Flying home the same day? from Barcelona

Hi

We are sailing on NCL Epic in September, embarking/disembarking from Barcelona. I'm booking a flight 2 days ahead to get there with no problems.

But coming home, the itinerary said the ship gets back to port at 5AM. Is it feasible to try & book a flight home around 11AM? Or are we better off staying that night? Who has done this route or similar?

All of our other cruises (I know, I have to list them.. LOL) that were domestic

we self-disembark & are usually driving away from the port by 9AM.

When we went to Venice, we stayed over that night & it was a wasted day & 1/2.

I plan on making the flight reservations in a few weeks.

Also, if you have any suggestions for a Hotel in Barcelona, please throw that in.

Appreciate any feedback, helpful hints. Thanks

We came back on a flight at 12 when we did the Epic in 2010. That is plenty of time. You'll be exhausted. Fly home that day. You'll be off the ship by 7:30 and you are half an hour to the airport.

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When we went to Venice, we stayed over that night & it was a wasted day & 1/2.

You already answered your question. If you felt spending that extra day in Venice to be "wasted", you'll probably have that same opinion for any city.

You already answered your question. If you felt spending that extra day in Venice to be "wasted", you'll probably have that same opinion for any city.

Plus (more than) 1.

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Should be fine however, having a contingency plan (travel insurance and/or flexible fare) may be wise.

Should be fine however, having a contingency plan (travel insurance and/or flexible fare) may be wise.

Oft times, if a cruiseline states a time that flights should not be booked before, an "insurance" policy won't cover missing that flight. Check each policy for specific inclusions and exclusions.

Oft times, if a cruiseline states a time that flights should not be booked before, an "insurance" policy won't cover missing that flight. Check each policy for specific inclusions and exclusions.

Good advice, always make sure you know what you are covering yourself for.

We flew home from BCN to JFK on a 10:40 am flight 3 years ago with no problems.

Returned this year and stayed an add'l day having Barcelona Day Tours pick us up at the port

for a tour of Montserrat. We loved it and felt more relaxed when we flew out the following day.

Have a great cruise!

Arrange for transportation ahead of time. While we were not heading to the airport, we needed a cab into the city. Line was extremely long. We waited for one and a half hours in the heat for the cab.

We would be comfortable with an 11AM flight out of BCN. And our comfort level is based on an awful lot of personal experience. If a person tends to have a high degree of anxiety about such things (this would not be us) then they can utilize express disembarkation (you must carry all your own luggage) to be off the ship as early as possible. Just keep in mind that the layout of the primary cruise ship terminals in Barcelona means that you would have to roll (or carry) your luggage a long way....back and forth on boarding ramps, down a level (there are elevators and escalators) and through the terminal.

Hank

We always self-disembark in Barcelona and take a taxi straight to the airport. This puts us ahead of the majority of cruisers who will be arriving at the airport later which is a good thing as lines at the Barcelona airport can be incredibly long. If you do this like we do, you will have no problem making your 11am flight at all.

As to hotel recommendations, you didn't mention if you wanted luxury or cheap? But here are 2 we like:

moderately priced: Hotel Duquesa de Cordona near Las Ramblas

luxury (with the most delightful spa in the basement which you can use free of charge and also a great rooftop bar with tapas): Hotel 1889 on Las Ramblas

This hotel is just steps away from the Bouqueria Market - this is our favorite hotel in Barcelona.

We arrived in Barcelona at 6AM. We had a choice of a 10:30 AM flight home or 12:PM flight home. Both connected in LHR to the same flight home.

We were off the ship by 8:00. Took a cab (they were plentiful) to the airport.

Checked in, through security by 9ish. For us it was a difference of staying on the ship longer, waiting at BCN longer, or waiting in LHR longer for our connection.

We have been to Barcelona several times. If you can possibly swing it, spend a few days in this beautiful city. Take a day trip or two.

We flew home from BCN to JFK on a 10:40 am flight 3 years ago with no problems.

Returned this year and stayed an add'l day having Barcelona Day Tours pick us up at the port

for a tour of Montserrat. We loved it and felt more relaxed when we flew out the following day.

Have a great cruise!

personally, I would prefer this Montserrat is well worth seeing and not having to worry about missed flights is much better.

Thanks everybody for your input/advice. I didn't mean to knock Venice by saying it was a wasted day. But we did a 4 day pre-cruise tour first. Getting back to Venice, we were all pretty beat. That afternoon was spent in the hotel & walking around looking for someplace to eat. And we weren't in Venice proper, but some town between Venice & the airport. (Oh yeah, I did do more shopping ! LOL) And I guess we were all a little itchy to get back home.

This trip I don't have the luxury of as many vacation days I can take. So I rather do a day or 2 ahead in Barcelona/area. Then enjoy the cruise. As for the hotel then, not super luxury, but better than a Red Roof Inn. :) (Not that there is anything wrong with them, but you know what I mean. ) We do like our amenities & to be slightly pampered.

Since we got such a good deal on the cruise (it pays to be a degenerate gambler..:D :D ...) I upgraded to a mini-suite. Was going to jump tp the

Spa Suite, but not sure if I want to be that close to the Spa. Have to think about that.

Thanks again... :)

Hi

 

We are sailing on NCL Epic in September, embarking/disembarking from Barcelona. I'm booking a flight 2 days ahead to get there with no problems.

 

But coming home, the itinerary said the ship gets back to port at 5AM. Is it feasible to try & book a flight home around 11AM? Or are we better off staying that night? Who has done this route or similar?

 

All of our other cruises (I know, I have to list them.. LOL) that were domestic

we self-disembark & are usually driving away from the port by 9AM.

 

When we went to Venice, we stayed over that night & it was a wasted day & 1/2.

 

 

 

I plan on making the flight reservations in a few weeks.

Also, if you have any suggestions for a Hotel in Barcelona, please throw that in.

 

Appreciate any feedback, helpful hints. Thanks

I would suggest contacting NCL to see what they say but I would say yes based on my experience. We have gone in and out of Barcelona a number of times. We are doing a TA from Barcelona this coming October.

The Airport is not too far from the port about a 1/2 hour ride. Keep in mind you do need more time to check in for international flights. We always try to give ourselves 3 hours from the time we arrive at the airport to go through the process just in case there are changes or unexpect problems. But most people would not do so. See what your airline advises about check in time.

You already answered your question. If you felt spending that extra day in Venice to be "wasted", you'll probably have that same opinion for any city.

I agree. I can't imagine anyone thinking a day and a half in Venice was wasted unless you visit there weekly.

Our flight in October was at 10.20am. We booked a car in advance, walked our own cases off at 7am and he was waiting. We were so early at the airport we had to hang around a couple of hours. We're booked to do the same thing again in April.

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