Brilliance Transatlantic - part 1

We just got back from the Briulliance of the Seas transatlantic and I wanted to share our experiences with an emphasis on accessibility. For easier reading, I am going to divide this into two posts: one about Barcelona and the second about the cruise. .

We flew non-stop from JFK to Barcelona on Delta. I know that there has been a lot of criticism about Delta recently, but we had a good experience. There were no skycaps at JFK; however, when one of Delta's supervisors saw me unloading the wheelchairs and luggage from our rental car, he offered to take my husband and our luggage to the counter while I returned the car. They gave us the bulkhead seats as promised and flight was uneventful with experienced staff manning the aisle chair at both ends. And, of course, flying non-stop made the trip much easier for my husband and reduced the possibility of damage to the wheelchairs.

Based on a recommendation on the Europe board, I had arranged for Taxi Internacional to take us from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the pier. It was well worth the few extra Euros as compared to a regular taxi. They were very helpful with the luggage and managed to squeeze the 2 wheelchairs and 3 people's luggage into their minivan.

We stayed at the Apsis Splendid which is a boutique hotel about a 10 minute walk from the Playa Catalunya. Our handicap room was very large for a European hotel room. It had 2 bathrooms, one of which is equipped with bars and a roll-under sink. The only drawback was that it had a tub rather than a roll-in shower, but the tub had a ledge that could be used as a seat and a hand-held shower head.

We either walked or used the on-off tourist bus to get around Barcelona. Most streets have curb cuts making it relatively easy to get around. There are two tourist bus companies. We used the one that makes two loops this time and found it easier since all their buses have motorized ramps. The places we visited included the Picasso Museum, the Gaudi Apartments, the Sangrada Familia and the Park Gruell. We also walked the Ramblas. All of the sites we visited were reasonably accessible with the exception of the Park Gruell. It was up a steep hill from where the bus stopped. We would not have made it without the assistance of some other American tourists. Once we were there, there appeared to be very limited accessibility within the park also. As a result, I would not recommend going there.

We ate at small local cafés. When we arrived the first morning, the hotel recommended a nearby pastry shop for breakfast. Next door was a coffee shop with unbelievable hot chocolate. It was so good that we ate there our last morning even though breakfast was included at the hotel. Regardless of where we went, the restaurant staff went out of their way to be helpful. In fact, one small café brought a table upstairs to the bar from their dining room so that we could eat there.

We did little shopping in Barcelona. What we did was at the Cortes Ingles a department store with a supermarket on the basement floor. Where we bought some gifts and water for use aboard ship (my husband does not drink ship water.)