We caught a cab here from the airport because we weren't really sure about public transportation…read moreand it seemed a lot more complicated. Our cab driver knew exactly where to go when we showed him the address and port, so I would suggest just taking a taxi if you are able. We arrived a bit earlier than planned, and we were glad, as there wasn't a large crowd or line at the front entrance. Had we not gotten information from our cruise line, MSC, it may have been a bit confusing. There was one attendant who couldn't really answer any of our questions and only pointed us to bag drop-off. Some of the other passengers spoke English and were able to help us out. Once we checked in our luggage, we headed inside. It's a very large and open area, cold and without much of an atmosphere or view, other than staring straight at the side of the cruise ship. There are washrooms and a small café with minimal snacks for purchase. We weren't really sure what to do from here, so we asked one of the attendants at the counter, who told us they would call our number when it was our turn to board. Other than that, it's really just a waiting game. I would suggest bringing your own water, snacks, a sweater, and something to keep yourself occupied, as well as sitting close to where you get in line. The seats can get pretty uncomfortable after awhile, and you have to pay attention to when they call for boarding, since they weren't using any kind of PA system while we were there.

Not sure what the other reviews say since they're in German, but we had a very pleasant embarkation…read moreand disembarkation at this cruise center. The location is rather difficult to get to via public transportation, but your cruise line probably provides transportation from the airport or the Hamburg Central Train Station for a fee (we paid €10 per cabin to get to the MSC ship but the return trip at end of the cruise was free.)

I came on a tour arranged by these guys yesterday and had quite a bit of fun. The only negative…read morething I could say is that the choices of music were, um, not what I would have chosen. They used a little boat called the Advocat, and gave us a good one hour tour of the harbour and southern canals. I've been on other boat tours before, but this was he best one yet in Hamburg. They also laid on drinks for us on the boat. After touring around Wilhelmsburg for a while we stopped at a beer garden for some food (see my review of Zum Anleger (http://www.qype.co.uk/place/169353-Zum-Anleger-Hamburg) ). On the way back we used an open-top bus - which I was really looking forward to. Sadly there was a huge thunderstorm, so it became merely a ride home rather than something fun.

A lovely time riding around the harbor in a little boat! I'm normally squeamish when it comes to…read moreboats and sailing, but was too distracted by the interesting things to look at around the harbor. I had a lot of fun, I had never taken a boat trip into the harbor before and was excited by the new perspectives we had the chance to experience, like Landungsbrucken from the water's side and The Koehlbrandbrucke from underneath. I had a lot of fun and will make sure to recommend the tour to friends visiting from abroad!