Berlin tours from Warnemunde, Princess or Independent ?

[sinned19]

Hi,

We are taking a Baltic Cruise on  Regal Princess in June which stops at Warnemunde. We want to see Berlin which is about 2.5-3 hours away. The Princess tours are about $330 each but they guarantee they wait for any late arrivals.An independent tour is about $120 each but with no guarantee of holding the ship.Has anyone taken the independent tours and if so how was it? Were you back in plenty of time?   Thanks

[dogs4fun]

Yes, we booked the Berlin tour with Alla Tours when we stopped in Warnemunde. Alla offered a guarantee to get us back to ship in time (the guarantee is listed under the FAQ on the website) or pay for all costs associated with getting us to our next port of call. We returned to our ship in plenty of time for sail away.

FWIW - the top independent companies have been in business for years and I have never heard of anyone missing their ship (reputations would be ruined if such were the case). 

[Vagabond.rt]

Check reviews for the tour company on here and TripAdvisor.  That will give you an idea on the reliability of the company.  Check on Viator for other options as they also have a "back in time" guarantee.

[sinned19]

thanks for your answers, not sure what we will do. 

Dennis

[fabnfortysomething]

Ship tours to Berlin are usually on chartered  trains-may not be air conditioned

 

private tours such as SPB we were on a large coach on way to Berlin with a few other groups and split into a smaller van when we arrived Berlin to meet our guide[this was our first Baltic cruise]

were back in loads of time before sailaway

 

independent-a bit tricky due to distance

hiring car would involve driving and parking in a large city-not my idea of fun on holiday

train-slow regional trains with connection in Rostock

we stayed a few days in Berlin prior to cruise last year to better experience Berlin

took that train to Warnemunde to board cruise and it wasn't a pleasant experience with a packed train

certainly wouldn't work as a day trip

 

Viator by the way are a third party contractor 

[John Bull]

Hi Dennis,

 

First of all, Berlin is worth so much more than one trunkated port-of-call day.

If there's a good possibility you can give it the time it deserves at some time in the future, put it on the back-burner and spend your day in Rostock.

 

But if this is likely to be your only chance to visit, then yes - go for it.

And have no qualms about using a well-reviewed independent operator.

 

Alla, SPB and others are based in St Petersburg - if you book your St Petersburg excursion/s with them (which I highly recommend, they have the same visa-free status as ships' tours and their tours are in small groups - max 15 fellow-cruisers - so much more personal & flexible, and no long waits while 50 people alight and board at the various stops), they will offer discounted tours in other Baltic ports. In most ports you don't need a tour, they're easy to DIY, but for St Petersburg and Berlin you very definitely  need a tour.

I've not visited Berlin via cruise ship, but those operators are very well-reviewed here on Cruise Critic.

 

DIY to Berlin on a port-of-call visit is a big no-no. 

Altho Berlin can be reached by train, the sights in the city are well-spread so you need personal transport because the U-Bahn (metro), local buses and particularly the ho-ho will waste valuable time.  And a self-drive car would be a burden in the city.

 

JB 

 

[Jezabel2924]

We used TJ Tours last year and it was fabulous.  Our guide was from the US and had moved there 20 years ago.  We had no concerns of missing the ship.