Cruises from Berlin

Berlin offers residents, including the large Ukrainian community, two different seasonal routes to a cruise, and neither requires a trip to the border or back to Ukraine. In the Baltic season, the train becomes a convenient option: direct rail service from Berlin leads to Hamburg, as well as toward Kiel and Warnemunde, from where liners depart in Baltic waters. The train trip takes a few hours and does not depend on airport schedules, so it often turns out more convenient than a domestic flight. For the Mediterranean season, it makes more sense to use the BER airport in Berlin: direct flights from there go toward Barcelona, Civitavecchia near Rome, Genoa, or other southern ports, where MSC, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Costa, and Celestyal wait for passengers. Which of the two options to choose depends primarily on the season and the specific cruise: the Baltic route through Hamburg or Kiel is relevant only in summer, while Mediterranean flights from BER are available for most of the year. For people from Ukraine now living in Berlin, this trip is dramatically simpler than the one relatives who still live back home have to make: instead of a ground segment and a border, all that is left is a flight or a train within Europe. How this same route looks for a family departing directly from Ukraine is described in detail in the article "How a Ukrainian can get on a cruise: the road to the port."