Western Med Cruise 2023 - Which is the better "Starting" port?

[JR3UK]

Hey all,

Planning to jump on Symphony of the Seas when she sails around the Western Med in August 2023.

This will be a Fly-Cruise from the UK, transferring direct from the airport to the ship on sailaway day.

But there is a choice of start port for effectively the same 7 day round trip - Barcelona or Rome?

Is there a better choice of the 2 or doesn't it make any difference?

Price of cabin/cruise is negligible as is the cost of flights. Flight times not craxy different either.

Any advice or feedback?

Thanks!

[little britain]

Barcelona is shorter flight and shorter transfer. 

[Billy Baltic]

If you’ve decided not to spend any time in the location pre or post cruise, then I’d go with starting in Barcelona. The port is much easier, quicker and cheaper to reach from the airport. 
If the experience is similar to this year (on WOS) the app will also work better. 

[JR3UK]

3 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

If you’ve decided not to spend any time in the location pre or post cruise, then I’d go with starting in Barcelona. The port is much easier, quicker and cheaper to reach from the airport. 

 

Thanks for this.
No, if comparing vist Barcelone vs visit Rome, we aren't actually too bothered about Barcelona and much more keen to see Rome properly, so this is good info.

[ejnsb]

We spent 3 nights pre-cruise in Barcelona and can't wait to go back.  

 

Also, as others said, the port is right in town.

[George C]

10 minutes ago, ejnsb said:

We spent 3 nights pre-cruise in Barcelona and can't wait to go back.  

 

Also, as others said, the port is right in town.

We spent two nights in Barcelona before cruise, wish it was longer , fun city on the coast . Very reasonable food and drinks.

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, JR3UK said:

Hey all,

Planning to jump on Symphony of the Seas when she sails around the Western Med in August 2023.

This will be a Fly-Cruise from the UK, transferring direct from the airport to the ship on sailaway day.

But there is a choice of start port for effectively the same 7 day round trip - Barcelona or Rome?

Is there a better choice of the 2 or doesn't it make any difference?

Price of cabin/cruise is negligible as is the cost of flights. Flight times not craxy different either.

Any advice or feedback?

Thanks!

2 excellent ports for pre-cruise stays.

I have always preferred Barcelona because the airport is 20 minutes from the port.

This year flights from my local airport Newcastle are going to Girona or Reus about 1.5 hours away from the cruise port so Rome depending on flights will be my preference. 

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, JR3UK said:

Any advice or feedback?

Welcome to CC.

 

The app will work if you embark in Barcelona, much less so from Rome.

[Norwich Cruiser]

I’d always choose a Barcelona embarkation over Rome.

 

 

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

I'm a huge fan of Rome, but Civitavecchia not so much. 😉 Another vote for Barcelona.

[CyberTag]

 Barcelona is a much easier port to fly in and out of.  

[the penguins]

9 hours ago, JR3UK said:

Hey all,

Planning to jump on Symphony of the Seas when she sails around the Western Med in August 2023.

This will be a Fly-Cruise from the UK, transferring direct from the airport to the ship on sailaway day.

But there is a choice of start port for effectively the same 7 day round trip - Barcelona or Rome?

Is there a better choice of the 2 or doesn't it make any difference?

Price of cabin/cruise is negligible as is the cost of flights. Flight times not craxy different either.

Any advice or feedback?

Thanks!

Whichever you choose flying in on the day the ship sails is a terrible idea. Just one hitch and your cruise is ruined. Adding one extra night at either port will not add much to your costs. Please reconsider.

[little britain]

2 hours ago, the penguins said:

Whichever you choose flying in on the day the ship sails is a terrible idea. Just one hitch and your cruise is ruined. Adding one extra night at either port will not add much to your costs. Please reconsider.

I regularly catch the 0730 flight and am on board before midday in Barcelona. That includes an hour time difference too!

 

OP is going RCI fly cruise so it’s their issue if planes are delayed. 

[the penguins]

5 minutes ago, little britain said:

I regularly catch the 0730 flight and am on board before midday in Barcelona. That includes an hour time difference too!

 

OP is going RCI fly cruise so it’s their issue if planes are delayed. 

A couple of points:

Yes if you book a fly/cruise with Royal (or any other tour operator) it is their responsibility but this doesn't guarantee you will get the ship. It just means Royal will get you to the next port. Same with baggage, at least when you are there the day before, if your bags are delayed/lost you have time to sort it out.

07.30 flights are ok for you but not for everyone. Allowing even a minimum of 1 hour for security/ checking in ( currently the advice is more than that) and what 1 to 2 hours travelling time to the airport ( for many it would be longer) what time do you leave home?

My advice is fly the day before, yours is fly on the day, the choice is the travellers. Oh I do like choices.

 

[Bennyboats28]

13 hours ago, JR3UK said:

Hey all,

Planning to jump on Symphony of the Seas when she sails around the Western Med in August 2023.

This will be a Fly-Cruise from the UK, transferring direct from the airport to the ship on sailaway day.

But there is a choice of start port for effectively the same 7 day round trip - Barcelona or Rome?

Is there a better choice of the 2 or doesn't it make any difference?

Price of cabin/cruise is negligible as is the cost of flights. Flight times not craxy different either.

Any advice or feedback?

Thanks!

Another vote for Barcelona from me. 

 

When we went there for our vison cruise in July we were through the Airport in 10 mins 🙂 Taxi transfer only takes about 15 mins down the motorway. Probably one of the easiest embarkation ports in Europe. 

 

If you didn't have a fly cruise package, you could fly with Vueling. They have very good prices and are very punctual with flights leaving on time. We actually landed in Manchester 30 mins early 

[Travel R]

Roma.

 

You can hit most of the major must-sees during a full-day excursion in Barcelona.  Two full days in Rome would still not take you to all of its highlights.  Spending time pre or post cruise will let you fully enjoy the city. [With the caveat that the port is about an hour's drive from the city.]

 

But it matters what you want to see and what is important to you.

[Ourusualbeach]

22 minutes ago, Travel R said:

Roma.

 

You can hit most of the major must-sees during a full-day excursion in Barcelona.  Two full days in Rome would still not take you to all of its highlights.  Spending time pre or post cruise will let you fully enjoy the city. [With the caveat that the port is about an hour's drive from the city.]

 

But it matters what you want to see and what is important to you.

I was just going to post the exact same thing.  If you have never been to Rome before seeing it on a one day stop does not even come close to scratching the surface.  I would much prefer to spend pre or post cruise time in Rome.

[chmusar]

All depends as my cruise in September says departure Barcelona but is actually Tarregona which is about an hour from Barcelona 

[ocean sounds]

Room availability is another component.  
 

We were trying to decide for 2023 between  5 June from Barcelona, or 8 June from Rome, and available rooms were different for each departure port.    
 

Better selection of suites still available for 3 passengers from Barcelona.  

 

Better selection of connecting balconies still available for 2 each room from Rome. 

edit:

we ultimately chose Rome, as we wanted to spend time pre-cruise in Italy. 
 

Edited July 28, 2022 by ocean sounds
Clarify

[RobInMN]

Here is my answer from an similarly titled thread in March of '21. But the whole thread will be a good read for you.

Short answer: Rome. But that's based on visiting the city before/after, and that's honestly a personal preference.

 

[gumby_ng]

If you've never spent 4 or 5 days in Rome, I would choose Rome for the simple fact that there's more to see there in my opinion anyways. Yes, the transfers are more effort but so worth it to be in Rome pre or post cruise.