Berlin or Dublin

If you had to choose a cruise with only one of these cities, not both, which one would you choose and why?

Thank you!

Berlin. I lived in Germany for a few years and it is a fabulous city.

If you had to choose a cruise with only one of these cities, not both, which one would you choose and why? Thank you!

Berlin would be my choice over Dublin. Why? Doing Berlin by cruise means you are doing the Baltics which offers lots of great options, including St. Petersburg, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn, etc., etc. Many great potentials are in the Baltics!!!

Ireland and England are wonderful with many great cities, excellent history, super countrysides, etc. We have traveled all over this region, including northern Wales; western, eastern and southern Ireland and Scotland.

Things are, however, very unique with spectacular architecture and culture in Russia and the Baltics.

Want more answers or evidence on why? Below are just six of my visuals illustrating what is so great and interesting in the Baltics. Personally, I have not yet been to Berlin, but that's on the future to-do list.

Tell us more on what you seek, like and desire from visiting these parts of Europe.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 101,473 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

At St. Petersburg’s Hermitage, here is just one of the many, many great galleries with so many different and great architecture details, soaring ceilings, dramatic floors, etc., in areas where the Czars entertained and impressed other Royals and nobility. Even without the art items, these five palaces are so spectacular! This room is adorned with 19th-century Russian lapidary works and feature Italian and Spanish canvases of the 16th-18th centuries, including Veronese, Tintoretto, Velázquez and Murillo.:

At Stockholm’s Royal Palace, the changing of the guard is one of the key highlights and is handy, close to the next-door historic old town area. :

Here are some of the fountains and water at the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg. The greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. This elevation difference creates the pressure driving most of the fountains for the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.: : [/b]

As we entered Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg, here was the welcoming band. This Rococo summer residence of the Russian Czars is located in the town of Pushkin, 15 miles SE of St. Petersburg. The residence originated in 1717, when Catherine I engaged a German architect to construct a summer palace for her pleasure. In 1752, Empress Anna found her mother's residence outdated and had her court architect demolish the old structure and replace it with a much grander edifice in a flamboyant Rococo style. Construction lasted for four years and in 1756 the new 325-meter-long palace amazed courtiers, foreign ambassadors and other visitors. During Elizabeth's lifetime, the palace was famed for its lavish exterior, including more than 100 kilograms of gold used to gild the sophisticated stucco façade and numerous statues erected on the roof.:

Copenhagen's City Hall and its large Square are in the heart of the main downtown, near Tivoli and the central train station. Completed in 1905, it was designed in the "National Romantic" style with inspiration from the Siena City Hall. Dominated by its richly-ornamented front wth the gilded statue of Absalon just above the balcony, its tall, slim clock tower is 345.6 feet or 105.6 meters tall. It is one of the tallest buildings in Denmark.:

Copenhagen’s Nyhavn or “new” Harbor is actually old and charming. This waterfront entertainment district is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbor", the canal also has many historical wooden ships. Lots of people and fun activity!!:

I have been to both and I would also pick Berlin, myself. However, I wanted to make sure you're aware that in order to actually get to Berlin from a cruise ship, you need to travel by bus, train, or car for 2-3 hours each way (depending on how you choose to get there). Some people make plans to visit sites other than Berlin since you could spend up to 6 hours in travel on that day. I did it (via ship excursion train) and don't regret it one bit. But just in case you weren't aware of it, I wanted you make sure you knew to factor that in your decision.

Purely on the merits of the two cities, Berlin has way more to offer.

But on a cruise ???????????

For Berlin take rather more than 6 hours out of your port time and $100 apiece out of your pockets for travelling from Warnemunde to Berlin.

As a port-of-call, Dublin looks a good deal more sensible.

But they're not going to be on similar itineraries, so there's going to be a whole lot of other deciding factors - including the other ports-of-call.

JB :)

I'd go for the other port, Dublin. (But I've been to Berlin many times, even before it was reunified)

What JB said.

If it was actually Berlin on the itinerary, then yes! But it won't be, because of Berlin rather inconveniently being inland...

Like others, I struggle to think why this particular choice would be the dealbreaker, but that's the question you asked:)

What JB said.

 

If it was actually Berlin on the itinerary, then yes! But it won't be, because of Berlin rather inconveniently being inland...

 

Like others, I struggle to think why this particular choice would be the dealbreaker, but that's the question you asked:)

Hi all, the appeal is that we are big city people. What attracted us to this type of itinerary was the big cities we know about- Paris, Berlin, London. Not so much St Petersburg and Norway. When you ask what my interests are in seeing either places, it's restaurants, big city life, their commuting, the nightlife, young people/old people living, old buildings/history. Not so much just art.

But my concern when looking at this itinerary was the weather. I've read reviews, and most people report that it drizzles or rains for about every day even in the summer.

So I had a harder time justifying seeing some of Ireland and Norway while spending our vacation in jackets. I also notice the Paris itinerary is often paired with some of Portugal and even Italy, which looks sunnier. We've already been to Italy and Greece in the past two years, so my husband had his eye on something like the above-mentioned this time around.

Hi all, the appeal is that we are big city people. What attracted us to this type of itinerary was the big cities we know about- Paris, Berlin, London. Not so much St Petersburg and Norway. When you ask what my interests are in seeing either places, it's restaurants, big city life, their commuting, the nightlife, young people/old people living, old buildings/history. Not so much just art. But my concern when looking at this itinerary was the weather. I've read reviews, and most people report that it drizzles or rains for about every day even in the summer. So I had a harder time justifying seeing some of Ireland and Norway while spending our vacation in jackets. I also notice the Paris itinerary is often paired with some of Portugal and even Italy, which looks sunnier. We've already been to Italy and Greece in the past two years, so my husband had his eye on something like the above-mentioned this time around.

Appreciate your added details and specifics on and for what you seek in Europe. On weather, there are "images" of rain, but . . . I have to tell you about our many experience in the UK and northern Europe with excellent summer weather. This includes 2000 for Ireland, Northern Wales; 2006 for five days in London in late June and early July; 2008 in late July for southern England and the Baltics; July 2010 for UK, Copenhagen and all along the Norway Coast, etc. Maybe we were lucky, but the negative images are a little over-stated. People remember or state the negatives, not always the positives. Just wanted to share our experiences in these great areas.

You can go to

http://www.wunderground.com

and check for the very specific weather history on many of the key towns in the world for their past temperatures in that specific area for a date in the past. Just look lower left in the page for weather history area, put in your exact dates and the year prior. You will then see what last year was like, along with recent highs and lows for that date there.

You mentioned a strong interest for "old buildings/history". Lots of that is super potential for many of these great cities and places in Europe. We really loved Copenhagen for lots of that "character" and charm. See some more examples from there, plus Tallinn, Stockholm, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 101,594 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Connected to the main harbor in Stockholm, here is a view from the bridge to the Vasa Museum of the many different buildings along this grand Strandvagen boulevard. Completed in time for the 1897 Stockholm World’s Fair, it became known as one of the most prestigious addresses in town.:

From the harbor in Stockholm, here is a view of the Royal Palace, the historic Saint Nicolaus Church, or as commonly known Storkyrkan. To the left in the picture is where the historic Gamia Stan area starts. Walking around in the Gamia Stan is wonderful as you soak up its history, charm and interesting architecture.:

A guard and statue in front of the current Royal Palace in Copenhagen:

Rosenborg Castle in central Copenhagen now holds the Royal treasures. It was originally built in 1606 as a summer palace, expanded and put into its current condition in in 1624. It houses a museum exhibiting the Royal Collections, late 16th to the 19th century. This includes the Crown Jewels and the Danish Crown Regalia:

Tallinn’s rooftops in this charming Estonia Capital from the Toompea/upper town with docked cruise ships shown in the more distant background:

At the top of Tallinn’s Toompea hill, this shows part of the Estonia Parliament building in the historic Pink Baroque Palace and the old Pikk Hermann watchtower with their flag on top:

No guarantees with weather anywhere! If you go prepared it is not an issue. What does matter is to do the research and decide what is it that you want to see and experience in the time that the ship is in port. On a cruise you only get a snippet of what a large city has to offer. For any of the inland cities there is considerable time spent on travel from ship to city--look at a map and the details of the ship's itinerary then decide.

If Berlin is part of a Baltic cruise, then Berlin as a Baltic cruise is fantastic - but if not part of a Baltic cruise - then Dublin because I enjoyed my time in Dublin much more than I did in Berlin. I was not impressed with Berlin at all and found it to be a tourist trap in the worse sense (people dressed up in costumes all over the city wanting you to pay them to get your picture taken). It was the only disapointing day of our Baltic cruise.

If you're strictly looking at these 2 cities as being your deciding factor, I'd go with Dublin.

First, Berlin on a cruise itinerary isn't really Berlin. It's generally Warnemunde or Rostock, which can be a 2-2.5 hour car ride, or 3 hour train ride into Berlin. So while the itinerary may state something like 7 am - 10 pm in Berlin, you need to know that to be safe, you should subtract 5-6 hours out of that time frame for travel to and from the ship to Berlin. Also, Berlin is a large and spreadout city. There's a lot to do and see, and no way to cover it all within a one-day cruise ship visit.

As for Dublin, though you dock a little bit outside of the heart of the city, most cruise ships offer shuttles into town. We're talking a 10 minute shuttle ride, as opposed to 2-2.5 hours for Berlin. One in Dublin, getting around is quick and easy. There's a terrific HOHO that covers the major sights like Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Grafton Street, Kilmainhaim Gaol, the Guinness Factory and much more. You said you like nightlife, which is unfortunately because I don't know of any cruises that do an overnight in Dublin, so you'll miss out on the fantastic Dublin nightlife with a cruise.

So, if it came down to Dublin and Berlin, I'd choose Dublin just because it makes more sense with a cruise, a lot easier to get around and a better use of your time.

However, you also mentioned Paris. There are many British Isles cruises that do Dublin, and then come back and do Le Havre (generally the cruise port for Paris). You should note though that to get from Le Havre to Paris is essentially a 3 hour train ride too, much like Warnemunde/Rostock for Berlin. So, you're just not going to find that perfect itinerary that you're looking for.

If, however, you were asking me to choose a British Isles cruise vs. a Scandinavia cruise, I'd go with Scandinavia. But that's just personal preference. I've done Scandinavia twice now and British Isles one. But that's not to say I wouldn't go back and do the British Isles again.

If you're strictly looking at these 2 cities as being your deciding factor, I'd go with Dublin.

 

First, Berlin on a cruise itinerary isn't really Berlin. It's generally Warnemunde or Rostock, which can be a 2-2.5 hour car ride, or 3 hour train ride into Berlin. So while the itinerary may state something like 7 am - 10 pm in Berlin, you need to know that to be safe, you should subtract 5-6 hours out of that time frame for travel to and from the ship to Berlin. Also, Berlin is a large and spreadout city. There's a lot to do and see, and no way to cover it all within a one-day cruise ship visit.

 

As for Dublin, though you dock a little bit outside of the heart of the city, most cruise ships offer shuttles into town. We're talking a 10 minute shuttle ride, as opposed to 2-2.5 hours for Berlin. One in Dublin, getting around is quick and easy. There's a terrific HOHO that covers the major sights like Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Grafton Street, Kilmainhaim Gaol, the Guinness Factory and much more. You said you like nightlife, which is unfortunately because I don't know of any cruises that do an overnight in Dublin, so you'll miss out on the fantastic Dublin nightlife with a cruise.

 

So, if it came down to Dublin and Berlin, I'd choose Dublin just because it makes more sense with a cruise, a lot easier to get around and a better use of your time.

 

However, you also mentioned Paris. There are many British Isles cruises that do Dublin, and then come back and do Le Havre (generally the cruise port for Paris). You should note though that to get from Le Havre to Paris is essentially a 3 hour train ride too, much like Warnemunde/Rostock for Berlin. So, you're just not going to find that perfect itinerary that you're looking for.

 

If, however, you were asking me to choose a British Isles cruise vs. a Scandinavia cruise, I'd go with Scandinavia. But that's just personal preference. I've done Scandinavia twice now and British Isles one. But that's not to say I wouldn't go back and do the British Isles again.

Thank you for all of this info, everyone!!

I was trying to see if you would all say Berlin. For Berlin, I would justify iffy weather for our huge summer trip. For Dublin, I wouldn’t justify the iffy weather. Not being able to see the full city isn’t a factor in my decision b/c just being there and absorbing the culture is ok. If we have to travel so far, that’s just the way it is with these cruises. We’re planning on extending to add on London and Amsterdam/or Berlin at the end of our cruise, so I’m not worried about short port days.

You made great points, though. I’m still so torn, and you’re right – I don’t know that I’m find exactly what I’m looking for as far as great weather and some Mediterranean mixed in with Baltics. I guess the area is too far to combine in a short time. Boo!

I love your suggestion on British Isles v. Scandinavia. Can you tell me why you’d choose Scandinavia? I haven’t done so much research on these areas. As I said, my main attractants were the big cities like Paris, Berlin, London. So I did not focus on the smaller ports until now as I’m looking at specific cruises.

I have to say, I think your perception of the summer weather in northern Europe is way off :) But of course, you could come for 2 weeks and have rain every day...

My final offering would be to say to forget about trying to use a cruise to see the big capitals of Europe, such as London, Paris, Berlin. You are sensibly thinking of added on days to do that - enjoy the cruise for seeing some of the smaller places, which as Terry says and shows so eloquently have LOADs to offer, even to 'big city' folk.

Whichever you choose, have a great time...and don't forget your umbrella :)

Dublin is a great cruise port. You will be in the city in minutes. It's a 20 minute ride at best into Dublin. There are plenty of public buses if you want to explore. Taxi's aren't incredibly expensive either. I loved my time in Ireland so much that I went back there two more times.

I am not a big city person though. My favorite places in Ireland are outside of Dublin (which is a very cute little city). Ireland is famous for being green and if you get outside of the city- you will see such beautiful countryside.

If you are thinking of doing the big cities... a cruise is not the best way. London, Paris, and Rome are 1-2 hours from the ports (Southampton, LeHavre and Civitavecchia). They are great cities but if you want to see them- they deserve at least an overnight visit.

The best cruise ports (because the sites are close to the ship) are Venice, Istanbul, Santorini, Dubrovnik, Barcelona, Villefranche, Naples (Pompeii), Kusadasi (Ephesus), Dublin, Edinburgh, Invergordon, Copenhagen and all of the Norway ports are absolutely beautiful. I have not been to the Baltics by ship so can't comment- I have been to St. Petersburg and it was rainy and depressing for me but others have had the opposite experience.

Dublin is a great cruise port. You will be in the city in minutes. It's a 20 minute ride at best into Dublin. There are plenty of public buses if you want to explore. Taxi's aren't incredibly expensive either. I loved my time in Ireland so much that I went back there two more times.

 

I am not a big city person though. My favorite places in Ireland are outside of Dublin (which is a very cute little city). Ireland is famous for being green and if you get outside of the city- you will see such beautiful countryside.

 

If you are thinking of doing the big cities... a cruise is not the best way. London, Paris, and Rome are 1-2 hours from the ports (Southampton, LeHavre and Civitavecchia). They are great cities but if you want to see them- they deserve at least an overnight visit.

 

The best cruise ports (because the sites are close to the ship) are Venice, Istanbul, Santorini, Dubrovnik, Barcelona, Villefranche, Naples (Pompeii), Kusadasi (Ephesus), Dublin, Edinburgh, Invergordon, Copenhagen and all of the Norway ports are absolutely beautiful. I have not been to the Baltics by ship so can't comment- I have been to St. Petersburg and it was rainy and depressing for me but others have had the opposite experience.

Thank you!

Whoa! I'm interested to hear why St Petersburg was depressing to you. Do you mind sharing? See, that's my worry with an itinerary like this. Tough decisions.

I spent two nights and two days in St. Petersburg many years ago (1987) and we went to the Hermitage and it is filled with treasures and the carriage house was of particular interest to me. I enjoyed seeing the clothing of Alexander the Great and Catherine the Great's carriage, etc.

The city of St. Petersburg is hawked by Russians as "The Venice of the North". When I was there you could see that at one time it was a beautiful city. Now the buildings are in their faded glory and it was depressing to see that these once beautiful buildings were falling into disrepair.

It rained on our last day there and I was happy to leave. It didn't thrill me. And Moscow- forget about it. Ugly dirty city.

I love your suggestion on British Isles v. Scandinavia. Can you tell me why you’d choose Scandinavia? I haven’t done so much research on these areas. As I said, my main attractants were the big cities like Paris, Berlin, London. So I did not focus on the smaller ports until now as I’m looking at specific cruises.

Hm, this one is a tough one to answer.

As a kid, I'd always, always wanted to go Russia. I always thought of it as one of those forbidden places, which made it more appealing. And when I finally got to Russia, I thought wow! Not what I expected at all. It's full of history, and culture. I'm not a museum person at all, but I loved the Hermitage. And the stuff I saw in St. Petersburg just blew me away.

Also, I'm a huge ice hockey fan. And some of the best ice hockey players, and some of my favorite players come from Sweden and Finland so it was only natural that I was interested in this region.

And I'm a big fan of outdoor beauty and scenery, and this region is big on that. Lots to see and look at and wonder at. Tons of beauty.

And finally, when I met my husband, who is part-Finnish, I knew I would have to take a 2nd trip to Scandinavia so that he could see it all.

For me, when I travel to Europe (and I've been tehre 8 times), I see so much culture, and life, and people, and history that it blows me away. There's history the likes of which we could never find, or fathom to exist, in the US. And seeing all these places, to me, just blows me away. There are things you can see in Scandinavia that you wouldn't find in other parts of Europe.

But, then again, all of that can be said about the British Isles too -- lots of history, unique things you wouldn't see, like medieval castles, and lots of natural outdoor beauty like Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, and vibrant towns like Dublin.

It's a tough choice.

I spent two nights and two days in St. Petersburg many years ago (1987) and we went to the Hermitage and it is filled with treasures and the carriage house was of particular interest to me. I enjoyed seeing the clothing of Alexander the Great and Catherine the Great's carriage, etc.

 

The city of St. Petersburg is hawked by Russians as "The Venice of the North". When I was there you could see that at one time it was a beautiful city. Now the buildings are in their faded glory and it was depressing to see that these once beautiful buildings were falling into disrepair.

 

It rained on our last day there and I was happy to leave. It didn't thrill me. And Moscow- forget about it. Ugly dirty city.

1987 is 25 years ago! Cold War era! I sincerely hope that restoration work has improved since that time. I hope that others will comment as I have read nothing similar.

Yes- my experience was many years ago there. I actually took Russian in school and was so excited to go behind the iron curtain. It was depressing in general. The people were very glum and unfortunately my earings, necklace and bracelet (all of them emeralds and diamonds) were stolen off my nightstand while we went to breakfast and our room was cleaned. I looked everywhere for them but we had to dash to the airport- so that was that.

I hope things have changed and from what I have read on these boards- the Baltic cruises are very good. I was actually booked on one in 2009 but due to illness couldn't go.

Well, East Germany and East Berlin were also horribly gloomy and depressing back in the late 70's and early 80's. Now people are flocking there, there isn't much left of the communist era left, unless its preserved for display. So I'm sure with the money the Russians were throwing into rehabbing the palaces and increasing tourism things are not as you remember from your trip before the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Since you're primarily interested in large cities, such as London, Paris and Berlin, why not consider a land trip, rather than a cruise. These cities are all inland. Once in Europe, flights between each city are short and cost is reasonable. You can also consider taking the chunnel out of London to Paris.

If time and funds permit, you can also consider taking a cruise and staying in large cities, pre and post cruise.

We stopped in Dublin on our British Isles cruise. A short shuttle ride was required to reach the city centre. Luckily, we were blessed with a sunny, warm day and enjoyed the Dublin sights.

As part of our Baltic trip, we spent 3 days pre-cruise in Berlin and flew to Copenhagen (1 hour flight), where we started our Baltic cruise.

While I think Berlin is a MUST see...Do it by land...Berlin is a 2-3 hour ride, so it drastically shortens your day..You dock right into Dublin...Its like docking into Cherborg or Le Havre and having a 3 hr each way into Paris.....:D:D

Both are great but I would probably do Berlin.

Keith

I have been to Europe nine times in the 41 years since I first set foot on foreign soil, and am planning more trips to Europe in the near future. I have not been to Dublin but have been to all of the Baltic ports on a cruise last summer. I had been to Berlin the prior fall on a land tour so we stayed on the coast when our ship docked in Warnemuende. We did, however, encourage our traveling companions to go to Berlin and they loved it, despite the travel time.

Having said this, let me offer my 2 cents. I agree that the weather concerns are overrated. Not to say you can't have rain, but that can and does happen in any of the areas you are considering. Between Dublin and Berlin, the issue for me is not those two cities, but the rest of the itinerary, as Terry and others have indicated. The Baltic capitals cruises that most lines offer visit some fabulous cities. Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Tallinn, occasionally Gdansk or Riga, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm. Those are wonderful ports and make a great cruise without Warnemuende/Berlin, which most offer as well.

If you take the trip to Berlin, it is an amazing city. Sure there are cheesy photo ops at Checkpoint Charlie and Darth Vader at the Brandenburg gate, but that is not the essence of Berlin. For someone born in the aftermath of WWII, Berlin offers history that is fascinating. Combine with a trip to Sachsenhausen as SPB and some other private tour operators offer and your day will be filled with history. No time for a leisurely, gourmet meal, but filled with very interesting sights and experiences. Only you can decide whether these things are worth the travel time. Given that Warnemuende is usually a 15 hour port stop, give or take, you might have more time for things in Berlin than in shorter stops where the ship is berthed in or near the major port.

Dublin is probably going to be paired with a round the British Isles cruise, or, as NCL has, one that goes to Iceland, Faroe Islands and the British Isles at the end of the Baltic season. In these cruises, Dublin will be one of the largest cities you visit. The cruise will be very different from a Baltic cruise, visiting smaller cities and towns, where scenery, not city life and cultere, is likely to be a bigger emphasis. I personally like traveling around the British Isles on land and have done it many times. My next trip will include time in Ireland, but that is how I would choose to see Dublin and other places in that area.

We took the Baltic cruise because it gave us a chance to sample these great cities and we were not disappointed. Terry's pictures show why. Whether you go to Berlin or not on a Baltic cruise, it will be an amazing cultural and historical experience. I am glad we saw all of these cities, and would not have missed the trip for the world.

Whatever you do, if you choose a Baltic cruise, come back and ask for guidance on the way to see these cities. Most are easily accessible for a DIY day in port - except St. Petersburg. There, there are many reputable private operators who will make the experience an unforgettable one.

Good luck in your decision-making.