Realistic Return Flight Time

Hi all,

We will be on Vikings Star next June traveling from Rome to Barcelona. We've been on numerous US-based cruises but this will be our first Euro cruise and trip. In the US, on the last day it is not a huge problem to be off the ship and catch a flight before noon. Viking booking agent told me to book return flight for after 3pm. Is that realistic or would we end up sitting in the airport for awhile?

Thanks in advance!

Ed

Hi all,

 

We will be on Vikings Star next June traveling from Rome to Barcelona. We've been on numerous US-based cruises but this will be our first Euro cruise and trip. In the US, on the last day it is not a huge problem to be off the ship and catch a flight before noon. Viking booking agent told me to book return flight for after 3pm. Is that realistic or would we end up sitting in the airport for awhile?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Ed

You will end up sitting in the airport for quite a while. Usually they arrive in Barcelona in the middle of the night and unless your arrival time to the port is later, you should easily be able to make a noon or even earlier flight. I know United has a direct flight to Newark that leaves at 10:30 or 10:45am and I know that a lot of people who booked with Viking Air will be on that flight.

The airport is a 30 minute drive without traffic. The cabs don't start showing up at the cruise terminal until about 7am (at least in the winter) and at that point, Viking is already loading buses for the airport. You can probably order a cab for even earlier than that. We were able to catch a 10:30am domestic flight without any problems (other than waiting for an early morning cab to show up)--and still had time for breakfast in the terminal. This trip, we have an 11:35am flight to Munich connecting to our transatlantic. The word is to allow three hours for check in and clearing security, etc. We will be off the ship before 7am.

Just a thought: if this is your first cruise to Europe...

Stay overnight in Barcelona and fly home the next day. you will have a whole day to explore the town.

I always stay one or two days after my cruises . Flying home from Barcelona April 12, two days after my cruise. Flying that United flight to Newark. Will be at airport 3 hrs early.

June is big tourist month in Barcelona and all of Europe. Probably be lots of ships in port along with Viking in June.

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Just a thought: if this is your first cruise to Europe...

Stay overnight in Barcelona and fly home the next day. you will have a whole day to explore the town.

I always stay one or two days after my cruises . Flying home from Barcelona April 12, two days after my cruise. Flying that United flight to Newark. Will be at airport 3 hrs early.

June is big tourist month in Barcelona and all of Europe. Probably be lots of ships in port along with Viking in June.

 

 

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At least one day but two or three is even better!!! There is so much to see and do in Barcelona that a day barely gives you a taste.

Just a thought: if this is your first cruise to Europe...

Stay overnight in Barcelona and fly home the next day. you will have a whole day to explore the town.

Thanks all. The cruise itinerary has 2 days in Barcelona but we are definitely considering staying an extra night. :)

Thanks all. The cruise itinerary has 2 days in Barcelona but we are definitely considering staying an extra night. :)

Certainly a good idea. The second day in the port is usually to disembark and that really is not a day in port unless you make it one. On the next cruise we get to the last port at noon and disembark the next morning. We're adding 2 more days there. We are also arriving at first port 3 days before we board.

Certainly a good idea. The second day in the port is usually to disembark and that really is not a day in port unless you make it one. On the next cruise we get to the last port at noon and disembark the next morning. We're adding 2 more days there. We are also arriving at first port 3 days before we board.

We will be arriving in Rome 2 days early. Unfortunately we have limited PTO so have to watch how many days we can take off and make them count. :(

We will be arriving in Rome 2 days early. Unfortunately we have limited PTO so have to watch how many days we can take off and make them count. :(

Completely understand-

my two cents, Barcelona is totally worth extra time. DH & I have been three times, two of which were multiple days. We wouldn’t hesitate to stay over another time should the opportunity present itself. It’s a great city. So if you can swing it........

Completely understand-

my two cents, Barcelona is totally worth extra time. DH & I have been three times, two of which were multiple days. We wouldn’t hesitate to stay over another time should the opportunity present itself. It’s a great city. So if you can swing it........

We shall see. :) I have not done much homework on Barcelona, what is the ideal area to stay if we can pull off an extra night? Thanks.

We shall see. :) I have not done much homework on Barcelona, what is the ideal area to stay if we can pull off an extra night? Thanks.

IMHO, decide what you want to see and then look for a hotel that is convenient to those places.

Agree with Peregrina. It also depends on how much walking you want to do. We tend to walk A LOT. That said, Barcelona has the HOHO busses to get you to further distances. We tend to want quiet, off the main tourist route, smaller hotels (we have twice stayed at Arai Aparthotel, and it worked well for us). . Some people want to stay in the center of it all. So depends on your style.

There is so much to see and do....be sure to see Sagradia Familia....make reservations online ahead for a specific window of time and you will bypass all the lines...HOHO bus can easily Transport you there....walk if you are able las Ramblas, visit the open market, explore Dali architecture....and take some time to just linger over a meal in a plaza and enjoy.....the options are many. It is a great city.

Agree with Peregrina. It also depends on how much walking you want to do. We tend to walk A LOT.

When I suggested a hotel convenient to all the places you want to see, I wasn't thinking about the walking (although it is a great city for walking around) but more about the time spent (wasted?) getting from place to place (or from a hotel distant from where you want to tour), especially if you are only planning one or two days.

Whatever you do with the enhanced security requirements for flights back to the USA be sure to arrive at the airport three hours prior to your flight.

Keith