Would you cancel tours in Barcelona?

[Momma Mojito]

news.sky.com/.../barcelona-mayor-warns-against-catalonia-independence-declaration-

We will be in Barcelona a couple of days before our Royal Princes's cruise on October 21.

With all the unrest that has been going on in Barcelona would you consider canceling tours

[Lady Arwen]

Absolutely not!

[anniegb]

news.sky.com/.../barcelona-mayor-warns-against-catalonia-independence-declaration-

 

We will be in Barcelona a couple of days before our Royal Princes's cruise on October 21.

With all the unrest that has been going on in Barcelona would you consider canceling tours

 

Who believes Sky ?

 

Check your State Dept advice.

 

Annie

[Momma Mojito]

Who believes Sky ?

 

Check your State Dept advice.

 

Annie

 

Thanks

[jollyjones]

It looks like there is a difficult and uncertain time coming in Catalonia and I don't think anyone knows quite what is going to happen.

I would continue trying to follow what is happening from as many different news sources as possible, and be ready to make a decision one way or the other as events unfold - that may be quite last minute for your time frame, unfortunately.

[easyboy]

Won’t cancel tours based on it.

 

 

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[dtb55]

I would not cancel.

 

 

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[dfields1814]

Nope

[iancal]

No. And I would place as much reliance on Sky, US State Dept. and CNN, ie zero in this instance.

 

Last two times we were travelling to a country that had similar issues, warnings, travel advisories, and questionable media coverage, we were able to google and find the blog of an expat who actually lived in the city (in our case Bangkok,/Thailand and Athens/Greece). Their on the spot reports were almost the complete opposite of the impression we had from watching the news reports or reading the travel advisories.

 

We would do the tour.

[memoak]

I would take a wait and see attitude for 24 hrs - to see if Catalan declares independence and what reaction the Madrid government has

[Redwing55]

No. And I would place as much reliance on Sky, US State Dept. and CNN, ie zero in this instance.

 

Last two times we were travelling to a country that had similar issues, warnings, travel advisories, and questionable media coverage, we were able to google and find the blog of an expat who actually lived in the city (in our case Bangkok,/Thailand and Athens/Greece). Their on the spot reports were almost the complete opposite of the impression we had from watching the news reports or reading the travel advisories.

 

We would do the tour.

Yup. Just remember that news outlets want people to read/see the product.. not necessarily getting out accurate info. They want to make it "exciting." Yes, sometimes it's a good story but many a time the media needs to "discover" the most dramatic.

[dtb55]

We just got back from Mexico and Cuba and had a great time in spite of all the warnings. Common sense goes a long way when traveling. You should read the warnings about coming to the US.

 

 

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[grouchomarx]

Personally I would not visit Barcelona at this time. Too much uncertainty and so much brutal violence happened during the voting. I would not visit anywhere in Europe right now. Too many incidents recently. There are other places to go, other things to see where I don't have to be worrying all the time. I'm not a risk taker. I just don't see how it's worth it. Sure something bad can happen anywhere, anytime but I'm looking at the history, the recent patterns, the geographical opportunities for terrorism and I just can't get comfortable with it. Personally, I do take credible news outlets and the US Dept of State seriously. If not, what information are people relying upon to make their travel decisions?

[Kauai Kid]

I’ll be on the same cruise and will be in Barcelona 3 days prior to. Can’t wait to get there.

[LarryL]

For me, I (we) travel where and when the opportunity presents itself. It doesn't matter where you travel; there will always be some risk involved. Barcelona is a beautiful city with many things to experience. It seems to me the civil issues are internal politics and will not have much effect on tourism. Although there have been protests, they seem to be peaceful. At very least, you will see history in the making. :)

 

If you are nervous try staying in a different neighborhood than the La Rambla. We stayed a few days at a Holiday Inn Express near Rambla del Poblenuo. We had a nice, quiet stay in this area and had easy access via the very good subway system. Enjoy your stay.

[iancal]

The news outlets are more interested in providing entertainment and filling the time slot that they are in an accurate portrayal of any situation. State Dept, External Affairs warnings are essentially a CYA missive.

[laughing husky]

Vickie, from Cruising Princess with Vickie, a very neat blog if you have not seen it, was in Barcelona during the election and just before it. she posted some videos of the marching, and said she had a wonderful time and never felt unsafe one minute. The only problem she had was men peeing in the streets....which is very common in Spain, no matter what part and has been for years. I have spent a lot of time in Spain, mostly in the north but it is a wonderful country. I would not cancel.

[OzKiwiJJ]

We were in Barcelona on October 1st. Despite an increased police presence around the Placa de Cataluya, La Rambla, and some other squares in the Gothic Quarter where we were wandering that day, we felt perfectly safe.

 

The HoHo buses seemed very popular that day and are a great way to get an overview of the city. The company we used had two routes, each taking around 2-2.5 hours. After that we used taxis to go directly to places we wanted to explore further. Note, if you're not doing a tour book an entry time to places like La Sagrada Familia online before your go. That way you don't end up waiting in long queues (which can be a security risk), you can just turn at at the booked time and go straight in.

[eclue]

Would not cancel tours - look at what happens everyday in the US.

[joeyancho]

Would not cancel tours - look at what happens everyday in the US.

Which has zero bearing on what is going on in Spain. False equivalent.

[Keith1010]

I would make adjustments to my tour if necessary.

 

Keith

[Lucky TGO]

Which has zero bearing on what is going on in Spain. False equivalent.

 

I agree totally with you.

Tony

[mistertoaster]

This is from today’s Wall Street Journal which I consider a credible news source:

 

“Mr. Ra*joy called an extraordinary cab*i*net meet*ing for Wednes*day at 9 a.m. in Madrid and was set to ad*dress Spain’s na*tional par*lia*ment in the af*ter*noon.”

 

The Prime Minister has a range of options including taking control of the Catalonian government. We should know more after the meeting. This is a very fluid situation and can change on a moments notice depending on each sides response to the other sides actions. We are departing from Barcelona on the 27th on the MSC Meraviglia. My biggest concern is getting to and from the port. The possibility of a general strike exists if tensions escalate to action. One such strike has already occurred.

 

I love to tour Barcelona, but we have nothing planned for this stop based on current uncertainties. If tensions decrease, we can always revise our plans. However, at this time I will be happy if our ship docks and I can get to and from the airport.

 

 

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[les37b]

Which has zero bearing on what is going on in Spain. False equivalent.

 

 

 

True

 

The violence took place in a location where 100s of thousands gathered to vote in an election the government were hell bent on stopping and used all means to prevent it, whereas clashes are less predicable and random in the US.

 

Avoid those large gatherings in Barcelona and you'll be quite safe.

 

It's certainly interesting times ahead granted, though I don't think the Catalans have thought it through where the football club will be playing their matches in future if they're no longer part of Spain! And whilst that's tongue in cheek, I expect it could collapse independence in a heart beat. It's more than a football club after all.

[CeeCee59]

Be aware that some insurance policies may not cover you in cases of civil unrest. If you check your countries notifications of advise to not visit due to concerns of civil unrest then you are on your own if something should happen to you.