Complimentary shuttles in ports?

[canadianINtexas]

Does Crystal provide shuttles from ports into town when it is not a reasonable walking distance (say over 1 mile)?    I seem to recall OC provided this service.   We have a cruise planned for August and, as we don't plan on doing Crystal Excursions in every port, want to know if we have to arrange/book our own transportation into the cities/towns where necessary.

[Keith1010]

It is very similar to original Crystal.  

 

This means that in some ports there will be a shuttle. Sometimes it is the local area that doesn't allow a shuttle to be provided.

 

A good source to find out if a shuttle will be offered is on board guest services.

 

Keith

[ryndam]

31 minutes ago, canadianINtexas said:

We have a cruise planned for August and, as we don't plan on doing Crystal Excursions in every port, want to know if we have to arrange/book our own transportation into the cities/towns where necessary.

The ship, itinerary and date(s) of your cruise would be helpful, in order to provide a more specific answer to your query.

 

Rob

[canadianINtexas]

4 hours ago, ryndam said:

The ship, itinerary and date(s) of your cruise would be helpful, in order to provide a more specific answer to your query.

 

Rob

Hi Rob - We're doing the 10 day Stockholm - Copenhagen cruise with stops in Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Visby (Sweden), Rostock (Germany) and Malmo (Sweden).   I've been so focused on what to actually do in each Port that I haven't bothered to figure out how close the dock is to the city centers and how much time to allow to get to the sites.     

[ryndam]

11 minutes ago, canadianINtexas said:

Hi Rob - We're doing the 10 day Stockholm - Copenhagen cruise with stops in Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Visby (Sweden), Rostock (Germany) and Malmo (Sweden).   I've been so focused on what to actually do in each Port that I haven't bothered to figure out how close the dock is to the city centers and how much time to allow to get to the sites.     

It's been pre-Covid since we visited these cities by ship, so the situation may have changed over the years.

 

- Helsinki, depending on the terminal, it may be walking distance to the center of town. One terminal was about 1/2 mile; the other closer to a 1 mile walk.

-Tallinn, when we were there, the port provided a complimentary shuttle. Not sure if that continues to be a valid option.

-Visby, not sure.

-Riga, walking distance.

-Warnemunde, the terminal is adjacent to the train station. I'm guessing that you may be planning a trip to someplace outside of the actual port area. If the ship actually docks in Rostock, I do not know.

-Malmo, not sure.

-Copenhagen, when we were there, it was only an intermediate port call and the terminal was walking distance to the center. Since this is a turn-around port on this cruise, the cruise terminal is a decent distance away from the center. Not sure if Crystal will offer a shuttle; best to enquire as Keith suggested above.

 

It's a great itinerary. Enjoy!

 

Rob

[travelberlin]

18 minutes ago, canadianINtexas said:

Hi Rob - We're doing the 10 day Stockholm - Copenhagen cruise with stops in Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Visby (Sweden), Rostock (Germany) and Malmo (Sweden).   I've been so focused on what to actually do in each Port that I haven't bothered to figure out how close the dock is to the city centers and how much time to allow to get to the sites.     

I have been in all those ports (except Riga, which we have visited not on a cruise) with another cruise line. They are very easy to do things on your own. I have walked from the ship to the main attractions without a problem. But from The cruise terminal to Visby center is probably more than a mile. Lovely walk though (see picture below). Tallinn center is also more than a mile from the cruise port.

 

 

 

[Roland4]

3 hours ago, ryndam said:

It's been pre-Covid since we visited these cities by ship, so the situation may have changed over the years.

 

- Helsinki, depending on the terminal, it may be walking distance to the center of town. One terminal was about 1/2 mile; the other closer to a 1 mile walk.

-Tallinn, when we were there, the port provided a complimentary shuttle. Not sure if that continues to be a valid option.

-Visby, not sure.

-Riga, walking distance.

-Warnemunde, the terminal is adjacent to the train station. I'm guessing that you may be planning a trip to someplace outside of the actual port area. If the ship actually docks in Rostock, I do not know.

-Malmo, not sure.

-Copenhagen, when we were there, it was only an intermediate port call and the terminal was walking distance to the center. Since this is a turn-around port on this cruise, the cruise terminal is a decent distance away from the center. Not sure if Crystal will offer a shuttle; best to enquire as Keith suggested above.

 

It's a great itinerary. Enjoy!

 

Rob

We disembarked Seabourn Ovation last may in Copenhagen and the new cruise terminal is a good 15 minute cab ride, maybe more, from the city centre. It was most of 30 minutes to the airport.

 

There is not a lot to see in Warnemunde, but the trip to Berlin is the attraction here. It is, as I understand it, about 40 minutes to Rostock city centre.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

13 hours ago, Roland4 said:

 

 

There is not a lot to see in Warnemunde, but the trip to Berlin is the attraction here. It is, as I understand it, about 40 minutes to Rostock city centre.

We stayed in Warnemunde and walked the whole town.  It was a hidden gem

[USCAdventurer]

i agree completely.  i spent the whole day in warnamunde and thoroughly enjoyed the town and the people i met.  it was much better than a 4 hour busride to berlin.

[travelberlin]

I agree that Warnemünde is nice to spend the day. Berlin is too far away and it is very little to see in the short stay there during a shore excursion. 

[Roland4]

2 hours ago, travelberlin said:

I agree that Warnemünde is nice to spend the day. Berlin is too far away and it is very little to see in the short stay there during a shore excursion. 

I stand corrected about Warnemunde, but I disagree about Berlin. We did this with Crystal in 2011 and we saw pretty much all of the major sites, and a few unscheduled ones, even with a significant lunch break. Our local guide was excellent. It was enough that we knew we would be coming back, and we have twice since then.

[Leejnd4]

23 hours ago, ryndam said:

 

-Copenhagen, when we were there, it was only an intermediate port call and the terminal was walking distance to the center. Since this is a turn-around port on this cruise, the cruise terminal is a decent distance away from the center. Not sure if Crystal will offer a shuttle; best to enquire as Keith suggested above.

 

It's a great itinerary. Enjoy!

 

Rob

Although it’s been a number of years, when I did a Baltics cruise on Symphony, there was a free shuttle in Copenhagen. It was our disembarkation port, so I don’t know if that makes a difference. 

[May B]

On another cruise line, we took the (included tour) train into Berlin, dedicated train just for our group (of many hundreds, but it was handled beautifully). Then a bus ride with guide pointing out sites, then c. three hours on our own. We followed a Rick Steves walking tour and included a lunch stop. After the train ride back to the ship, about half the crew welcomed us back! They were lined up as we got to the half way point as we walked over to the ship. Wonderful experience! We’d do it all over again but see different sites on our own. 
 

A few people skipped the bus tour and just made sure they knew where to meet the bus for the return to the train. 

[travelberlin]

12 hours ago, May B said:

On another cruise line, we took the (included tour) train into Berlin, dedicated train just for our group (of many hundreds, but it was handled beautifully). Then a bus ride with guide pointing out sites, then c. three hours on our own. We followed a Rick Steves walking tour and included a lunch stop. After the train ride back to the ship, about half the crew welcomed us back! They were lined up as we got to the half way point as we walked over to the ship. Wonderful experience! We’d do it all over again but see different sites on our own. 
 

A few people skipped the bus tour and just made sure they knew where to meet the bus for the return to the train. 

I am very glad you had a wonderful time visiting Berlin although it was just some hours. Although I am not particularly fond of traveling long distances to visit a big city just for few hours, I have to recognize that I have done it once and I also had a good time. It was a visit from Le Havre to Paris. I am not sure I would do it again. 
 

Ivi