Spanish Passage Transatlantic November 2019. Suggestions?

[NotmysecondRodeo]

Hey all,

 

We are long time Princess Cruisers who are taking our first cross Atlantic re-positioning cruise this November. The Emerald Princess will be our home during that 14 day cruise.

 

The scheduled ports are:

 Barcelona, Spain | Cartagena, Spain | Malaga, Spain |Casablanca, Morocco (for Marrakech) |Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Spain |Azores Islands (Ponta Delgada), Portugal |Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

 

Do any of you seasoned and experienced cruisers who have stopped at those ports have suggestions for us?

 

Also, any suggestions as to how the fill the time on the ship once we start the 6 day at sea Atlantic crossing?

 

Thank you in advance, your insight is greatly appreciated.

[teecee60]

Arrive in Barcelona 2-3 days early if you can... beautiful city with lots to see and do in town, and the surrounding countryside. The HOHO bus is one of the BEST that I have ever seen... you can EASILY spend an entire day just on that. Malaga is in a very beautiful area... Costa del Sol... they have great tours of an INCREDIBLE limestone cave complex there. Ponta Delgada has absolutely awesome tours of the surrounding volcanic craters/calderas... look for "Blue and Green Lakes." 

[eqj60]

Cartagena is a hidden gem, lovely and easy to do self guided walking tour.

Be sure to stop at artesian craft store for quality, unique souvenirs. 

[Thrak]

The Roll Call for the 14 day Spanish Passage leaving Barcelona on November 4 is located HERE. It's been quite active and many have booked excursions. There is a spreadsheet setup for the roll call, excursions, etc. that is located HERE. Come on over and check things out. We currently have 210 people listed on the roll call spreadsheet...

 

 

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, teecee60 said:

Arrive in Barcelona 2-3 days early if you can... beautiful city with lots to see and do in town, and the surrounding countryside. The HOHO bus is one of the BEST that I have ever seen... you can EASILY spend an entire day just on that. Malaga is in a very beautiful area... Costa del Sol... they have great tours of an INCREDIBLE limestone cave complex there. Ponta Delgada has absolutely awesome tours of the surrounding volcanic craters/calderas... look for "Blue and Green Lakes." 

 

We're on the 12 day Search for the Northern Lights cruise just before this one and will fly to Barcelona afterward. We will have 4 days in Barcelona and are looking forward to sight seeing there. We will definitely be checking out the HOHO bus. I haven't done so yet but plan to check Tom's Port Guides for info as well. We will definitely get tickets for Basilica De La Sagrada Familia as well. Probably the one that includes a tower.

 

As teecee60 suggests: Do yourself a favor and spend a few days in Barcelona pre-cruise if possible.

[jasbo49]

We've been on two transatlantic cruises but have been to very few of the ports you are visiting. One of our TAs did end in Barcelona and I would concur with teecee60 in post 2 that Barcelona deserves a few nights before your cruise. If you can stay in the Gothic Quarter, you'll find yourself in a spider web of little alley ways with shops, cafes, etc.

 

As for passing time on the crossing, there are usually a couple of enrichment classes/speakers. I also love to join the Princess Pop Choir, where you meet on sea days for rehearsals (giving you something to fill your calendar with), then perform in the atrium late in the cruise. If your have a couple of things to build your day around (for me that's a lecture or two and a Pop Choir rehearsal) you can find other things to fill out your day.

 

Obviously, books and movies are useful. And there are always art auctions, bingo, zumba, stuff like that.

 

You'll be fine if you have any capacity to make your own entertainment and combine that with a couple of Princess-provided options.

 

Jim

[Colo Cruiser]

4 hours ago, NotmysecondRodeo said:

Hey all,

 

We are long time Princess Cruisers who are taking our first cross Atlantic re-positioning cruise this November. The Emerald Princess will be our home during that 14 day cruise.

 

The scheduled ports are:

 Barcelona, Spain | Cartagena, Spain | Malaga, Spain |Casablanca, Morocco (for Marrakech) |Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Spain |Azores Islands (Ponta Delgada), Portugal |Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

 

Do any of you seasoned and experienced cruisers who have stopped at those ports have suggestions for us?

 

Also, any suggestions as to how the fill the time on the ship once we start the 6 day at sea Atlantic crossing?

 

Thank you in advance, your insight is greatly appreciated.

Welcome to Cruise Critic!  

 

I also suggest you join the roll call for your cruise.

[pris993]

We have done a number of crossings, on sea days, we often have breakfast in our cabin, walk the main deck mid day, weather permitting get in a swim, sit on our balcony and watch the sea go by...watch movies on our tv, pay bingo check out schedule for talks of interest... a easy way to spend some down time.  We have visited all of the ports you have... usually just get off and wander around, shop like a local if possible,  would suggest a tour in Morocco.  Enjoy your cruise. 

[Grego]

We are doing the reverse of that this May, leaving Port Everglades then on to your basic itinerary on the way to Barcelona.  Staying on the ship we go on to Rome where we fly back to Miami.

The idea of getting in to Barcelona a couple of days before embarkation is solid.  So much to see and do.  You can't see it all, but it's a good way to get into the voyage by getting the internal clock adjusted.

We are taking Spain Day tours for the Spain Ports and basically ship's tours for the rest.  While in Casablanca we are doing the Rabat tour rather than Casablanca itself.

Having taken a couple of TAs in the past, if you love just being on a ship you'll love the voyage home.  Very relaxing and a perfect way to reset your clock.

[BarbinMich]

20 hours ago, NotmysecondRodeo said:

Hey all,

 

We are long time Princess Cruisers who are taking our first cross Atlantic re-positioning cruise this November. The Emerald Princess will be our home during that 14 day cruise.

 

The scheduled ports are:

 Barcelona, Spain | Cartagena, Spain | Malaga, Spain |Casablanca, Morocco (for Marrakech) |Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Spain |Azores Islands (Ponta Delgada), Portugal |Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

 

Do any of you seasoned and experienced cruisers who have stopped at those ports have suggestions for us?

 

Also, any suggestions as to how the fill the time on the ship once we start the 6 day at sea Atlantic crossing?

 

Thank you in advance, your insight is greatly appreciated.

We've been to Malaga once (on a Med cruise) and I really enjoyed it  on my own (my DH stayed on the ship as he often did).  My first stop was the Alcazaba, a complex that dates to the 11th c.  There are Roman ruins on the site as well.  There is also a Picasso museum (don't care for his art, so didn't go in).  Visited the magnificent cathedral.  Had lunch at a local restaurant.  Although it was a gray day, really enjoyed what the city had to offer.

 

We have been to the Ponta Delgada multiple times as we've done a lot of TAs in both directions.  Our roll calls arranged tours we did on several of our stops there:  one went east to visit the "hot spots" (locals cooks their meals at one because the ground is so hot) and various scenic sites; the other went west to visit the visit the lakes and mountains and we had lunch at a local resident's home.  The last time we were there (April 2017), I just walked around town by myself (as I've often done at other ports), revisiting places we'd been to before and seeing some new ones.  I really like the architecture there--it's unique.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Edited March 14, 2019 by BarbinMich

[NotmysecondRodeo]

I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for your sincere and thoughtful replies.

 

Your assistance is wonderful.

 

 

[spunks]

Malaga....if you are lucky....I am not sure of the date you will be there, but if it is later in November you can see them light their Christmas lights....far and away the best Christmas light display in all of Europe....also, be sure and drop in to the Casa de la Guardia....best sherry bar in Malaga...right off the main street

 

Doug

[LarryL]

If you can arrive in Barcelona a few days earlier there is so much to see. The best location to stay would be somewhere close to La Rambla. From that area, there will be many tours to connect to and the subway system is easy to navigate. We spent two days seeing mostly Gaudi sites. Before you go, be sure to check the review sites for restaurants and hotels. I think most restaurants and tapas bars are good to excellent but some are flat out terrible.

 

Cartagena is a delight to just walk from the ship. We had a leisurely breakfast and walked to the Castillo de la Concepcion we relative ease and followed our tour from there to the Roman Amphitheater. After we walked down to the plaza where you can grab a bite or shop.

 

Our stop in Malaga was a CC Roll Call organized bus tour to the Alhambra where we spent the day touring the ancient site. After, we walked down to Granada and stopped at the Bar Las Diamantes and enjoyed some tapas and good wine, followed by a walking tour of that part of the city.

 

The only other port we visited on your itinerary was Santa Cruz de Tenerife where, both our stops we either stayed on the ship or walked into the downtown area. Many people on our cruises both took the tour to the Teide National Park.

 

We've only done two transatlantic cruises but enjoyed them both immensely. We did progressive trivia on both and enjoyed the friendly competition very much. There are so many things to do, you will not be bored. I hope you enjoy your cruise.

[happy cruzer]

Have a question about lunch on a TA, specifically the Crown Princess, and did not want to start a new thread :).

 

On sea days what are the options?  Will the MDR be open every sea day and will the lunch menu change?  Will there be a fish choice at lunch in MDR and in the buffet?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Mapu]

2 hours ago, happy cruzer said:

Have a question about lunch on a TA, specifically the Crown Princess, and did not want to start a new thread :).

 

On sea days what are the options?  Will the MDR be open every sea day and will the lunch menu change?  Will there be a fish choice at lunch in MDR and in the buffet?

 

Thanks in advance.

zmdr will be open on all sea days with the lunch menu changing daily. There is usually a fish option in the dining room; don't know about the buffet. There will also be Pub Lunches on some sea days.

 

[Cruiserkenn]

On March 13, 2019 at 6:59 PM, jasbo49 said:

We've been on two transatlantic cruises but have been to very few of the ports you are visiting. One of our TAs did end in Barcelona and I would concur with teecee60 in post 2 that Barcelona deserves a few nights before your cruise. If you can stay in the Gothic Quarter, you'll find yourself in a spider web of little alley ways with shops, cafes, etc.

 

As for passing time on the crossing, there are usually a couple of enrichment classes/speakers. I also love to join the Princess Pop Choir, where you meet on sea days for rehearsals (giving you something to fill your calendar with), then perform in the atrium late in the cruise. If your have a couple of things to build your day around (for me that's a lecture or two and a Pop Choir rehearsal) you can find other things to fill out your day.

 

Obviously, books and movies are useful. And there are always art auctions, bingo, zumba, stuff like that.

 

You'll be fine if you have any capacity to make your own entertainment and combine that with a couple of Princess-provided options.

 

Jim

 

Yes, on our transatlantic cruise, on the Emerald, the Princess activities were great, during the sea days.  Fantastic speakers in the Princess Theater.  Watch the Princess Patter, each day, so as not to miss anything good.

 

Enjoy! 🙂⛴⚓️🛳🌈🌅🌊🛥🐋🐬🎇🌝

.

[happy cruzer]

23 hours ago, Mapu said:

zmdr will be open on all sea days with the lunch menu changing daily. There is usually a fish option in the dining room; don't know about the buffet. There will also be Pub Lunches on some sea days.

 

Thank you for the answer.  I had read that the lunch menu did not change but that must have been on another cruise line.

Edited August 30, 2019 by happy cruzer

[mafw]

We have also done several Transatlantic cruises.  Besides La Famiglia and the HOHO bus we ventured on the train and took a cable car up to Monserrat,  well worth the adventure...

[Colo Cruiser]

12 hours ago, happy cruzer said:

Thank you for the answer.  I had read that the lunch menu did not change but that must have been on another cruise line.

Yes the MDR is open for lunch on any sea day with Princess and yes the menu changes each day thank goodness.

I couldn't imagine seeing the same one everyday for 6 or 7 days straight. 😳