8 Hour Train from Southern Germany to Catch Cruise Ship in Northern Germany - How Close to Cut It?

Where are you starting from? It will take time to turn in a rental car at Munich Hbf. What are the hours of the agency on that date? You'll have to park it in a garage by the station, driving in on a week day means commuter traffic.
Stuff can happen. If you want to make your boat for sure, I would not cut it that close. Turn the car in the day before and take the train to Hamburg and spend the night there.

Is 1 hour loss of sleep worth the chance of missing your ship? How much money down the toilet if you miss it?

Sorry, can't mustard much sympathy. We're leaving in a few days for Budapest. Original departure from our local airport was 1130am. Then Delta keep moving up the flight time to Amsterdam til we barely had a 45 minute layover. So as not to risk missing that flight or the connection to Budapest we moved our departure up to the only one available - 6am. Gonna be a seriously long day as I don't sleep well on planes.

Thanks for the responses/feedback - much appreciated. Think best plan will be to forgo the sleep and take the earlier train, understanding it will take time to turn the car in at Munich train station (will just be a key drop-off at that hour of the morning (a Saturday).

That one hour of sleep lose will quickly fade from memory when you get on board all safe and sound. Best of luck on your cruise.

Think best plan will be to forgo the sleep and take the earlier
train...

I have some doubts as to that being the "best" plan. You are really depending on everything going flawlessly. There is no room for anything to go wrong. No hiccups on the drive into the city. No wait to get from the car drop off to the Hbh. The train departing on time. No accidents ahead on the line that could cause a delay. A smooth connection in Hamburg.

I've always been risk averse when it comes to travelling to get to a cruise port. For that reason, we always arrive at least one day early. A previous poster suggested travelling as far as Hamburg the day before embarkation. I think the idea warrants serious consideration.

Hi,

You have the day options as listed above, and you have a night train option, ie Munich to Hamburg Hbf, then change to Kiel on a regional train.

I've taken that night train connection a few times...easy.

It's about 10 mins from Kiel Hbf to the cruise ship dock, depending which exit you take from Kiel Hbf.

I don't like cutting it close. I would advise taking the 07:15 dep, arr 15:15 or the board the night train to Hamburg. Transferring in Hamburg-Altona to Kiel Hbf is better than at Hamburg Hbf...super crowded and stairs on both sides. The escalator doesn't help either, even more crowded.

Of all big train stations in Germany, Cologne, Leipzig, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Hannover, I find transferring with luggage in tow to be the most taxing in Hamburg Hbf.

Yes, you will miss the departure if the second choice train is late, but since the ICE is Munich to Kiel (a few routes are), direct, then take the early departure...forget the sleeping.

Munich to Kiel direct on the ICE is ideal. You won't have to get off in Hamburg.

The German Railways are less reliable than you probably imagine. Cancellations and considerable delays are no exception.

Munich to Kiel direct on the ICE is ideal
Transferring in Hamburg-Altona to Kiel Hbf is better than at Hamburg Hbf

There are no direct trains betwen Munich and Kiel, and according to the DB website the RE from Hamburg to Kiel doesn't stop in Altona; you have to transfer in Hamburg Hbf.

@ marklemery
Where did you get the schedules from? According to the DB website the first train departs Munich 7:19 and arrives Kiel 14:55, the second 8:20 - 15:55. Transfer time in Hamburg is only 13 or 15 min, resp., so the second connection is way too risky and out of question. The punctuality record of the first train (ICE 1682) for the last 31 days is 80%, so the second RE arriving in Kiel by 15:55 would be your fall back option. Personally, I'd take even an earlier train, viz ICE 886, dep. Munich 6:16, arr. Kiel 13:55 or the night train mentioned by Fred (dep. 22:52; book at oebb.at) .

Do you ever use public transportation at home? Honestly, even if you were driving your family's mighty steel steed to the mall, it's possible for a truck to overturn at an intersection you always used "without any trouble at all." I can't believe you'd even consider arriving at a train station in Kiel at 4:15 (if on time) for a hard deadline of 5:00PM from a port elsewhere in the city. That's just not sensible. Have you looked at Google Maps to connect the port and the rail station yet? When we first left on a ship from the massive port of Civitavecchia (for Rome), we discovered that we had to SIT on a 49-passenger bus (with the engine and air conditioning turned off) until it had enough passengers for the port authority to send it onto the piers to stop at THREE different ships - of which ours was the last! (You are not allowed to walk on most piers, even IF the distance is actually manageable.) That took over a half-hour, and we barely made it to the ship on time.

I suppose you can't change it now, but being in southern Germany right before a Kiel departure was not good vacation planning. We've been on about 8 cruises, and we try to arrive in the cruise city by the afternoon before that day of the cruise departure. Although this newsboard has had some posts of "local" visits as an alternative to "(Kiel for) Berlin" cruise ship mid-cruise stops, I would spend the night before in Lubeck - which we thoroughly enjoyed. But if you prefer bigger cities, Hamburg.

No direct ICE Munich to Kiel? Doch! The OP is exacting this connection. In June this connection dep at 0720 hrs.

The regional trains (some) stop at Altona. and Hbf.

@ mark....I recommend the earlier arrival since you are with the family. Ordinarily would I do cut it close by 45 mins? I might, since I travel alone, plus I know the lay-out of Kiel Hbf (been there several times in the past few years) and the proximity to the boarding area. I've walked it before to see the timing from Kiel Hbf....no problem there, that is, if the iCE arrives on time.

Of course, this presupposes that the ICE is on time, which can't always be counted on.

If the iCE is on time, you have ample to make it to boarding area, if everyone hurries. Bottom line, take the earlier arrival.

I wouldn't try to do a same-day train trip at all - I would come in the day before and spend the night near the cruise port. Or, take a train halfway between Munich and Kiel the day before, and take the second half the day of.

As a frequent cruiser, I have seen and heard many stories of people missing the ships, and they aren't pretty. Do you really want to spend the first day you were supposed to be relaxing on the ship, instead chasing it down to the next port, trying to board at that point (which will be way more difficult than boarding at the original spot), and spending extra money on transportation, possibly a hotel room for the first missed night, etc.?

Also I would point out that 5pm may actually be the time the ship sails, not the last boarding time - I would double-check that fact. Like if a ship sails at 5, they usually do not allow passengers to board right up until 5, as it takes at least 30 minutes to get everything untied and cleared for launch. Were you not assigned a boarding time by the cruise company?

Also editing this post to add: You're also traveling with kids. Do you really want to deal with the kids moaning and complaining and freaking out over a missed ship? (I have kids of a similar age, and I can just imagine their distress if we missed the ship.)

No direct ICE Munich to Kiel? Doch! The OP is exacting this connection. In June this connection dep at 0720 hrs.

The regional trains (some) stop at Altona. and Hbf.

@Fred

So please tell me where you did find that direct train from Munich to Kiel. The DB site shows for any Saturday in June a departure of ICE 1682 at 7:19 to Hamburg, arr. 13:30 with a connection to RE 2118 to Kiel dep. 13:43 - no stop in Altona. The later - and in my view extremly risky - connection ist Munich dep. 8:20, Hamburg Hbf. arr. 14:28, connection to Re 21130 dep 14:43, Kiel arr. 15:55. No stop in Altona either. What would be possible, however, is to transfer in Hamburg Dammtor.

Sorry but planning to arrive on the same day that the ship departs, I think you need to think about how you will handle it if something goes wrong and you miss your ship.

I agree with some of the other posters regarding going to the area close to the cruise ship the day before. Unexpected events can happen. I was on a train in Germany that got delayed 3+ hours due to an accident on the tracks. I have also had people tell me how much it cost them to catch up with a cruise ship that left without them. It's your vacation; play it safe and relax. Have a great trip!

I refrained from comment earlier as I have not used trains in Germany and had no relevant experience to share. Seeing some others comments about the risk caused me to look at what a comparable trip in the US would be, to help with a sense a more familiar example.

Traveling from Twin Falls Idaho to get a cruise ship in Seattle is essentially covering the same distance OP contemplates.
I doubt anyone living in Twin Falls would plan a land transit beginning that AM to get a cruise ship leaving Seattle at 5PM the same day.

I hope OP has the flexibility in their schedule to not have to attempt the risk laden venture outlined and can plan a less risky journey.

If the only choices are the 715 vs the 815 train, then its the 715 by a landslide

I'm an experienced cruiser who supports the notion of arriving in the cruise port city at least the day prior to the ship's departure. You have no idea what can happen in a place you're not familiar with. What if one of your daughters comes down ill the day you are trying to attempt this awkward commute?

Although I've never been to the Port of Kiel, and don't know the size of the ship you'll be boarding, I would aim to be at the ship no later than 2-3 hours before the latest boarding time as per your 'boarding pass'. There is usually a mandatory safety demonstration for all new passengers and you will want time to ensure that your luggage is boarded and delivered to your cabin prior to sailaway.

You don't want to be "those passengers" who come running towards the gangplank (the red carpet will already have been rolled up) while officers of the ship are glancing at their watches every 30 seconds wondering where the stragglers are --- and if the ship will have to leave without them! It could be very expensive and unpleasant if you had to make your way on your own to the next port of call.