kahplayground

14 day cruise aboard Celebrity going from Dover England to the following: St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo, (Rostock) Berlin,Gdansk(Gydnia)Poland, and Copenhagen with about 4 days at sea. We have booked with a tour company in St. Petersburg. My main concerns are getting to and from both Berlin (21/2 hours from port) and Gdansk (25-30 min from port). I thought about booking thru the cruise line but the prices are ridiculous for just transportation and it doesn't give you much time there. Is taking the train to Berlin easy? I plan to walk around and take my own tour with Berlin tours. How prevalent are cabs in Gydnia to take to Gdansk? I plan to shop there and take in the scenery. I'd rather not book tours thru the ship if I can help it so that I can do what I want to do when I want to do it.Any suggestions would be appreciated. sorry this is so long.

abram

Try the ports of call section of www.cruisecritic.com for lots of info.

CruiseReviews

In both cases, I would take the ship's transfers. It is a tight day in Rostock and the train to Berlin leaves right from the ship. Gdansk is well worth the effort to get there and is a wonderful port to visit. You could do a taxi here, but my impression is that there are not an ample amount to rely upon to get back to the ship.

For reviews on the ports you are considering, check out www.EuropePortReviews.com

Have a great cruise!

Tom
http:www.CruiseReviews.com

jweishan

Took a similar cruise on "Norwegian Dream" last June and have a word of caution for you .The trip is great but if you do not take the ships tours in Russia you must have a Russian visa.
Ships tours are covered by a blanket visa.
Also I think in a way you are being a little penny wise and pound foolish by trying to go to Gdansk and Berlin on your own and save a buck or two.
Last year the tour people that chose Hamburg (Berlin was not on our itinerary) got back to the ship at 11 p.m.due to crummy weather.
I would not spend the cost of that cruise and try to save in those countries possibly missing the boat..
Travel Scandinavian cities on your own if you choose but Russia and the former Eastern bloc are not the place to gamble. Little cricket

abram

You don't need an individual visa in Russia if you take tours from a company such as Red October or Denrus---they will arrange a group visa, and the cost will be included in your tour price.

Like the visas included in the ship's shore excursions, you will not be able to sightsee on your own.

traveller333

If they offer the Folklore show in the evening, don't miss it! It was one of the highlights of our trip.

Bird

How committed to Berlin are you? You might enjoy discovering Rostock and save the travel time. There is a few castles in the area, a zoo, or you could look for amber along the shores of the baltic. A five hour train ride to do a whirlwind tour of Berlin might not be as satisfying.

CruiseReviews

Bird, please elaborate on your suggestion. What is the best way to enjoy Rostock? Taxi to the sights?

Tom

Bird

Tom, I'm not a Rostock expert. You could walk into Rostock and enjoy the pedestrian Altstadt. There are boat excursions available. I'm not sure what other excursions you could arrange, but I'm sure there would be a variety of alternatives.

Personally, I would go to Warnemünde (the 20-minute train ride is about $16 RT) and enjoy some local seafood and a walk along the beach.