Has anyone missed the boat? Berlin to Warnemünde

Has anyone taken a private tour from Warnemünde to Berlin and missed the ship on the return trip? Several private tour operators offer excursions to Berlin. We are reluctant to take a private tour because of the distance to Berlin. Hence the question as to whether anyone taking a private tour missed the boat?

Thanks for the info.

Has anyone taken a private tour from Warnemünde to Berlin and missed the ship on the return trip? Several private tour operators offer excursions to Berlin. We are reluctant to take a private tour because of the distance to Berlin. Hence the question as to whether anyone taking a private tour missed the boat?

 

Thanks for the info.

I've been watching these pages for 5 years and never heard of anyone missing the ship. All the operators have a back up in case of mechanical failure and enough slack in the schedule in case of such misfortune. You'll be fine. All the best, Tony

Has anyone taken a private tour from Warnemünde to Berlin and missed the ship on the return trip? Several private tour operators offer excursions to Berlin. We are reluctant to take a private tour because of the distance to Berlin. Hence the question as to whether anyone taking a private tour missed the boat?

 

Thanks for the info.

DW has the same concern. We have a bunch of OBC and will just use it for a Berlin tour. While we would have preferred a private operator we have to spend the OBC on something. However, I do agree that the tour operators know what they are doing and make sure you are back on time.

I fully agree with Tony. I also have been on this board for about 5-6 years and I have never heard of anyone missing their ship with any private tour. In fact, not even close.

Yes it is a long trip and anything can happen, but these companies pride themselves on some one never missing their ship and they have all sorts of contingency plans in case of anything.

Don't be afraid to use these companies, and don't fret about it.

Cheers

Len

There is actually a review on CC for a NCL cruise a couple of years ago where people who caught the train on their own to Berlin were delayed on the way back to the ship when the train was stopped due to the discovery of an unexploded WWII bomb in the area! There were a few DIY cruisers on the train, and they managed to make contact with NCL Head Office, ended up being an hour or so late into Warnemunde and the ship actually waited for them.

So I think with a private tour operator you'd be fine.

You know it's 2 1/2 - 3 hours by bus from Warnemunde to Berlin don't you?

Our cruise leaves Warnemunde at midnight so we have rented a car in the terminal from Hertz for $60 and we will explore the delights of Pomerania Mickelsburg at our leisure.

Wismar and Schwerin are big tourist attractions.

Yep, I agree with other posts. I have never heard of anyone missing the ship.

Have to admit, as a confirmed independent traveler, the long trek to Berlin has caused me some concern. Cruisers routinely do this on their own using either the train or a rental car (its fun to drive on the autobahn). But we have always preached having a "Plan B" in case something goes wrong and this can be a real problem on the Baltic Cruises. Most of our Plan Bs involve catching-up to the ship the following day, but this can be difficult to impossible if the next port is St Petersburg.

Hank

Have to admit, as a confirmed independent traveler, the long trek to Berlin has caused me some concern. Cruisers routinely do this on their own using either the train or a rental car (its fun to drive on the autobahn). But we have always preached having a "Plan B" in case something goes wrong and this can be a real problem on the Baltic Cruises. Most of our Plan Bs involve catching-up to the ship the following day, but this can be difficult to impossible if the next port is St Petersburg.

Connections between the Baltic ports are in general easy and frequent. Because of the visa regulations in St. Petersburg, getting there without your ship is easy only if you have a your own visa. The visa waiver rules concerning cruise ships and ferries require you to arrive and leave the same way and take part in a sightseeing program offered by one of the approved companies. The other port that is a bit harder if you miss your ship is Warnemünde as you would need to get either back to Berlin or to Hamburg if you wanted to fly to your next port.

Warnemünde is rarely if ever the port before St. Petersburg. They are just too far apart. Considering that Warnemünde departures are typically very late, you would need two consecutive sea days to reach St. Petersburg.