Equinox Excursions

[Junctioneliot]

Hello

We are taking the 12 day Barcelona cruise on the Equinox on Sept. 14th.

We will be staying in Barcelona 2 days Pryor to departure.

Are we better off booking our excursions thru Celebrity or privately.If so then with who?

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks

[ghstudio]

You really should post this on the roll call for your cruise......but there is no need for an (expensive) Celebrity excursion in Barcelona. It is a very easy city to get around in....you could take a hop on hop off bus to almost all the sites you want to see...or just take taxis. Make your own hotel reservations....easy to get from airport to hotel....hop in a cab....and then to get to the ship, do the same thing. You will save a great deal and probably see more. Get a guide book for descriptions that a tour guide might (or might not) give. Find a nice hotel in Las Ramblas area.

[Gonzo70]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. :)

 

While booking an excursion through the cruise line is easier, it is almost always more rewarding to do a little research and book privately. Generally excursions booked through the ship are overpriced and overcrowded - so you move at a snail's pace, see less, are not able to customize/personalize the tour, have limited access to the guide, may receive a subpar guide (since you cannot vet them in advance), often have forced stops at tourist traps that give the cruise line a kickback for having the excursion stop there and food stops tend to be at bland, touristy venues.

 

The best resources I have found for researching private guides are Trip Advisor as well as the Port of Call and Roll Call boards here on Cruise Critic.

 

Good luck with your research. :)

[celebrity]

Hello

We are taking the 12 day Barcelona cruise on the Equinox on Sept. 14th.

We will be staying in Barcelona 2 days Pryor to departure.

Are we better off booking our excursions thru Celebrity or privately.If so then with who?

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

Please join us on our roll call. We have an active group.

Hope to meet you on board.

[Northern Aurora]

We were on the April sailing of the twelve night Mediterranean Equinox cruise out of Barcelona. It was a great itinerary, and a fantastic cruise. Hope you have as much fun as we did.

 

There is a tremendous amount of information regarding the ports on this cruise itinerary on Cruise Critic in the Ports of Call section. Just go to "Ports of Call" on the main forum page and then on to "Europe." There will be a wealth of information regarding the great Barcelona metro system, attractions, restaurants, hotels and so forth. In fact, we found the hotel we used post-cruise from recommendations on Cruise Critic (Hotel Barcelona Universal, which is located in a non-touristy area right beside a metro entrance). Given where we wanted to go, we didn't even bother with the HoHo buses, but used the metro instead. And at several of the Italian ports we joined Rome in Limo excursions (http://www.romeinlimotoursharing.com).

[Kevnzworld]

I was also on a recent 12 night Mediterranean cruise on the Equinox.

My advice is to stick with private excursions organized through the roll call. Otherwise you will be one of the sticker people, herded around on a bus...

[cruiseri]

Been to Barcelona quite a few times; never had trouble getting around via metro, bus, train, taxi, walking, etc. Due a few hours of research on sites such as TripAdvisor, Frommers, Fodors to get an idea of what you want to see. Once in Barcelona just wonder off to the interested sites. As mentioned the Ho-Ho bus is a great way to learn and see where different sites are actually located about the city and you get some narrative regarding each; then you can just get off if something is on your list or hits your fancy.

 

Do put Las Ramblas on the top of your list, however as other sites will mention-be careful with pickpockets in that area specifically.

 

SAS

[Well Fed Gardener]

We were there a couple of years ago and found the double decker red busses where you could get on and off at your pleasure was the best thing we did while we were there. You can purchase more than one route. They go by Blue Line, Green Line, etc. and simply get off, explore and catch the next bus on your line.

 

We're planning to do that again in September before we depart on our 12 day cruise.

[rwr235]

Hi,

 

Here is the link to your Roll Call for this cruise...probably best if you go to the "last page", introduce yourself and ask your questions...then go back and peruse the thread at your leisure...to see all thats going on...and all that is planned with your fellow passengers.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1614264&referrerid=422315

 

 

Enjoy

 

woody