Warnemunde

[mpslaw]

Looking for a reliable private tour operator who can take us to Berlin. Does anyone have such a person or company?

 

Thanks.

[Grumpy1]

Looking for a reliable private tour operator who can take us to Berlin. Does anyone have such a person or company?

 

Thanks.

Take a look over on the "ports of call" pages, Baltic Ports and Europe. Be sure to check the sub-heading UK/western Europe. Here's one link I found there in just a few seconds of looking. They had good reviews from a couple of people. http://www.berlin-starting-point.de/Berlin_tour_guides/berlin_sightseeing_tours.html Most of the information will be under the Baltic Ports heading.

[Reneemia]

I am definitely interested in a tour from Warnemunde to Berlin. I have found three companies: (1) Berlin-starting-point.de (2) PortCompass.com (3) Portpromotions.com I posted messages several times on roll call boards and got no response. See what you think, and let me know. Reneemia

[DD]

I have not heard of the first two companies. They may be fine. I have, however, worked frequently with Port Promotions. I would feel very comfortable dealing with them. I am a cruise-only TA and I frequently send my clients to Port Promotions. I always get favorable reports from clients who have used their services. However, in Europe, I am under the impression that they require a minimum number of participants. You might want to give them a call. Their phone number is one their website.

[ejbmorr]

You did not mention considering a shore excursion offered by the cruisline, but this is one place I would suggest it. You will travel a long distance to Berlin by train, which (by the way) originates about 100 steps from the side of the ship. Even a 12 hour excursion leaves very little time for miscalculation or missed train back to the ship. There is so much to see and do in Berlin in the short time you will be there. I strongly recommend that you not take on the responsibility of getting back on time. If you are delayed for any of the many possible reasons and you are with an excursion purchased from HAL, I am quite sure that they would make every effort to delay cast-off as long as possible. Our HAL excursion ran late and there was even a special dinner buffet set up in the Lido at 10:00 PM when we returned. It was a great day, but full to say the least.

[Rglad]

We used http://www.berlinwalks.com and were very satisfied. Clean nice large van, very comfortable. English speaking driver and tour guide. However there isn't much to see on the ride into the city. We got back with plenty of time to spare...Take a look at the website, they had lots to offer. We did have to wire the money ahead however...but everything went smoothly when we landed.

[Joyfredsblondecruiser]

Thank you ejbmorr: I am glad you mentioned the time of getting back to the ship. I think you have convinced me to do it with the ship. Happy Sailing, Joy

[FoxyTerrier]

We booked using this online company 2 summers ago and it was wonderful. There were 7 of us and they picked us up in a brand new Mercedes-Benz van and we spend the better part of day in Berlin then back to the ship in time for late dining.

 

http://www.berlin-sightseeing-tours.de/berlin_sightseeing_tours_from_port_rostock_warnemuende_cruise_ship_germany.htm

[Dieter]

Don't forget, it's also nice to walk along Warnemuende harbour. It starts directly after the railway station.

You can also do a harbour tour by ship. I forgot the amount we paid last year, but of course it wasn't a lot.

I also forgot the amount for a big glass of Rostock beer, but remember I drank a lot. It's the same beer served by HAL in connection with the barbecue.

Why to go for Berlin town, when you haven't seen Warnemuende and Rostock?

Ok., I agree, this is not a fair tip from a German living in Germany and going anyway from time to time to Berlin.

[ekerr19]

Why to go for Berlin town, when you haven't seen Warnemuende and Rostock?

Ok., I agree, this is not a fair tip from a German living in Germany and going anyway from time to time to Berlin.

 

We opted out of the Berlin tour and stayed in Warnemunde - it was delightful day. We had a great time sampling beer and schnapps (Wow, those sure pack a punch, lol) and were so happy we stayed. The people were friendly (one bar owner gave us a bunch of little bottles of schapps to bring home) and though English wasn't as widely spoken as it is in other places in Germany, I did ok with my HS German.

 

The ship was basically empty and the tour was late getting back. Our tablemates were on the tour to Berlin and said it was a very long train ride, with no A/C (that summer was uncommonly hot) and the time in Berlin was so limited, they wished they'd done what we did.

 

When I go back to Germany, I plan for at least 3-4 days in Berlin, rather than 2-3 hours. It is a popular tour however, even with the amount of travel involved.

[FoxyTerrier]

The ship was basically empty and the tour was late getting back. Our tablemates were on the tour to Berlin and said it was a very long train ride, with no A/C (that summer was uncommonly hot) and the time in Berlin was so limited, they wished they'd done what we did.

 

We had heard that about the train and is why we booked private tour. We were off by around 8am and in Berlin around 9:30 or so (I don't even want to know exactly how fast we were going but DH said it was well over 100 mph) Had a full day in Berlin - saw tons and even had a few hours for shopping. And another speedy ride back to the ship in time for cocktails and dinner. Yes the ship was empty and some train riders complained the next morning that by the time they got back the Lido was closing.

 

Berlin is one of those places that you could spend many days if you had the time, but it is doable to see alot if you book a private tour.

 

It was very interesting spending the day in Berlin with my father as he hadn't been back since bombing Berlin in WWII.