Tybro

We did the same cruise last September and it was awesome so you're in for a real treat! We stayed at the Hotel Fita pre-cruise. It had many great reviews and frankly, I'm not sure why. It was okay, but just a very basic old hotel with no amenities. We had to leave the window open due to the stuffiness of the room and a gang of teens hung outside the hotel all night drinking, shouting, and playing music very loud music. We stayed at the American Hotel post cruise and it was great! Great location, nice big clean room overlooking the canal. Full amenities and as central to everything as you can get. We loved it and highly recommend. It was the same price as the Hotel Fita and we were just sorry we didn't stay her from the beginning. I will be staying here for sure next time I go to Amsterdam.

SPB- We used SPB tours for St. Petersburg and I can't say enough about how good they were. We chose a private tour and had a driver and a tour guide to ourselves. Took us everywhere we wanted to go and gave us just enough background without being overwhelming. We referred them to another couple who just returned from their cruise last week and they agreed that they were excellent. When you book, tell them you want Eugene and Max as your guides. You won't be disappointed.

WARNEMUNDE- We walked across the street from the ship and booked a segway tour of the town. Was no one else booked so we got a private tour of the the whole town, including outlying places that no tour bus could go. I highly recommend this. Segways are simple to use, safe, and fun!

Berlin is a 3 hour bus ride from Warnemunde. Everyone on our ship who did that excursion wished they hadn't. Was too long on the bus and no real time in Berlin.

All other ports we did on our own. No guide was needed, but that's just us. If you want a history or info on the place you might want to take a walking tour. If you are going to Tallin, Estonia, I suggest you watch the documentary called "The singing revolution" before you go. Very interesting history of Estonia and the part singing plays in the life of the people there. I was able to see the singing grounds off my balcony.

Hawaiiuk,

As for the cost, I can't remember exactly but I think it awas around $75 each. We didn't pre-book. I happened to see a guy on a segway from the ship while I was eating breakfast so we walked over there and a nice kid (20 something) took me and my husband on a tour all over the town. There are pathways everywhere in Warnemunde so you're never in traffic and, other than our time in Russia, the was the best thing we did on this cruise. The tour was over an hour and we so much. We are now hooked on segway tours and look for them at all ports. It's like and intimate walking tour but covering a lot more ground and a lot more fun. Our friends went on the Dave tour and they enjoyed it but said it was a bit long for them. I think you'd enjoy either of these options.

The best tour in Warnemunde is the segway tour. Directly across the street from the ship is a small shop where you can pay to take a segway tour. We went all over Warnemunde...through the forest, into private neighborhoods, down by the water front... It was a blast and we saw more of Warnemunde than anyone else I talked to on our cruise.