Atenea Mar in Barcelona?

[nzdisneymom]

I asked on the pre-post-cruise-hotel board but didn't get a reply, so I thought I would ask here :)

Has anyone stayed at the Atenea Mar http://www.bchoteles.com/atenea_in.htm in Barcelona? Our cruiseline (Disney) has us scheduled to stay there (we chose the air / hotel / transfers through them - at least for now) and I was wondering how it is. We're a family of 4 - two adults, two children. We're traveling next summer. The website says 20 minutes from the airport, but I'm wondering how near / far it is to the port... and how hard it would be to coordinate our own transportation from there should we decide to not do air, etc. thru the cruiseline but still stay at the hotel.

 

Thanks.

[hencoll]

Check out the reviews on Tripadvisor.com. It is rated 117. It seems to get ok reviews, a few complaints about the location. IMO, there are much better choices in Barcelona. I would go for something more centrally located, so you can enjoy the city. Good Luck and have fun planning. If you get a chance do a search on this board on Barcelona hotels.

[vivian02]

Congradulations on booking a cruise on the Mediterrean. Barcelona is a great port to sail out of because it is easy to access.

Your Hotel is located in the area known as the "Form". This area is a newly developed area where there is a new shopping center with three stories of stores to shop including resturants. The beach is easy to wak to from this location. Getting to the cruise port area should run about 10 to 15 Euros by taxi. The airport from this area should run about 27 to 30 Euros with a 30 minute ride.

If this area is acceptable for you check out Hotel Princess on Trip Advisor. It is a four star and ranks 11th with a price that won't break the budget. I'm not sure if you can book a rooms for 4 people.

My advice is to fly in at least a day early preferrably two day to recoup from jet lag. Do your homework and this will be the best cruise vacation you will have ever taken. Tim

[PoohUnderstands]

Since you have the time, but do it soon, I would do your own thing except for the cruise itself. To give you specifics for comparison which I appreciated when I was first planning our cruise, please note the following:

 

I, too, booked air and pre and post cruise thru RCCL until I did my own checking. Air with taxes was $1200 pp. I got great flights with good times for $800 pp with all taxes. Use http://www.bookingbuddy.com I then went to www.bookings.net and looked into hotels. This is a great site for prices and reviews and photos, etc. I picked a hotel that is centrally located near the Placa Catalunya. I also reserved Angie for all my transfer needs. All in all, I saved about $2000 by doing my own thing rather than letting the cruise line do it. Also, since I made my own reservations, we are going 3 days early and staying 1 day post-cruise, so we won't have any problems (like a fisherman's strike in Barcelona) missing the ship or any flights.

 

Am excited to see that Disney is doing Europe next year. You will have a great time.

 

Pooh

[debbymark]

I have a night in Barcelona before my cruise and I am staying in the Montcada. I am going to get the bus from the airport. It is less than four Euro and i am able to walk to my hotel.