Ports of call

[Ilmksm]

We will be traveling on the Celebrity Silhouette leaving Rotterdam Aug 16. My elderly mother will be joining us and although able to walk without assistive devices, she is slower and long distances can be difficult. We will be stopping in Warnemünde, Gdynia, Visby, Tallinn, Stockholm and Copenhagen (overnight). 
Can anyone share whether the ship will dock within walking distance of any of these center cities ? Typically does Celebrity provide shuttles if not docked in town? 
Any suggestions for tour companies where groups are small and tour at a leisurely pace for any of these stops would be appreciated! Also, ant experience with a private tour guide meeting folks right at the port. TIA

[CruiserBruce]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!  

 

Some reading around the board would get you a ton of info on your ports. For example, there is a thread just down the board discussing an overnight stay in Copenhagen,  and that the ships don't dock near the sights or even the city. This is also true in Stockholm. Tallinn isn't too far, but it might still be too far for your situation. 

[kaisatsu]

Also worth doing a quick search. There was a recent thread that mentioned the walkability of Visby, and Tallinn has been a favorite port for several years. It’s discussed less since the closing of St.Petersburg has reduced cruising in that are, but the older threads may still be relevant.

[edinburgher]

On 2/22/2024 at 4:52 PM, Ilmksm said:

We will be stopping in Warnemünde

Ships usually dock next to the train station.  Walk through the (quite small) train station, cross the bridge and you are there. A very pleasant seaside town, actually a suburb of Rostock, also worth a visit.

 

Lots of previous threads as W is often combined with Rostock or elsewhere.  Choose which to read  from these;

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=warnemunde&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=116

Edited February 24 by edinburgher

[kitkat343]

In Tallinn, you'd need at least a cab to get you to the top of Tompea Hill.  The beauty of Tallin is walking through the beautiful historic Old Town.  I don't know if she can walk downhill, but definitely don't walk to the top of the hill (its manageable if you are physically fit but the walk up from the terminal isn't beautiful so anyone who has limited physical stamina should skip the walk up).  There are pedicabs that can take her around the Old Town, and at least when I went 10 years ago there was a silly train that we took for our 3 year old but I actually wound up enjoying since it was a nice little ride through the beautiful streets.  There were no pedicabs in the port the day we arrived, just cabs (which can't access all of the Old Town) but we were there on a holiday and you might have better luck finding a pedicab that can take you all over the old town from the port.  

 

I travelled with a 3 year old and the only place we booked a tour was St. Petersburg.  There are excellent public transportation systems elsewhere (not sure about Gdynia or Visby) but in the other places if she has enough stamina for that.  

 

The HOHO ferry in Stockholm is quite a lovely and pleasant way to get around if she can access it (its a short walk from one of the docks in Stockholm, and then there's getting on and off the ferry).  The ferry ride through Copenhagen was also quite lovely just to see and experience if she can access it.

 

We travel with small children, so we usually get private tours for just ourselves but you can contact the private tour guides you can find on tripadvisor and ask them if they have small group tours that would move at a slower pace (private tours for just your group will be expensive in Europe but you can at least price it out and see).  Good luck - this is a beautiful cruise and I hope she enjoys it!

Edited February 25 by kitkat343