Scottishclover

Just flew back from Schipol yesterday after our cruise. Took us 3 and a quarter hours to get through security. We arrived 4 hours before as advised and would have struggled to catch our flight had it not had a small delay. The queue to check in baggage was also long. Although I had read about the chaos, it really has to be seen to be believed. Funny thing was when we arrived there were no queues anywhere and we got our luggage really quickly. Security guards control the line, there is no skipping and no fast tracking. No exceptions for anyone. Felt sorry for those with small children and the elderly. Lots of people missed flights including some from our cruise.

We disembarked the Celebrity Apex in Amsterdam yesterday. We also had sailaway at 3.30pm due to low salinity but I got the impression that this was sprung on the captain as their was no prior notice beforehand. It did not have any impact on the return. When we woke up early yesterday morning we were already docked in Amsterdam. What might affect your flight home is the utter chaos at Schipol airport. We got there 4 hours beforehand as advised and we stood in a queue for 3 and half hours to get through security. I had read about this beforehand but it had to be seen to be believed. We were relaxed as we knew our flight had a small delay but we would have had to run if it had left on time. We left the ship at 7.45 am for a 1 pm flight. There were hundreds of people in the queue who missed flights. There is no fast tracking, any queue jumpers sent to the back of the queue (security guards patrol the line) and no exceptions - everyone needs to stand in the queue. I would not attempt a flight before 1 pm.

Thank you so much for your review. It has been fabulous. We board the Apex tomorrow, as you get off and we are so looking forward to it. My husband is coeliac and his eyes lit up when I showed him the photos of the gluten free cakes! Your information about how to get to each city centre from the port has been invaluable. I love how you give alternative means of transport - although we are not brave enough to cycle in Copenhagen! Enjoy your last day cruising.

Suggestions for further afield - jump on the train to Sweden and visit either Malmo or Lund or Ystad. Another possibility is the island of Ven in the Oresund and hire bikes but that takes a bit more organisation. You need to get a train to Landskrona and then ferry but really worth it. We based ourselves in Malmo for a week before a cruise from Copenhagen to explore the south of Sweden and loved it. Your children will love Tivoli - we have been twice and our now 19 and 17 year olds have requested it again when we visit Copenhagen in a few weeks time.

I can’t thank you enough for these photos. Assuming we dock the same place as you, the port entrance seems simple enough to reach. Considering our tour guide has picked up clients before, I see no reason why we couldn’t walk from the ship. Worst case scenario we will get the shuttle. Sorry your day has been put on hold by bad weather. I hope it improves for the rest of the cruise.

We are on the next cruise on the Apex and I only discovered last week we were docking at KS. It is not ideal. We have a private tour booked and the guide is going to pick us up outside the main KS port area ( he has done this already for other guests on RCCL ) I am a bit concerned about getting to the entrance as the port seems very industrial so would be interested if tomorrow you see anybody walking instead of getting the shuttle. Thank you so much for taking the time to report on the port location/ logistics. I really appreciate it.

You were right not to walk up to Eze. We were there in April and had planned to walk up Nietzsche’s path from Eze sur Mer to Eze. We love to hike but even we bailed and walked down instead. It was pretty steep and you really need trainers - it would be a step to far in Birkenstocks! Your photos brought back lovely memories. Really enjoying the report.

Loving your review of the ship, but loving the fashion show even more . You all look so stylish. I would love to do a Med cruise on the Beyond or Edge next year but the heat would worry me. As a fair skinned Scot I just can’t cope with it. Was it unbearably hot when you got off in the ports?

Enjoy your day In Warnemuende. I worked and lived in Rostock in the early 90s when the area looked a bit different. Of course there was no cruise port back then, it was all very industrial. I actually wrote my final dissertation about the development of tourism in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern but did not foresee the way the area would be used as a cruise hub. I’ve been back many times since and it has been interesting to see how things have changed. In Rostock the buildings have been beautifully restored and there is a nice walk you can do around the city gates. I love the different architecture there - even that from GDR times, as it all tells a story. Thanks for the morning view of Warnemuende 😀 The iconic Hotel Neptun brings back many memories but the Ferris wheel is new since my last visit. I can’t wait to see some more photos of your day there.

Thanks for doing this review - we are on the next Baltic Cruise out of Amsterdam so excited to hear what you think of the ship and ports. Our cruise looks like it will have the same low occupancy judging by the number of available rooms. With things being so quiet is there enough atmosphere on the ship? Enjoy the rest of the cruise 😀

Thanks so much for this info. My husband did exactly what you suggested and it was validated instantly. One less thing to worry about.

I contacted our tour guide last night and he said he has experience of meeting groups outside the main gates, in fact he did this yesterday with some people from Voyager of the Seas. He has suggested that he drops us back off at the shuttle point at the end of the day. He said shuttles in the morning are a problem due to traffic jams so picking up at KS terminal is better. I’m just a bit concerned about finding the main gates - a bit of a walk does not bother us as we are going on a hike in a national park. Our tour guide is great with communication so I’m sure he can give a rough idea of timings.

Madeira is one of our favourite holiday destinations. Funchal ( the area near the cruise port ) is still quite authentic for a tourist destination. An easy trip would be up on the cable car to Monte then another one over to the Botanic Gardens. This could be done independently and then you could have a stroll around Funchal afterwards. If you are doing a tour, one which includes “ The Valley of the Nuns” would get my vote. You can actually get there by public bus from Funchal but there are lots of tours there too. If you like walking, many companies do half or full day levada walks, which gets you out in some lovely scenery. We have also done the hoho bus which takes you out of Funchal to Cabo Do Girao and Camera do Lobos. In terms of Island tours the west coast is prettier than the east. I hope this helps. BTW the cruise port is directly in the town centre. It couldn’t be better located.

We did a land trip 2 years ago to Iceland at the end of July and managed to see puffins. If you are doing a shore excursion along the south coast there are some cliffs next to the famous black sand beach at Vik. We saw puffins there, it must be a popular spot as birdwatchers were there with seats and binoculars but we just really stumbled across them while we were out for a short hike. It was cool to see the puffins but unless you are a keen birdwatcher, I’d say there’s lots of other amazing natural sights to see in Iceland instead.

Due to this thread I realised that our ship Celebrity Apex will be docking at KS terminal so thank you Cruise Wonderland for finding and posting the schedule. We have a tour booked through a private operator and I’m wondering if anyone knows where pick up for this port would be? We like a walk so would not bother us to walk to the facility entrance if allowed (I’ve had a look at some images and it does look very industrial.) I am pondering whether it would be best to get the shuttle and arrange pick up from Riga itself. I got in touch with our tour guide today to see if he can advise and am waiting on a reply but would appreciate anybody’s input who has had some experience with this.

We also had problems. Odd thing is mine and my two daughter’s records were validated after a few weeks but my husband was asked to resubmit. We have all had 2 vaccinations and one booster and I uploaded the same photo for us all - just the front page of the app which has a record of all 3 vaccinations and how long ago they were administered. I’m pretty sure you have to show your app at the pier anyway so I’m not going to worry about it.

We are only asked to remove boots very occasionally when we go through security. Last week we flew from Edinburgh to Munich for a hiking trip to Austria and did not have to remove boots at either airport. They obviously knew the stink coming from my daughter’s boots would knock them out😂

I would have other arrangements in place to get from Munich to Stockholm. I travelled through Munich Airport last week and the place was a disaster. Very different to the normal German efficiency pre-pandemic. 1) The queues to get through passport control were huge. It took much longer than normal ( although in the past we just glided through but not so now due to Brexit). We were going on to Austria and had to provide documentation of train tickets and documentation. Also row 6 will not matter as normally you are bussed to the terminal building and they wait till all busses are filled before moving. Another factor is the flight in before you - if it’s from EU then fine, if it’s not then expect delays. They are very thorough at border control. There may be a separate queue for those transiting, I’ve never noticed in all the years I’ve flown into Munich. 2) This will not apply to you but normally your luggage is already on the carousel when you come through but we had a long wait this time and ended up in a mad dash to catch our train. I read a news article that said they are really short of baggage handlers there just now. You may make the connecting flight - not sure about your luggage. 3) I was shocked at the state of the toilets and the area at the gates. Everything is normally so spotless and things were a mess, bins overflowing etc. They must be short of cleaning staff. Not up to normal standards. 4) Lots of flight cancellations by Lufthansa. I would have another flight ready to book to Stockholm just in case. It was interesting eavesdropping at the gates and listening to people’s travel tales of woes. One woman waited 5 hours in a queue to see a Lufthansa rep. The issue is ( as others have stated ) that so many flights are already full, but I would be proactive and have something ready, even on another airline. We were caught out by a cancellation in April and the next available flight on that route was not for 6 days and we were left on our own to sort something out. I’m telling you all this not to stress you out, but to encourage you to plan for the eventuality you may miss your connecting flight. I would certainly have other flights in mind and not assume that Lufthansa will sort you out as mentioned by another poster. Unfortunately this is the reality of travelling just now. Fingers crossed your flights run smoothly and you have an amazing trip. We are also going on a Baltic Cruisein July and leave from Amsterdam. Schipol Airport also in a mess by all accounts……

I’ve just got off a regional train from Kufstein in Austria to Munich on a €9 ticket. While the train was busier than usual, there were still seats so it probably depends on the route. It would be a long stand to Berlin from Warnemunde mind you but €9 is a real bargain.

You need to be in quick if you want to do the 30 minute museum talk beforehand. On the morning tickets came out, I forgot all about it and when I came home after work tickets for all of July were all sold out. We still managed to get tickets for a visit to the house though.

Yes there was shampoo and conditioner in the showers. Cannot stress enough, put on the conditioner beforehand AND clip it up. That means you’re not worrying about your hair and can relax and enjoy the experience.

I agree. We spent a week in Iceland and were never out our hiking boots and that was a week of fabulous weather. Much of the terrain is rocky and dusty, something more supportive than a trainer is needed. We too always travel in our hiking boots to help with suitcase space. Have a great trip - Iceland is such a unique place and probably our favourite place from all our travels.

Wismar is quite similar to Rostock, only smaller. The molli is fun. There is a lovely castle/palace in Schwerin, if that’s your thing. Ahrenshoop is a pretty artist’s colony on Fischland- Darss- Zingst peninsula but might be difficult on public transport. I love the island of Ruegen and you can get a train to the main town of Binz. There are some stunning beaches in the area for windswept walks or sunbathing. It’s worth looking into M-V ticket from Deutsche Bahn if you are using the train. A tip for Rostock: you can get a leaflet from the tourist info on University Square and walk round the old town walls ( only some parts remain). I worked as a language assistant 25 years ago and have been back a few times to visit friends, most recently in 2018. Each time there’s more to discover and experience and it’s very easy to get around.

We used Sandemans New Europe Tours and the meeting place was outside Starbucks at the Brandenburg Gate, so very central. I think the quality depends on the individual guides, but our tour had a lot of historical background and was so interesting.