LIVE from Celebrity Apex: Best of Scandinavia May 25, 2023

[peanut head]

This has got to be one of the best reviews I have read.  Thank you so  much for taking the time and bringing us along.  Your pictures and detailed reports are wonderful.

 

Just out of curiosity, being in the IS, do you order room service directly with Eli or through room service on the phone?

[Scottishclover]

5 hours ago, love2crews. said:

Tomorrow we're taking the train from Warnemünde to Berlin.

 

Has anyone done this before?  Any insight?  Are there snacks/drinks, is it scenic, comfortable?  Any pics?

 

I'm a major planner/researcher and haven't had much luck finding any good info about it.

First off, I just want to say how much I am enjoying your review. We did a Baltic cruise last year on the Apex so it’s nice to relive some memories. 
 

With regards to the train, I’ll try to give you an insight -  I actually contributed to the Warnemuende to Berlin train post from the Ports of Call forum that someone shared above. You will see my views on taking the train to Berlin - they haven’t changed. It is 3 hours each way and makes for a long day.

 

if you do decide to go, I’d say the views are “interesting” rather than scenic. I took the train from Berlin to Rostock in 2019 but know the stretch from Warnemunde to Rostock very well as I used to live in the area. 
 

The first stretch to Rostock is just miles of socialist housing on one side and shipyards on the other. They tell a story of modern history but it isn’t the best area of Rostock, just let’s say that. After changing at Rostock, the scenery if quite flat and bland( you are in Northern Germany after all) but you do go through the Lake District around about the town of Waren. Thinking back, I didn’t see as much of that as I had hoped from the train, even  though we travelled on the Regiobahn (RB) and sat on the top deck for better views. Lots of trees block the view. As you get closer to Berlin, it gets a bit grim, flats, graffiti etc. It’s not exactly pretty but lots to see and I enjoy seeing the different sides of life of a country.

 

Not sure if you are planning to travel by RB or Intercity train. You can’t reserve seats on RB. If you plan to go on the IC, I would book the train now online and reserve seats or you may find yourself standing for some of the way. Both trains will be comfortable enough. Sorry I can’t comment on food and drink, we would always take snacks and water with us to avoid paying inflated prices. You will see many Germans enjoying a picnic on the train too.

 

Once in Berlin,  I would buy a day ticket for the transport system ( all you need for the centre is an AB zone ticket). Really efficient system and will get you between sights really quickly considering you have limited time. 
 

If you decide against Berlin, there’s plenty to see and do in Rostock itself. It would be a lovely outing without all the hassle. Whatever you do, have a great day.

[love2crews.]

June 1: Sea Day

 

We started the day with breakfast in Eden Cafe.  King and Kimberly, our servers at Eden, were there and excited we stopped in for breakfast.  We got some oatmeal, an egg and bacon sandwich, and a cinnamon roll.  It’s only open on sea days and breakfast ends at 9:30.  We made it by about 5 minutes, lol.

 

 

 

And then we made a quick stop by Cafe Al Bacio for a coffee and tea.

 

At 10:15, we met at the Shore Excursions desk for our “Art, Architecture and Design Tour.”  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we really enjoyed this.  It was a little more than an hour and it was only offered one day and time from what I saw.  The tour visited public spaces only, but provided a lot of insight about the design of the ship.  We were given a book at the end of the tour.  Definitely recommend this.

 

 

 

 

 

We finally made it to Le Grand Bistro for lunch!!  Its only open on sea days from 12-1:30.  Special of the day was the lamb shank bourguignon.  We asked for smaller portions of the charcuterie and pate-they always bring us so much food and we feel bad wasting it.  For dessert, we ordered one floating island to share.  We all enjoyed this lunch.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we headed into the Retreat lounge to get a few questions answered and I asked for a surprise mocktail drink.  I think it was the watermelon tropic.  It was ok,  but I liked the Lemonade Provencal better (made non-alcoholic from Le Grand Bistro).

 

 

 

[love2crews.]

Around 3:30ish, I noticed a sparrow on our balcony.  We’re in the middle of the sea though, so nowhere for it to go.  After my sister came back from the spa (Thousand Flower treatment), we tried to figure out how to help it.

We named it Truffle. 🙂 It kept trying to fly, but it was too windy.  And obviously if it flew too far from the ship, it would likely get tired and drown because there is no land nearby.

 

We had a plain croissant we brought back from Le Grand Bistro and broke off a few pieces to put outside.  Truffle would hide in the plants whenever we went outside, so we watched from inside the room.  It didn’t eat any of the croissant.  😞 We put out some nuts and a little bit of water and made a “nest” from the box the croissant came in.  
 

 

 

 

We saw Truffle periodically,  but never eating or in the nest.  I hope Truffle made it to land safely this morning when we docked in Warnemünde. 
 

Has anyone ever had a bird on their balcony?  What did you do?

[love2crews.]

For dinner, I wanted to try Craft Social.  My sister wanted room service, so my mom and I went down to Craft Social to order an assortment to-go.  It took about 40 minutes and everything was so good.  My favorite was the truffle fries.

 

Fish and chips are not on the menu,  but they are a standard menu item.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 2, 2023 by love2crews.

[love2crews.]

14 hours ago, peanut head said:

This has got to be one of the best reviews I have read.  Thank you so  much for taking the time and bringing us along.  Your pictures and detailed reports are wonderful.

 

Just out of curiosity, being in the IS, do you order room service directly with Eli or through room service on the phone?

Thank you for the kind words!! ☺️

 

We usually order from Eli-we just call his extension.  We’ve ordered from Liam who covers Eli when he’s on his break.  We’ve also ordered directly from the restaurants a couple times if we are already passing them.

 

Eli is off at 9, so if it’s after then, we call Guest Services to order.

[love2crews.]

13 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

First off, I just want to say how much I am enjoying your review. We did a Baltic cruise last year on the Apex so it’s nice to relive some memories. 
 

With regards to the train, I’ll try to give you an insight -  I actually contributed to the Warnemuende to Berlin train post from the Ports of Call forum that someone shared above. You will see my views on taking the train to Berlin - they haven’t changed. It is 3 hours each way and makes for a long day.

 

if you do decide to go, I’d say the views are “interesting” rather than scenic. I took the train from Berlin to Rostock in 2019 but know the stretch from Warnemunde to Rostock very well as I used to live in the area. 
 

The first stretch to Rostock is just miles of socialist housing on one side and shipyards on the other. They tell a story of modern history but it isn’t the best area of Rostock, just let’s say that. After changing at Rostock, the scenery if quite flat and bland( you are in Northern Germany after all) but you do go through the Lake District around about the town of Waren. Thinking back, I didn’t see as much of that as I had hoped from the train, even  though we travelled on the Regiobahn (RB) and sat on the top deck for better views. Lots of trees block the view. As you get closer to Berlin, it gets a bit grim, flats, graffiti etc. It’s not exactly pretty but lots to see and I enjoy seeing the different sides of life of a country.

 

Not sure if you are planning to travel by RB or Intercity train. You can’t reserve seats on RB. If you plan to go on the IC, I would book the train now online and reserve seats or you may find yourself standing for some of the way. Both trains will be comfortable enough. Sorry I can’t comment on food and drink, we would always take snacks and water with us to avoid paying inflated prices. You will see many Germans enjoying a picnic on the train too.

 

Once in Berlin,  I would buy a day ticket for the transport system ( all you need for the centre is an AB zone ticket). Really efficient system and will get you between sights really quickly considering you have limited time. 
 

If you decide against Berlin, there’s plenty to see and do in Rostock itself. It would be a lovely outing without all the hassle. Whatever you do, have a great day.

Thank you SO much for taking the time to share.  We are currently on the (looooong) train ride to Berlin.

 

Might as well take advantage of being so close.  We don’t know when or if we will be back here.

 

[librarylady19]

Thank you so much for your wonderfully informative review and excellent photos and tour info! It’s a lot of work to do these reviews while on vacation, and much appreciated. 
I was intrigued by the art tour and will now definitely sign up for one of the sea days on the Apex TA, TY! Will also add Le Bistro lunch to my ever growing list of dining must-dos (i love lamb so will choose that day!). 
Enjoy Berlin; we are opting to go to Rostock on that stop next year on Baltics cruise as that is a long way to go for a few hours. We have 2 days in Berlin as part of a Viking Elbe cruise in ‘25. 

[sixpackeddie]

May I ask how the weather has been in Northern Europe? We are on the same sailing on June 25th.

I hope you enjoy the remainder of your cruise thanks for posting such a detail review!

[wendyam76]

Thank you for your wonderful review! Did your sister enjoy her 1000 flower treatment? 
Wendy

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

Question for you in the iconic suite. You have free dinner for all specialty restaurants, correct?  Does that also apply for lunches?

[love2crews.]

On 6/2/2023 at 3:57 PM, librarylady19 said:

Thank you so much for your wonderfully informative review and excellent photos and tour info! It’s a lot of work to do these reviews while on vacation, and much appreciated. 
I was intrigued by the art tour and will now definitely sign up for one of the sea days on the Apex TA, TY! Will also add Le Bistro lunch to my ever growing list of dining must-dos (i love lamb so will choose that day!). 
Enjoy Berlin; we are opting to go to Rostock on that stop next year on Baltics cruise as that is a long way to go for a few hours. We have 2 days in Berlin as part of a Viking Elbe cruise in ‘25. 

 

That's the way to do it!  Berlin on a river cruise sounds amazing!!

 

If you do the tour, make sure you ask for this art collection bundle of photos.  It was left in our room today and was not given out on the tour, so ask if they don't automatically give you one!

[love2crews.]

6 hours ago, sixpackeddie said:

May I ask how the weather has been in Northern Europe? We are on the same sailing on June 25th.

I hope you enjoy the remainder of your cruise thanks for posting such a detail review!

 

We could not have asked for better weather!!  We have been so lucky.

 

Sunny skies in each port.  We brought umbrellas and haven't had to use them once.  

 

We are wearing long sleeve shirts/sweaters and bring along a windbreaker.  That's all we've needed and we've been very comfortable. 🙂 

[love2crews.]

5 hours ago, wendyam76 said:

Thank you for your wonderful review! Did your sister enjoy her 1000 flower treatment? 
Wendy

 

She said it was ok-nothing special.  According to her, the room was very bright and music wasn't relaxing, but the treatment itself wasn't too bad.

 

As always, there was a push to buy product at the end.

 

She compared it to a spa she frequents at a local hotel (Mandara Spa chain) and said she prefers the spa at home.

 

Hope this helps.

[love2crews.]

3 hours ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

Question for you in the iconic suite. You have free dinner for all specialty restaurants, correct?  Does that also apply for lunches?

 

Yes, that is correct.  From what I was told, the only exclusions are the Chef's table, Dinner on the Edge, and the Taj X Indian food dinner.  Lunch and dinner are included.  Pretty great perk, in my opinion.

 

I think unlimited specialty dining is included for Royal Suites and above. 

Edited June 3, 2023 by love2crews.

[wendyam76]

1 minute ago, love2crews. said:

 

She said it was ok-nothing special.  According to her, the room was very bright and music wasn't relaxing, but the treatment itself wasn't too bad.

 

As always, there was a push to buy product at the end.

 

She compared it to a spa she frequents at a local hotel (Mandara Spa chain) and said she prefers the spa at home.

 

Hope this helps.

That is a huge help - thank you! I may choose to spend the credit at the casino instead!!

[MustBCruzn]

Thank you so much for your fantastic review and wonderful photos. We're sailing on the Apex next month on this same itinerary, and your review has added a whole new level of excitement.

[librarylady19]

1 hour ago, wendyam76 said:

That is a huge help - thank you! I may choose to spend the credit at the casino instead!!

I was able to use OBC at casino in February on Reflection but read here on CC that practice has been discontinued. Can anyone confirm? 

[librarylady19]

1 hour ago, love2crews. said:

 

That's the way to do it!  Berlin on a river cruise sounds amazing!!

 

If you do the tour, make sure you ask for this art collection bundle of photos.  It was left in our room today and was not given out on the tour, so ask if they don't automatically give you one!

Thanks for the tip; I signed up for one of our sea days on TA. The Elbe river cruise does 2 days in hotel at beginning (Berlin) 5 nights on Elbe on the ship then 2 nights in hotel at end (Prague), or reverse. Our friends did this cruise and loved it so thought we would try it too. There are good prices for Nov. 2025 and  $25 deposit!!

Edited June 3, 2023 by librarylady19

[love2crews.]

June 2: Warnemünde (Berlin), Germany

 

***HONEST review about the Celebrity shore excursion...  Small Group: Berlin- A 20th Century Experience (By Train)***

 

Our day started around 5am. 😳

 

We ordered room service for the first available time, 6-6:30am.  Breakfast was delicious per usual. We had to be in the Theater by 7am for our 8am shore excursion.  

 

 

IMPORTANT:  Room Service starts as early 6am

Cafe al Bacio opens at 6:30

Oceanview opens at 6:30

Luminae opens at 7:30

The restaurant hours make zero sense, especially when all the shore excursions going to Berlin for the day needed to be in the Theater by 7am.  Pay close attention and plan ahead if you have an early morning (or just pay close attention in general because we're finding the hours to be rather odd).

 

At 7am, we were in the Theater and given a sticker with a group number.  Around 7:10, our group was called and it was a bit chaotic.  We just started following other people and were hoping they were going in the right place.  We ended up on the train in the bottom level (there were 2 levels) and there was a paper with our group number in the train window.  We sat down and made ourselves as comfortable as possible for the 2.5 hour train ride ahead.  

 

About the train... most of the seats were facing backwards because of the direction we were going.  There were a couple seats that were facing each other for a group of 4, so some of those were forward facing.  No shades or blinds to hide the blinding sun, but the seats were pretty comfortable.  There was a bathroom onboard that was a bit bigger than an airplane bathroom.

 

 

 

We were all sitting on the train pretty clueless as no one had said anything to us and we were all hoping for a little communication.  Maybe the expected arrival time, what kind of snacks they were serving, or just what to expect.  About an hour in, a girl came through the car with boxed waters and came back a few minutes later handing out a brown paper bag to each person.  The bag had a boxed coffee drink (think chocolate milk) and a pre-packaged cookie.

 

 

We made a stop for a good 20-30 minutes, but no one got on/off the train (Celebrity chartered the train...).  The girl told us this was a scheduled stop and we would not be delayed.

 

The ride was scenic for us city girls who are used to ugly cement freeways, lol.  If you are used to green and hills, it might not be too scenic for you.  Not a lot to look at, but it's definitely more exciting than what we're used to at home.

 

We arrived at the train station around 10:50 and were even more lost than when we boarded the train.  Our guide had a "lollipop" sign with our group number on it, but there were several other groups and our guide was not holding up her sign.  She walked very briskly through the terminal not even checking to make sure we were following.  Others in our group shared the same concern.  She counted us once we were outside the terminal and we all boarded our bus for the day.  

 

The bus was nice inside and also had a bathroom.  No one used it during the day, but nice to know it's there.  There were vents, but our driver didn't really understand English and didn't have the vents turned on.  We translated on our phones but still pretty stuffy.  It took several people asking a few times before the AC was turned on for us.

 

 

I could write a novel and detail everything, but this is already a long post and I want to summarize as much as possible.  So throughout the day, we made several stops to the Berlin icons.  We stopped at the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and a few other places.  Most of these places we had 15 mins MAX to take pics and listen to the guide talk about the history.  Not much time at all...

 

 

 

 

 

Here is my BIGGEST concern...  We did not stop at the Holocaust Memorial.  We simply drove by it and our guide pointed it out to us.  We chose this tour partly because the memorial was something we really wanted to experience.  We asked the guide about it and if we were going to go back later and actually see it, but she said we were not; it was not one of our stops.  However, when I booked the excursion in the cruise planner, the "Overview" highlighted 3 stops: The Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, and the HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL.  We did discuss this with the Shore Excursions department once we got back on board.  They understood our confusion and said they were putting in a request to update the wording.

 

 

Another concern that isn't as much of a big deal...  The cruise planner said a three course meal, but it was actually a buffet.  It was a traditional German meal as advertised (sausage, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, etc), but the sausage was breakfast sausage, lol.  In our minds we were thinking bratwurst or something similar, but oh well.

 

 

Our guide was very clear with the timeline for the day and told us we'd have time to do XYZ as long as we followed her schedule.  We had an AWESOME group and everyone was super friendly and timely.  So that meant we earned our 50 minutes of shopping time.  You'll never guess where we were dropped off...in the middle of the designer stores and some US chain stores we have at home!!!!  There was a Lululemon, Apple Store, Scotch and Soda, etc.  Mind you, there were some independent stores and a souvenir shop or two, but I want the real German stores.  And I want to buy stuff I don't have at home.  I didn't come all the way to Berlin to upgrade my phone at the Apple store!!!  And 50 minutes was waaaayyy too long, especially when we only had like 15 minutes at the historical sites.

 

Rant over, but you get the gist.

 

The good thing is we found a German pretzel during our shopping time.  It was from a clothing store (of all things) named "Arket" and it was delicious.

 

 

After shopping, we hit one more stop for photos, and then back to the train station.  We said bye to our guide and driver who did not ride on the train with us.  We boarded around 5:20 and were served a snack bag and boxed water around 20 minutes later.  The snack bag was pretty good and I munched on the prepackaged butter filled pretzel and was pleasantly surprised with how good it was.  We made a few stops on the way back, but never opening the train doors.

 

 

Around 8:15, we were back in Warnemünde along with what seemed like the rest of the cruise ship.  Gangway was supposed to be up at 8:30, but I don't think that happened.  The entire train tried to board the ship at once-talk about herding cattle!  It was not a pleasant way to end the 13 hour day.

 

We do not feel like we saw any of Berlin.  We DO NOT regret doing this excursion, I am glad we tried it.  However, I don't remember the majority of the history the guide talked about. 

 

Final verdict is I do not recommend this.  I might consider a train ONLY option into Berlin through Celebrity just to guarantee our arrival back to the ship.  But I definitely wouldn't book the city tour with them.

 

Like I mentioned, I could go on and on about this.  Please don't hesitate to ask any questions.  Happy to answer or clarify.  ☺️

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by love2crews.

[love2crews.]

1 hour ago, librarylady19 said:

I was able to use OBC at casino in February on Reflection but read here on CC that practice has been discontinued. Can anyone confirm? 

 

My mom has been using OBC at the casino with no issues. 🙂 

 

[love2crews.]

1 hour ago, librarylady19 said:

Thanks for the tip; I signed up for one of our sea days on TA. The Elbe river cruise does 2 days in hotel at beginning (Berlin) 5 nights on Elbe on the ship then 2 nights in hotel at end (Prague), or reverse. Our friends did this cruise and loved it so thought we would try it too. There are good prices for Nov. 2025 and  $25 deposit!!

 

OMG!  What a great itinerary!  Prague is on my bucket list!  My sister is a fan of The Last Holiday movie and has always wanted to visit the Grandhotel Pupp, which is not too far from Prague.

 

Enjoy!  Sounds fantastic!!! ☺️

[rwf1]

Thanks for the information about the Berlin tour. When we take this cruise later this summer, my husband wanted to do the Berlin trip, and I was against it due to the lack of time we would have there. Your review confirms that we should stay closer to port on that day. However, if we do, I like your idea of taking the Celebrity train and touring on our own.

 

When returning to the ship, it seems like they would have an expedited way for Retreat guests to board. Do any of the ports have separate lines for Retreat guests?

[Ciaranaman]

1 hour ago, love2crews. said:

June 2: Warnemünde (Berlin), Germany

 

***HONEST review about the Celebrity shore excursion...  Small Group: Berlin- A 20th Century Experience (By Train)***

 

Our day started around 5am. 😳

 

We ordered room service for the first available time, 6-6:30am.  Breakfast was delicious per usual. We had to be in the Theater by 7am for our 8am shore excursion.  

 

 

IMPORTANT:  Room Service starts as early 6am

Cafe al Bacio opens at 6:30

Oceanview opens at 6:30

Luminae opens at 7:30

The restaurant hours make zero sense, especially when all the shore excursions going to Berlin for the day needed to be in the Theater by 7am.  Pay close attention and plan ahead if you have an early morning (or just pay close attention in general because we're finding the hours to be rather odd).

 

At 7am, we were in the Theater and given a sticker with a group number.  Around 7:10, our group was called and it was a bit chaotic.  We just started following other people and were hoping they were going in the right place.  We ended up on the train in the bottom level (there were 2 levels) and there was a paper with our group number in the train window.  We sat down and made ourselves as comfortable as possible for the 2.5 hour train ride ahead.  

 

About the train... most of the seats were facing backwards because of the direction we were going.  There were a couple seats that were facing each other for a group of 4, so some of those were forward facing.  No shades or blinds to hide the blinding sun, but the seats were pretty comfortable.  There was a bathroom onboard that was a bit bigger than an airplane bathroom.

 

 

 

We were all sitting on the train pretty clueless as no one had said anything to us and we were all hoping for a little communication.  Maybe the expected arrival time, what kind of snacks they were serving, or just what to expect.  About an hour in, a girl came through the car with boxed waters and came back a few minutes later handing out a brown paper bag to each person.  The bag had a boxed coffee drink (think chocolate milk) and a pre-packaged cookie.

 

 

We made a stop for a good 20-30 minutes, but no one got on/off the train (Celebrity chartered the train...).  The girl told us this was a scheduled stop and we would not be delayed.

 

The ride was scenic for us city girls who are used to ugly cement freeways, lol.  If you are used to green and hills, it might not be too scenic for you.  Not a lot to look at, but it's definitely more exciting than what we're used to at home.

 

We arrived at the train station around 10:50 and were even more lost than when we boarded the train.  Our guide had a "lollipop" sign with our group number on it, but there were several other groups and our guide was not holding up her sign.  She walked very briskly through the terminal not even checking to make sure we were following.  Others in our group shared the same concern.  She counted us once we were outside the terminal and we all boarded our bus for the day.  

 

The bus was nice inside and also had a bathroom.  No one used it during the day, but nice to know it's there.  There were vents, but our driver didn't really understand English and didn't have the vents turned on.  We translated on our phones but still pretty stuffy.  It took several people asking a few times before the AC was turned on for us.

 

 

I could write a novel and detail everything, but this is already a long post and I want to summarize as much as possible.  So throughout the day, we made several stops to the Berlin icons.  We stopped at the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and a few other places.  Most of these places we had 15 mins MAX to take pics and listen to the guide talk about the history.  Not much time at all...

 

 

 

 

 

Here is my BIGGEST concern...  We did not stop at the Holocaust Memorial.  We simply drove by it and our guide pointed it out to us.  We chose this tour partly because the memorial was something we really wanted to experience.  We asked the guide about it and if we were going to go back later and actually see it, but she said we were not; it was not one of our stops.  However, when I booked the excursion in the cruise planner, the "Overview" highlighted 3 stops: The Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, and the HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL.  We did discuss this with the Shore Excursions department once we got back on board.  They understood our confusion and said they were putting in a request to update the wording.

 

 

Another concern that isn't as much of a big deal...  The cruise planner said a three course meal, but it was actually a buffet.  It was a traditional German meal as advertised (sausage, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, etc), but the sausage was breakfast sausage, lol.  In our minds we were thinking bratwurst or something similar, but oh well.

 

 

Our guide was very clear with the timeline for the day and told us we'd have time to do XYZ as long as we followed her schedule.  We had an AWESOME group and everyone was super friendly and timely.  So that meant we earned our 50 minutes of shopping time.  You'll never guess where we were dropped off...in the middle of the designer stores and some US chain stores we have at home!!!!  There was a Lululemon, Apple Store, Scotch and Soda, etc.  Mind you, there were some independent stores and a souvenir shop or two, but I want the real German stores.  And I want to buy stuff I don't have at home.  I didn't come all the way to Berlin to upgrade my phone at the Apple store!!!  And 50 minutes was waaaayyy too long, especially when we only had like 15 minutes at the historical sites.

 

Rant over, but you get the gist.

 

The good thing is we found a German pretzel during our shopping time.  It was from a clothing store (of all things) named "Arket" and it was delicious.

 

 

After shopping, we hit one more stop for photos, and then back to the train station.  We said bye to our guide and driver who did not ride on the train with us.  We boarded around 5:20 and were served a snack bag and boxed water around 20 minutes later.  The snack bag was pretty good and I munched on the prepackaged butter filled pretzel and was pleasantly surprised with how good it was.  We made a few stops on the way back, but never opening the train doors.

 

 

Around 8:15, we were back in Warnemünde along with what seemed like the rest of the cruise ship.  Gangway was supposed to be up at 8:30, but I don't think that happened.  The entire train tried to board the ship at once-talk about herding cattle!  It was not a pleasant way to end the 13 hour day.

 

We do not feel like we saw any of Berlin.  We DO NOT regret doing this excursion, I am glad we tried it.  However, I don't remember the majority of the history the guide talked about. 

 

Final verdict is I do not recommend this.  I might consider a train ONLY option into Berlin through Celebrity just to guarantee our arrival back to the ship.  But I definitely wouldn't book the city tour with them.

 

Like I mentioned, I could go on and on about this.  Please don't hesitate to ask any questions.  Happy to answer or clarify.  ☺️

 

Thank you for such a great review!  We are picking up on so many pros/cons for when we go next year.   I think this pretty much solidifies our decision not to do the train excursion.  I, too, would have been very disappointed not to have been able to stop at the memorial.  

[Drewfan]

On 5/21/2023 at 11:12 PM, love2crews. said:

Hello!

 

Please bear with me as this is my first live thread.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading other lives and thought it’d be nice to do my own. :)  It will also be a good way for us to document our trip. 

 

This will be our first sailing since the pandemic.  I am traveling with my mom and sister and we have had this girls trip planned since 2020… we all know how that went.  

 

It’s also our first Celebrity cruise and first time visiting each of these ports. Our original itinerary included an overnight in St. Petersburg which has since been replaced with Visby, Sweden.

 

We are very excited to experience the Apex and all it has to offer.  We are big foodies, so feel free to chime in with any snacks or food we need to try.  Expect lots of food photos!

 

At the moment, we’re finishing up all our packing.  We have a few days pre-cruise in Amsterdam as well as a few more days post-cruise.  We plan to explore the nearby cities as well and have an exciting itinerary planned.

 

Looking forward to sharing our trip with you all and thanks for following along! 🙂

Thanks for the great posts we are doing this cruise on Apex departing Rotterdam Aug 21st and arrive Amsterdam June 2! Anyone else here on same cruise?