taxi.

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According to the German version of:

 

http://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Cruise-Destinations/Northern-Europe/Germany/Kiel.aspx

 

which is this one:

 

http://www.msc-kreuzfahrten.de/de-de/Kreuzfahrt-Reiseziele/Nordeuropa/Deutschland/Kiel.aspx

 

there is an MSC bus shuttle from 11am to 5pm on the day of departure / arrival from Central Station (German: 'Hauptbahnhof') to Cruise Terminal.

 

However, since I walked this distance already several times, it may take 20 minutes or even more with rolling baggage. The distance is about 1.6km / 1mile ...

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Hi Annie

We are starting to plan for next years Norway to Arctic Circle cruise from Hamburg. I am so confused as to what area to look at for hotels. We will have 3 days , 2 nights so would like to be central. Hotel with some character would be great, mid-price excellent.

Just from looking at trip advisor I liked Hotel Bellevue and the Movenpick and the Empire Riverside but not sure to base in which area.

 

Also some ideas on best sights to see and those to miss would be most helpful.

 

Thank you so much, Karen

 

i think the hotels are more high price but if they are ok i would takte the riverside or hotel-hafen-hamburg.de. Both with a great view over the harbour. the riverside hotel has a cool bar at the top.

 

you have the cruise befor mine to the north cape? in our roll call i wrote some things about hamburg.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=49380856&postcount=14

 

sorry, not perfect english but feel free to ask.

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Hello Travelanni!

 

We are arriving at Bremerhafen Saturday Aug. 6th and want to go and see the submarine "Wilhelm Bauer", how is the easiest way to get there from the cruise port?

 

/P

 

Anni is downunder in Oz at the moment, so she might be slow in answering you.

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Hello Travelanni!

We are arriving at Bremerhafen Saturday Aug. 6th and want to go and see the submarine "Wilhelm Bauer", how is the easiest way to get there from the cruise port?

Well, I'm not 'Travelanni'; and I'm more and more wondering why here are so many requests about destinations like Hamburg / Kiel / Lubeck / Bremerhaven which are all not in NE Germany (this would be Warnemunde / Berlin); many people who could answer you may not see your requests at all ...

 

Submarine "Wilhelm Bauer" is in the city center of Bremerhaven; there is a shuttle bus to central station from about midday, but central station is 2km's away from submarine, you would need to change there for another bus. I'd prefer the walk of 3km's or about 45 minutes over the locks and then along the river front, just head for the 'skyscraper', the submarine is behind it.

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Hello-

 

We are first time cruisers and a family of 8, with one child (6 years old) and two parents (60 years old). Our cruise, NWL Star, will be docking in Warnemunde for about 16 hours and we were wondering if we should make the trip to Berlin.

 

Its the first day of the cruise, and we are all quite excited, but also realize that Berlin is 3 hours drive or train ride. Would you recommend going to Berlin via train or car?

 

We are using SPB tours for a private tour in St. Petersburg, and are considering booking a tour with them for Berlin as well. Any recommendations or guidance would be really appreciated!

 

Regards,

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I'm not going to suggest that you skip Berlin (I lived there for a few years and I love that city.) But I'm going to suggest you think about going there with a 6-year-old. Having lived in Berlin when one of my kids was 6-years-old, I can say that the majority of tourist sites in Berlin are going to hold little, if any, interest for most 6-year-olds. (SPB will have the great water gardens at Peterhof and the "over-the-top" gold and glitter at the palaces and Hermitage--all of which are more appealing to kids than the historical sites in Berlin.)

 

Should you decide to take this trip, I think the train would be a better choice. It's slower than going by car, but it's more fun, especially for a child, because you can move around and go to different cars; you can look out the big windows and the seating is more comfortable than sitting in a car (no being stuck in a car seat for the child!). We used to take long train trips with our kids through Germany and our kids enjoyed it.

Edited by GradUT
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Would you recommend going to Berlin via train or car?

Remember the uncertainty of getting back to the ship on time before departure. By car you can get stuck in a jam, and the German railway system is - at least to me - well known for delays. I personally would do it only with a tour therefore. A bus tour may be a better guarantee for getting back to the ship before it departs without you. A few hours in Berlin is way too less, and on a sunny day I would rather stay in Warnemunde, it's such a wonderful and lovely place ...

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Submarine "Wilhelm Bauer" is in the city center of Bremerhaven; there is a shuttle bus to central station from about midday, but central station is 2km's away from submarine, you would need to change there for another bus. I'd prefer the walk of 3km's or about 45 minutes over the locks and then along the river front, just head for the 'skyscraper', the submarine is behind it.

 

Thank you for the reply JMHamburg, I´ll think we just take the 3km walk then!

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Hello-

 

We are first time cruisers and a family of 8, with one child (6 years old) and two parents (60 years old). Our cruise, NWL Star, will be docking in Warnemunde for about 16 hours and we were wondering if we should make the trip to Berlin.

 

Its the first day of the cruise, and we are all quite excited, but also realize that Berlin is 3 hours drive or train ride. Would you recommend going to Berlin via train or car?

 

We are using SPB tours for a private tour in St. Petersburg, and are considering booking a tour with them for Berlin as well. Any recommendations or guidance would be really appreciated!

 

Regards,

 

I agree, Berlin is a great place, but I just can't justify recommending it as a cruise stop for the amount of time you will actually have in the city. If you want to go, have a proper holiday there.

May I make a suggestion, especially if you'd like to go through the streets on a steam train like this.

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTXYeZW9webDIJdWc9LUWUjUEWjsecv9jleT4ljEgFLDxSb5hRgcjPAk70

 

This is the Molli steam train. You can get a bus just down the road from your ship to Bad Doberan (where the Molli starts) and take a trip to the coast. Walk down to the beach and along the sea front and past on old East German watchtower! Stop at one of the many eateries for lunch and get the train back to Bad Doberan. Then get the local train to Rostock and spend some time sight seeing before returning to Warnemunde, where you can either continue looking round what is a very quaint seaside town (including a trip up the lighthouse!) or just return to your ship. Best of all, this is a dead easy trip for about €20 (about $20) per person (plus lunch) and you can be easily done by 6pm. If you want to know how to do it, drop me an e mail and I'll send you the how to do it sheet.

 

Simon

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Anni,

 

I'm going on an MSC cruise out of Hamburg, Germany. I am looking to stay night before we depart cruise at a hotel. Is the port near the city center? I've never been there before so I would like to explore Hamburg. Is there hotel anyone would recommend? I see a Marriott, Hyatt, Radisson and Hilton but can't determine how far they are. I don't want to be far out of the city but yet close to the port. Is far is city center from the port? How much do cabs cost? I need to take a cab from the airport and one to cruise terminal. I called MSC and they don't know the names of hotel that they put people in when they book them. Anyone have any suggestions? No one I know is familiar with this city. Any suggestions on what I should see? I only have that one day.

I looked and not many hotels have airport transfers. We will have enough luggage with us so we decided not to take a train. Taxi would be best.

 

Thank you for your help.

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Hi Anni,

 

I'm going on an MSC cruise out of Hamburg, Germany. I am looking to stay night before we depart cruise at a hotel. Is the port near the city center? I've never been there before so I would like to explore Hamburg. Is there hotel anyone would recommend? I see a Marriott, Hyatt, Radisson and Hilton but can't determine how far they are. I don't want to be far out of the city but yet close to the port. Is far is city center from the port? How much do cabs cost? I need to take a cab from the airport and one to cruise terminal. I called MSC and they don't know the names of hotel that they put people in when they book them. Anyone have any suggestions? No one I know is familiar with this city. Any suggestions on what I should see? I only have that one day.

I looked and not many hotels have airport transfers. We will have enough luggage with us so we decided not to take a train. Taxi would be best.

 

Thank you for your help.

Hi Suzanne,

unfortunately the MSC Terminal at Steinwerder is about 5 mls or 7 km from the city center away.

Cabs are about € 25 from the airport and to the cruise terminal "Steinwerder".

Oops, there are three cruise terminals in Hamburg

 

I would recommand the Radisson hotel as it is a scyscraper with lovely views all over the town. http://www.radissonblu.com/hamburg

Grand Hyatt is the best of your hotels mentioned.

 

Gesendet von meinem Lenovo A816 mit Tapatalk

Edited by Kruizefan
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Well, I'm not 'Travelanni'; and I'm more and more wondering why here are so many requests about destinations like Hamburg / Kiel / Lubeck / Bremerhaven which are all not in NE Germany (this would be Warnemunde / Berlin); many people who could answer you may not see your requests at all ...

 

Submarine "Wilhelm Bauer" is in the city center of Bremerhaven; there is a shuttle bus to central station from about midday, but central station is 2km's away from submarine, you would need to change there for another bus. I'd prefer the walk of 3km's or about 45 minutes over the locks and then along the river front, just head for the 'skyscraper', the submarine is behind it.

 

Thank you for your helpful info on Annies thread. I am wondering if you have a Hamburg thread? I have posted Hamburg questions here because I was not getting any answers when posting a question for Hamburg. I would love to get more Hamburg info from you, I will post another thread please look for it. Sincerely, Karen

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I personally would avoid 'Movenpick'; area is not so good and hotel far away from sights, 'Bellevue' is also away from sights. Hafen City district has some new hotels, including the 'Westin Elbphilharmonie', due to open in November this year. 'Empire Riverside' is ok with good view, but please avoid walking out to the west ('Hafenstraße').

 

The point is, you can get to most sights by Walking if you choose a hotel within or at the half circle around the city center. If you look at the map at Tripadvisor for example, the half circle is limited by the park 'Planten un Blomen' in the west, the 'Kennedybrucke' in the north, the central station in the east, and the half circle also includes our new 'Hafen City' with famous 'Speicherstadt' (ware-/storehouse district; UNESCO heritage) in the south east, with some very new hotels. Comfortable walking time from one point to it's farthest within this half circle is less than 1 hour.

 

What do you think of Arcotel Onyx or Ibis Hamburg Alster Centrum for location?Also you gave a warning about Hafenstrabe not safe in the evening or daytime?

I did post a new thread asking for Hamburg help hope you can add some info to it.

Thank you , Karen

Way too many to list; depends on your interests and time availability. Hamburg has lots of architectural sights, for example. You better not miss our town hall, and the 'Poggenmuhlen-Brucke' (ware-/storehouse district; UNESCO heritage) in the late evening, very famous photo spot; harbor cruise of course from 'Landungsbrucken', where you can also get the famous 'Fischbrotchen' (fish buns); but they are more expensive here. Hamburg has lots of shopping temples and some shopping streets like 'Monckebergstraße'. Lake Alster is very beautiful ...

 

What do you think of Arcotel Onyx or Ibis Hamburg Alster Centrum for location?Also you gave a warning about Hafenstrabe not safe in the evening or daytime?

I did post a new thread asking for Hamburg help hope you can add some info to it.

Thank you , Karen

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