Paris before or Paris after?

[KathyPet]

would like to spend 4 days in Paris either before or after our 10 day Barcelona to ROme cruise next October. So we need to fly either Paris-Barcelona or Rome-Paris using one of the cheapo inter European airlines (Easy Jet/Ryannair) . If we do Paris before then we always have the chance of having a flight delayed or cancelled and missing the departure time on the ship whereas if we go Rome-Paris we would just be flying home to IAD so a delay would not be as terrible. Has anyone done this and which choice did you make and which inter European airline did you use?

[jpalbny]

We just cruised London to Nice on Silversea and had the same debate - tack on a few days in Paris before vs. after. We decided to use the trains, though.

 

We ended up going after, which was great. No disembarkation followed by a mad rush to the airport, so you could wait for a long flight home.

 

The only glich was that our train was canceled (there was a national strike the day we disembarked in Nice). So we had to rent a car at the last minute and drive 10 hours from Nice to Paris. It appears that strikes have become much more frequent in Europe this year - I spoke to a fellow cruiser and apparently the airport at Nice was even more chaotic than the train situation. They didn't get home to England until the following morning.

 

If we have a choice we prefer to do city visits post-cruise, as we find that they are a great chance to let yourself down easy after a cruise, rather than going straight home to reality.

 

Who knows what Europe will be doing in a year, but it's perhaps safer to take a inter-European flight after the cruise rather than chance missing the first day of the cruise due to delays/strikes/whatever.

[Bruin Steve]

I, typically, do both a multiple day pre- AND post-cruise stay somewhere in Europe...

sometimes in the port city, other times, as you are planning, elsewhere in Europe...

 

HOWEVER, when doing a pre-cruise stay elsewhere, my choice is always to still fly into the embarkation city at least one day ahead...

 

For example, before one cruise out of Dover, we flew to Madrid, spent four nights there, then flew to London for two nights before the cruise--thus avoiding issues around flight delays and the such...

 

It has always been my view that the PRE-CRUISE stay was more important, and, if I were only doing one or the other, no question in my mind, it would be pre-cruise...here's why:

 

My greatest concerns are in getting TO the cruise...and getting on the ship rested, adjusted and ready to enjoy...

 

A lengthy pre-cruise stay allows me to catch up with the travel fatigue and the 8 to 10 hour time zone change I encounter...Quite simply, when we arrive in Europe, we are tired...and our bodies are still working on California time...We end up napping quite a bit the first day...and our sleeping and waking patterns are off...Having a few days in Europe allows us to adjust...

 

I would hope that even if you decide to do Paris post-cruise, that you at least fly into Barcelona a couple of days early...

 

As to the local European airlines, we have never done that...We typically fly British Airways or American Airlines and have had tickets that allow for a multi-city fare with no extra charge for staying over in an extra city...When we've done this trip on Frequent Flier miles, we have had that intermediate stop for no additional charge or miles with AA...That's how we did the stop in Madrid...and how, another Copenhagen round trip cruise, we managed a stop at Heathrow and 8 nights there on the way home (we did 4 nights prior in Copenhagen that cruise)...

 

BTW, although I have never taken RyanAir or the other cheaper local airlines, I have learned that some of these have even tighter luggage restrictions than the major airlines--which may cause a problem or a high additional charge for your bags...You might think of asking this on the "Cruise Air" message board...

[Aruba]

That's absolutely true -- some European carriers restrict you to 18 or 20 kgs, with a 15 euro per kilogram (roughly $10 per pound) charge for anything over that limit. We paid more for our luggage than we did for ourselves.

[Paulchili]

 

As to the local European airlines, we have never done that...We typically fly British Airways or American Airlines and have had tickets that allow for a multi-city fare with no extra charge for staying over in an extra city...When we've done this trip on Frequent Flier miles, we have had that intermediate stop for no additional charge or miles with AA...That's how we did the stop in Madrid...and how, another Copenhagen round trip cruise, we managed a stop at Heathrow and 8 nights there on the way home (we did 4 nights prior in Copenhagen that cruise)...

 

Steve,

those were the 'good old days". I am sure you know that this is no longer possible on AA - free stopovers are allowed only in NA gateways. Stopovers in Europe will require 2 separate awards. It was nice while it lasted.

I did fly Easy Jet and NEVER again (same for Ryanair) - just not worth it, IMO.

[Mattsudds]

I don't know if this helps you but there is an overnight train from Paris to Barcelona.

http://www.trenhotel.com/htm/default.htm?lang=3

 

So far in the French strikes, my experience has been that no matter what is going on domestically, the International stuff still goes. Very few of the strikes have been all out. To check out which airlines fly to Paris, you can use adp.fr which is the website of the Paris airports. It lists all flights to both airports (Charles de Gaulle and Orly). Transatlantic flights would normally arrive at CDG.

[Marebear]

Be very careful of the overweight charges by the intraEuropean airlines - they can add up to hundreds of dollars, especially the cheaper airlines plus they often fly to and from out of the way airports.

[wripro]

if at all possible, I prefer trains to planes on intra European itineraries. More fun, more interesting, less hassle and you go from city center to city center.

[jamesm]

Do your sightseeing before the cruise. Last Nov. we stayed on in Rome for four days after our Insignia cruise. I left the ship so relaxed and was absolutely exhausted when we got home after running around a big city for four days. Never again - only before the cruise!

[Mura]

I have to say we've done it both ways and I can't say that I have a preference in general. If you are already there, the odds are you'll make the ship. Now, I say that because when we were already there -- we were in the departure port, not some other city.

 

And in fact, usually we do it on both ends ...

 

If I had to say I prefer one because I'm only doing one, I think I'd prefer to be in Europe before the cruise, not after. Only because you are a lot closer to your port if a problem develops. Some problems -- like a volcano in Iceland -- are awfully hard to anticipate, however.

 

And I agree about train between cities if possible. We have used the discount airlines but yes, luggage weights (and also carry-on weights) can be a problem. And then the discounters tend to be outside of the destination you're targetting.

 

Lots of considerations!

 

We sort of did something like what you are considering a few years ago, but not exactly ... and it's the "not exactly" that is the wrinkle. We were in Zurich before a cruise leaving from Barcelona and we flew there by one of the cheapos. But we came in 4 days early, so even a flight delay would have just been delaying our time in Barcelona, not our getting to the ship.

 

As we talk, I've decided that my inclination for YOUR trip would be to fly in to Barcelona at least one day early (but if you haven't been there before, multi-days early) so as to be sure of making the ship ... and then doing Paris after.

 

Hard decisions, when to do Paris ... ;)

[ClaudiaF]

I would fly directly into Barcelona a day or two before the cruise. Barcelona is even more amazing ( IMHO) than Paris .. At the end, if you have not been to Rome than a few days is needed there or if not fly to Paris at the end of your cruise.

[Mura]

Okay, I do agree with Claudia about spending time in Barcelona rather than in Paris -- and yes, it's a fab city. But the question was about Paris, and so I assumed the question was posed because Paris is desired.

 

I wouldn't do Paris before/after a cruise unless the departure/arrival port is Le Havre ... but I HAVE been known to fly to a destination city. And when we do that, we come in at least one day early.

 

But also when we do that, it is because we have a reason to be in another city first. If the time you have is generous, then it's not a problem. But if you -- using Paris as the example -- have 4 days to spend in a city you really want to do before or after a cruise, you do want to figure out the best way to do that.

 

I do think the train in Europe is the best answer -- unless you're traveling from one end of the continent to the other. We had a lovely train trip from Zurich to Florence on one trip (not a cruise). The trains seem to have fewer problems with delays than airlines do ...

 

And when you take a discount airline you are often a good distance away from the city you are trying to reach ...

[wripro]

Personally, I would fly either before or after just to spend time in Paris. To me it's worth the trouble but I can never get enough of her. I love Barcelona too, but it's not Paris imo. Sometimes its' worth a bit of inconvenience to experience extraordinary things.

[tak2]

I prefer to arrive at embarkation city and enjoy it for 2-4 days, for the same reasons listed by OP. The more flights to connect to departure city, the more chance things will go wrong.

I just left Paris hours ago, after a post cruise stay for 7 days. My cruise ended in Rome. One thing that may enter into your decision is the weather. The temperature was 9-17 degrees celsius during the day, and the leaves were falling. Just right for us who live in a temperate zone, but may be too cold for many others. Paris is also quieter in late October vs early October, of course in relative terms only. Lines at the Louvre were very short to none.