Barcelona Disembark Tips

[Mathmos_cat]

Perhaps my searching skills today are low, but I can't seem to find something I read before regarding disembarking in Barcelona.

When we get off the ship (Sunday Aug 30th), there will be a port shuttle bus running that takes us to the port entry?

From there, our options would be to get a taxi or the Aerobus to the airport? Or walk to nearest Metro station for a ride to the train station (Sants?) to take the Renfe train?

I am not rushing for a flight, but I want to get to the airport fairly early as I have a car rented to drive to the Rioja region.

thanks!!

[lambs2]

Originally Posted by Mathmos_cat

Perhaps my searching skills today are low, but I can't seem to find something I read before regarding disembarking in Barcelona.

When we get off the ship (Sunday Aug 30th), there will be a port shuttle bus running that takes us to the port entry?

From there, our options would be to get a taxi or the Aerobus to the airport? Or walk to nearest Metro station for a ride to the train station (Sants?) to take the Renfe train?

I am not rushing for a flight, but I want to get to the airport fairly early as I have a car rented to drive to the Rioja region.

thanks!!

I am not sure when the port bus starts operating at the port in Barcelona. I believe it is 8 am, but not sure. The
Moll Adrossat web site says it depends on the cruise ship schedules. We never saw the Blue Bus that last morning although we had used it to get to the pier before our cruise. After our 21 day Jade cruise we opted to walk off the ship and roll our luggage across the bridge. We left the ship shortly before 8am and we saw no port bus yet at the B terminal where we were docked. Also, the taxis were very busy getting folks to the airport, etc., so we just chose a leisurely stroll across the bridge (aprrox. 2 miles) to Las Ramblas where our hotel was located. I know this is not recommended, but we are in good shape and walk every day for exercise so it was no big deal for us. We had seen a couple much older than us doing the same thing and wheeling their luggage on our departure day when we were up early just scoping out how we were going to get to the ship from the Columbus Monument area.We just took our time enjoying our stroll. We were fortunate that when we got to our hotel (Hotel Continental) that they had our room ready so we could leave off our luggage and go enjoy the sights. But even if your room is not ready that early the hotels have a "bag" room where you can leave your luggage off safely for a few hours until they can get your room ready.

[euro cruiser]

Wow, I'm impressed. I'm a big walker and hiker, but I can't imagine dragging my luggage up and over that overpass.

One thing to keep in mind about disembarking at Barcelona is the crowds. We were the last group to get off, but watched from our balcony as the morning progressed. The folks who got off in the early groups had no problem getting cabs, but the later groups waited for nearly an hour in a very long line.

My conclusion, based on this one experience, is that it's best to either get off early and grab a cab, or if you want to wait, as we did, pre-arrange a ride with a car service.

[garycarla]

Yes you can get a cab right there as you get off the ship. You mentioned going to the airport to get a rental car. Do they not have some places to get one closer in town to avoid that ride. Not long, but just additional hassle.

[Mathmos_cat]

I'm renting a Smart Car from Sixt Rent A Car (best deal for a Madrid drop-off), they did have a location in Barcelona, but it is not (as best I could tell) open on Sunday.

thanks!

[Luv_to_Cruise]

Does anyone know the earliest time debarkation starts? As early as 7:00 AM? We need to drop our bags at the hotel first and get to Plaza Catalunya to meet a tour at 8:30. Thanks

[loryc]

Originally Posted by lambs2

I am not sure when the port bus starts operating at the port in Barcelona. I believe it is 8 am, but not sure. The
Moll Adrossat web site says it depends on the cruise ship schedules. We never saw the Blue Bus that last morning although we had used it to get to the pier before our cruise. After our 21 day Jade cruise we opted to walk off the ship and roll our luggage across the bridge. We left the ship shortly before 8am and we saw no port bus yet at the B terminal where we were docked. Also, the taxis were very busy getting folks to the airport, etc., so we just chose a leisurely stroll across the bridge (aprrox. 2 miles) to Las Ramblas where our hotel was located. I know this is not recommended, but we are in good shape and walk every day for exercise so it was no big deal for us. We had seen a couple much older than us doing the same thing and wheeling their luggage on our departure day when we were up early just scoping out how we were going to get to the ship from the Columbus Monument area.We just took our time enjoying our stroll. We were fortunate that when we got to our hotel (Hotel Continental) that they had our room ready so we could leave off our luggage and go enjoy the sights. But even if your room is not ready that early the hotels have a "bag" room where you can leave your luggage off safely for a few hours until they can get your room ready.

We're leaving on our first Med cruise in a couple weeks, also staying at the Hotel Continental precruise. Did you like the hotel? Any tips re hotel, restaurants, cruise etc much appreciated. Thanks!

[AnadA]

Hi, Iam from Barcelona,sorry about my english grammar!!! So, its very easy to get the aeroport from Barcelona, you can take a metro in Drassanes, its the nearest metro stop that takes you to Sants, where you can get to the regular train to the aeroport. For me is the easyest and the cheapest. The train goes only 20 minutes from Sants, and the metro to Sants from Dranssanes is about 10 muntes. If u r traveling from the T1 wich is the new terminal, u just have to take a bus that takes u very fast to the terminal T1. If u have to board in the old terminal wich is T2, the train will leave u just netx to the terminal. I fu need more info as for ecxample the schedrulle of the trains to the aeroport or something else, just let me know,
Greetings,
Armand

[ZoneHPH]

Barcelona Disembark Tips

hhhmmm...good question. i don't think you have to tip anyone when disembarking.

[dfwguy62]

Originally Posted by Luv_to_Cruise

Does anyone know the earliest time debarkation starts? As early as 7:00 AM? We need to drop our bags at the hotel first and get to Plaza Catalunya to meet a tour at 8:30. Thanks

This potentially varies by itinerary and ship, but on the Gem in July, we were scheduled to arrive in Barcelona at 5:00 am. I assume we did, but I was asleep. The first "scheduled" debarks were for 7:00 if you wanted the ship's crew to take your bags off (i.e. you left the outside your door the night before). The Gem does color-coded groups every 30 minutes. You decide what time you want to leave and they will have your bags ready by the time you color-code your bags for.

If you wanted to carry your own bags off, you were free to leave prior to 7:00. I assume by 6:00 or even earlier, they were probably set up to let passengers exit.

We left at 7:30, had no wait to get our bags or a taxi. We were at our hotel by 8:15 or earlier and dropped off our bags and then went sightseeing.

[lambs2]

Originally Posted by loryc

We're leaving on our first Med cruise in a couple weeks, also staying at the Hotel Continental precruise. Did you like the hotel? Any tips re hotel, restaurants, cruise etc much appreciated. Thanks!

We had a great time staying at the Hotel Continental after our cruise. We stayed somewhere else pre-cruise for one night. Here is the link to my review for our B2B cruise on the Jade. We spent a number of days in Barcelona so there are some good tidbits you may be able to use. Port info will not all be relevant to you, but you can pick and choose.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberre...?EntryID=53361

[Luv_to_Cruise]

Thanks DFWGuy62! Just what I needed to know. I think we'll do the 7:30 like you and get a taxi.

[Queen of the Queen]

Hi Lambs2
Your review was one of the best I have read! Cudos to you! We returned last week from a 28 day B2B on Queen Victoria (Iceland/Norway & the Med) and can easily relate to your experiences of all those glorious days on a ship!
We are now looking into a cruise on the Jade for February to the Eastern Med. and your review has really helped us to make our decision to go ahead and book it!We are new to cruising and our only experience has been on Cunard and HAL. A few questions, if you don't mind. What is the dress code and are there any formal evenings on this ship? What is the average age range? Do you think we will be disappointed in the informal atmosphere and the dining arrangements?
Tnx Lorraine

[va_wine_lover]

Originally Posted by Luv_to_Cruise

Does anyone know the earliest time debarkation starts? As early as 7:00 AM? We need to drop our bags at the hotel first and get to Plaza Catalunya to meet a tour at 8:30. Thanks

We have a tour? Cool.

[lambs2]

Originally Posted by Queen of the Queen

Hi Lambs2
Your review was one of the best I have read! Cudos to you! We returned last week from a 28 day B2B on Queen Victoria (Iceland/Norway & the Med) and can easily relate to your experiences of all those glorious days on a ship!
We are now looking into a cruise on the Jade for February to the Eastern Med. and your review has really helped us to make our decision to go ahead and book it!We are new to cruising and our only experience has been on Cunard and HAL. A few questions, if you don't mind. What is the dress code and are there any formal evenings on this ship? What is the average age range? Do you think we will be disappointed in the informal atmosphere and the dining arrangements?
Tnx Lorraine

Glad you can use some of our experiences. We love NCL, but then we love HAL, Celebrity, Costa and Royal Craibbean too! We are true cruise junkies!!! I would say the average age on our 21 day B2B on the Jade was a bit younger than on HAL. A real good mix, probably about age 50 average. On our cruises there were not that many children. I have read that during European school holidays there can be MANY children aboard. NCL has a very relaxed dress code. We packed no formal wear, but we did see a few people who chose to dress to the hilt on the "dress up or not" nights and for photo opportunities. They reserve one of the main dining rooms for those dressier nights and will send folks who wear jeans or more sloppy attire to the other main dining room. Because we had to pack for 27 days in Europe I was very smart with what I brought to wear in the evenings to dinners. Brought four pairs of black jersey type stretch pants or leggings, one pair white pants, one long black jersey skirt, a variety of tops and tunics (some sparkly), a collection of shawls, scarves, shrugs and sweater tops that I used for layering and to change up my look and one pair black dressy sandals. With these pieces I mixed and matched and had a different look virtually every single night! My hubby wore chino type pants, with collared polos or button up shirts. He packed a few ties for when he wanted to look dressier, plus some dressier shoes. We loved the many varied dining options! Besides the two free main restaurants there is also the buffet, the fast-food sit down Blue Lagoon, and room service - all for no extra charge. There are also a wide variety of specialty dining spots. We loved going to these, too, because it feels more like a resort vacation. We budget about an extra $100. per cruise just for dining in the specialty restaurants. Never felt out of place, and we like to change for dinner every night. Generally, we have found that on cruises in The Mediterranean folks tend to dress a bit classier, than say, on a cruise in Hawaii or the Caribbean. Go with the right attitude and you , too, will love your journey with NCL!

[Queen of the Queen]

Hi again Lambs 2
Thank you for your helpful answers. We are planning to book our cruise in the morning.

I have some questions about Egypt and would like to correspond with you by email.

My email address: Eventschair@aol.com
In the message: Jade Cruise

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Lorraine

[garycarla]

Originally Posted by Queen of the Queen

Hi again Lambs 2
Thank you for your helpful answers. We are planning to book our cruise in the morning.

I have some questions about Egypt and would like to correspond with you by email.

If you ask here, others will learn, and some may add more to the questions.

[Queen of the Queen]

To garycarla
I agree, any general questions should be asked on these boards, however, I have some really nitty gritty personal questions.

[lambs2]

Originally Posted by Queen of the Queen

I agree, any general questions should be asked on these boards, however, I have some really nitty gritty personal questions.

It would be better if I answer your questions, having to do with ports or tours, over on the Africa or Mediterranean board. In fact, I may already have answered something similar over there.
Not so sure I will be up to answering any "really nitty gritty personal questions" though!

[Desigal7]

Loved your description of your cruise experience on the Jade. We are going in December 2009 through Egypt. Travelling with two children (ages 13 and 11) and senior grandparents. I have to do as much planning as possible. Thank you for your generousity in sharing. Willing to exchange any tips you need on San Francisco.