Really curious why so many board the Epic in Barcelona, not Rome

[Bra_BE2014]

I can't talk for others, but the two main reasons why I book that cruise from Barcelona are that the Sunday-Sunday timeframe works better. As we live in Europe it means we can do it easily with a weeks holiday. Even if we had to travel further then it could still be done as a week and a couple of days, whereas the Rome trip will pretty well make it need .

 

 

Thats exactly my reason!

I have a full time job, so flying Saturday and embarking Sunday is a no brainer.

 

 

 

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[ExpatBride]

It's much easier to get to the Barcelona cruise terminal than the "Rome" terminal in Civitaveccia. Given a choice, I'll always sail out of Barcelona over Rome. IMO, Rome is a separate trip.

[bobbyprez]

It's the Sunday for Sunday for us too. An early flight back to New York makes it possible to go to work Monday. Only have to take a week off from work.

 

 

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[KeithJenner]

Because it is such a port-intensive cruise, I have always thought that embarking in Rome is much more appealing because you get the one and only sea day towards the end of the cruise, when you're ready for a breather, rather than right at the beginning, as you do when you embark in Barcelona. I suppose you could look at it as having a rest break before you hit all those back-to-back ports.

 

It cuts both ways:

 

If you board in Barcelona, and have travelled some distance to get to the port then that rest day can be good, before you get stuck into those three Italian ports. For people who are, for example, flying in from the US then heading straight off to Florence for a full day may not be ideal.

 

Also, the last two ports before you get to Barcelona are much quieter for most people. Many people don't even get off the ship. They are certainly quite restful compared to the previous three posts.

 

Whilst it is hard work, I know some people enjoy the intensity of Napes, Rome and Florence in three days. It's not for everyone.

 

On the other hand, boarding in Rome means that you get the sea day towards the end, which will appeal to some people (like you).

 

It also splits up those three Italian ports, which some will prefer as they are such long days.

 

One thing that would put me off the Rome departure is having the two pre Barcelona ports towards the beginning. I'm not a great fan of any of the ports it goes to in those days (they change from year to year, but all of the options are amongst my least favourite posts to visit). I'd rather have a busier start and the quieter ports at the end.

[bmwman]

It cuts both ways:

 

If you board in Barcelona, and have travelled some distance to get to the port then that rest day can be good, before you get stuck into those three Italian ports. For people who are, for example, flying in from the US then heading straight off to Florence for a full day may not be ideal.

 

Also, the last two ports before you get to Barcelona are much quieter for most people. Many people don't even get off the ship. They are certainly quite restful compared to the previous three posts.

 

Whilst it is hard work, I know some people enjoy the intensity of Napes, Rome and Florence in three days. It's not for everyone.

 

On the other hand, boarding in Rome means that you get the sea day towards the end, which will appeal to some people (like you).

 

It also splits up those three Italian ports, which some will prefer as they are such long days.

 

One thing that would put me off the Rome departure is having the two pre Barcelona ports towards the beginning. I'm not a great fan of any of the ports it goes to in those days (they change from year to year, but all of the options are amongst my least favourite posts to visit). I'd rather have a busier start and the quieter ports at the end.

 

Agree with all the above but here is a good reason - choice and availability of cabins Rome only has 200 cabins allocated possibly a little more but not much. This is from the GSM

[hawkeyetlse]

The reason they allocate fewer cabins for embarkation in Rome is because there is less demand for embarkation in Rome (but it can indeed work in the other direction, for people who are trying to decide between the two ports and booking relatively close to the saildates). I assume that it's totally up to NCL how they want to divide up the inventory, so it would be interesting to know if they have adjusted the proportions over the last few years.

[Nelsj099]

I got on in Barcelona because it was the only way I could go on this trip working as a teacher my holiday is very structured. I loved every minute of it, and wouldn't have changed it for the world.

[Velvetwater]

IMO, Barcelona and its surrounding areas are better than Rome and much cheaper!

 

I think many love Barcelona as it has the history, the nightlife and the sea whereas Rome is very spread out and frankly a bit stressful and not as near the ocean. Don't get me wrong I like Rome but I am no rush to be there again. Theres also the fact that for many people in Europe Barcelona is easy to get to.

 

I am more of a Spain girl than an Italy girl anyway...the food and the people and culture is much more my thing. I am frankly a bit bored of Italy and being there the same way US folk get bored beautiful Caribbean Islands.

 

My husband is Roman history buff so would say the opposite. He has his own podcast about it. Check out Totalus Rankium if you like that sort of thing.

[judipa]

I love Barcelona and the "vibe" of that city. I could visit there over and over.

[kathybelcher2433]

Due to high seas, Rome was skipped on my Epic cruise that embarked in Barcelona last year. We had been to Rome previously but some guests were super bummed. I am guessing those folks that were to board in Rome jumped in on the next port, but I never heard exactly how this was handled. So in this instance embarking in Barcelona was the better choice.

 

 

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Edited May 21, 2017 by kathybelcher2433

[300dtc]

Couple of reasons...Barcelona was a cheaper flight for us, it's a wonderful city and so much fun to stay there prior to or after a cruise, the port is located right in the city, on the flip side Rome is about an hour and a half to the port.

 

 

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[KeithJenner]

Due to high seas, Rome was skipped on my Epic cruise that embarked in Barcelona last year. We had been to Rome previously but some guests were super bummed. I am guessing those folks that were to board in Rome jumped in on the next port, but I never heard exactly how this was handled. So in this instance embarking in Barcelona was the better choice.

 

 

 

From memory (and unless the Epic missed Rome more than once last year), the time that Rome was missed was during the winter season wasn't it?

 

If it was that time then there weren't people embarking there. The Rome embarkation for the Epic is only during the summer round trip cruises. I'm assuming that you were on a different itinerary.

 

Whilst anything is possible, missing Rome during the summer due to weather is fairly unlikely,

[Tiggertastic]

We normally board in Barcelona, done this 5 times. It works great flying out Saturday, having a day in Barcelona and board on the Sunday. Our flight to Barcelona is cheaper than Rome, it's only 15/20 minutes into the city from the airport and only 10 minutes city to ship. There's so much to see in bacelona, the hoho takes you round to all of it. We're boarding in Rome next time as we're staying in Rome with friends from USA. Airport to Rome central is 40 minutes on the train, Rome to port is over an hour. When we booked for a year in advance we could not get a single aft elevator area balcony cabin. We were told they're all held for Barcelona embarkation. There were real limits on the ones available forward too. Checked it against boarding in Barcelona and we had about 10-15% availability. We've still got a great large balcony but not where we wanted it.

 

 

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[Tiggertastic]

From memory (and unless the Epic missed Rome more than once last year), the time that Rome was missed was during the winter season wasn't it?

 

If it was that time then there weren't people embarking there. The Rome embarkation for the Epic is only during the summer round trip cruises. I'm assuming that you were on a different itinerary.

 

Whilst anything is possible, missing Rome during the summer due to weather is fairly unlikely,

 

 

Fingers crossed it doesn't miss when we're boarding as we arranged our own flights.

 

 

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[Ned11]

Cheaper flights and closer to the port. [emoji41]

 

 

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[KeithJenner]

Fingers crossed it doesn't miss when we're boarding as we arranged our own flights.

 

 

 

I wouldn't worry. Unless I did miss one last year, I'm not aware of the Epic ever missing Rome during the Summer itineraries.

[Kfamilycruise]

The cruise is primarily sold as a Barcelona round-trip. The majority of room inventory is held and sold for the Barcelona round-trip. There is a very limited number of rooms are sold out of Rome. The weekend embarkation and disembarkation in Barcelona works a lot better for most people.

 

 

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This is very real for us. When it was just my husband and I we could have gotten a cabin we'd be fine with from Rome, but with our kids and needing a connecting cabin, we've looked and looked and have never been able to find what we need out of Rome. For us, this is a shame because it is cheaper for us to fly into Rome from our home airport than Barcelona.

[Froggitt]

Even when you get to Civitaveccia train station, its still a taxi ride to the ship (or bus to port/bus from port to ship if you know what you're doing).

[NCruiser2012]

We have boarded both in Barcelona and in Rome on the Epic. The first time we cruised, I do not think embarkation in Rome was an option. Either that or Barcelona was much cheaper. The first time we cruised, we spent several days in Barcelona. It has become one of my favorite cities in Europe. I love the sights, the food, the coffee, and the wine. Do not discount Barcelona, since it is a beautiful city.

 

The second time we cruised the Mediterranean, we embarked from Rome. It was expensive and time-consuming to get to the port. I know it would be the same if we did a day-trip to Rome, but it is takes much longer to get to the port than it does in Barcelona. It was a breeze to get on the ship, since fewer people get on in Rome. We walked right in and got on the ship while most people were away for the day. We spent several days before the cruise in Rome which was nice. I did miss spending more time in Barcelona on this second cruise.

 

The thing I like most about cruising is the ability to spend time in cities that I never thought I would visit.

[Froggitt]

The second time we cruised the Mediterranean, we embarked from Rome. It was expensive and time-consuming to get to the port. I know it would be the same if we did a day-trip to Rome, but it is takes much longer to get to the port than it does in Barcelona. It was a breeze to get on the ship, since fewer people get on in Rome. We walked right in and got on the ship while most people were away for the day. We spent several days before the cruise in Rome which was nice. I did miss spending more time in Barcelona on this second cruise.

 

The thing I like most about cruising is the ability to spend time in cities that I never thought I would visit.

I wouldnt say its expensive to get to the port. From memory, was less than €10 on the train from Rome booked in advance, and then the bus from station to port was a few copper coins, like €1 or so.

[steamboats]

I wouldnt say its expensive to get to the port. From memory, was less than €10 on the train from Rome booked in advance, and then the bus from station to port was a few copper coins, like €1 or so.

 

You have to take the port shuttle to Largo della Pace, there another shuttle for 2 Euro to the train station. Then you have to get a single ticket to Rome or the airport (could be less, as you only need a single ticket, the BIRG ticket is currently 12 Euro but that´s a day ticket including public transportation in Rome). If you want to go to the airport you have to change trains.

 

So I´d say at least 2 to 2.5 hours from the ship to the airport. A lot of schlepping your luggage.

 

Private transportation is app. 120 Euro. There´s a bus service by Civitatours which is 19 or 20 Euro (directly to the airport, but once a day only).

 

That´s why I mainly avoid Civitavecchia - especially when it´s just an interporting port (roughly 1/3 of the pax is changing there on the Epic).

 

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

May I suggest you get the transfers available from NCL. We are on the Epic in 17days time:D and we are getting that mode of transport from the airport direct to the port for 25 pound return each....simples

 

As for Barcelona: A cab is 39 Euro flat fee from the airport to the cruise terminal. Way cheaper than the cruise line transfer.

 

Going public: 5.90 Euro for the Aerobus to Placa Catalunya, metro to Drassanes (don´t know the current fare) and Port Shuttle (currently 3 Euro single ride). Again lots of schlepping involved. Used the Aerobus twice after disembarcation for a late flight. Bags were transported by Bags to Go and we were able to enjoy the city for a couple of hours.

 

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

Just watch your first experience of Europe is being robbed. Barcelona is the pick pocket capital of Europe. Keep your wits about you, be sensible and you'll be fine.

 

Don´t worry, Rome is not much better than Barcelona regarding this! My first pickpocket experience was about 30 years ago in Rome (not us but we watched and yelled - wallet was safed).

 

steamboats

[elcuchio24]

Flights from the Northeast are usually cheaper to Barcelona. I routinely see $400ish flights direct from Boston. I would assume that has something to do with it. That said, I love Rome, and would always choose to spend time there.

[Froggitt]

You have to take the port shuttle to Largo della Pace, there another shuttle for 2 Euro to the train station. Then you have to get a single ticket to Rome or the airport (could be less, as you only need a single ticket, the BIRG ticket is currently 12 Euro but that´s a day ticket including public transportation in Rome). If you want to go to the airport you have to change trains.

 

So I´d say at least 2 to 2.5 hours from the ship to the airport. A lot of schlepping your luggage.

 

Private transportation is app. 120 Euro. There´s a bus service by Civitatours which is 19 or 20 Euro (directly to the airport, but once a day only).

 

That´s why I mainly avoid Civitavecchia - especially when it´s just an interporting port (roughly 1/3 of the pax is changing there on the Epic).

 

 

steamboats

Oh I agree its a massive schlepp. But its not expensive.