Debarkation in BCN on Constellation

[KCSungirl]

It has been a while since I have cruised X. Can anyone tell me how efficient the debarkation process is in Barcelona? I have concierge class balcony which says it gives me priority, but not sure what that means. Would a 9am flight be out of the question? We dock at 6am. I don't know how long it takes to get to the airport from the port or the efficiency of the BCN airport. What mode of transportation is best from the port? The cruise transfer? taxi? shared shuttle? I did read the line for taxis is long. I have never bought cruise air before, but if I want to get home the same day and not overnight in a hub city, would anyone recommend this? Thanks for any advice or recommendations, etc.

 

Also, is the open dining on the Constellation ok? Any tips on the Constellation would be great. Is the sky deck or panorama deck more desirable? I booked toward the aft, wanted the sky deck but thought the noise from the dining room above might be problematic.

 

HELP!!!!!!

 

Cheers, Sungirl

[denali1]

I have sailed Constellation four times in the past 6 years, once out of Barcelona. We took a transatlantic from there. So, I am not real sure on the disembarking there, but I can tell you that embarking was smooth. The ride to the airport to the port was around 25 minutes max in a taxi. It is quite congested around the port area though. I would not attempt a morning flight.

 

Not sure about the ships transfers, but if it is like most ports, it will be somewhat of a hassle. You either wait for a taxi or you wait for the transfer bus to fill up. And then unloading at the various airlines at the airport in slow, mostly due to getting to your luggage from under the bus.

 

As for the decks on the Conny, I would probably skip the deck under the pools and buffet. We could often hear deck chairs moving, etc. Open dining seemed good.

It is a wonderful ship though with a superb staff.

[Project_gal]

You really need to check the check-in time for international flights. In the UK at Heathrow, it is 3 hours. It may not be that long at Barcelona but you still have to allow for the ship to be given clearance before you can start to disembark. I would suggest that a 9am international flight is impossible.

 

You do not say which day of the week you are arriving in Barcelona but the traffic in the early morning on a work day is liklely to be challenging.

 

Sue

[henry hound]

With regards your question about flight departures, personally with a 6am arrival i would not be booking flights until after at least 11am. The ship has to be cleared by the authorities, which can take some time. There is a port bus which operates , and you can get the subway/train to the airport, or a bus. This takes around 90 minutes. Taxis are around €30, be prepared to be ripped off !!! and take about 25 mins.........or if you do the fly cruise, then everything is taken care of, and no worries at all, in case the ship arrived late into port etc etc ........

[cruisestitch]

9 a.m.? No way. You don't say where you are flying to, but I'm assuming it's not a domestic flight within Spain, so there are specific check-in times set by the airline for your International flight. Start with those requirements and work from there. Six a.m. arrival does not mean anyone will be getting off the ship at that time.

[AliceS]

We have Choice Air with the cruise line and they have us leaving Barcelona at 9:50 to fly to Rome. We have transfers and they guarantee that we will have no problem. If we were on our own, I would be more concerned. I feel that it's their problem to get us to the next ship. We do Barcelona/Barcelona on Celebrity and transatlantic on Navigator of the Seas. We shall see how this works?

[TomTN]

It has been a while since I have cruised X. Can anyone tell me how efficient the debarkation process is in Barcelona? I have concierge class balcony which says it gives me priority, but not sure what that means. Would a 9am flight be out of the question? We dock at 6am. I don't know how long it takes to get to the airport from the port or the efficiency of the BCN airport. What mode of transportation is best from the port? The cruise transfer? taxi? shared shuttle? I did read the line for taxis is long. I have never bought cruise air before, but if I want to get home the same day and not overnight in a hub city, would anyone recommend this? Thanks for any advice or recommendations, etc.

 

Also, is the open dining on the Constellation ok? Any tips on the Constellation would be great. Is the sky deck or panorama deck more desirable? I booked toward the aft, wanted the sky deck but thought the noise from the dining room above might be problematic.

 

HELP!!!!!!

 

Cheers, Sungirl

 

I doubt you will get off the ship before 7, but maybe. There will be cabs lined up just outside the terminal that can get you to the airport in about 30 minutes. We did not experience long lines for a cab, and were very early to BCN. We had to wait for the Delta people to show up.

 

Security at BCN checked every nook and cranny of passengers carry ons before our Delta flight at 10 a.m. They caused the flight to leave an hour late. (not complaining,worth it IMO)

 

Frankly, I would look for a later flight(after 10) if you are booking yourself. Barcelona is a fun city with plenty to do and see, and hotels are not that expensive so If you are not staying a couple of days pre cruise you might enjoy a day there.

[TMaine]

I found the disembarkation process at Barcelona to be one of the best I have experienced. With that said, I wouldn't book any flight before 10:30. In fact, at the time, =X= wouldn't transfer you on one of their buses if you had a flight before 10:30. Not that you couldn't make it, but it would be cutting it very close. We had a 10:45 flight and made it in good time but there wasn't alot to spare.

[okimot]

We have dis-embarked at Barcelona several times. Although the ship may dock at 6.00 a.m. it has to be cleared by immigration and customs before anyone can get off the ship.

We always use a taxi which are well organised. As another poster has said it is about 25 euros. There is a standard charge for passengers then an extra charge for each piece of luggage.

Keep some euros as the taxi drivers do not like dollars

[scubasteve00]

We have disembarked several times in BCN (all with RCI) and had 9:50 flight each time. We made it to the gate each time with plenty of time to spare. It does add a lot of stress to the end of the cruise, but it was our only option for a same day flight out.

 

Dustin