Transfers

Hi, my Husband and I are due to sail on the Norweigan Star on the 12 October from Barcelona. Can any one advise the best way to get from the airport to hotel in Barcelona, which we have two nights. Then we need a transfer from the hotel which is located near the beach area to the port. Also the biggest headache seems to be getting from the port in Civitabecchia Rome, to the airport. The train would be out of the question, as carrying our luggage is not an option at the moment due to a arm injury. We would welcome any advice on this situation, as our inroads seem to be comeing out as a very costly option. Kind regards.

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

Define "best". Ours is a limo with champagne.

Barcelona is usually a taxi. Rome is private transfers. Take a look at the Med ports boards, here,

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

for many discussions on the topics. As you are ruling out the cheapest options (public transit) the cost is what it is.

We just returned from a cruise out of Barcelona on the Epic and would like to advise you regarding a transfer problem we ran into. I was concerned about finding a cab when we arrived at the airport or being ripped off by an unscrupulous cab driver. So, I booked our transfer in advance with a company called Zip Transfers. I wasn't careful enough in reading over the Terms and Conditions. They said the driver would wait an hour after our arrival, but if we were detained in customs or baggage we could call a 24/7 phone number to advise them we were running late. What I failed to note was that they defined "arrive" as when the plane landed...which means you lose all the time while the plane taxis, hooks up at the gate and disgorges its passengers and baggage. Then we ran into an under-staffing situation at passport control and a huge line. We called to say we would be delayed about 15 minutes past the hour wait and they wouldn't hold the driver for us. The second thing I failed to note in the T & C was the line "they would hold the driver if he was available to wait." We ended up forfeiting our prepaid fare and having to pay twice for the transfer. The important thing for you is to know that taxi cabs are very abundant both in Barcelona and at the airport. There are always black and yellow cabs everywhere you look. Their rates are standardized and they are very well regulated. For example, when we left our hotel in Barcelona at 4:00 am to take the ride to the airport to go home, we stepped out onto Las Ramblas and a cab came up immediately. He got us to the airport quickly and for only 34.50 Euro. Hope you can profit from our mistake.