8th Day - Disembarkation - August 4, 2019

Approach to Warnemünde, our final destination. The Poesia will then take on new passengers and sail the Norway route for a week - I'm a bit envious, but also very happy to be going home.

We had one last pleasant night, everything was calm again.

So, suitcases packed and one last meal at the Fontane. Meanwhile, we arrived in Warnemünde (around 7 am).

We decided to use the white method, meaning we carried our suitcases off the ship ourselves.

It was supposed to be very uncomplicated - stick labels on the cruise card, suitcases, and jacket, and off we go.

And it really worked out that way. Took the suitcases down to the 4th floor, queued up for a bit, showed our cruise card for scanning one last time, said one last good morning and goodbye, and we left the ship. Went through the baggage hall and were back on the street.

About 3 hours later (we passed the time at the Lila-Bäcker and on the platform, and eventually the time passed) the ICE train to Berlin left and we were on it. We barely managed to find 2 seats because the train was very crowded and we had to leave our seats twice because they were reserved. But the third time's the charm. In Rostock, a bit of anxious sweating, but no one chased us away. So next time, definitely reserve seats. In Berlin, we went from the very bottom to the very top and then to Potsdam Central Station. That's where our paths diverged. Sabine took another train to Marquardt - and I took the tram home. We were both home shortly after 3 pm.

On a side note, the escalator at Potsdam Central Station was broken, but a nice young man carried my suitcase up the stairs - at the bottom: 'Well, it's not that heavy' and at the top: 'Actually, it is quite heavy.' Yes, I know, that's why I was very grateful to him.

Our conclusion: Tallinn was the most beautiful city. It was the coldest in St. Petersburg and the warmest in Copenhagen. The Baltic Sea showed its pleasant side throughout this week, always calm. I didn't get seasick either.

Overall, everything on the ship was well organized. The service in the bars was a bit slow. But the staff was consistently very nice and friendly. They certainly earned the 10 euros per day in tips.

That's it. Thank you all for your interest and opinions. A special thanks to Christian for the support with the navigation photos. It added a little something, and of course I gladly included Sabine's running route pictures. And yes, we would go on another cruise, the second part of the route still tempts me.