Baltic cruise – late September/early October

May I suggest you head over to the Cruise Critic forum? There is a wealth of information there about all things cruise related. They also have roll calls, so you might even “meet” fellow passengers https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forum/858-categories/

Thank you I’ll definitely check that site.

Visby and Ronne (not Bonne) certainly are.

Both will have shuttle buses, but Ronne especially is an interesting walk- both are around a 15 to 20 minute walk from quay to city centre.

Copenhagen has various cruise berths. All the older berths are within walking distance of a railway station, the new terminals at Oceankaj have a free shuttle bus to Orientkaj metro station. Also the HoHo bus runs to all terminals (including Oceankaj) when a ship is in.

Kiel is right in the city centre. Tallinn is also well within walking distance of the Old Town.

Stockholm depends on which terminal you use, also check with the line that they are not using Nynashamn- a 1 hour train ride away.

It has been several years but we were on that cruise and hit most of those ports. For us, in every port HA provides some form of transportation, generally a bus running every 30 mins or so, to the center of the city if the dock was not within walking distance. We generally hit the local TI for local walk tours. As I remember most of the docks were near the downtown areas. And, of course, when you get off there are dozens of taxis willing to take you anywhere.

Barbara, I think we're on the same cruise - and I had the same question! I called HAL and, unfortunately, they were not very helpful but I've cobbled together some info from cruise critic. If it would be useful I've also developed a port by port itinerary ( I thought that the ship excursions were crazy expensive) and would be happy to share it. Just send me a note and I'll send it. We've been to several of these ports before so I've found a number of unusual things to do.

We did similar years ago. You take a train from to Berlin..I believe it was a 2 hour train one way. We did not do it. We have been to Berlin on our own for a week stay and I really don't think you would have adequate time to see the city on a quick excursion the ship offers. The port though was cute and charming.

Did you know you posted in the Netherlands section? You may get even more response from posting under General Europe or the Specific countries.
Have a great trip!

Thank you! I tried posting to the Gen Europe, travel forum, but was not allowed since the topic had already been posted.

hey hey bpeters922
like others have mentioned, register with cruisecritic.com
check out forums and roll calls with your ship, post a question if anyone interested in sharing a private tour from dock(first come first goes) research private tour/taxi companies in city you visiting, read what they offer and cost or what you wish to see & let driver say what he/she can do. be adamant about times and returning to ship before sailaway. we liked small group (4 to 6 people).
we have done that on a few cruises in states and europe, met great cruisers and enjoyed the tour. it does take some time but when all done, get off ship and tour van waiting to zoom you away. carry small bills of that country for tipping or if stopping at shop/photo ops, be prepared & stopping at an ATM. if you do get a group, discuss how they pay (pay cash to driver with the split or credit card & get cash from cruiser before tour)
enjoy and have fun
aloha

We did the Baltic several years ago and LOVED it. We were on Celebrity, and I always book our own excursions and find Cruise Critic to be a wealth of resources. In Stockholm, we got off ship and took the train to the VASA ship museum. I highly recommend! It was amazing and so interesting. Very easy to get around Stockholm on your own. Same with Estonia. Our ship offered a 10.00 round trip ticket on the bus to get to town. Then we walked all over. A fantastic village with a wonderful town square. In Oslo, we took the train down to the waterfront and had a fantastic day walking around tasting foods and visiting the churches. I would highly recommend hiring a tour for Berlin. I'll look for the name of the guide we used & repost. He was fantastic and we only had 16 people in our group. Visited East and West. Very long day since the port is far from the city, but worth it. In all of our cruises, my favorite port we've ever cruised into is Stockholm. Gorgeous scenery.