Oslo or Berlin?

[cruz2see]

We are trying to decide between two itineraries on the Star princess. One itinerary goes to Berlin and the other to Oslo. Since we have never been to the Baltics/ Northern Europe before, we are having difficulty deciding. Does anyone have any thoughts? Thanks!

[msmoger]

We are trying to decide between two itineraries on the Star princess. One itinerary goes to Berlin and the other to Oslo. Since we have never been to the Baltics/ Northern Europe before, we are having difficulty deciding. Does anyone have any thoughts? Thanks!

 

I do. :) If you pick the Berlin (Warnemunde) itinerary, I would suggest not going to Berlin. Instead tour the cities closer to the port like Warnemunde, Lubeck, Rostock, Schwerin, etc. They are suppose to be great destinations. With Berlin, you will spend 3 hours traveling each way. That leaves you 6 hours at most in this historic and incredible city. I have spent a week in Berlin and can say uncategorically it deserves much more time than that.

 

Of course with the Oslo itinerary (which we are taking in 2 weeks and I'm looking forward to visiting) you only get 7 hours in port which is too bad also. However, you dock right in town so no time is spent traveling.

 

Hope this helps.

[TLCOhio]

We are trying to decide between two itineraries on the Star princess. One itinerary goes to Berlin and the other to Oslo. Since we have never been to the Baltics/ Northern Europe before, we are having difficulty deciding. Does anyone have any thoughts? Thanks!

 

We have not been to Berlin, yet, but from visiting Oslo on our Baltics cruise last summer, here are my quick thoughts.

 

Oslo is easy to reach as your ship will dock right in the heart of their downtown or very close. Berlin will involve a sizable amount of time getting from the Baltics port to Berlin and back, either by rail or bus. Oslo is a town of only about a half million people with some nice historic and art options. Berlin is much, much bigger. That size difference is a double-edge trade-off. More to see and do in Berlin, but your time-frame is more limited.

 

It depends on your personal interests, travel style! There's more history in Berlin, plus more new, hip elements since so much of that city has been built and re-built in the last sixty years. Oslo has some history, but it is not as wonderfully charming as Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn or St. Petersburg.

 

Tell us more on your types of travel interests, budget and style for approaching these two different types of cities.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[cruisemom42]

Due to our limited schedule, we did the Warnemunde/Berlin cruise rather than the Oslo one, although Oslo would've been my choice. We opted not to go to Berlin for the day and I think it was a wise choice as we were exhausted from touring at that point (having spent 3 days pre-cruise in Copenhagen) and we enjoyed an easier day in the area rather than a quite long and intense day trip.

 

I guess it all boils down to how important seeing Berlin is to you. If it's a toss-up, I'd go with Oslo.

 

Don't get me wrong, I do want to see Berlin -- but I know that 7 hours would not be enough time for me to fit in all I'd want to see and do. Heck, I could probably spend 7 hours in the Pergamon museum alone!

[cruz2see]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts regarding these ports. We haven't completely made up our minds yet but appreciate you taking the time to tell us about your thoughts and experiences. Thanks!

[eljinx]

I just got back from a cruise that included Oslo. I loved it, in fact it was 2nd on my list of favorites, after St. Petersburg. It is such an easy port to navigate. Vigeland park was just amazing! The city is beautiful, and the cruise in and out of Oslo through the fjords is very scenic!

 

I can't really compare Oslo to the German ports that you are considering, because I have never been there. I can't imagine doing the Berlin trip, because 6 hours is just way too little time to spend in Berlin....I know I would leave totally frustrated (just like Stockholm!)

We even spend 7 hours (0700-1400) in Oslo and that was way too short!

Hope you enjoy your cruise, whatever you decide!

[jkw3tx]

Our trip included both Berlin and Oslo and unless you really want to see Berlin I would reccomend Oslo. We did a oslofjord cruise that was wonderful and then wandered around town and the fort. We enjoyed Berlin also but were very tired after travelling back and forth as well aqs visiting the sites. I'm a History teacher so Berlin was a must for me, but I enjoyed Oslo as well.

JKW

[kestrel]

Both are great. We had to make a similar choice two years ago, so we decided on a Holland America cruise that went to both places :)

 

Berlin is indeed a long way from the port. If you decide not to go to Berlin, then definitely choose the itinerary with Oslo. IMHO, Warnemunde cannot be compared with Oslo.

[lmg1230]

Hello Cruz2see,

We had the same dilemma prior to booking the Baltic cruise that we went on last month. We opted for the itinerary with Oslo as we thought at the time that we would probably take a trip to Germany as a primary destination sometime but would not likely go to Norway another time. As it turns out, Oslo was one of our favourite destinations - we didn't have anywhere near enough time in port and would definitely go back. As an aside, I grew up just outside the Soo - don't think I've ever run into anyone on these boards before who lives back home. Happy cruising!!

Lisa

[misskef]

Our cruise did Warnemunde (Berlin) and Oslo. My feeling is go to Berlin. Oslo was great, don't get me wrong but it's got a similar feel to some of the other stops (Helsinki particularly) so you'll get the feel even if you don't go. There isn't as much to see in Oslo in my opinion--Viking ships which are neat, but...Oslo has alot of islands so you get to take ferries which you can do in Stockholm. Etc, etc. So while not ideal, it's not the end of the world. I also feel that Norway would be great to go back to and go further north or deeper into some of the fijords. My old manager lived in Bergen and Stavenger so you can always go back.

 

See my other post or chat with heibloed the Berlin expert but it was 2.5 hours on the high speed train right to downtown Berlin. We grabbed a hop on/hop off bus that got us to all the major sites. We had time for 2 museums and walking around Brandenberg gate/parliment before walking back to the station. Berlin is HUGE so either get some transport or do a tour (again, not my vote but understandable). The history is amazing and getting to see East Berlin transformed will blow your mind.

 

Here's the kicker for the other posters...we got back on the train in time to walk around Warnemunde and have ice cream/dinner since the ship left so late. Folks who went to Rostock said it wasn't all that but again, to each his/her own.

 

Depends on the experience you want---small german towns or big german city with lots of history.

[Adventures ahead]

Misskef,

 

How recently did you travel to Berlin using the high-speed train and what was the cost? Where did you get off and was the HOHO bus easy to find? Do you remember the cost of the HOHO?

 

I'm hesitant to book a tour in Berlin and then be late arriving by train. Do you know if it's possible to find a different type of tour when you arrive (just walk up, not pre-booked)?

[Adventures ahead]

If I should have started a new thread, sorry!