I'm stuck on Barcelona plans

Help Cruise Critic members-- you've never failed me yet.

At the end of a HAL cruise, our ship is docked in Barcelona for a full day and then we disembark the second day. Our flight is at 2:40 on the second day.

My idea was to book with Barcelona Day tours for a full day -- Barcelona and Montserrat (include inside Sagrada Familia).

My idea was to book a second 1/2 day with them for pick up at ship inside Park Guell and Palau de la Musica Catalana and transportation to airport (2:40 flight).

They tell me the second 1/2 is not possible because they recommend getting to the airport three hours early. I realize they do not want to be responsible in case I miss the flight, but three hours seems excessive to me.

What are your recommendations?

1. Should we skip Montserrat and do Barcelona with inside Park Guell and inside Sangrada Familia on our own?

2. How should we handle the second 1/2 day? I hate to just sit in the airport. But without private transportation, we'd have luggage to deal with and that would prevent us from doing much on our own.

... are you aware that you don't need a tour to visit Montserrat? that in fact the vast majority of visitors, both local and foreign, do it DIY? https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/a-visit-to-montserrat-the-holy-mountain-near-barcelona-in-catalonia

... are you aware that beyond "attractions" there are far more things to do / see in Barcelona? http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/

... are you aware that you don't need "private transportation" to move about? in fact, most people move about in public transportation, which is very good in Barcelona: extensive, inexpensive, clean, safe and efficient (bus/metro/tramway/train and taxis). Also, you can leave you luggage in a locker room and visit the city. There are some in Sants station for example, or in lockerbarcelona.com near Plaça Catalunya, etc.

... as per the three hours... two are recommended by airport authorities on flights outside the EU. This airport handles 44 million passengers every year. It's by no means a small airport.

Three hours is not excessive for international travel.

Not sure if you are flying to another country in Europe or back to America, but I agree with BDT on this one if flying to US. You have the check-in lines, which could be long, and then you have to go to a different line to show your passport, which could also be long, or maybe not, and then you would have to go through a security line, too. We were lucky because we went at 6:30-7:00 am and hardly anyone in the airport at that time. By 10:00 am it was bustling.

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... are you aware that you don't need a tour to visit Montserrat? that in fact the vast majority of visitors, both local and foreign, do it DIY? https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/a-visit-to-montserrat-the-holy-mountain-near-barcelona-in-catalonia

 

... are you aware that beyond "attractions" there are far more things to do / see in Barcelona? http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/

 

... are you aware that you don't need "private transportation" to move about? in fact, most people move about in public transportation, which is very good in Barcelona: extensive, inexpensive, clean, safe and efficient (bus/metro/tramway/train and taxis). Also, you can leave you luggage in a locker room and visit the city. There are some in Sants station for example, or in lockerbarcelona.com near Plaça Catalunya, etc.

 

... as per the three hours... two are recommended by airport authorities on flights outside the EU. This airport handles 44 million passengers every year. It's by no means a small airport.

Great information, thanks. Honestly, Barcelona is the last stop and I'm tired of figuring out transportation, etc for every port. We normally are not afraid of public transportation and often do things ourselves. But my brain is on overload at this point and I was looking for an easier way. Looks like we'll be doing things on our own. I didn't know about the locker idea. I was actually thinking of storing our bags at a Marriott for a few hours.

Great information, thanks. Honestly, Barcelona is the last stop and I'm tired of figuring out transportation, etc for every port. We normally are not afraid of public transportation and often do things ourselves. But my brain is on overload at this point and I was looking for an easier way. Looks like we'll be doing things on our own. I didn't know about the locker idea. I was actually thinking of storing our bags at a Marriott for a few hours.

LOL, I remember feeling the same way, and organizing everything for everyone else, and I was working with a lot of sub-groups [emoji36][emoji30]

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LOL, I remember feeling the same way, and organizing everything for everyone else, and I was working with a lot of sub-groups [emoji36][emoji30]

 

 

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It seems everything worked our perfectly for you :)

@Swice... i know it sucks, but a bit of legwork before visiting and you'll truly enjoy the city :))

It seems everything worked our perfectly for you :)

Yes. Can't wait to go back.

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@Swice... i know it sucks, but a bit of legwork before visiting and you'll truly enjoy the city :))

Planning for 17 days in different cities has worn me out.

On top of the planning for this trip, I'm also trying to think about next year when our son graduates from high school. We have a timeshare through Marriott and trying to strategize and plan considering graduation dates, college orientation dates, move in, camps, younger son activities, work vacation calendar. Thinking about timeshare in Thailand and hooking it onto an Asian cruise. Life's problems :cool:

I'm not sure if it is still operating ,but two years ago there was a luggage service which picked up your luggage at the port and delivered it to the airport leaving you luggage free to enjoy your last day

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