Bus transfer from Berlin to Warnemunde

Posted by wandatp on 09/10/19 01:03 PM

We are spending pre-cruise time in Berlin and then transferring to Warnemunde to board our ship. The cost of the ship's transfer is a bit outrageous (over $500 for us both!) so I started looking at DIY. Several in this forum have counselled against using the train so we started looking at taking a bus; since the cruise transfer is also a bus it seemed logical.

Initial research looks like we will be able to do it for a lot less and the bus times to Warnemunde and back are much better.

What we'd like to know is if anyone else has done this and has an opinion good or bad.

Posted by MarkK

Berlin

09/10/19 01:31 PM

3014 posts

You can choose both: DB train and FlixBus. Also a lot of locals travel these route (not me) but if there would be any permanent issues I think I would know it. On summer weekends (esp. Saturdays from Berlin and Sundays back to Berlin) I would prefer the train, Autobahn can be affected by traffic jams.

Posted by sla019

Bavaria

09/10/19 07:19 PM

2481 posts

Several in this forum have counselled against using the train

I can't imagine a plausible reason for that. Admittedly, the train journey implies one transfer, viz. to the S-Bahn in Rostock, but that S-Bahn runs frequently, so there's no problem if you don't catch the planned one.

Posted by jessicabrownmaria

09/17/19 03:06 PM

97 posts

Hi,
I don't think taking a train would be a problem. I would advise going earlier than needed, just in case.
But why don't you check the price of a private transfer? That is so much more comfortable. When we were in Warnemunde with Princess, we arranged a tour to Berlin with Anastasia tours. I know this is not really what you are looking for, but it doesn't hurt to ask them, if they would offer only transfers. They were very helpful with all our tours in the Baltic.

Posted by Philip

London, United Kingdom

09/18/19 04:03 PM

4684 posts

I think the advice not to take the train is for people who are in a different situation to you - people who are in the middle of their cruise, have a day in Warnemunde, and have been encouraged by the cruise company to make the unnecessarily long day trip to Berlin instead of visiting one of the very attractive history towns and cities in Mecklenberg-Vorpommern which are closer.

Posted by Tim

Wyckoff, NJ, USA

09/18/19 04:51 PM

7897 posts

Although I haven't cruised from Warnemunde, I agree with Philip. You have a wide time slot to aim for, but it does have a "drop dead" time limit! Trains do get delayed, but I think they are safer than busses, especially for such a long distance. Let's hope someone who has used the bus posts with their experience.

I don't mean to twist your arm, but travels over many years have brought us to Berlin many times (and we haven't exhausted the city yet!) Do you have any interest in spending the last night in UNESCO WHS Wismar or Stralsund? (I preferred Wismar.) Farther away from the ship, but even more desirable, is Lubeck. Schwerin may or may not be well-connected to the coast, but it is also nice for a night.