We will be on the Carnival Splendor in July, 2008, and wanted to try to get to Berlin, by train, on our own. My husband is afraid we will get lost. Is there an easy route to get from Warnemunde to Berlin and how much will be cost. The excursions from the ship are $385.00 per person and there are three in our party. Any help would be greatly appeciated.

Go to cruisecritic.com and go to the roll call for your ship. There are lots of posts regarding Warnemunde to Berlin. There are private tours and lots of info on getting the train etc.

I will be on the Splendor in August. I have opted to not take any of the ship's excursions. I and my granddaughter will be touring on our own except for St. Petersburg, where we'll be using a Russian company.

The train station from where the ship docks in Warnemunde is very close. Foder's book, European Cruises, gives directions on traveling into Berlin. Also, tripadvisor.com will give you lots of info from people who have already traveled on their own to Berlin.

I decided that two and one half hours one way by train was not very appealling, so we are going to scout the little towns around the coastal area on our own. I have a German acquaintance from Berlin who has a cottage near Warnemundi, and she said the whole area is very nice including a great beach.

I've been contacting tourist information centers for all the ports and have received great information, including packets sent via regular mail to my home. I'm sure if you do some research, you'll get all the information you'll need.

Thank you for the information. Have a great cruise with your granddaughter.

And, you have a wonderful trip as well. Don't worry about getting lost. People are very helpful all over the world...even if there is a language barrier.