Barcelona

[ShannonSC2]

I am trying to decide what to do!

 

We fly into Barcelona at 8:30 the morning of our cruise. How early can we get on the ship? Can we just drop off our luggage and go sight seeing? We will be staying a day after our cruise (We come back on Sunday and leave on Monday).

 

Should we try to do La Sagrada Familia before we leave Barcelona or after our cruise? If we decide after our cruise what time can we get off the ship & what time should we get tickets? It would be a Sunday so I hope they don't close down for Sunday services or anything like that.

 

Which tower do you recommend? I know there are steps involved which isn't a problem for any of us. I want the tower with the best views.

 

What other sights do you recommend and should we see them before or after our cruise?

 

TIA!

[BTraveling47]

I am trying to decide what to do!

 

We fly into Barcelona at 8:30 the morning of our cruise. How early can we get on the ship? Can we just drop off our luggage and go sight seeing? We will be staying a day after our cruise (We come back on Sunday and leave on Monday).

 

Should we try to do La Sagrada Familia before we leave Barcelona or after our cruise? If we decide after our cruise what time can we get off the ship & what time should we get tickets? It would be a Sunday so I hope they don't close down for Sunday services or anything like that.

 

Which tower do you recommend? I know there are steps involved which isn't a problem for any of us. I want the tower with the best views.

 

What other sights do you recommend and should we see them before or after our cruise?

 

TIA!

 

Hi Shannon

We are on a cruise from Barcelona May 5. We are booking Barcelona Day Tours for pick up at the port, 1/2 day tour, and drop off at hotel. They do the same for airport pick up's also, but drop you at pier I believe instead of hotel. 59E/pp for everything, luggage included. The company is rated 5 stars on Tripadvisor, with wonderful reviews. Their website is user-friendly and they are very responsive by email.

Have a great trip

[eandj]

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/

 

 

This site was a world of help for us the first time we visited.

[MeHeartCruising]

I am trying to decide what to do!

 

We fly into Barcelona at 8:30 the morning of our cruise. How early can we get on the ship? Can we just drop off our luggage and go sight seeing? We will be staying a day after our cruise (We come back on Sunday and leave on Monday).

 

It looks like you're flying in from the US, so that means you'll be flying overnight. So the answer to your first set of questions is likely to depend on your stamina and whether you slept on the way to Barcelona. It also depends on your cruise line to some extent. We arrived at a similar time flying in from New York. My original plan was to take our bags to the port and drop them off and then ride the blue shuttle bus back to the city center and do some sightseeing. And assuming a late afternoon ship departure, that plan is definitely possible. We easily arrived at the port by about 9:30. However, the terminal was still busy dealing with passengers getting OFF the ship from the previous sailing. They were not yet accepting baggage from new, arriving passengers. We had to sit and wait for a while. It was July and already hot in the sun and the shaded areas were already crowded with people waiting for their transportation to leave the port and with others who were starting to arrive. But it was all manageable. However, we were tired as we did not sleep much on the way over the Atlantic. And my senior parents were feeling a little sluggish. At around 10:15 or 10:30, they were ready to start accepting baggage for the new cruise. So we turned them over to the agents. At that time, we decided we just didn't have the desire to go into town and would rather get on the ship as soon as possible to refresh ourselves some and have a nice relaxing afternoon/lunch. They were not yet letting people into the terminal, but they started letting us in around 11:00, I think. We only had to wait a short time in the nice air conditioned terminal before we started boarding. We were on board by about 11:30 or 11:45. In hind site, while it would have been nice to see some sites that day, our decision was the right choice. We also had a full day in Barcelona at the end of the cruise, and that was more than enough time to see Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Mont Juic, Las Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter. Bottom line... it will be your call. I would suggest you research and plan your arrival day to do some sightseeing, but have a Plan B in case you feel like just relaxing on the ship that day.

Edited April 17, 2014 by MeHeartCruising

[4774Papa]

It looks like you're flying in from the US, so that means you'll be flying overnight. So the answer to your first set of questions is likely to depend on your stamina and whether you slept on the way to Barcelona. It also depends on your cruise line to some extent. We arrived at a similar time flying in from New York. My original plan was to take our bags to the port and drop them off and then ride the blue shuttle bus back to the city center and do some sightseeing. And assuming a late afternoon ship departure, that plan is definitely possible. We easily arrived at the port by about 9:30. However, the terminal was still busy dealing with passengers getting OFF the ship from the previous sailing. They were not yet accepting baggage from new, arriving passengers. We had to sit and wait for a while. It was July and already hot in the sun and the shaded areas were already crowded with people waiting for their transportation to leave the port and with others who were starting to arrive. But it was all manageable. However, we were tired as we did not sleep much on the way over the Atlantic. And my senior parents were feeling a little sluggish. At around 10:15 or 10:30, they were ready to start accepting baggage for the new cruise. So we turned them over to the agents. At that time, we decided we just didn't have the desire to go into town and would rather get on the ship as soon as possible to refresh ourselves some and have a nice relaxing afternoon/lunch. They were not yet letting people into the terminal, but they started letting us in around 11:00, I think. We only had to wait a short time in the nice air conditioned terminal before we started boarding. We were on board by about 11:30 or 11:45. In hind site, while it would have been nice to see some sites that day, our decision was the right choice. We also had a full day in Barcelona at the end of the cruise, and that was more than enough time to see Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Mont Juic, Las Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter. Bottom line... it will be your call. I would suggest you research and plan your arrival day to do some sightseeing, but have a Plan B in case you feel like just relaxing on the ship that day.

 

great response, but if you decide to tour before you board, Barcelona Day Tours can take you on a four hour city tour that is nice. Your luggage is kept in the van.

Price wise, it would be expensive unless you can find at least four persons to go on the tour with you.

[celebrity]

Hi Shannon

We are on a cruise from Barcelona May 5. We are booking Barcelona Day Tours for pick up at the port, 1/2 day tour, and drop off at hotel. They do the same for airport pick up's also, but drop you at pier I believe instead of hotel. 59E/pp for everything, luggage included. The company is rated 5 stars on Tripadvisor, with wonderful reviews. Their website is user-friendly and they are very responsive by email.

Have a great trip

 

Just wanted to chime in here that we used Barcelona Day Tours last September. They picked us up at the airport and we toured for 4 hours prior to our drop off at the hotel. After checking into the hotel, we went back out and explored on our own and had dinner before returning to our hotel. We were very pleased with their services and will book them again.