European cruise help

Amw1064

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 29, 2012
ETA: I bought tickets and we will stay in Barcelona 2 nights before the cruise and 1 night after. I have really been slacking and haven't done any planning on this trip other than booking the cruise and buying the plane tickets as I am so totally out of my comfort zone. Looking for any suggestions on how to get from airport to hotel then hotel to port. Also hotel recommendations. I have written down all the ones listed below. Just didn't know if anyone had any others to add. Also excursions. We have Nice, Livorno, Rome, Naples, Venice (2 days), Split & Kotor. Thanks !

Been on many Disney cruises and travel through the US but Europe is all new for us. Doing a RC out of Barcelona next summer. I am lost as to where to start. Our cruise leaves on a Thursday. Was thinking of flying out on Monday and arrive early Tuesday morning. Had planned on coming home the day our cruise arrives back but most of the flights are around 10:30. Would we make it to the airport in time? Also looking at either United or Delta. Coming from Florida. Any help would be appreciated. Barcelona hotels as well? Thanks!
 
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We did a cruise from Barcelona to Rome on Viking Ocean earlier this year. From Florida, we flew to JFK and then into Barcelona 2 days (well, actually 3 days, but 2 nights given the overnight flight there) and really enjoyed exploring the city. We stayed at the Le Meridian which was very convenient to much of the city.

I highly recommend you plan on getting to Barcelona at least a day ahead. If you plan to arrive the day the ship leaves but were to miss-connect or there are other flight issues, you could literally miss the boat.

Can't help on the return flights as we ended our cruise in Rome, where we stayed for a few more days.
 
Been on many Disney cruises and travel through the US but Europe is all new for us. Doing a RC out of Barcelona next summer. I am lost as to where to start. Our cruise leaves on a Thursday. Was thinking of flying out on Monday and arrive early Tuesday morning. Had planned on coming home the day our cruise arrives back but most of the flights are around 10:30. Would we make it to the airport in time? Also looking at either United or Delta. Coming from Florida. Any help would be appreciated. Barcelona hotels as well? Thanks!!!
10:30 is quite tight. I do think that you might be able to make it by walking off first thing and grabbing a cab over to the airport, but that seems like you're adding risk and stress at a point of the cruise where you don't want to feel stressed. Stay an extra day on the end and just enjoy parts of Barcelona before and after the cruise.
 
I think our flight home was around 10:30 (10:50?) when we went in March. We flew American and flew through Miami. We walked off with our bags and had arranged a private ride to the airport. We were off pretty quick and our driver was early. We had plenty of time at the airport before our flight. When we were researching it we read if the ship is in a Spanish port before retuning to Barcelona, they don't have to go through customs and you can get off quicker.

That being said, if you can stay in Barcelona, it's a great city! We've been twice and just love it. Both times we've stayed at Hotel Jazz. We really like the hotel and it's very convenient. We didn't do any tours this year because we had done some in 2017 when we were there. I think we used shareashorexcursion to share an all day excursion with some people from our ship (in Barcelona - before the cruise). We went to Mont Serat and La Sagrada Familia. It was pretty amazing!

Good luck on your trip. I'm sure it will be a great cruise!
 


Thanks for the input and hotel recommendations. I know it is early but I bought our tickets for next June. We will go 2 nights but 3 days (with time difference) before the cruise and fly home the day after the cruise. If anyone else has any suggestions, would love to hear.
 
A must do in Barcelona is Sagrada Familia. When you see this, still unfinished, edifice your mouth will hang open.

ETA: we booked a 3-hour car service (with english speaking driver) through our hotel to give us a tour around Barcelona and ended the tour at Sagrada Familia. From there we took a taxi back to the hotel. Got to see a lot of Gaudi architecture all around the city.
 
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I believe you need to book this ahead of time. Park Güell also. I think pairing those two will make for a nice day of sightseeing.

Montserrat is a full day trip and worth it. There are tours that go there but you can easily arrange your own trip there by train.
 


I think we used Barcelona Day Tours for our tour in Barcelona. We also used them as our ride to and from the airport. I'm pretty sure we booked the tour with shareashoreexcursion.com but then they used Barcelona Day Tours. For us, half a day at Montserrat was fine. We had time to see everything and take the little hike up to the cross. I highly recommend this tour group.

https://barcelonadaytours.com/our-day-tours/
 
When we were in Barcelona we rode the Hop On Hop Off bus and were able to see a lot of the city that way.
Denise
 
we did not get much time in Barcelona, but we did see Sagrada Familia and I would highly recommend - you have to pre-book, and timeslots can sell out quickly. And you must arrive on time. If I were going again I would try to go in the evening when I suspect that the sun setting would bring in some really amazing light through the stained glass windows.
 
Just got off the Oasis of the Seas from RCL and did the 7 day cruise from Barcelona. I booked many excursions through viator and other sites... I'd be more than glad to share any insights that I could help you with. We had a marvelous time BTW.
 
Just got off the Oasis of the Seas from RCL and did the 7 day cruise from Barcelona. I booked many excursions through viator and other sites... I'd be more than glad to share any insights that I could help you with. We had a marvelous time BTW.

We were on the same boat! We also had a great time.

@Amw1064

We used Barcelona Day Tours for a private tour of Barcelona and half day at Montserrat. Highly recommend them - ask for Christian, he's a great guide. We stayed at the "city" Hilton on the Diagnonal in Barcelona. There's a stop on the blue line of the Hop On, Hop Off bus right out front. I booked La Sagrada Familia via Viator.

I would give yourself plenty of time for your flight home after the cruise. The Barcelona airport is very crowded and can be chaotic. Lots of lines to navigate, etc.
 
Just got off the Oasis of the Seas from RCL and did the 7 day cruise from Barcelona. I booked many excursions through viator and other sites... I'd be more than glad to share any insights that I could help you with. We had a marvelous time BTW.
Will definitely be messaging you for any info. Thanks so much. (have to get through what this hurricane is doing)
 
We did an 11-night cruise from Barcelona. We were in the city 4 days before the cruise, and then went to another city in Spain after the cruise. I agree with visiting Sagrada Familia and Monserrat. We took the train to Monserrat and did it on our own. We really enjoyed it.

We also took a Segway tour, and that was a highlight. Our guide, Edgar Torres, spoke great English, and he really entertained my 18 & 19 year olds (at the time). We all enjoyed the tour, and so I highly recommend it: https://www.barcelonasegwayglides.com/segway-tour-barcelona-about.php
 
Looking for Barcelona hotel recommendations for party of 3.
Hotel Jazz...I just stayed there a few weeks ago.. Highly recommend them! The rooms are clean, hotel is near all - Metro, Las Ramblas, etc. Fabulous Rooftop bar, lounge, pool. Staff was very pleasant... no hidden charges.
 
We have cruised out and back in to Barcelona a lot - we are from the UK. 10.30 is very tight and I don't think the stress is worth it.

Most European flights you have to book in two hours prior to flying to go through security, you would have to be first off the ship, which means taking your own bags and straight into a car.

Hotels, you have lots suggested, stay near Las Ramblas, or down by the beach to be central. or stay slightly outside the city near a metro. We have done both and the city can be noisy. One hotel we enjoyed on the outskirts was Princessa Sofia, in a safe clean area with the Metro just a short walk away.

https://sofiabarcelona.com/en/
We use Barcelona Airport Transfers from Airport to hotel/hotel to ship/ship to airport. They have never let us down and are easy to deal with. https://www.barcelona-airport-transfers.com/

Barcelona is reasonably walkable, but you will need a few days to do all you want to do.

If you need any info. on other ports of call, let me know.
 
We have cruised out and back in to Barcelona a lot - we are from the UK. 10.30 is very tight and I don't think the stress is worth it.

Most European flights you have to book in two hours prior to flying to go through security, you would have to be first off the ship, which means taking your own bags and straight into a car.

Hotels, you have lots suggested, stay near Las Ramblas, or down by the beach to be central. or stay slightly outside the city near a metro. We have done both and the city can be noisy. One hotel we enjoyed on the outskirts was Princessa Sofia, in a safe clean area with the Metro just a short walk away.

https://sofiabarcelona.com/en/
We use Barcelona Airport Transfers from Airport to hotel/hotel to ship/ship to airport. They have never let us down and are easy to deal with. https://www.barcelona-airport-transfers.com/

Barcelona is reasonably walkable, but you will need a few days to do all you want to do.

If you need any info. on other ports of call, let me know.
I just tried to look into the company for the transfers and it says it is closed.
 
I just tried to look into the company for the transfers and it says it is closed.

When we were in Barcelona, we just used the taxi service to/from the airport. They have a very efficient process at the airport based on the size of your party. It was super easy. On the way back, we stayed an extra day which turned out to be a great idea as the line getting off the Freedom was ridiculous. I wrote a review of all the ports including the tours we took.
https://soccermomtravels.com/2017/08/04/freedom-in-the-mediterranean-the-story-begins/
 

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