Flying from NYC. What is better departure port.. Copenhagen or Berlin?

[luv2gonow]

Hi,

I am looking at the Princess Regal Baltic cruise. I can choose to leave out of St.Petersburg, Copenhagen or Berlin(name of port starts with W)

 

Ruled out St. Petersburg because we are docked overnight and will have more time to explore that city.

 

I was thinking Berlin because easier to explore Europe after or before cruise.

 

Anyone know if flights are generally cheaper or more plentiful to Copenhagen or Berlin?

 

Also how would one get to port from Berlin or Copenhagen?

Thanks

Kerri

Edited March 23, 2015 by luv2gonow

[MSBerliner]

Ask your local ,favorite Travel agent. Copenhagen IS a port city. Berlin is INLAND. Please take a look at a map of europe.

[luv2gonow]

Thanks.

I know Berlin is a few hours by train away which is why I thought leaving out of "Berlin" would be nice so I can arrive early and see more of the city.

And also after cruise I wouldn't have to fly I could take a train to maybe Paris or Zurich.

 

I was just wondering if flights to Berlin or Copenhagen are cheaper or more popular? Not familiar with flying to Europe.

Thanks

Kerri

[CruiserBruce]

Copenhagen would be the standard choice. As mentioned, Berlin is 3 hours inland by train.

 

As to which airport is cheaper, just do some test bookings. CPH is a very easy airport to use.

Edited March 23, 2015 by CruiserBruce

[luv2gonow]

Copenhagen would be the standard choice. As mentioned, Berlin is 3 hours inland by train.

 

As to which airport is cheaper, just do some test bookings. CPH is a very easy airport to use.

 

Thanks. Not sure delta goes to Berlin but I put a test run in.

Ny to Berlin, then Zurich to nyc. No flights came up.

But when I did nyc to Copenhagen. Then Zurich to nyc flights came up.

My thinking was after cruise take a train to Zurich to explore and fly home from there. Seems harder to check when multi city is involved.

Need to do more research.

Thanks

Kerri

[sunsetbeachgal]

We just booked a cruise that departs and ends in Copenhagen, on HAL as we wanted a Baltic itinerary that does not include St. Petersburg (been there years ago) which are hard to find.

 

We are booked on Lufthansa with a connection in Munich. Good luck!

[Astro Flyer]

We're booked on Air Berlin from CPH to JFK connecting in Berlin's TXL airport. We used AAdvantage Miles but seem to recall that prices were competitive.

[skynight]

Did this cruise in the fall. Copenhagen is easier and a nice pre-cruise experience. Ship is docked 15 mins from center city. Copenhagen is a walkable city. Examine rates to Copenhagen on Iceland Air.

If you fly in and out of Berlin you have a three hour train ride to/from the port of Warnemunde. If you are doing this on your own, not with a Princess transfer then would suggest traveling from Berlin to Rostock (city next to the Port) the day before boarding. On boarding day you will then have to take a taxi service or the local commuter train to the ship.

Also, we boarded in Copenhagen, and at the port of Warnemunde we chose not to take the 3 hour one way train ride to tour Berlin. We toured the port area and Rostock. much more relaxed.

[luv2gonow]

We just booked a cruise that departs and ends in Copenhagen, on HAL as we wanted a Baltic itinerary that does not include St. Petersburg (been there years ago) which are hard to find.

 

We are booked on Lufthansa with a connection in Munich. Good luck!

Hoping to fly direct. Did you enjoy St. Petersburg?

We're booked on Air Berlin from CPH to JFK connecting in Berlin's TXL airport. We used AAdvantage Miles but seem to recall that prices were competitive.

 

Good to know. I love to plan but there are so many choices with different itineraries. And then when I looked at room availability out of Berlin. Not much available for 2016:eek: So now I feel pressure to make a decision.

Kerri

[luv2gonow]

Did this cruise in the fall. Copenhagen is easier and a nice pre-cruise experience. Ship is docked 15 mins from center city. Copenhagen is a walkable city. Examine rates to Copenhagen on Iceland Air.

If you fly in and out of Berlin you have a three hour train ride to/from the port of Warnemunde. If you are doing this on your own, not with a Princess transfer then would suggest traveling from Berlin to Rostock (city next to the Port) the day before boarding. On boarding day you will then have to take a taxi service or the local commuter train to the ship.

Also, we boarded in Copenhagen, and at the port of Warnemunde we chose not to take the 3 hour one way train ride to tour Berlin. We toured the port area and Rostock. much more relaxed.

 

Yes I saw that Warnemunde was a nice beach town. If I did board there I would tour Berlin for 2 days then night before cruise stay near port. Which is why I wanted to Board there because of distance to Berlin. Didn't want to do that excursion with long train ride. And wanted to see the city.

Also easier jumping off point after cruise to explore another part of Europe.

Decisions:D

Kerri

[sunsetbeachgal]

Hoping to fly direct. Did you enjoy St. Petersburg?

 

 

Yes, for us the highlight was the Hermitage, and we spent our two days in port touring the palaces and museum. Very memorable, but seeing it once was enough, especially considering the high price of the excursions, which you are about to find out!

 

Enjoy!

[Astro Flyer]

Hoping to fly direct. Did you enjoy St. Petersburg?

 

 

 

 

 

Good to know. I love to plan but there are so many choices with different itineraries. And then when I looked at room availability out of Berlin. Not much available for 2016:eek: So now I feel pressure to make a decision.

 

Kerri

 

Another option is Norweigian Air which has some great prices but do your research as there have been some complications dealing with regulators.

[caribill]

Airfare to Berlin or Copenhagen will probably not be very much different.

 

What you need to decide is which of the two cities you have the bigger desire to tour at the start or end of your cruise.

 

Don't let a small difference in airfare determine which city you really want to explore.

 

(To me, St.Pete is a non-starter due to the big hassle required to get a visa to arrive in Russia if not on a cruise ship.)

[Loonbeam]

Strictly airport wise, I'd probably go Copenhagen before Berlin. Several of my air travel stories involve Berlin. None of them the good kind.

[Rancher Dave]

Copenhagen airport and port not too far apart. Berlin airport to port a couple of hours.

[J-D]

The airport-to-ship logistics are certainly simpler and quicker via CPH. However, I would make the decision between CPH and Berlin (current airport code TXL) based on where you would prefer to spend extra pre- and/or post-cruise time.

 

Berlin is a large city with an overwhelming number of interesting things to see and do, particularly if you are interested in history, museums, architecture, etc. If you board the ship in Copenhagen and then visit Berlin on a day tour during a port call at Waarnemunde (allowing for the long round trip by train or bus from port to Berlin), you will only have time to see a tiny fraction of the interesting things in Berlin. In that case, better to fly in to Berlin, and spend whatever number of days you choose there before and/or after the cruise.

 

Alternatively, if you are particularly interested in Copenhagen and prefer to spend extra time there rather than in Berlin, it would make sense to fly into CPH.

 

For those concerned about language difficulties during your pre- or post-cruise time, it is easy to get along in Copenhagen without speaking Danish; a bit more stressful in Germany if you don't speak German. We have spent more time in Berlin than in Copenhagen, so we might prefer to spend extra time in Copenhagen on our next trip to the general area, but other people's situations would differ.

 

As others have said, given the complications with independent travel to St. Petersburg, I would not consider starting and ending there.

 

John

[luv2gonow]

Thanks everyone.

I think I will go out of Copenhagen.

It seems there is not too many direct flights to Berlin out of NYC....very surprising.

Copenhagen has better service. I would have liked to be on the mainland for some exploring post cruise....but seems like a lot of hassle and makes me nervous to travel without tour in a country without knowing the language.

Thanks

Kerri

[msmoger]

For those concerned about language difficulties during your pre- or post-cruise time, it is easy to get along in Copenhagen without speaking Danish; a bit more stressful in Germany if you don't speak German.

 

I can second this sentiment concerning fewer English speakers in Berlin than Copenhagen.

 

Interestingly, we were in Berlin for the better part of a week and in Munich for about 4 days. There was virtually no language barrier in Munich. I speculated at the time (2007) it was because Munich, having been part of West Germany had much more exposure to western tourists, including those from the UK and US, and therefore had more of an opportunity (and perhaps need/desire) to learn English. I have nothing concrete to base that on, just speculation.

 

After Munich we went to Prague and pretty much anyone under 40 spoke English. I'm guessing that's more of a demographic thing. ;)

[Essiesmom]

I am curious as to why you are not flying into one city and out of another? You could fly into Copenhagen and spend a day or two before the cruise, then after the cruise, take the train to Berlin, spend a few days, and fly home from there. Many cruises in the Med. require that you fly into one city and out of another. EM

[shipsealand]

The castle at Warnemunde, port for Berlin, is a must see. Imagine the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland and this one is even more spectacular. Take the boat ride on the lake to approach the castle and then explore the castle.

[J-D]

Thanks everyone.

I think I will go out of Copenhagen.

It seems there is not too many direct flights to Berlin out of NYC....very surprising.

Copenhagen has better service. I would have liked to be on the mainland for some exploring post cruise....but seems like a lot of hassle and makes me nervous to travel without tour in a country without knowing the language.

Thanks

Kerri

 

The main intercontinental airport for northern Germany is Frankfurt, and access to Berlin has required (both pre- and post-unification) connecting there or somewhere else. The new Berlin Brandenburg airport (BER) has been under construction for a long time on the opposite side of Berlin from the main Berlin Tegel airport (TXL). Actually, BER will be an expansion of the existing Berlin Schönefeld airport, which was the airport for the former East Berlin. BER is woefully behind schedule and over budget, and flights to/from Berlin from the west will presumably remain via the old airports for a few more years.

 

It is a short flight from CPH to Berlin for anyone wanting to spend pre-cruise time in Copenhagen and post-cruise time in Berlin (or vice versa) and preferring to transfer via air. Once there, Berlin is an easy city to get around via public transit.

 

John