ddeprez

On 5/11/2024 at 3:10 AM, FetaCheese said:

Abba and Beatles Shows have been retired.

Just saw the ABBA and Beatles shows last week, lol.

On 5/1/2024 at 9:30 PM, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

If you're going in August, be sure to wear lots of sunscreen, a big hat and be prepared to sweat!  It's really hot with no shade up there and the sun reflects off all that stone.

In August considering the heat factor, you may want to consider taking the first available shuttle off the ship to town, and do the wall walk first if you can book an afternoon included tour. Find out from the excursion staff if you could just meet your afternoon tour at the shuttle stop, or maybe even shuttle back to the ship for a quick lunch and pick up your afternoon tour.  Just an option to consider if timing works….

On 5/1/2024 at 8:57 PM, mlutz11175 said:

We did this earlier this week without difficulty.  Our walking tour guide pointed out the three gates to us.  We bought the tickets at the less busy Ploce Gate. Just follow the signs and the ticket booth was at the top.  For Pile Gate, I think the tickets are sold at the tourist office.  It was enjoyable and the view from the top was beautiful!  When you are done, the Viking shuttle picks up outside the Pile gate.  Although they pick up every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour, the bus will leave early if it’s full.

 

Ticket cost was about 35 Euros each.  They take credit cards.

We were just there two days ago, and had the exact same experience! Walk took us about 1.25-1.5 hrs with lots of stops for pics. Easy process!

We’re on board the Star now, and I’m pretty sensitive to loud noise and the MDR hasn’t bothered me at all. Dinner has averaged about 1.25-1.5 hrs, and has been very enjoyable. As far as dress, I was very worried about having the proper attire- been on many ocean cruises, but first time with Viking. The term “casual elegance “ really threw me! What I’ve found is it’s pretty much like every other cruise we’ve been on, with no one in anything close to “formal” attire. I haven’t even seen one suit coat for men. Men are mostly chino type pants with a collared shirt (golf style or button down). Women are casual slacks with a blouse or light sweater or casual dress. So, take what you’re comfortable with (as long as they’re not denim jeans, (lol) and don’t stress like I did!

57 minutes ago, hutch1994 said:

Got hit with a false charge from the Intercontinental Madrid post extension stay.  Be careful when checking out of hotels.  Protesting it now.  Very disappointed in this.  Thought it was a better caliber of hotel than this.

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

2 hours ago, pavementends said:

Gotta be blunt here. You prefer the wrong thing. Which, of course, you are welcome to do.

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.

3 hours ago, pavementends said:

Getting foreign currency from AAA is so...last century.

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

22 hours ago, rmalbers said:

I noticed the coin comment, depending on where you are at in Europe you may need some 'coin' for a bathroom, just saying.

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!

6 hours ago, Cyber Kat said:

We are on the Med Odyssey following your cruise.  We are doing the pre cruise in Madrid with the train to Barcelona.  We will be in the Intercontinental 3/30 and 3/31, but I think that will be before you end in Barcelona as we are boarding on 4/1.

We did this extension once before and it was really great, but I don't have any info on the tapas tour.  I should look and see if they have that for us.

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!

1 hour ago, mwike said:

I know you stated that you do not want to use ATM's, but we've found that they are the most convenient way to get local currency, and we've always received descent exchange rates.  Also, most local banks will get euros for you if you want to get some in advance.  I'd imagine your local bank would be easier than going through AAA.

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! 

56 minutes ago, alserrod said:

 

 

Hi

 

All taxis in Spain (except small towns) charge per km OR per hour.

 

More or less, over 20 km/h, they charge per km

Below 20 km/h they charge per hour

 

Taximetre directly shifts from one fare to the other according to taxi speed at any time.

 

So, for going to Sagrada Familia you can consider distance and just round up because taxi will stop at some traffic stops.

In the sum up I point only "per km and round up" to make it easier to understand.

 

After Sagrada Familia If you are going to move within city centre you can use the underground. It is comfortable and fast

 

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!

2 hours ago, Opinica said:

1. La Sagrada Familia isn't much more than a 10-12 minute taxi ride, about 5 euro,  from the pier.  Buy your entrances for 10:45am and plan to get there 20-30 minutes early so you can walk around and see the facades from across the street.  One of my favorite things to do there is simply sit in the basilica and watch the light change.

 

You can buy your tickets on the La Sagrada Familia app available on the app store.  It also includes an audio tour in various languages.  An elevator ride up to the top of one of the towers is an extra expense.  You have to walk down to return to street level.

 

Taxis may be available right at dockside or you may need to take the shuttle a short distance.  You'll have no trouble hailing a taxi near La Sagrada Familia or anywhere else in Barcelona.

 

Anyone who feels up for an hour or so of walking could return to the ship on foot.  If you returned via the Paseo de Gracia you would see two more noteworthy Gaudi buildings.  Tickets for those are often available on a last minute basis.  Lots of nice lunch opportunities around there too.

19 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

Our cab fare was a lot more than 5 euro when we made the trip 6 years ago.  It was closer to 15.

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.

20 minutes ago, Pacogran said:

We are on Mars and in Barcelona. We just returned to the ship from the included tour. Our guide was excellent and we thought the tour was wonderful! Do be aware, though, that there was quite a bit of walking. A few pax on our coach weren’t in shape for the walking. I don’t know how the tour of the neighborhoods could have been done minus the walking. We loved every minute of it and learned more about Barcelona than we imagined possible.

Did this tour take you near La Sagrada Familia? 

14 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

I just checked out the website. https://sagradafamilia.org/en/tickets-individuals

 

The guided tour cost 4€ extra (30 people  max per guide and you still can use the audioguide)). The tower costs 10€ extra.  There is a senior discount on the entrance ticket.

 

For an extra 4€, sign up for the guided tour. If you don't like the tour, you can walk away at any time. At worst, you have just made a $10 donation to the restoration effort. At best, you get an informative tour of the basilica.

 

Doing the towers is a more complicated decision. It is elevator up and walk down --and, oh my, did my leg muscles have something to say to me the next day. Still I love going up the towers. I love the view. I love seeing the spires and their tile work up-close and personal.  However, I have probably been up the towers for the last time.

 

 

 

 

 

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?

24 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Here's my take.

 

Do a guided tour if you want to see more Gaudi architecture than La Sagrada Familia. The tour will handle all of the logistics of getting you from place to place (and with much less time wasted), getting you into any of the sites that are available for tour, etc. Downside: you are on their schedule.

 

If all you are interested in is LSF, do it on your own. A cab from the ship to LSF and back plus your entrance fee will be much less than the cost of a tour, where the paid guide can't even give a tour.  On your own, you will have time to take the elevator up into the towers (unless you have bad knees) and you will have time to explore every nook and cranny of the building, including the basement, without feeling rushed.  

 

This is what LSF looked like in 2004:

 

Here is is 15 or so years later:

 

 

Changes on the interior were even more drastic but I hadn't taken any photos in 2004 to show the changes.

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?

5 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

The app is excellent. For example it explains that the different colored columns are different density stone with the densest being used for the main tower, which has not been constructed yet. 
 

Other tours we have had guides tell us they were not allowed to do guided tours inside and instead they did it on the QT.

 

BTW be sure to visit the basement area and the schoolhouse built by Gaudi to teach the children of the workers.

Thanks! As always, you’re a wealth of info! Any opinion as to whether a guided tour would be much better than the self-guided? Not much more in cost for the guided, but less flexibility in times available… 

54 minutes ago, Kountess said:

Yes, the tour does include the interior of LSG.

Is a guided tour inside LSG included, or just a visit inside?

On 1/17/2023 at 2:24 PM, RonnBarb said:

We did this cruise last April. You will love it! We were lucky enough to get the Viking excursion for Gaudi in Barcelona. It included going inside La Sagrada—absolutely a must. Nice, Eze, and Monte Carlo was a long day, and our tour person wasn’t very good, but the locations were great. We did the Catacombs/Vatican excursion in Rome and got tickets for the Museums/Sistine Chapel prior to the trip. That worked out nicely. Pompeii is a must. We did the included tour and the wall walk in Dubrovnik. Both were excellent. I would really recommend the Krka waterfall excursion in Split. It’s a bit of a drive, but the falls are incredible. We did the evening gondola ride in Venice—touristy but a great experience if you haven’t ever done it. We got tickets for St Marks and for the Doge’s Palace prior to the trip. That worked out very well.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Krka waterfall excursion- we signed up for that. Do you get to spend much time hiking around?

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I contacted Barcelona Day Tours, and they emailed info about private tours costing between 210-330 euros/person for a half day tour. I replied back that I was interested in the semi-private “Best of Barcelona” tour shown on the website at 69 euro/ person. Here’s the response I received:

Unfortunately we are only able to offer private tours for guests who arrive on Viking cruise ships.  The reason for this is that Viking does not follow the docking schedule and has consistently been late to dock at port.  For this reason we can only provide private tours for any passengers arriving from Viking, since from our past experience we cannot provide small group tours for its passengers –thank you for your understanding.

So, not sure if this is a change from what previous guests have experienced, or if they were paying for private tours. Unfortunately, not in our budget.  Thanks to everyone who offered assurances of the ease in doing it ourselves- that’s my plan at this point.

5 minutes ago, ddeprez said:

Thanks for all the info! You’re right about whittling down to several things- I was hoping to get an early included tour, and then going off on our own when that concluded instead of returning to the ship. However, being in “steerage”, I had to take what was left (lol). So, just trying to get a feel for what’s possible, or just scraping the tour and doing all on our own. Thanks for your time!

18 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

First, to enter La Segrada you will need a timed ticket in order to beat the line. Tickets sell out well in advance and can only be purchased from the church so you need to check availability ASAP. Tour busses are no longer allowed to drive by so you will not see it on the Viking included tour.

The included tour is a bus ride around the city with a couple of stops. If I was you I would consider Barcelona Day Tours. They’re a great family run tour company and the guides are excellent. They provide a door-to-door highlights tour that is much better than what Viking provides and they will arrange an optional ticket to enter La Segrada. The tour also includes a visit to Gaudi’s Park Guell (IMO another Gaudi must see). Their tour ends at La Sagrada, but if you buy the ticket to enter through them, they reimburse the cost of the taxi back to the ship. You’ll have as much time as you like to visit the interior. They arrange your ticket time so it coincides with the end of the tour.
 

Here is the live post of our Barcelona visit from last year with many details and pictures.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2927474-almost-live-viking-sky-mediterranean-odyssey-april-2023/?do=findComment&comment=65286239

Thanks for all the info and the link to your review. I read it when you first posted, but going back and reviewing it again really helped since I’ve done much more research on all the ports since then. I’m definitely considering Barcelona Day Tours, so thanks for that suggestion.  Thanks for taking the time to respond!