NCL Epic Barcelona Western Mediterranean and return flight tmes

[latechbulldogs]

What would be the earliest flight you would feel safe time wise departing back to US Ship returns to Barcelona at 6am but don't know when would be a good time to have return flights. Thanks for your help

[lizguillet]

Barcelona is usually fairly quick to get out of. I made a 1pm flight fairly easily but if anything had happened i would have been in trouble. I would give yourself 2:30 or later to be safe, and that depends on what group you're part of... if you end up booking on the earlier end, you can always let staff know about your flight, and I've had groupings changed based on that.

[Son of a son of a ...]

Much has been posted about this. Personally, 1100 would be OK if the plane fare was decent and alternative flight times were inconvenient. Other folks may be more risk adverse. But, this is Cruise Critic so ask one question and get 20 replies, 10 of which differ.

[Linda the Book Lover]

Our flight is 11:45 and we will do early disembark. I am not concerned as we are in a suite and I know we will be off and luggage in hand pretty quickly. If not in a suite you can always choose early disembark. You should choose the time that is the most comfortable for you. This is the only time for our travel in the morning.

[NCLfamily]

I would say 11 doable. We were state room to through security in under an hour last year. Went like clockwork. Plenty of taxis waiting. 20 mins to airport.

 

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

Barcelona is usually fairly quick to get out of. I made a 1pm flight fairly easily but if anything had happened i would have been in trouble. I would give yourself 2:30 or later to be safe, and that depends on what group you're part of... if you end up booking on the earlier end, you can always let staff know about your flight, and I've had groupings changed based on that.

Unless you mean Haven and other priority groups, you choose your own disembarkation group (and I would not count on being able to talk your way into a priority group if you don't qualify already). If you need to be among the first off the ship, you shouldn't be in any group (luggage color) at all, but do easy walk-off/self-assist.

 

 

Once off the ship, you can be at the airport within 30 minutes, but if you want to add some time for the taxi line, traffic, etc. say 1 hour. And let's say you want to be at the airport 3 hours before your flight (which is more than plenty IMO). So just ask yourself what time you would like to be off the ship (not everyone likes the idea of disembarking at 6am), add 4 hours to that, and book a flight at that time or later.

 

Or if you see a nice cheap flight at 10am, ask yourself if you are OK with lining up before 6am to be the first to walk off the ship, and knowing that you have very little margin for delays.

 

 

Note that there are current reports of long lines at Barcelona, primarily for arriving passengers but also for departures:

Long lines at BCN passport control

 

If you read this thread, you will see that at least according to one person's experience departing from BCN, arriving earlier is no solution, because they weren't even letting people line up for passport control and security until 45 minutes before each flight…

[wdsted]

We've disembarked in Barcelona 3 times and had no issues getting through in 15 minutes with walk-off. Folks tend not to get off early for some reason. If you're concerned, line up at 5:30 and you'll most likely be at the airport by 6:30. And yes, s&@t does happen but any delay will probably happen at airport check-in. BCN check-in can be frustratingly slow for some carriers.

 

 

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[garycarla]

Common question. Search Barcelona airport and you will tons of answers. It appears you need to catch a flight earlier in the day than what some would consider "safe".

 

The good news is that disembarkation in Barcelona is usually pretty quick. Cabs are readily available and 20-30 minutes to airport tops. Self checkout is quick.

 

Guessing the poster does not have the BEST option available. That would be to spend time in Barcelona and not rush to airport. Great place to visit.

[kokopelli-az]

....And yes, s&@t does happen but any delay will probably happen at airport check-in. BCN check-in can be frustratingly slow for some carriers.

 

 

 

BCN check-in can be slow for some carriers .... does anyone have any experience with SAS Airlines being one of those slow check-in airlines?

[Always Cruising]

I left the Epic Sunday, and the taxi line at the port looked like about a 30 minute wait. We luckily had a private transfer prebooked. Got to the airport just before 10 am (for our 1:05 pm flight), and thought we had plenty of time. Once we found our check-in gate, the line took about one hour. I went to the VAT refund line, and that would have been another hour - so I tossed my $76 worth of refund forms, and went on to an airline club (after security). Club staff told me it would take about 10 minutes to get to my American Airlines gate. Luckily I allowed an hour - there was a secondary security checkpoint, and that took 45 minutes to get through. So I made my flight with 10 minutes to spare. I don't know if this is normal Barcelona airport timing, but all of our 3 plus hours at BCN were necessary.

[sandystx]

Always Cruising - who did you use for private transfer to the airport? thnx

[jaxw17]

I left the Epic Sunday, and the taxi line at the port looked like about a 30 minute wait. We luckily had a private transfer prebooked. Got to the airport just before 10 am (for our 1:05 pm flight), and thought we had plenty of time. Once we found our check-in gate, the line took about one hour. I went to the VAT refund line, and that would have been another hour - so I tossed my $76 worth of refund forms, and went on to an airline club (after security). Club staff told me it would take about 10 minutes to get to my American Airlines gate. Luckily I allowed an hour - there was a secondary security checkpoint, and that took 45 minutes to get through. So I made my flight with 10 minutes to spare. I don't know if this is normal Barcelona airport timing, but all of our 3 plus hours at BCN were necessary.

we were stuck in that debacle I have never known queues like it. i was exhausted by the time we got on the flight. We were only flying to the UK arrived before 10 for a 1.15 flight and only just did it nightmare. We have been before and it has not been like that but there were 3 cruise ships in