First Mediterranean Cruise...Airfare question

[soniam]

Gotta love shoulder season! After the crazy amount of tourists in Rome at the end of June, we will visit in shoulder season from now on. It was so crazy that our tour guides kept commenting on how many tourists were there.

It was pretty nuts in 2nd half of July. Last time we went was February 2005. It was dead. I expected chaos though. Our Disney trips prepared us

 

[FastPasser.]

Non stop Atlanta to Barcelona this past early July, $1850. And it went up after that. For us it was almost twice the price of the cruise.

 

[o&smom]

It was pretty nuts in 2nd half of July. Last time we went was February 2005. It was dead. I expected chaos though. Our Disney trips prepared us

Yes, we thought we were “safe” going the end of June. We knew it gets crazy in July. All that I kept thinking was about how much crazier it would be in a few weeks.

 

[tidefan]

Atlanta to Athens R/T for May next year is over $2,500 per person for just main cabin...

Crazy...

 

[Anna131517]

Thanks everyone. It seems the preference is to use domestic carriers (Delta, American, etc) as opposed to the European carriers. Right now, the fares are much greater for the domestic carriers. When flying domestically, we usually fly Southwest - but they are obviously not an option.

Don’t worry about the carrier. Domestic and foreign carriers are often part of the same network so you could book one carrier but actually be on a partner’s flight. Focus on whether it’s nonstop, if you can make changes, and then consider buying extra legroom. Nonstop means you reduce how much can go wrong. Also try to fly in 2-3 days early just to give some buffer room in case flights are delayed.

 

[mousefan73]

Definately if you have to connect, try and connect within Europe! Must faster and easier and most important on the return you will have it much easier with customers and immigration. If you connect in the US on the return, you have to collect luggage/ clear luggage and then drop off again when you connect. In Europe bags are through checked to final destination though you have to clear immimgration ( which is much easier than US - just a quick passport check) to connect.

 

[Marc D]

Be sure to research methods to combat jet lag to Europe. Most tips require some sort of self-discipline. This may seem difficult, but failure will only prolong the jet lag.

We went to Japan this summer with minimal jet lag by using the TimeShifter app. They get you to gradually wake up earlier, not drink caffeine after a certain hour or shield yourself from light. It worked perfectly. Even easier if going to Europe from NA.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We are headed out the the one way Barcelona to Rome one way cruise on June 1st next year. Decided to go with Disney Air and flexible fares for now. I know I am going to pay more, but I want the security of them getting me to the cruise. Flying in two days before, so fingers crossed. We had Disney Air when we had the Greece cruise booked back in 2020. When everything was cancelled due to covid, there were zero issues getting all our refunds for flights-so we were pretty happy. For this trip, flying Iberia out of Boston-non stop. That flight is fine. The messy one is coming home as we went a late flight out of Rome so we can do a half day tour during the day. Emirates-Rome to Dubai to Boston. Not sure I am keeping that one or see what pops up. No doubt they are expensive. Thankfully just me and the husband going, so much more palatable.

 

[FastPasser.]

We are headed out the the one way Barcelona to Rome one way cruise on June 1st next year. Decided to go with Disney Air and flexible fares for now. I know I am going to pay more, but I want the security of them getting me to the cruise.

We did a similar trip and your experience will vary but if there is a next time I’ll skip Disney transfers and just take cabs. There are tons of them everywhere and everything is a short drive away from the other. That way I won’t be dependent on third party transportation company scheduling.

 

[mousefan73]

That flight is fine. The messy one is coming home as we went a late flight out of Rome so we can do a half day tour during the day. Emirates-Rome to Dubai to Boston. Not sure I am keeping that one or see what pops up. No doubt they are expensive. Thankfully just me and the husband going, so much more palatable.

Say what?! I guess if you like flying, jet-lag and have time?? did you look at a map?

 

[Skittlesmom]

We were on the second Mediterranean Disney Dream cruise for 2023, left Barcelona 5/27 and returned to Barcelona 6/3. We spent a good month examining airfare options hoping the prices would decrease (they didn't) and we spent approximately $2,000 per person for roundtrip from Washington, DC area to Barcelona.

Recommendation is to arrive in Barcelona the day prior and stay at the Hilton Diagonal Mar hotel. This hotel is very nice with restaurants and a fantastic pool. Across the street is a very large mall for any last-minute shopping needed before the cruise. Disney transfers were provided from the hotel to the cruise port (probably a 20-30 minute bus ride from the hotel). Also, make sure that if you take a taxi from the airport to the hotel, that you tell them which Hilton you're at and that they understand...our taxi driver took us to the wrong hotel and we figured out his mistake before he left us there. The Hilton Diagonal Mar hotel is a great choice to stay and the DCL staff were very helpful with the transfer to the port.

 

[mcd2745]

We were on the second Mediterranean Disney Dream cruise for 2023, left Barcelona 5/27 and returned to Barcelona 6/3. We spent a good month examining airfare options hoping the prices would decrease (they didn't) and we spent approximately $2,000 per person for roundtrip from Washington, DC area to Barcelona.

Recommendation is to arrive in Barcelona the day prior and stay at the Hilton Diagonal Mar hotel. This hotel is very nice with restaurants and a fantastic pool. Across the street is a very large mall for any last-minute shopping needed before the cruise. Disney transfers were provided from the hotel to the cruise port (probably a 20-30 minute bus ride from the hotel). Also, make sure that if you take a taxi from the airport to the hotel, that you tell them which Hilton you're at and that they understand...our taxi driver took us to the wrong hotel and we figured out his mistake before he left us there. The Hilton Diagonal Mar hotel is a great choice to stay and the DCL staff were very helpful with the transfer to the port.

We're basically on the same cruise for 2024. It leaves Barcelona May 25. If that's what the airfare is going to be, we may have to reconsider. I don't know if I can bring myself to pay more in airfare than for the cruise .

Google flight sis saying the best time to book will be mid-Nov thru mid Feb. We shall see.

 

[motherdaughtercruisers]

We're basically on the same cruise for 2024. It leaves Barcelona May 25. If that's what the airfare is going to be, we may have to reconsider. I don't know if. I can bring myself to pay more in airfare than for the cruise .

Google flight sis saying the best time to book will be mid-Nov thru mid Feb. We shall see.

We are going to be on the EBTA and want to spend some time in France before heading home. While planning, I see the Olympics are going on in July in Paris. I hope it doesn’t affect prices!!

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Say what?! I guess if you like flying, jet-lag and have time?? did you look at a map?

Thanks for the laugh. I have looked at the map. I have a flexible flight and will change it as my plans firm up in Rome.

 

[soniam]

Thanks for the laugh. I have looked at the map. I have a flexible flight and will change it as my plans firm up in Rome.

The Dubai airport looks pretty amazing!

 

[ladyofthetramp]

The Dubai airport looks pretty amazing!

Might be fun? Not sure I will ever be traveling to Dubai-so who knows? LOL My husband thinks just flying in there may be worth it.

 

[kelymo]

Definately if you have to connect, try and connect within Europe! Must faster and easier and most important on the return you will have it much easier with customers and immigration. If you connect in the US on the return, you have to collect luggage/ clear luggage and then drop off again when you connect. In Europe bags are through checked to final destination though you have to clear immimgration ( which is much easier than US - just a quick passport check) to connect.

Would this apply to a connection in London? I wasn’t quite sure how Brexit affected customs. There are no direct flights from our airport and I was leaning towards Dublin over London because I thought the transfer between EU countries might be easier but if London still operates similarly then maybe I’ll just pick whatever is cheaper.

 

[mousefan73]

Might be fun? Not sure I will ever be traveling to Dubai-so who knows? LOL My husband thinks just flying in there may be worth it.

Maybe you could somehow change your flight so you get one or two nights there? It’s definitely worth checking out. Dubai airport can be awesome but it just depends on which terminal you’re flying out of. Coming in for a landing at night if you’re on the right side, usually you see the city line.

 

[SirDuff]

Maybe you could somehow change your flight so you get one or two nights there? It’s definitely worth checking out. Dubai airport can be awesome but it just depends on which terminal you’re flying out of. Coming in for a landing at night if you’re on the right side, usually you see the city line.

Like, if you're flying to/from Africa (like most airports in the region (well, frankly, world - for example Brussels), they put their flights to Africa in the worst parts of the airport.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Non-stop flights are certainly preferable. However, flying out of Chicago to Barcelona multiple times, we found very limited or no non-stop options. We’ve flown United/Lufthansa via Frankfort and via Munich and Aer Lingus via Dublin. We greatly prefer the Aer Lingus options. Making connections in either Frankfort or Munich involved long walks. In Munich, we had to take a shuttle, followed by a long walk through the terminal. Dublin was as much of a pleasure as any air terminal can be. Returning to the US, we were able to clear customs in Dublin, so the arrival in Chicago was particularly convenient. I don’t know if Aer Lingus has many flights to/from NY (they have a significant presence in Boston), but if I had to choose a flight with a stop within Europe enroute, I would certainly check out Aer Lingus.