Embark in Hamburg - are shuttle buses provided

[Ryan82]

My partner and I shall sail on our 4th cruise of this year from Hamburg to Svalbard and Norway. Can't wait.

 

We fly into Hamburg on 5 August and sail on 6 August. 

 

Does anyone have any good recommendations for a Hotel and I don't suppose anyone knows if a shuttle bus is available or do you have to make your own way to the port and ship?

[CruisingFox27]

We embarked a cruise in Hamburg, we made our own way to the port. 

[Rhea98]

You may find more help here. We sailed from/to Hamburg about 5 yrs ago. We took the train to a stop near the port then took a pre-arranged shuttle to the port. I couldn't say if that shuttle company is still available, but the forum to which I linked should help. 

[Nikita4]

There is a shuttle bus from the main train station Hamburg Hauptbahnhof to the port in Steinwerder. But it's not for free, you have to pay for it.
I always take a taxi from the hotel oder train station to the port.

 

There are a lot of hotels in Hamburg. I like the Westin Elbphilharmonie, it is a great place in the city and near a lot of sightseeing spots.

[perakcruiser]

Unfortunately Hamburg is as terrible place to embark. It is do-able by public transport for a few euro, but only you will know if you can handle it in a foreign country. We could with good planning on Googlemaps 😄Otherwise there is a shuttle bus from MSC at the central bus station next to the central railway station (10 euro). Taxis are crazy expensive. Uber and so are illegal unless they charge there crazy taxi prices also😄

 

If you are not a real experienced traveler stick to the MSC bus.

 

Good news. Hotels in Hamburg are quite ok. Bad news. In August the price are going mad, weekends especially. If your budget is limited and you want to get a room fast after the flight you can try hotel cockpit near the airport. Opposite the MSC shuttle bus is hotel residence. Otherwise if your budget is unlimited, you have unlimited options 😉

Edited February 9, 2023 by perakcruiser

[Nikita4]

 

22 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

Unfortunately Hamburg is as terrible place to embark. It is do-able by public transport for a few euro, but only you will know if you can handle it in a foreign country. We could with good planning on Googlemaps 😄Otherwise there is a shuttle bus from MSC at the central bus station next to the central railway station (10 euro). Taxis are crazy expensive. Uber and so are illegal unless they charge there crazy taxi prices also😄

 

If you are not a real experienced traveler stick to the MSC bus.

 

Good news. Hotels in Hamburg are quite ok. Bad news. In August the price are going mad, weekends especially. If your budget is limited and you want to get a room fast after the flight you can try hotel cockpit near the airport. Opposite the MSC shuttle bus is hotel residence. Otherwise if your budget is unlimited, you have unlimited options 😉

A taxi from the train station to Steinwerder ist about 25 - 30 Euros. That's not a crazy price, that's normal for Germany.

Hotels in Hamburg aren't cheap, that's a tourist hotspot and so the prices are quite high.

[vistaman]

if you do not want to spend a lot but willing to stay near the center : the Radisson 

if you do want pay more : Fraser suites  but be careful  - limited space for breakfast 

 

 

 

[Saab4444]

On 2/9/2023 at 10:07 PM, perakcruiser said:

Unfortunately Hamburg is as terrible place to embark. It is do-able by public transport for a few euro, but only you will know if you can handle it in a foreign country. We could with good planning on Googlemaps 😄Otherwise there is a shuttle bus from MSC at the central bus station next to the central railway station (10 euro). Taxis are crazy expensive. Uber and so are illegal unless they charge there crazy taxi prices also😄

 

If you are not a real experienced traveler stick to the MSC bus.

 

Good news. Hotels in Hamburg are quite ok. Bad news. In August the price are going mad, weekends especially. If your budget is limited and you want to get a room fast after the flight you can try hotel cockpit near the airport. Opposite the MSC shuttle bus is hotel residence. Otherwise if your budget is unlimited, you have unlimited options 😉

Hamburg is not a terrible port for embarkation. Like for all big ships the terminals are further out in the big ports. However, taxi is about 20-25 Euro from City Centre /Railway station to Steinwerder terminal in 10-15 minutes. This is not expensive. You pay more and it takes longer in e.g. Copenhagen or Stockholm. Other big cruise ports like Civitaveccia, Ravenna , Piraeus or Southampton are an hour or more away from airports and the bigger cities they stand for. The MSC shuttle in Hamburg from the central railway station is 10 Euro per person so from two people in your party the taxi is the better choice. Local people would maybe take the S-Bahn train to Veddel station and a taxi from there for 10 Euro or the harbor boat that runs only from Monday to Friday from Landungsbrücken. However, taxi for about 25 Euro is fair and best option.

 

Hotels are also not expensive if there is no fair or festival in town. Many options and no issue to find a double room for about 150 Euro in the city centre. Try this in Amsterdam or Copenhagen.

Edited February 10, 2023 by Saab4444

[steamboats]

10 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

Local people would maybe take the S-Bahn train to Veddel station and a taxi from there for 10 Euro or the harbor boat that runs only from Monday to Friday from Landungsbrücken.

 

Sort of local - meaning I´m German but not from Hamburg - we actually took the suburban train S3 to Veddel, then the bus 256 to Argentinienbrücke and then walked for 10 min. But we did that basically because we wanted to take photos of the ship on the way to the terminal in Steinwerder. Plus it´s a bit tricky to find the bus stop. I haven´t seen any taxis at all. There used to be a shuttle service with small buses to the suburban train station for 2.50 Euro. But you had to book that service in advance. Not sure whether they are still operating that service. They have buildt a ferry landing right next to the cruise terminal but that is only used for special occasions. They never came up with a regular ferry line to that landing out of Landungsbrücken.

 

steamboats

[Saab4444]

10 minutes ago, steamboats said:

 

Sort of local - meaning I´m German but not from Hamburg - we actually took the suburban train S3 to Veddel, then the bus 256 to Argentinienbrücke and then walked for 10 min. But we did that basically because we wanted to take photos of the ship on the way to the terminal in Steinwerder. Plus it´s a bit tricky to find the bus stop. I haven´t seen any taxis at all. There used to be a shuttle service with small buses to the suburban train station for 2.50 Euro. But you had to book that service in advance. Not sure whether they are still operating that service. They have buildt a ferry landing right next to the cruise terminal but that is only used for special occasions. They never came up with a regular ferry line to that landing out of Landungsbrücken.

 

steamboats

Public bus from Veddel is discontinued. Public ferry is line 75 Landungsbruecken to Steinwerder with a little walk to terminal but Monday to Friday only.

[vistaman]

35 minutes ago, steamboats said:

 

Sort of local - meaning I´m German but not from Hamburg - we actually took the suburban train S3 to Veddel, then the bus 256 to Argentinienbrücke and then walked for 10 min. But we did that basically because we wanted to take photos of the ship on the way to the terminal in Steinwerder. Plus it´s a bit tricky to find the bus stop. I haven´t seen any taxis at all. There used to be a shuttle service with small buses to the suburban train station for 2.50 Euro. But you had to book that service in advance. Not sure whether they are still operating that service. They have buildt a ferry landing right next to the cruise terminal but that is only used for special occasions. They never came up with a regular ferry line to that landing out of Landungsbrücken.

 

steamboats

Unfortuntely last year in summer - heathwave - it was terrible to find decent transportation to Steinwerder -   taxi drivers were not very happy or willing as usually they could not catch somebody  back to the center  it was a long drive due to traffic some 35 e

[steamboats]

7 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

Public bus from Veddel is discontinued.

 

Gee, that´s bad to hear! I know about the Hadag ferry 75. But it was a Saturday. So we had to take the S-Bahn and bus.

 

steamboats

[Ryan82]

On 2/9/2023 at 6:40 PM, Nikita4 said:

There is a shuttle bus from the main train station Hamburg Hauptbahnhof to the port in Steinwerder. But it's not for free, you have to pay for it.
I always take a taxi from the hotel oder train station to the port.

 

There are a lot of hotels in Hamburg. I like the Westin Elbphilharmonie, it is a great place in the city and near a lot of sightseeing spots.

How do you book the shuttle bus from the train station or can you just turn up?

[perakcruiser]

1 hour ago, Ryan82 said:

How do you book the shuttle bus from the train station or can you just turn up?

No booking, just show up. 

[Ryan82]

Thanks @perakcruiser - sorry for the qs but is it pretty obvious when you get there where the MSC folk are with lollipops etc?

[perakcruiser]

1 hour ago, Ryan82 said:

Thanks @perakcruiser - sorry for the qs but is it pretty obvious when you get there where the MSC folk are with lollipops etc?

Not so obvious, and this is a crazy busy place. You see the MSC people if you take the exit "Kirchenalle/Wandelhalle" if still is still correct. 

[Nikita4]

4 hours ago, Ryan82 said:

How do you book the shuttle bus from the train station or can you just turn up?

I newer take the Shuttle in Hamburg Main Station to Steinwerder. With a taxi für 30 Euro it is much easier than with the bus.
I finde the Shuttle from HAM to Kiel very good.

[insidecabin]

On 2/10/2023 at 10:59 PM, Saab4444 said:

Hamburg is not a terrible port for embarkation. Like for all big ships the terminals are further out in the big ports. However, taxi is about 20-25 Euro from City Centre /Railway station to Steinwerder terminal in 10-15 minutes. This is not expensive. You pay more and it takes longer in e.g. Copenhagen or Stockholm. Other big cruise ports like Civitaveccia, Ravenna , Piraeus or Southampton are an hour or more away from airports and the bigger cities they stand for. The MSC shuttle in Hamburg from the central railway station is 10 Euro per person so from two people in your party the taxi is the better choice. Local people would maybe take the S-Bahn train to Veddel station and a taxi from there for 10 Euro or the harbor boat that runs only from Monday to Friday from Landungsbrücken. However, taxi for about 25 Euro is fair and best option.

 

Hotels are also not expensive if there is no fair or festival in town. Many options and no issue to find a double room for about 150 Euro in the city centre. Try this in Amsterdam or Copenhagen.

Copenhagen Jazz Festival on

double room near the train station €135

 

Copenhagen has viable public transport to the ship.

Main station M4 metro+cruise bus 30mins  €3 from the airport €3.50 45mins.

[Raj.K]

We have just returned from a cruise on the Preziosa (Hamburg - Norway 15nights - 19 June to 4th July). We decided to take a taxi from the airport to the port. Taxi driver will ask if you want the toll road or travel via the city. We went via the city as I understand it is slightly cheaper (no toll) but a few minutes extra travel time. It only took us around 40 - 45 minutes at EUR 50 each way. 

 

As we were 4 adults travelling with many suitcases, we needed an Estate car with large boot space. Saloons, Estates and mini vans were all readily available outside the airport. Don't know if a Saloon car would have been any cheaper.

[Audrey Chu]

How can we get a bus, or shuttle from MSC Euribia cruise in Hamburg, Germany to Ballindamm in Hamburg on April, 14, 2024.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

1 hour ago, Audrey Chu said:

How can we get a bus, or shuttle from MSC Euribia cruise in Hamburg, Germany to Ballindamm in Hamburg on April, 14, 2024.

Just take a taxi or rideshare.

[steamboats]

9 hours ago, Audrey Chu said:

How can we get a bus, or shuttle from MSC Euribia cruise in Hamburg, Germany to Ballindamm in Hamburg on April, 14, 2024.

 

The MSC Shuttle gets you to the ZOB next to the Central Station. From there it´s about 15 to 20 min walking to Ballindamm. Or you take a taxi from there.

 

steamboats

[perakcruiser]

10 hours ago, Audrey Chu said:

How can we get a bus, or shuttle from MSC Euribia cruise in Hamburg, Germany to Ballindamm in Hamburg on April, 14, 2024.

The MSC shuttle goes very close to there. Just walk down the main shopping street of Hamburg for 10 minutes. During the week you also can use public transport, but not on weekends. Unfortunately MSC mainly visits Hamburg on weekends which really sucks. 

 

Taxis often overcharge foreigners by not taking the cheapest route. No real rideshare in Germany, forget about this.