On board The Star

[id4elizabeth]

Oops - misread your question. Ship was supposed to leave at 10:00 pm but feels like we are just casting off now at 10:30 pm.

[toby4352]

Elizabeth, what a great review of the Castles tour out of Copenhagen! Makes me consider if we should do that too on our upcoming cruise. It really sounded lovely, even the Queen was there to wave as her Guard changed for all to see.

It's encouraging to read positive comments, especially as we will be doing the Viking Homelands tour on July 25th. Thanks for all the good information.

[feedingfrenzy]

Thank you Elizabeth for your report on the Castles tour. Since we've already spent some time in Copenhagen and seen the major sights, I had already signed us up for this tour because we hadn't visited the countryside. Sounds like I made the right choice! Really looking forward to it.

[id4elizabeth]

We took this optional tour out of Warnemunde instead of dealing with the 10 hours to go into Berlin.

 

First let me say the Castle itself is fabulous and the professional guide provided by the Castle, as part of your entrance fee was quite good. Even the little town wasn't bad.

 

However, this was possibly the worst run tour I've ever been on, and I'm counting Princess and other tours we've been on in this evaluation. There were 2 busses that went on this tour and to give Viking their due it might have been possible to squeeze us all on one bus but they didn't. But from there it was downhill.

 

Our "guide" on the bus was a very nice young girl (maybe 20) who introduced herself as our "escort". She read off some facts about the Mecklenburg region of Germany from a sheet of paper but that was about it. We drove for an hour and a half to get there in silence. I will admit to dozing off a couple of times.

 

Then we all got excited as the magnificent castle came into view and we parked right in front. But our escort asked us to wait until our local guides got there. About 5 minutes later, an older gentleman about 80 (henceforth called the Wizard) and a younger woman about 45 (henceforth known as OUG for Other Useless Guide) got on board. The Wizard took the bus microphone and announced that this was a disaster; he had not been contacted about this tour until 10:00 pm the previous night; knew nothing about how the boat ride was supposed to work; there was no way we had enough time to do all that was in the program; and he had no idea how to work the Quiet Vox system. Then instead of getting off the bus onto some boats that were moored right there, the bus took off and we travelled several miles to a deserted parking lot next to a lake. There was also another empty bus there and this was the first inkling we had that our group was 2 busloads instead of one.

 

Our young escort was expecting the boat to be parked right there, but no boat in sight. So we stood in the parking lot for 7 minutes while the escort, the Wizard, and OUG talked on their cell phones in German to someone. They must have figured something out because then our escort escorted us down a wooded path for about 1/4 miles, all the while Wizard griping about how impossible this was and OUG just shaking her head. But then, lo and behold a boat appeared amoungst some reeds with some other Viking passengers looking none too pleased. Don't know how long they'd been waiting.

 

About half of us were on the top deck as Wizard picked up the boat microphone and told us something about Neolithic remains but I didn't get the whole thing as I was in the ladies room (at least the boat had one). He then told us that around the lake is a reserved forest where people are not allowed to build houses, and this kind of sanctuary is unique in the world. Guess he hasn't heard about our National Parks. He then told us that they fish for Pike and some sort of whitefish that he didn't know the name of. He then said that if we had anymore questions he wouldn't be able to answer them as he didn't know anymore about the lake and this was the first time he had been on it. The boat ride lasted 10 minutes tops. Would have been some nice pictures of the castle, but the boat's pilot house was in the way 90% of the time.

 

Finally got back to the spot where we had started right in front of the castle where we had picked up Wizard and OUG (who had said nothing except rolled her eyes and claimed not to know Wizard as we had both been in line for the ladies room). We got off the boat and Wizard told us to divide up into 2 groups, but then the escorts told us to just go together to the Castle and we'd divide up there. Groups 18 and 19 were totally mixed up by now, but one thing I knew for sure was I didn't want to be in Wizard's group; I'd rather be with OUG. When we got to the Castle entrance, Wizard treated us like kindergarteners and made us get in line until he had counted off 24. I made sure I was not one of the Wizard's group. But it didn't make any difference because as soon as we got inside we were turned over to the Castle guides. Finally someone who knew what they were doing!

 

As I said, the Castle itself was great and so was our Castle guide. Magnificent interiors with unbievable ceilings embellished with papier mache decorations that had been painted to look like wood. An amazing oak paneled library.

 

After the inside we were turned back over to OUG who briskly walked us through the wonderful gardens. This time of year they were beautiful and it's too bad we basically had to take this at a brisk pace.

 

Then they walked us through the town for several blocks into the town square. The Cathedral was in front of us, but at this point OUG told us we had 40 minutes to eat, go to the bathroom and get ourselves back to the front of the castle bridge. I was sorely tempted by the Cathedral, but was more tempted by food and a bathroom. Got a bowl of soup, piece of strudel and a cup of tea and just made it back in time. Have no idea what happened to Wizard and OUG. Our escort accompanied us in silence for another hour and a half back to Warnemunde.

 

There had been no Viking escort (this seems to have stopped) nor any staff from Viking to help with this goat rope, but it is clear this tour has not been vetted by Viking in any even cursory way. Good thing the Castle was great or I'd be asking for a total refund.

[almelanson]

What was the name of the tour/castle?

 

 

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[id4elizabeth]

Schwerin Castle

port was Warnemunde

[id4elizabeth]

Forgot something from yesterday's tour of Schwerin Castle. The Wizard was telling us that a Duke of Mecklenburg had done some long overdue renovations in a particular part of the building he was pointing to. Someone in the group asked when this was. Wizard replied "It was in 1370; no that's not right, it was 1730; no maybe 1370 - I can never remember, it's one or the other." So I quickly bought a small guidebook of the castle in English in the bookshop on our way out.

[LadyVol1]

Elizabeth - The Wizard was obviously just a shill in order to make you guys buy books about the castle for the info. It worked. He did his job!!

[OBX Cruisers]

Sounds like we made a wise choice to sign up with "Friends of Dave" for our August 2 tour of Warnemunde, Wismar and Schwerin Castle. Any advice on the following?

 

"You will have a chance to tour the castle gardens and afterwards you can choose between viewing the castle's interiors on your own or to enjoy cake & coffee with free time in the old town center with Christian. You will get to make this choice spontaneously based on how you feel."

 

Sounds like seeing the inside of the castle was the best part of your Viking tour?

 

Note: Our August 2 tour with Friends of Dave is fully booked, but he may still be available for other dates. Others on our Roll Call are doing this on their own with help from the CC Ports section.

[OBX Cruisers]

What's the latest on independent tours getting off the ship? Thanks!

[cassandra44]

We've been monitoring this for our upcoming leg....Great info re weather, ship location etc. Might help with clothing decisions for the day!

 

http://cruiseoutlook.com/report/viking-ocean_star_14_nights_2015-05-16

[id4elizabeth]

I would definitely do the inside of the castle - no doubt about it. I enjoyed the strussel, but the town is nothing special - only one old half timbered house as I recall. And the inside of the castle is not to be missed. How much free time do you think you have?

[OBX Cruisers]

Definitely sounds less stressful than going to Berlin but not sure how much free time we'll have. This is a description of the tour -

 

Your MEGA MECKLENBURG tour begins ship-side in Warnemünde. Dave will meet you at your ship and take you on your first tour of the day through this historic and charming port side town. He will share the history of the region with you and introduce you to your Hanseatic themed day. You will be laughing and learning as Dave shares the best of the past and present as he lays the groundwork for your perfect port day.

 

After a brief restroom stop, Dave´s assistant Christian will whisk you off by private luxury coach to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Wismar, the most intact medieval Hanseatic city in the world. You'll learn about the ancient trade history of the Baltic and we will bring all of your cruise ports together into context. You'll view incredible Gothic buildings from the 13th-16th Centuries and enjoy what some have described as the 'best meal of the entire cruise' at an over 560 year old brewery. You´ll also have the chance to drink the Mum beer that made Wismar famous all those centuries ago!

 

After lunch we depart for the former ducal residence of Schwerin and another UNESCO monument, Schwerin Palace. You will have a chance to tour the castle gardens and afterwards you can choose between viewing the castle's interiors on your own or to enjoy cake & coffee with free time in the old town center with Christian. You will get to make this choice spontaneously based on how you feel.

 

Afterwards it's back to Warnemünde where you can return to your ship or stroll back into the harbour village to enjoy the boutiques, open air pubs and restaurants, or the beach promenade that Dave showed you earlier.

 

This FULL DAY tour includes 3 mini walking tours (Warnemünde, Wismar & Schwerin), transport by private coach, a full lunch with 1 large beverage (we dine a la Carte) an afternoon cafe visit OR entrance into Schwerin castle, and the 19% German sales tax.

[id4elizabeth]

I'd say you need at least an hour inside to do the Castle justice. If you let your guide know early in the day that's what you want to do, I'm sure you can fit that in. Warnemunde is a small town with only a bit of charm. Maybe make him aware you don't want to spend much time here. Much of the area around the church is undergoing some extensive road work which kind of spoils what's there. Of course I know nothing about Wismar, so can't help you there.

[almelanson]

OBX cruisers: please send the details on how to book this tour with Dave.

 

 

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[id4elizabeth]

Did Malbork Castle today out of Gdansk Poland. Made up for yesterday's disaster. Although it was a longish 1 1/2 hour bus ride both ways but the castle was well worth it and our guide was fantastic. We did not see any of Gdansk however. The castles is enormous and all brick. It was more of a monastery, rather than a castle or a palace - we toured refer tories and chapter houses rather than throne rooms. The castle was the main seat of of the Tuetonic Knights and I swear you can practically hear the horses hooves clattering over the cobblestones. And when I say cobblestones, I mean toe grabbing, ankle busting, knee twisting cobblestones! There was a special exhibit of Gothic sculptures which was housed in the monk's dormitories, and a great exhibit on amber (the gem of the Baltic) which included many fine antique pieces, and another exhibit of armour and weapons of the Middle Ages.

 

My husband did the Historic Gdansk and Brewery tour. It involved a lot of walking and a tour of the Antiquities Museum. It was supposed to include a Brewery tour but this ended up being a restaurant that served beer with 2 beer boilers behind the bar. He was looking forward to seeing how beer was made in Poland, but didn't get that. He did get 2 steins of beer and some local nibblies. This included balls of different flavored lard.

[Ukalady]

Could someone there please ask if any passengers took the "Berlin Your Way" included tour to Berlin?

 

We're traveling with Viking Star beginning May 30 and I have everything pretty well planned *except* for Berlin.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

--Please ask those taking the "Berlin Your Way" passengers what time they arrived in Berlin. Was travel via bus?

 

--Please ask those same pax if they had the option to be dropped off before the short "orientation" tour and skip it? Was that tour in the bus or on the ground?

 

--Where was the end of day meeting point (I won't hold you to it, I understand it may be totally different when we get there; I'm just trying to get an idea) and at what time?

 

Mom and I are hoping to be able to join up with the well-respected four-hour "Berlin Insider" walking tour (http://www.insidertour.com/tours.php...le/Tourdetails) which begins at 10 am on the west side (near S+U Zoologischer Garten train station) or at 10:30 am on the east side (near Hakescher Market train station). Your answers will help us know if it's a possibility.

 

Mahalo nui loa!

[OBX Cruisers]

All you have to do is Google "Friends of Dave Tour" and his web site will be the first thing to pop up:)

[algaes]

Supposedly, there were 15 buses going to Berlin yesterday including a number of Berlin Your Way buses. Batch A buses were scheduled for 6:20 AM departure and Batch B at 6:35 AM. The tour was described as a 3 hour ride to Berlin leading directly into a bus panoramic tour. You would be asking for a deviation from the itinerary to do a drop-off first.

 

We have cruise companions who were kept on the bus for most of the day by a brand new enthusiastic guide. They appreciated that they saw so much with the guide having the bus roam everywhere. The downside was there was very little "your way". I'll ask her to post a response.

 

Responses from fellow travelers should not assure you that your plan is doable. Some guides are sticklers for routes and some show modest flexibility and once off the ship the guide/driver is your new captain regardless of promises from the cruise line.

 

Actual travel conditions that day also dictate bus routes. For example, some travelers reported extremely long Berlin rides when a bridge on the intended route could not handle the loaded bus weight. All buses experienced prolonged return rides due to outbound 3 day holiday traffic.

 

Berlin might be one port where Viking does some adjusting of all aspects of the port stop. One consideration is whether the ship is going east or west. The day before for us was from Copenhagen so Star only needed to go 108 miles yet still timed arrival for 6 AM. A westbound journey needs to go 297 miles from Gdansk overnight so arrival much earlier may not be practical.

[washashorehouse]

We did the "Berlin your way" excursion. It took about 3+hrs to go in and 4+ hrs to return--it was a Friday so a warm weekend plus a holiday on Monday caused significant rush hour traffic, not to mention the autobahn issue.

 

We picked up a local guide in town--the bus escort was also from Berlin but wasn't the "guide". The guide took us all over town, often telling the bus driver in German where she wanted him to go. We had a half hour break at the Brandenburg Gate and then about 1.5 hr break at Checkpoint Charlie which then served as our return pick up point. (others on the same excursion but a different bus had a different location for their long break stop and pick up point) We saw all the highlights and it certainly saved us a great deal of time, had we attempted to do it independently (and we would not have seen nearly half of the locales had we done it on our own). It would probably be possible to bale out at the guide pick up spot (which was the Charlottenburg palace for us and the other folks we talked with that were on another bus) and certainly at the Brandenburg stop, BUT you'd have to know where the pick up point would be--which might not be known at that time?

[OneBag]

...My husband did the Historic Gdansk and Brewery tour. It involved a lot of walking and a tour of the Antiquities Museum. It was supposed to include a Brewery tour but this ended up being a restaurant that served beer with 2 beer boilers behind the bar. He was looking forward to seeing how beer was made in Poland, but didn't get that. He did get 2 steins of beer and some local nibblies. This included balls of different flavored lard.

 

Again, Elizabeth, thank you so much for your excursion reviews, they have been so helpful to us as we make our July Homelands plans.

 

We had booked the "Old Town Gdansk & Brewery" and are glad to know ahead of time there is no brewery tour. We'll still do the excursion but thanks to you and your husband, we'll be well past our disappointment and annoyance at learning that the brewery tour is just a restaurant that serves its own beer and a selection of balls of flavored lard (then again, who can turn down balls of lard?).

 

In trying to figure out how Viking made this "learn how beer is made--wait, no, you're just going drink beer instead" mistake I came across this description of how they make beer in Brovarnia which your husband might like. It's no brewery tour, but also there is no walking involved so there's that: http://www.atable.pl/atableblog/2010/04/the-brovarnia-brewery/

[Dauntless]

The tour sounds very interesting and I watched the video on the castle's website and it seems completely different from what we think of as the romantic period of castles we tend to think of from later centuries. I was wondering if there was a good sized crowd on this excursion? Because of the travel and the nod to a different time of histrory and maybe some lack of knowledge of what to expect, there may not have been much interest. Though I knew nothing of the castle before booking the cruise, the pictures peaked my interest and made me think I needed to take in as many aspects of this situation as I can. I can't book until arriving on the ship so I have looked into an alternative if the excursion is full or cancelled but I'm just looking for guidance from someone with first hand knowledge. We will be Gdansk early on a Sunday, arriving from a day at sea from Tallinn so I'm thinking we might travel a little quicker to and from since this is not a work day. Keep me informed,

 

Thanks

[toby4352]

Sounds like we made a wise choice to sign up with "Friends of Dave" for our August 2 tour of Warnemunde, Wismar and Schwerin Castle. Any advice on the following?

 

"You will have a chance to tour the castle gardens and afterwards you can choose between viewing the castle's interiors on your own or to enjoy cake & coffee with free time in the old town center with Christian. You will get to make this choice spontaneously based on how you feel."

 

Sounds like seeing the inside of the castle was the best part of your Viking tour?

 

Note: Our August 2 tour with Friends of Dave is fully booked, but he may still be available for other dates. Others on our Roll Call are doing this on their own with help from the CC Ports section.

OBX Cruisers, we agree, Dave's Tours sounds like the right choice. We too are with them, in Warnemunde, and look forward to our tour together.

[id4elizabeth]

Dauntless - although I didn't count this time, there was one busload to Malbork and it was not full. My guess is about 30 people were on this tour. But as word gets out about how grueling the trip to Berlin is, there may be more interest. I have heard of other tours that have gone with as few as 10 people in some other ports. I did see quite a few (maybe 50) leaving for the Concentration Camp tour out of Gdansk.

[Dauntless]

Elizabeth--Thanks for the info. You're the best.