ddeprez

Thanks for the heads up- we’ll be there for our post extension stay in May.

Thank you for your kind reply. My initial question was just how much currency to bring. Although other suggestions are certainly welcome, and have previously been made in a helpful manner, I don’t really need to be schooled on whether my preference is right or wrong.

Ok, then… Suggestions if your bank no longer provides foreign currency, and you prefer to not use an ATM there?

I appreciate you taking the time to share this. If people haven’t traveled to Europe, they may not know this, and we’re all about sharing knowledge here. Thanks!

We’re doing Madrid as a post extension for our May cruise. Any tips from your previous extension? Any suggestions for a flamenco show? Thanks!

I’m so glad you asked this, since I was wondering the same! We’ll be in Madrid for a post cruise extension. Does anyone also have recommendations for a flamenco show?

OP here- thanks to everyone for all the helpful advice! We haven’t traveled to Europe since pre-pandemic days, and those were land based tours, so a different experience from cruising. We needed to have more currency on hand for those trips, so wasn’t really sure what to expect with this. Glad to hear from everyone on how their experience has changed post pandemic, and we can plan from there. Thanks again! The CC crowd is the best!

We use a local credit union, and they no longer offer foreign currency! Crazy, huh??

I know this is majorly subjective, but my husband is a huge planner, so I’m asking for a “friend”, lol. We will be doing the Mediterranean Odyssey cruise in May, with the Madrid extension, so every country we’re visiting uses Euros. We would use credit cards for any major purchases, meals etc., but realize we’ll need Euros for tipping guides, small purchases, etc. Do most taxis take credit cards? He doesn’t want to use ATM’s once we’re there, so would just like to get opinions on what’s a reasonable amount to bring for 14 days. We’ll need to order them from AAA, and they don’t buy them back, so want don’t want to have too much left over. Appreciate everyone’s time, and TIA!

Thanks. Any approximation as per average fare to there from the port?

Thank you so much for all the info! With that said, I’m trying to get an idea of the taxi fare from the port to Sagrada Familia. I apologize if you covered this, although I didn’t see that specifically. Do taxis only charge per km (plus supplementals) and not for travel time? TIA!

Thanks to you both for the info! I think you’re correct about the cab fare, Peregrina, but I’m not really concerned with that- more concerned with the amount of time to get there from the ship. I would like to do the earlier tour so we have more time to explore after, just want to be sure we’re not cutting it too close not having any previous experience with Viking’s efficiency in getting passengers off the ship. I’m so used to the craziness of the mass market ships that I think I’m just having a hard time wrapping my brain around the smaller ship experience.

Did this tour take you near La Sagrada Familia?

In looking at available tickets, is it reasonable to think we could get there for a 10:45 tour with the ship scheduled to dock at 8:00, or better to take a later time? Barcelona Day tours will no longer accept Viking passengers for their semi private tours due to “unreliable docking times”, so should I be concerned with this?

Thank you! Yes, at this point we are planning to do it on our own as Vikings is sold out and I haven’t been able to find an independent that seems to work within our schedule. Your previous info provided has convinced me we can do this on our own, plus visit additional areas and sites. My question at this point is between purchasing the ticket for the guided tour at LSF, or purchasing the ticket for the self-guided tour. I was curious as to if the guided tour is much better than the self guided, keeping in mind that there’s less ticket times available for the guided tour?