Question about Transatlantic Trip from Barcelona

Looking at taking transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale. We were thinking of staying overnight before leaving but may not be able to do it so I need options :)

If the flight gets to Barcelona at 6:15 a.m. and we get a transfer to the terminal. Will they take our luggage then? Or would we be waiting for hours for the bag check. Is there a comfortable place to wait at the terminal that early? Or would it be better to just stay in the secure area of the airport for a couple of hours?

If we stay at a hotel. What is a good reasonably priced hotel (preferably with transportation to terminal the next day) that isn't too far off beaten path that we could explore city from?

Figure we can rest after we get on the ship. I'm sure with the time difference the first day on the ship is going to be just for resting.

I sure could use some help with Barcelona though as I haven't been there, but we aren't really museum type people, but would like ideas on things to see to pass the time, especially if not getting hotel.

Thanks a bunch!

Sorry can't help with a hotel, but don't miss the Sagrada Familia, and walking, eating and shopping along La Rambla.

I just did the Barcelona to FLL in November-December on Celebrity Equinox. I would seriously suggest you get to Barcelona the day before your cruise. Our flight was 6 hours late from the US and several other flights were also delayed. Very common for flights to be delayed into Europe from the US. Two years ago when I did a trip out of Rome, a person on our much-delayed flight was screaming that he would miss his cruise. (I was there 2 days before my cruise.) Even without the jet lag issue, getting there the day before reduces the stress.

Check these boards for hotel suggestions. Lots of

interesting places to go other than museums - like the markets, the Gaudi buildings and just walking around.

I've been to Barcelona twice for cruises and it is a fascinating city.

You have plenty of time to do research.

I would definitely fly in a day or two early...not only for the peace of mind but to enjoy this beautiful city. We've stayed twice at Hotel 1898, on Las Ramblas and enjoyed the hotel and location very much. If you stay on Las Ramblas, just take a cab for the short ride to the port. Very convenient and only cost about $25/cab.

If you do fly in the day of the cruise, consider a half-day tour with Barcelona Day Tours. They will pick up up at the airport, show you some of the highlights of the city and take you to the port when you can drop off your bags and check-in.

I been doing that trip many times.

I stay in Hotel Continental on the Ramblas.

You can book that on line they take your credit card number but don't charge you.

You pay in Euro when you leave about 100.

Its right in the middle of town. Free food and drinks included all day and night buffet.

Take the bus from the airport to Plaza Cataluna for 5.50 Euro the last stop is 4 min. walk to the hotel.

Getting to the ship take a taxi on the other side of the street from the hotel cheaper no riding around.

About 13 Euro.

Most cruise pax stay there.

Happy planning.

I been doing that trip many times.

I stay in Hotel Continental on the Ramblas.

You can book that on line they take your credit card number but don't charge you.

You pay in Euro when you leave about 100.

Its right in the middle of town. Free food and drinks included all day and night buffet.

Take the bus from the airport to Plaza Cataluna for 5.50 Euro the last stop is 4 min. walk to the hotel.

Getting to the ship take a taxi on the other side of the street from the hotel cheaper no riding around.

About 13 Euro.

Most cruise pax stay there.

Happy planning.

This is the hotel we have used several times. Not 5 star but clean, convenient, and a lot of cruisers stay there so you will meet people on your cruise. You have to like hot pink and florals, though. We get the cheapest room which appears to be an "inside." However, we have had natural light from some source be it a "French" balcony or a small enclosed "patio" off our room open to the sky. Bring a wash cloth as, like most European hotels, they are not in the bathroom.

That being said, I agree to always go in a day or two early. The HOHO bus is right at the Plaza for sightseeing. There is a large department/supermarket store on the other side of the Plaza for last minute purchases. Full of locals so they are not ripping off the tourist trade so much. Las Ramblas is a major tourist area but, be aware, full of pick pockets as is a lot of Barcelona. It is hard to avoid them (lol).

I can tell you that there are always people who miss the ship due to airline delays and quirky weather--a snow storm in NY in October, a volcano eruption in Iceland, Hurricane Sandy. On every TA out of Barcelona, and we have done several, I will see people standing by suitcases ready to board at the first port.

We once had to fly in the day of the cruise due to having to use Royal's air. This was before Choice Air where you can now pick your poison). I wasn't too concerned if we missed the ship as the first port was Cartagena which wasn't far and we had been there before so touring was not on our bucket list. Since we were on Royal's ticket, they would pay to get us there.

We flew Thanksgiving Day and they had routed us from Houston to Salt Lake City to JFK to Barcelona despite the fact there were many empty seats on a non stop from Houston to JFK. Fortunately, we had no problems. We landed around 7:00 a.m. Transfers were included to get us to port. They loaded us on a bus and gave us a tour of Barcelona to kill time getting us to the pier around 11:00 a.m. when we could board. Our luggage was with us on the bus.

Tucker in Texas

I agree with others to fly in a day early if you can. There are many reasonably priced hotels in Barcelona within walking distance of the port bus which goes from the bottom of Ramblas and only costs a few euros. In turn that would make them within walking distance of Placa Catalunya which is where the Aerobus stops (only around 7 euros from the Airport). If you use those transport options and stay in a reasonably priced hotel it really won't be adding a huge amount to the cost of the holiday.

I've stayed in a number of hotels in Barcelona and usually use Trip Advisor to choose my hotel. The problem with Cruise Critic is that there are a limited number of people who post on here and tend to always recommend the same hotels whilst there are many more options available and often at a better price.

To answer your first question though, there isn't really anywhere to sit in any of the port terminals if you arrive very early. They will still be clearing passengers who are disembarking and all their luggage will be lined up in the buildings. It can also be a real scrum of people trying to get onto buses and taxis at that time of the morning. Also they will not be equipped to check you in so early. If you do decide to fly in on the day I would plan to stay around the airport for a few hours.

Another alternative would be to take the aerobus to Sants station and leave your luggage there whilst you explore the city. The metro system is very good and you could choose one or two things to see and catch the metro from Sants. When you've finished exploring you can then get the Metro from Sants to Drassanes which is the closest metro station to the port bus.

We did the BCN to FLL TA in 2011, and like the others who posted, I highly recommend arriving in BCN at least a day early. If you can manage a couple of days there you would not regret it. Barcelona is a beautiful and vibrant city and easy to explore. We did the HOHO bus and got to see a lot. We stayed at the Hotel Barcelona Universal, which was very reasonable and included breakfast. It is located 2 blocks from the south end of Las Ramblas, and we enjoyed it very much. There's a ton of information on Barcelona on the Ports board.

Previous posters have given some good advice about hotels, the Continental, Universal, Regencia Colon are good choices. One thing I've found is that hotels that are bargains for one trip may be way overpriced the next time, so look around.

I'd suggest going to the rollcall for your cruise and see what hotels others are using.

It would be a shame to miss the sights of Barcelona by flying in the day of cruise, its a great city for a visit. However, its one of the pickpocket capitals of the world - always keep this in mind when touring.

This is the hotel we have used several times. Not 5 star but clean, convenient, and a lot of cruisers stay there so you will meet people on your cruise. You have to like hot pink and florals, though. We get the cheapest room which appears to be an "inside." However, we have had natural light from some source be it a "French" balcony or a small enclosed "patio" off our room open to the sky. Bring a wash cloth as, like most European hotels, they are not in the bathroom.

 

That being said, I agree to always go in a day or two early. The HOHO bus is right at the Plaza for sightseeing. There is a large department/supermarket store on the other side of the Plaza for last minute purchases. Full of locals so they are not ripping off the tourist trade so much. Las Ramblas is a major tourist area but, be aware, full of pick pockets as is a lot of Barcelona. It is hard to avoid them (lol).

 

I can tell you that there are always people who miss the ship due to airline delays and quirky weather--a snow storm in NY in October, a volcano eruption in Iceland, Hurricane Sandy. On every TA out of Barcelona, and we have done several, I will see people standing by suitcases ready to board at the first port.

 

We once had to fly in the day of the cruise due to having to use Royal's air. This was before Choice Air where you can now pick your poison). I wasn't too concerned if we missed the ship as the first port was Cartagena which wasn't far and we had been there before so touring was not on our bucket list. Since we were on Royal's ticket, they would pay to get us there.

 

We flew Thanksgiving Day and they had routed us from Houston to Salt Lake City to JFK to Barcelona despite the fact there were many empty seats on a non stop from Houston to JFK. Fortunately, we had no problems. We landed around 7:00 a.m. Transfers were included to get us to port. They loaded us on a bus and gave us a tour of Barcelona to kill time getting us to the pier around 11:00 a.m. when we could board. Our luggage was with us on the bus.

 

Tucker in Texas

We agree with this review.

Have stayed there Hotel Continental.

Barcelona is great tourist city with lots to do.

Just yards from HOHO buses. And Old Historic Quarter.

And many Tapas restaurants in area.

Great location!

Read Departures forum on Cruise Critic/Europe/Spain.

Hotel has free deli - breakfast dinner and supper along

with free beer, wine, coffees, ice cream etc. 24/7.

Remember it is a self serve deli not restaurant.

Computers and wifi are on site, elevator, and security doors with cameras.

Almost all guests in hotel are cruisers.

There are plenty of visiting areas to meet and chat.

There is another cheaper plain jane hotel and a hostel in same building as Hotel Continental. Many many hotels in area though.

This is just our experience in Barcelona.

Many others have had great experiences also.

Enjoy your trip!:).

It would be a missed opportunity to be in Barcelona

and not spend a few days before or after cruise.

It is a wonderful city!

We have been there a number of times and have not done

or seen everything we would do with more time.

If you opt not to go in early, there are plenty of seats in the terminal.

We did a B2B on two different ships, Voyager then Navigator. We walked to the next terminal at 8am where we waited until they started checking in passengers.

But I strongly suggest arriving in Barcelona at least a day earlier to enjoy this great City.

in our opinion Barcelona was the best city of our entire Med cruise. don't take the chance of flying overnight and arriving the same day as the cruise. it not difficult to pass 2 or 3 days in Barcelona. tripadviser has good information on hotels. just be close enough to Las Ramblas & Barri Gòtic to walk. taxis are very reasonable and everywhere so just grab a taxis over to the ship they will drop you right at the terminal door.

We stayed at the Hotel Jazz and it was great! Very clean and modern, good customer service. We found a great rate booking it through one of the travel sites online.

It was walking distance to good restaurants, Las Ramblas and not far from the port.

My Father and I are taking the Splendour from Sanots(Sao Paulo) Brazil to Barcelona in April. I went on Hotwire.com and got a 4 star hotel in the L'Example area for $88 per night. We were assigned the Amister Arts Hotel which is a 4 star Boutique Hotel. Its now going for $230 a night. We booked this last August.

The L'Example area is quieter than the Las Ramblas but is easy to get to all the areas. I would recommend that you take the Air Bus from Barcelona Airport into the city for around 10 Euros. Then when you need to get to the port you could take a Taxi etc.

Read Rick Steves Barcelona Guidebook for some ideas on where to eat. You can buy the book for around $15. It has walking tours, restaurants, museum information and other sites.

If you have time take the bus from Sants Station to Monteserrat for 4.50 Euros + Entry Fee you can enjoy a tour for less that other tours. Be sure to look up the bus schedule online.

Montjuic, GUell Park, Segrada Familla, National Museum Of Art are great picks. You can purchase a Museum/Transportation Pass for the amount of days you would like to tour Barcelona.

I would stay at least 3-5 days before your cruise if you can to get over the jetlag and enjoy the city. Barcelona is a city where you don't want to rush your sightseeing.

Enjoy Barcelona(:

Agree with others who said you must try and fly in earlier. You say you may not be able to do it but I say please try. Any number of things beyond your control could happen and your flight could be delayed - do you really want to take that chance?

In our experience there was little activity on the "check in" side of the pier before 10 am. Remember, they are still processing the disembarking passengers at 6:15 am. I would never show up at the terminal that early; it just doesn't make sense to me. That's why flying in early and taking a hotel room is a better idea.

There are literally hundreds of threads about Barcelona hotels on the Spain board. Here is the link for more research and info:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=596

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What Ship is this on?

What Ship is this on?

Liberty.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itinerary.do?state=&packageCode=LB13T064&hasFireandPolice=&hasMilitary=&hasSenior=&date=&cruiseType=CO

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Liberty.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itinerary.do?state=&packageCode=LB13T064&hasFireandPolice=&hasMilitary=&hasSenior=&date=&cruiseType=CO

 

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beeon on Liberty when she was based in Miami, She was a beautiful and amazing ship!

beeon on Liberty when she was based in Miami, She was a beautiful and amazing ship!

Yes, we also sailed Liberty with our (grown) kids and we all enjoyed her. :)

Did the TA twice on the Liberty.

For all you healthy less packing PAX you may like to walk to the port.

Last October I walked from the Continental with my small wheeler and it took me 45 min.

Yes this year I be 80 year young.

Thank you all for the information. Looks like it isn't looking good for leaving to get there a day earlier as husband is having a hard time getting off work for so many days in a row. I will definitely use Choice Air just in case the flight is delayed it will be up to Royal to get me to the ship. With it due to arrive at 6:15, even if it arrives 6 hours behind schedule, we should be ok. I do wish we had time to tour the city. I took a trip to Barcelona as a teenager and loved it. I will book a pre-boarding excursion to at least take a half day tour of the city.

I've sailed the Liberty on the western Caribbean cruise out of FLL. We just love the ship, so it was a plus that it was that one. Only thing that could possibly be a negative is they are leaving the European tour. The last ship I sailed right after their European season, the staff was a little surly, lol. I think that was the Enchantment several years back.

I thank you all for the great ideas. Just wish I could get there a little early, but we are already pushing the boundaries of our employers, lol.

We sailed on the Liberty TA in 2011 and flew in the day of cruise. We booked Choice Air, in case we missed the ship. We also used the RCL transfers and actually checked in at the airport, before we went to the ship. Couldn't have been easier. Our plane landed about 7:30am. We were so busy, after we landed, didn't even think about being tired. Actually, didn't have to wait long, to board the ship, once we got to the port.

I wasn't real happy that they took our passports but I guess that's the law in Spain. We did get them back, after we reached international waters. Had to wait in a very long line to get them back but maybe they've improved on that. If the line is really long, just wait and pick them up at Guest Services later.

I get the work thing. That said, Barcelona is the best stop on the cruise. Not to mention the suckee sounds that you will be making if you miss the ship.

That said, you need to find a cruise that won't make you miserable... Is there another ship where you can fly in a day early from wherever? Seriously, the flying and the waiting and the weather...

Just sayin"

jc

We sailed on the Liberty TA in 2011 and flew in the day of cruise. We booked Choice Air' date=' in case we missed the ship. We also used the RCL transfers and actually checked in at the airport, before we went to the ship. Couldn't have been easier. Our plane landed about 7:30am. We were so busy, after we landed, didn't even think about being tired. Actually, didn't have to wait long, to board the ship, once we got to the port.

 

I wasn't real happy that they took our passports but I guess that's the law in Spain. We did get them back, after we reached international waters. Had to wait in a very long line to get them back but maybe they've improved on that. If the line is really long, just wait and pick them up at Guest Services later.[/quote']

 

So you just bought the transfer from Choice Air? How much was it? Did they take your luggage then? I was thinking that maybe the barcelona tour may be nice, but have found no reviews at all on it so I don't know if it is worth the $69 for each of us. That plus if our flight is late, I don't want to be stressing.

I'm on this cruise and I took Choice Air with RCL which GTY I make it to the ship. I also took their transfer from airport to the ship. We have an active roll call if you care to join us.