Barcelona Med Cruise Questions

[BadPinkTink]

Loving the recent Trip reports, so much info, thank you for posting. I decided to start my own question thread to keep track of info

1. Where did you stay in Barcelona? How did you get from the airport to your hotel and from your hotel to the ship? Im thinking of getting there the day before and flying home the evening of disembarkation day. Is this a good plan

2. Excursions and Ports
This is something which has always put me off cruising, Im not really into the organised day trips, I prefer to do DIY. Is there something you wished you had done but didnt or something you didnt do but wish you did? Im thinking of not doing any Disney excursions, and just going ashore for a few hours at each port on my own, having a basic idea of things I would like to see and do. Is this a good idea?

3. What I am really looking forward to is the Disney cruising experience, what onboard things to do and see are a must do, not to be missed?

4. What about the alcohol situation? Did either of you do the alcohol packages or did you bring your own onboard? Im not really a beer or wine drinker, more a spirits and cocktails type.

6. Tipping, Im so confused about all that.

I'll probally have more questions as I go along

 

[abdgeek]

Loving the recent Trip reports, so much info, thank you for posting. I decided to start my own question thread to keep track of info

1. Where did you stay in Barcelona? How did you get from the airport to your hotel and from your hotel to the ship? Im thinking of getting there the day before and flying home the evening of disembarkation day. Is this a good plan

I stayed at the Renaissance Hotel on Pau Claris both times I did the DCL Med Cruise. Both times I went, the hotel was one of their pre/post hotels, but I originally booked it myself for cheaper because I waited too long to book it with Disney. The hotel is close to everything(subway, Casa Mila, Casa Batllo, restaurants across the street and a block away) and the staff is friendly. The first time I went to Barcelona(2012) I had to take a taxi from the airport to the hotel because DCL transfers were sold out. However, the last time I went I was able to purchase the DCL transfer because I booked early. The cab ride was fine. The cabbie told me in spanish he didn't know any english and that was fine with me because I had the address written down and showed it to him. I know enough spanish from my high school days years ago to get by, but found I didn't really need to use it in the tourist areas because everyone spoke english. I always come in a couple of days early to sight see and so I don't have to worry about flight delays. You are wise to consider doing this. I always get the DCL transfers to the ship and airport. I know they are more expensive, but I find it easier to do since I travel solo.

2. Excursions and Ports
This is something which has always put me off cruising, Im not really into the organised day trips, I prefer to do DIY. Is there something you wished you had done but didnt or something you didnt do but wish you did? Im thinking of not doing any Disney excursions, and just going ashore for a few hours at each port on my own, having a basic idea of things I would like to see and do. Is this a good idea?

Again, I find it easier to just book the DCL excursions even though you can find cheaper ones. Definitely make you list of must do items before you go. The one thing that I didn't know before I first traveled was that I wouldn't be able to see everything on my list in one visit. I've since returned to the Med two additional times(one cruise, one ABD) to see most of everything I wanted to see. Most of the ports you dock in are about 2-3 hours from the actual city you are visiting(Rome, Florence, etc.). Keep that in mind and check out how you will travel to the city center.

 

[abdgeek]

3. What I am really looking forward to is the Disney cruising experience, what onboard things to do and see are a must do, not to be missed?
There's a lot to do on the ship, it really depends on what you like. I enjoy the shows, tastings, specialty dining, movies, character interactions, etc. You can be as active or inactive as you like.

4. What about the alcohol situation? Did either of you do the alcohol packages or did you bring your own onboard? Im not really a beer or wine drinker, more a spirits and cocktails type. Alcohol is available for a fee is you want it.

6. Tipping, Im so confused about all that. There is a standard amount that you tip your stateroom host, head, assistant, and regular server in the dining rooms. This amount is automatically put on your bill unless you pre-pay them before your trip. Anything you get from the bar already includes 15% gratuity. The only places you would tip extra would be spa(if it's not included), Palo/Remy(if you decide to--the fee to dine there is supposed to include tip, but most people tip extra), etc. Once you're on the ship, no cash exchanges hands. Everything is on your Key to the World card.

I'll probally have more questions as I go along

 

[ldo]

get rick steves med ports of call. it will give you lots of practical DIY info. We DIY in ports unless logistics are much better for an excursion. But, some ports are industrial areas--you don't want to just get off the ship and walk around. You want to have a researched plan how to get from the port to where you want to walk around, whether shuttle, taxi, tram, train, etc. There are many posts online about DIY at each port. Just google to find info.

 

[m3owbox]

1. Where did you stay in Barcelona? How did you get from the airport to your hotel and from your hotel to the ship? Im thinking of getting there the day before and flying home the evening of disembarkation day. Is this a good plan

We stayed at the Barcelo Raval, we really enjoyed it. It was off of the main touristy area a little which was fine with us because we didn't feel like we were going to be robbed as soon as we stepped out of the hotel. We took a cab and it was 25 euro, the cab to the port was about 16. We did the same, got there day before and then left the day we got back. Next time I will book an extra day at the end so I can relax a bit, debarkation day is hectic.

2. Excursions and Ports
This is something which has always put me off cruising, Im not really into the organised day trips, I prefer to do DIY. Is there something you wished you had done but didnt or something you didnt do but wish you did? Im thinking of not doing any Disney excursions, and just going ashore for a few hours at each port on my own, having a basic idea of things I would like to see and do. Is this a good idea?
We like Disney excursions and we really enjoyed the ones we did. We always worry about doing things on our own and getting lost or the ship leaving without us so we don't go out on our own.

3. What I am really looking forward to is the Disney cruising experience, what onboard things to do and see are a must do, not to be missed?
Tangled!!! It was an amazing show. There was also a strings quartet that was on our cruise and they're really good. We liked the adult entertainment and the late night shows. Loved all the alcohol tasting offered

4. What about the alcohol situation? Did either of you do the alcohol packages or did you bring your own onboard? Im not really a beer or wine drinker, more a spirits and cocktails type.
Disney only has wine packages at dinner. The alcohol you're allowed to bring onboard can only be consumed in your room and you can only take on beer or wine. If you only drink cocktails you will find a lot of them all over the ship. Drink of the days are cheaper but usually fruity.

 

[BadPinkTink]

@abdgeek
wow, thanks so much, great info, exactly what I was looking for. I'll defiantly check out that hotel, it sounds exactly the type of place I would stay. Im used to travelling solo, so I will check out other transfer options but its good to know about the DCL transfer option. Ive been to Rome and Florence before, so I wouldn't be doing the DCL excursions there and yes I agree there is so much to see that you do need to go back. Going back to Rome is on my to do list but I want to spend a few days there. Did you do the airport to hotel, then hotel to port DCL transfer? Can you remember how much it was? Would I still be able to book this transfer if not staying at The Renaissance Hotel?

@ldo
thanks for the book recommendation, going to put that on my Amazon list I travel alot DIY and thats what I always do, I check everything on Google maps, and plan my routes and transport. Most times I have a daily schedule, so I know exactly where I want to be at what time.

@m3owbox
thanks for the hotel and the suggestion to stay an extra night and fly home the day after disembarkation. Really great that you put the cab prices, so that I can figure out different transportation. Hopefully Tangled will still be on in 2018. Thanks for the alcohol advice, might need to figure out what to do and must remember to look out for drinks of the day.

Im saving all the hotel suggestions on Google Maps, so that I can check them all out

 

[ldo]

what I meant by google was to get 1st hand DIY advice. There is tons of info for each port on exactly how to get to the train, buy tickets (such as go to tobacco store in Civitavecchio (Rome) where there is a shorter line), how to take the #10 tram just outside of the port in Naples to change to circumvensia to get to Pompeii, etc. Cruisecritic.com forums under ports of call is a very good resource.

 

[BadPinkTink]

thank you @ldo will check out cruisecritic

 

[Dug720]

Loving the recent Trip reports, so much info, thank you for posting. I decided to start my own question thread to keep track of info

1. Where did you stay in Barcelona? How did you get from the airport to your hotel and from your hotel to the ship? Im thinking of getting there the day before and flying home the evening of disembarkation day. Is this a good plan

I stayed at the Acta Atrium Palace and LOVED it! I pre-arranged a car for the airport to hotel and the hotel to ship (I was on RCCL, but I'm pretty sure the cruise ships all use the same area). The company I arranged the car through (Rainbow Barcelona - LGBTQ owned and operated) arranged for me to have the same driver both times so I knew who to look for. I opted to do a couple of days before the cruise and then just come home after - I used the ship's shuttle to the airport.

2. Excursions and Ports
This is something which has always put me off cruising, Im not really into the organised day trips, I prefer to do DIY. Is there something you wished you had done but didnt or something you didnt do but wish you did? Im thinking of not doing any Disney excursions, and just going ashore for a few hours at each port on my own, having a basic idea of things I would like to see and do. Is this a good idea?

I am not anti-cruise ship excursions, so other than a couple of ports (Villefranche, Venice the second day, and Kotor on my cruise) I did do ship excursions (even if it was just transport to the city from the port). Other than Villefranche, Venice, and Kotor, the actual "stuff to see" city was at least 30, and often 60-90 minutes from the port. That was too far for ME to be comfortable doing something on my own. If anything had happened on the road back to the ship, I knew that the ship would take care of getting me back. As a solo traveler, the independent options either were not available to me or would have been far more expensive than the ship excursions - plus the ones I did look into could not tell me exactly what they would do if something prevented them from getting me back to the ship - just gave me the "our business depends on tourism, and if we don't get people back in time that will mean bad reviews" and refused to humor the "but what if..." angle.

3. What I am really looking forward to is the Disney cruising experience, what onboard things to do and see are a must do, not to be missed?

Haven't been on the Magic. Sorry.

4. What about the alcohol situation? Did either of you do the alcohol packages or did you bring your own onboard? Im not really a beer or wine drinker, more a spirits and cocktails type.

No alcohol packages on Disney in the sense of unlimited cocktail drinks a la other cruise lines. They have a beer mug thing and some wine packages. But cocktails are a la carte.

6. Tipping, Im so confused about all that.

They make the standard gratuities easy - they will charge a certain amount per person per day onto your account and they will distribute the amount between the people who are to get it. You'll get "coupons" to put in little envelopes if you want to give to those people (stateroom attendant, head server, server, assistant server). You are welcome to give them more if you wish.

I'll probally have more questions as I go along

Answers in quote.

 

[BadPinkTink]

thank you @Dug720 I have added that hotel to my map, some really great info

 

[ludari]

Loving the recent Trip reports, so much info, thank you for posting. I decided to start my own question thread to keep track of info

1. Where did you stay in Barcelona? How did you get from the airport to your hotel and from your hotel to the ship? Im thinking of getting there the day before and flying home the evening of disembarkation day. Is this a good plan I've been to Barcelona for the two separate Transatlantic cruises and stayed at different places. The first was at the Hotel Continental on La Rambla. The hotel was old but the staff was wonderful. Since it was right on La Rambla it was right in the heart of a lot of touristy locations. The second time I went to Barcelona I stayed at Hotel Praktik Garden which was away from the tourist and mixed more with locals. The hotel was new, modern and the staff was helpful. This location suited me better since I prefer to attempt to blend in with the locals. My first trip to Barcelona I took a taxi to the the Hotel Continental but on my second visit I rode the bus which was inexpensive, fast and only made two stops and my hotel was only blocks away from the second stop. On my first cruise I took a taxi to the port but on my second cruise someone on the boards created a cruise group and arranged for a bus from one central point in Barcelona (walking distance from my hotel) to the port which was very inexpensive. You should check the boards for your cruise group.

2. Excursions and Ports
This is something which has always put me off cruising, Im not really into the organised day trips, I prefer to do DIY. Is there something you wished you had done but didnt or something you didnt do but wish you did? Im thinking of not doing any Disney excursions, and just going ashore for a few hours at each port on my own, having a basic idea of things I would like to see and do. Is this a good idea? At the various ports the ship stops I make sure to do my homework to see what are the top things to see/do at those locations and if Disney has an excursion I usually book through them. I do prefer the guarantee/comfort of a Disney excursions that if my tour is delayed the ship will wait.

3. What I am really looking forward to is the Disney cruising experience, what onboard things to do and see are a must do, not to be missed? If anything I have to say not to miss it would be the daily evening shows. These are my favorites.

4. What about the alcohol situation? Did either of you do the alcohol packages or did you bring your own onboard? Im not really a beer or wine drinker, more a spirits and cocktails type. I did not do any alcohol packages but I did bring a few bottles of wine that I purchased in Barcelona with me on board. I would highly recommend you doing this as well.

6. Tipping, Im so confused about all that. There is standard tipping for your cruise staff which I typically pay before my cruise and usually tip extra cash if the staff goes beyond my expectations.

I'll probally have more questions as I go along

 

[BadPinkTink]

thanks @ludari I will definatlly be joining the cruise group here on Dis whe the time comes. Im planning on the September 2018 Med Cruise, which should be open for booking sometime April / May 2017, yes I know Im very organised already lol

 

[abdgeek]

@abdgeek
wow, thanks so much, great info, exactly what I was looking for. I'll defiantly check out that hotel, it sounds exactly the type of place I would stay. Im used to travelling solo, so I will check out other transfer options but its good to know about the DCL transfer option. Ive been to Rome and Florence before, so I wouldn't be doing the DCL excursions there and yes I agree there is so much to see that you do need to go back. Going back to Rome is on my to do list but I want to spend a few days there. Did you do the airport to hotel, then hotel to port DCL transfer? Can you remember how much it was? Would I still be able to book this transfer if not staying at The Renaissance Hotel?

Yes, I did airport to hotel to ship. I think the DCL transfer cost about $100 or so. If you decide to stay at one of the pre-hotels but book it yourself to save money, DCL will allow you to book the transfer to the port(unless they've changed their policy). Otherwise, you would have to book your own transfer(check Viator) or get back to the airport to get the DCL transfer. That's what I did for the Copenhagen cruise. I booked the Raddison Royal Blu hotel on my own because it was cheaper than what Disney was charging. I then just paid for the DCL transfer to the port.

 

[crafty91]

Loving the recent Trip reports, so much info, thank you for posting. I decided to start my own question thread to keep track of info

1. Where did you stay in Barcelona? How did you get from the airport to your hotel and from your hotel to the ship? Im thinking of getting there the day before and flying home the evening of disembarkation day. Is this a good plan

A good plan is what you like it to be! Personally I'd say come in a couple days early to get on the local time. It definitely takes about two days to feel close to normal. We stayed in the port area and there are many nice hotels you can search for amenities and price points. I booked a driver to meet us at the airport to take us to the hotel and hotel back to airport. I didn't want to be standing in the taxi line with 100's of people! That said the driver was late. Understand that "on-time" in Europe is more or less 15-30 minutes give or take! Since we were in the port area already we just took a cab around the corner to the ship.

2. Excursions and Ports
This is something which has always put me off cruising, Im not really into the organised day trips, I prefer to do DIY. Is there something you wished you had done but didnt or something you didnt do but wish you did? Im thinking of not doing any Disney excursions, and just going ashore for a few hours at each port on my own, having a basic idea of things I would like to see and do. Is this a good idea?

For this we did Adventures by Disney so they booked everything for us! VERY expensive and worth EVERY penny! They really do it right, we just showed up got on the bus and they took care of everything else! Tickets, meals, transfers, etc. You will read that there are quite a few people who feel comfortable booking there own stuff but we did not since we have not traveled Europe before. I'd say in most stops the ports are at LEAST 30 minutes to more than an hour to the main cities so if something goes wrong you are pretty far from the ship. Traffic IS an issue.

3. What I am really looking forward to is the Disney cruising experience, what onboard things to do and see are a must do, not to be missed?

Its DCL,so everything is NOT to be missed! That said you will be exhausted when you return from the port days!

 

[jrabbit]

Loving the recent Trip reports, so much info, thank you for posting. I decided to start my own question thread to keep track of info
...
I'll probally have more questions as I go along

When I go to Europe, Rick Steves is my go to guidebook. I have not been disappointed in hotel, restaurant and attraction advice.

1) Where to Stay: we stayed at a hotel on La Rambles - don't remember the name - it was in Rick Steves BCN tour book.
Airport to Hotel: we've taken the Subway, train, bus, taxi and tour transfers. The buses between the airport and Placa Catalyuna are frequent and easy to use, if somewhat slow. Train / Subway has worked well, except for the time we were there and they had just reorganized the metro routes (how do you do that with all of those tunnels?)
Hotel to Port: when we stayed on la Rambla, we just walked down to the foot of la Rambla and across the street from the Columbus Monument, there was a bus that took us to the port. Otherwise we have had transfers from the hotel to the port through the tour group
Flying in the day (or 2) before is a GREAT Idea. I would NOT do it any other way - flying has to many risks of delay!! And a day or two in BCN is interesting. An you will be able to get acclimatized to the new time zone (shake off that jet lag). Depending upon where you are flying to and how much you are willing to spend, staying in BCN on disembarkation day is a good plan - more options for flights home this way

2) IMHO - Going to Europe, and then just spending a few hours in each port is a missed opportunity! On the other hand, the med cruises are port intensive and it's hot and humid and that can wear you down, so I do understand.

Here's some of the things we did ...
In Europe (except for Greece - was there on a national holiday w/ limited services) we have gone off on our own. Rick Steves again as my guide, helping me make plans. Sometimes we had joined a "walking tour group" (St. Peters / Vatican, Colosseum, Roman Forum) to get more information, and to skip some lines. With Rome you have at least an hour travel between the port and Rome (we walked from the port to the train station and got tickets for the train, metro and buses for about 10 euros each vs. paying DCL $100 per person to bus us to Rome and drop us off). Again Rick Steves cruising book along with the appropriate City / Country book is invaluable in helping you make your plans.

Rome: Wasn't built in a day, and you can't see it in one either. If you really want to see St Peters / Vatican AND Ancient Rome - you will need a tour of some sort, either DCL or a local tour operator.

Naples: we went to Pompeii (hooked up with a tour guide while we were in line to get in - and he was awesome), then the National Museum (to see what they pulled out of Pompeii), had Pizza Magharetta and walked back to the ship - it was a pretty full day.

Pisa: skip it at go to Cinque Terra instead. Pisa is a "must see" because we've heard about it our entire lives, but for us Italy had so much more interesting places. We did walk to the train station, went to Pisa, bused from the train station to the field of miracles.

Florence: it's a long drive to there and back again, and therefor your time is limited. After spending 3+ days there on our own, I know that I would have missed so much. David is Awesome (and I'm fascinated by "The Prisoners"), the Ufizi is HUGE (having a guide helps - a lot), the Duomo / Baptistery / Gate of Paradise, the other cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore), Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, etc). Yep Florence is as awesome as Rome!

3) the Disney Cruise Experience: We enjoy the main stage shows, the "inbetween" shows (inbetween your dinner seating and main show time), the Adults only late night shows, the Main Dinning Rooms, Palo for Brunch and dinner. With the long port days I don't think that there will be a lot of onboard activities going on while in port, but the sea days are another story.

4) we are not drinkers either, but will enjoy an adult beverage from time to time. To me they do NOT seem to expensive. I've been to restaurants at home (Pacific NW) where drinks are noticeably more expensive.

5) Tipping: Just Do It. DCL will automatically charge you for the standard gratuities for each of the 4 tipped positions on the ship (Head Server (manager), Server, Assistant Server and Room Steward). You can give more (or less) if you want to. Guest services can help, or you can just add cash in the tip envelope). Tipping takes place at the END of the cruise. You do NOT have to tip for each meal - if everyone tips as they should, all servers are compensated as they should be. The dinning room serving teams work Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, fast food, etc. Just tip at the end of the cruise. If you partake of adult beverages or other beverages that carry a charge, you will have to sign a slip for those and a gratuity is ALREADY INCLUDED, so you don't have to tip additional unless you want to.

 

[o&smom]

On our first cruise out of Barcelona we flew in the day of the cruise and went right to the airport after disembarkation. Luckily everything went well, but we thought Barcelona looked like a beautiful city. On our next cruise, we spent three amazing days in Barcelona. Great food, great weather, lots to do and see. Our kids who were three and nine still talk about Barcelona four years later. Spend as much time here as you can or you will be sorry and have to come back again.

We stayed in an apartment through Homeaway which worked out great for us and was cheaper for a family rather than a hotel.

We do most ports DIY as well. It is pretty easy to access lots of sites and people have always been very helpful.

Enjoy your cruise - we may be going back in 2019!

 

[BadPinkTink]

Thanks @crafty91
Im from Ireland, so its just a 1 hour time difference for me, but being a frequent visitor to USA I know exactly what you mean. I always find the jetlag returning to Europe from USA so hard. I will check out the hotels in the port area. Ive travelled quite a bit in Europe on my own and have lived in Germany, so doing ABD is not something that interests me, but thanks for the info, it could help others.


@jrabbit
Oooh interesting another vote for the Rick Steins book, looks like I really need to get it. I have been looking at getting the bus to Plata Catalyuna and staying in that area so thanks for the recommendation. Lol, Im from Ireland, so just 1 hour time difference and so no jet lag for me. I have bee to Rome and Florence before. Florence I didn’t like and I plan to go back to Rome on a separate trip and spend a few days there. You are right, you cant see it all in a day.
Naples and Pisa Im not sure about, I kinda want to explore Naples instead of doing an excursion.
Having never been on a Cruise, I kinda want to get as much of it as possible, so Im kinda thinking about staying onboard on a port day just to see what it is like
Thanks for the tipping advice.


@oftsmom thanks, as I am a solo traveller an apartment would be too much for me, ut it might be useful for someone else reading this. Great to see some other DIYers

 

[jrabbit]

@BadPinkTink
Ireland - yep I've got to make it there!!! Last year we spent a week in London and it was terrific (our first time). Next time we want to be able to explore out of London and visit Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show
Here's a link to some of Rick Steves television shows - there are several on Ireland, so you can see if he does it right. And remember his books go way in depth more than the TV shows

 

[disneyholic family]

since we're also from this side of the atlantic, the med cruise is a cruise for us rather than a visit to europe...
the ship is our destination...
it's an opportunity to enjoy the ship and get our disney fix without having to travel halfway around the world to get to WDW...

 

[Plaid Princess]

Loving the recent Trip reports, so much info, thank you for posting. I decided to start my own question thread to keep track of info

Where did you stay in Barcelona? How did you get from the airport to your hotel and from your hotel to the ship? Im thinking of getting there the day before and flying home the evening of disembarkation day. Is this a good plan

We stayed at the Hotel Fornos, right in the middle of the Gothic District. It's a pretty basic hotel, but it was clean and super convenient, even walking distance to the port shuttle.

As far as getting to the hotel, I pre-booked a taxi through Zip Transfers. It only cost a few euros more than hailing a taxi at the airport, and the driver was waiting for us with a sign with our name, and helped us get the luggage out to the curb. We also skipped the very long taxi queue in the process.

As far as getting to the ship, we just grabbed a cab out front of our hotel, as they were readily available.

Excursions and Ports
This is something which has always put me off cruising, Im not really into the organized day trips, I prefer to do DIY. Is there something you wished you had done but didn't or something you didn't do but wish you did? Im thinking of not doing any Disney excursions, and just going ashore for a few hours at each port on my own, having a basic idea of things I would like to see and do. Is this a good idea?

We always do this, there usually aren't excursions that encompass the things we want to see, and IMO they're usually overpriced.

What about the alcohol situation? Did either of you do the alcohol packages or did you bring your own onboard? Im not really a beer or wine drinker, more a spirits and cocktails type.

I don't drink, but friends that I have travelled with say that the best option cost-wise is to go with the "drink of the day" specials.

Tipping, Im so confused about all that.

Basically, you tip your head server, server, assistant server, and stateroom host. It's recommended that you tip a per day amount per person in your group. This is a handy calculator. You should also be ready to tip room service delivery hosts, as well as servers if you imbibe in any of the lounges or bars.