LIVE - VISION Med and Greek Isles - 6/11-23

[aring75]

7 hours ago, Ashland said:

We just returned from our Med/Greece Vision cruise May 18th - May 30th. Had cabin #8590...great views. We were lucky to have gotten wonderful round trip first class flights on Delta One LAX-BCN. We stayed at Hotel Jazz for two nights pre-cruise. Loved this itinerary and the amazing private tours we did especially the Malta one with Malta Film Tours...Malcolm a cast member from Game Of Thrones gave us one of the best tours if you're a GOT fan !!!!!

 

OP, if you go to the CL shout out to Jay (waitstaff) in the CL from the Lemon Drop & Screwdriver couple...he'll know who you're talking about...he is just amazing !!!!!!

 

Wow, I think my husband would have liked that tour! I’m not going to tell him about it. 😂

 

2 hours ago, depplep said:

That's the best looking meal I've ever seen on a plane.

 

It was really good. I was pleasantly surprised!

 

1 hour ago, JBSteelerfan said:

Looking forward to your review.  We currently have an aft JS on Vision next year, but hoping one of the corners opens up before then.  I am sure you will LOVE that cabin!

 

That cabin (and that balcony) is truly one of the things I’m most excited about on the ship!

 

1 hour ago, jimbri said:

Looking forward to your review.  Enjoy!

 

Thank you!!

 

1 hour ago, cruise wizard said:

We will be cruising  on the Rhapsody for a B2B starting on 6/15 and will be doing the Greek Isles................looking forward to following along with you.............learning more about the ports of call and about Vision (in 2020 doing the Snowbird Migration from Quebec and the following Southern Caribbean itinerary).

 

Bon Voyage!!!!!

 

That B2B sounds fantastic!

 

1 hour ago, PhilNDebbieAtSea said:

Sounds like an amazing trip planned! We were just saying last night how much we enjoyed and missed our Med cruise. It is exhausting but so thrilling to see all the incredible places we had only heard about! Thank you for bringing us along with you! Have a great time! 

 

Yes, I have a feeling that we are really going to need our sea days to recuperate. Thanks for coming along!

[aring75]

Made it through our flight (I didn’t sleep much, but at least I was comfortable “not sleeping”). 

 

Got to our hotel and got checked in. Mark thinks everyone drives REALLY FAST in Barcelona. I didn’t think it was much worse than any metropolitan area in the states. 

 

Room is very well-appointed and comfortable.

 

 

 

I absolutely LOVE our terrace. Can’t wait to have coffee here in the morning. It overlooks the hotel’s interior courtyard and has views of La Pedrera. 

 

 

 

[grapau27]

33 minutes ago, aring75 said:

 

Wow, I think my husband would have liked that tour! I’m not going to tell him about it. 😂

 

 

It was really good. I was pleasantly surprised!

 

 

That cabin (and that balcony) is truly one of the things I’m most excited about on the ship!

 

 

Thank you!!

 

 

That B2B sounds fantastic!

 

 

Yes, I have a feeling that we are really going to need our sea days to recuperate. Thanks for coming along!

Following along.

Most of our cruises have been around the Mediterranean and the ports are fantastic.

Santorini, Mykonos and Valletta are particularly stunning.

I'm sure you will have a fabulous time and your planning and preparation for this cruise is excellent.

[Seville2Cabo]

7 hours ago, Ashland said:

We just returned from our Med/Greece Vision cruise May 18th - May 30th. Had cabin #8590...great views.

Small world - we were on the cruise next door in 8588 - the corner aft.  Our friends (their first cruise) were in the other aft, 8088.

Loved the room and the balcony in general.  My issue with the balcony was lack of privacy.  Above 8588 was the nail salon and the widows slant out at about 45 degrees so people can look down.  Also, since the dividers slant up, it is very easy to "see" around the divider.  We had no issues, but our friends in 8088 caught their neighbor looking around twice - not cool!

 

Great ship and we did reverse itinerary (except we went to Cannes).  Greece ports were new to us and we loved them.  The others, we've been to before.  Only did 2 ships tours - One in Santorini where the tours drop you off at another tender port and you avoid the lines for the lift and still get plenty of free time to explore.  Well worth the money.

 

We bought the unlimited dinning package and loved it, so can't comment on the MDR (never went) or much on the Windjammer (lunch first and last day and breakfast twice).

 

Enjoy - 

[Ashland]

3 hours ago, Seville2Cabo said:

Small world - we were on the cruise next door in 8588 - the corner aft.  Our friends (their first cruise) were in the other aft, 8088.

Loved the room and the balcony in general.  My issue with the balcony was lack of privacy.  Above 8588 was the nail salon and the widows slant out at about 45 degrees so people can look down.  Also, since the dividers slant up, it is very easy to "see" around the divider.  We had no issues, but our friends in 8088 caught their neighbor looking around twice - not cool!

 

Great ship and we did reverse itinerary (except we went to Cannes).  Greece ports were new to us and we loved them.  The others, we've been to before.  Only did 2 ships tours - One in Santorini where the tours drop you off at another tender port and you avoid the lines for the lift and still get plenty of free time to explore.  Well worth the money.

 

We bought the unlimited dinning package and loved it, so can't comment on the MDR (never went) or much on the Windjammer (lunch first and last day and breakfast twice).

 

Enjoy - 

I think I saw you and the other (aft corner couple) when we were all out there for the Malta sailout !!!!! That was just amazing. 

 

Loved this itinerary but was disappointed in the ship...I think I'll avoid booking this class again. Many years ago it was fine but now our taste's have changed.

 

We did only one ship tour and that was into Florence the DIY just for the transportation...other's were private, booked with our roll call and they were amazing especially Malta !!!!

 

We didn't do much if any of the onboard entertainment...went to the CL nightly. So glad we brought our Firestick as the TV options on this ship were horrible...we were happy to be able to relax after the busy port days with some movies.

[Seville2Cabo]

9 minutes ago, Ashland said:

I think I saw you and the other (aft corner couple) when we were all out there for the Malta sailout !!!!! That was just amazing. 

 

Loved this itinerary but was disappointed in the ship...I think I'll avoid booking this class again. Many years ago it was fine but now our taste's have changed.

 

We did only one ship tour and that was into Florence the DIY just for the transportation...other's were private, booked with our roll call and they were amazing especially Malta !!!!

 

We didn't do much if any of the onboard entertainment...went to the CL nightly. So glad we brought our Firestick as the TV options on this ship were horrible...we were happy to be able to relax after the busy port days with some movies.

 I was concerned about the ship as it was the smallest we have been on and it did not have a promenade.  But we really enjoyed the ship.  We never saw the inside of the MDR or theater.  We did go to Quest one night.  We also did the Florence DIY for the transportation as we have been there and my wife was shopping for leather.  

 

Went to the DL (crowded, but you could find a seat) one night when our friends were tired, but most nights we went to the R Bar and service was excellent.  In general we liked the music every evening at the R Bar, although a little loud sometimes.  

 

The sail out of Malta was great, as was Santorini, since it was on our side of the ship.  

 

TV was bad,  not even sure there was a news channel, but we really don't watch much on a cruise.  

 

To the OP - there is a "secret" stair way at the back of the ship which goes to the Spa and fitness room which worked out great for us as we used the fitness room on all but the long port days.

[gooners1968]

I think you are going to love this cruise! We did 12 nights on Vision on the Venice itinerary last summer and loved it so much we are going again 9 weeks today. Out of the 8 Med cruises we have done this was the best. Vision was the smallest ship we have cruised on but we loved the lack of crowds, queues and less children onboard too.(our days of family holidays are over!). Vision doesn't have the bells and whistles of the big ships but for a port intensive Med cruise it was superb.

 

I'll be reading with interest-have an awesome holiday!

[kccrzr]

OP, thanks for taking the time to post.  We will be on Vision for a Med cruise with a somewhat similar itinerary in September.  The Vision always seems to have great itineraries and we've found the staff to be excellent. 

 

I've already noted several great suggestions from you and other posters.  Have a great cruise.

[aring75]

13 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Following along.

Most of our cruises have been around the Mediterranean and the ports are fantastic.

Santorini, Mykonos and Valletta are particularly stunning.

I'm sure you will have a fabulous time and your planning and preparation for this cruise is excellent.

 

Thank you!!!

 

13 hours ago, Seville2Cabo said:

My issue with the balcony was lack of privacy.  Above 8588 was the nail salon and the widows slant out at about 45 degrees so people can look down.  Also, since the dividers slant up, it is very easy to "see" around the divider.  We had no issues, but our friends in 8088 caught their neighbor looking around twice - not cool!

 

Yikes! Definitely not cool. 😳

 

9 hours ago, Seville2Cabo said:

To the OP - there is a "secret" stair way at the back of the ship which goes to the Spa and fitness room which worked out great for us as we used the fitness room on all but the long port days.

 

Thanks! That’s awesome. 

 

8 hours ago, gooners1968 said:

I think you are going to love this cruise! We did 12 nights on Vision on the Venice itinerary last summer and loved it so much we are going again 9 weeks today. Out of the 8 Med cruises we have done this was the best. Vision was the smallest ship we have cruised on but we loved the lack of crowds, queues and less children onboard too.(our days of family holidays are over!). Vision doesn't have the bells and whistles of the big ships but for a port intensive Med cruise it was superb.

 

I'll be reading with interest-have an awesome holiday!

 

So glad to hear you loved Vision so much. We like this size ship too! Hoping Vision is as comfortable as we remember. 

 

6 hours ago, kccrzr said:

OP, thanks for taking the time to post.  We will be on Vision for a Med cruise with a somewhat similar itinerary in September.  The Vision always seems to have great itineraries and we've found the staff to be excellent. 

 

I've already noted several great suggestions from you and other posters.  Have a great cruise.

 

Yes! Keep those amazing suggestions coming! And thanks kccrzr. 

[aring75]

So after checking out our hotel room, we decided to check out a little of the surrounding area. I love how beautiful the city of Barcelona is. The Eixample area is lined with trees on almost every street and there are outdoor cafes everywhere. 

 

 

 

 

 

We managed a few hours and decided to go back to the hotel’s rooftop terrace for a drink, tapas, and some relaxation. We could feel the day catching up to us quickly now. 

 

 

 

Somehow I missed the picture of our chips and guac, but the view across the courtyard looks over the back of La Padrera. There is so much amazing architecture here. Can’t wait for our tours!

 

 

 

We were so tired from our travel, we ended up back in our hotel room at ten minutes to eight. Showered and set the alarm for an early tour. Tomorrow would be Girona and Costa Brava. Pick-up is at 8:15am. Now I think I’m glad we can have breakfast downstairs!

 

More to come!

[grapau27]

6 hours ago, aring75 said:

So after checking out our hotel room, we decided to check out a little of the surrounding area. I love how beautiful the city of Barcelona is. The Eixample area is lined with trees on almost every street and there are outdoor cafes everywhere. 

 

 

 

 

 

We managed a few hours and decided to go back to the hotel’s rooftop terrace for a drink, tapas, and some relaxation. We could feel the day catching up to us quickly now. 

 

 

 

Somehow I missed the picture of our chips and guac, but the view across the courtyard looks over the back of La Padrera. There is so much amazing architecture here. Can’t wait for our tours!

 

 

 

We were so tired from our travel, we ended up back in our hotel room at ten minutes to eight. Showered and set the alarm for an early tour. Tomorrow would be Girona and Costa Brava. Pick-up is at 8:15am. Now I think I’m glad we can have breakfast downstairs!

 

More to come!

Lots of tourist towns on the Costa Brava(Malgrat,Tossa De mar,Lloret de Mar,Calella) etc.

[Calbeeman]

We’ve always bought our wine in the Barcelona cruise terminal just past security screening. Actually have a pretty good selection. Enjoy your cruise. We have the same itinerary in late August so following closely.

[RKHOOKER]

I’m on VOTS doing the July 17 Med cruise.  I’m very interested in your reviews of not only the ship but the ports, & any tips that may help us! 

We are looking at doing our own tours in all ports except Livorno, where we’ll most likely book a tour.

We have booked the Key & the Deluxe drink package.  We’re getting really excited about our first RC & Med cruise even though we’ve done 4 cruises previously.  

Hopefully we can learn from your experience. Cheers! 🍻🥂

[Sorry Muffin]

I have a couple of questions, since I will be on the ship in Sept

 

*. What time are you allowed to board the ship?

*  I would like to mail a postcard to someone, saying I arrived.  What is the cost of postage?  Do they sell stamps on board?  The the ship have a maillot?

 

Thank you in advance

Mary Louise

[Seville2Cabo]

2 hours ago, Sorry Muffin said:

. What time are you allowed to board the ship?

We arrived at the terminal at 10:15. Porter met us at the cab and took our bags, by 10:30 we were thru check in and in the terminal shops and they let us in the ship before 11. 

Went straight to Chops to schedule our speciality dining and then to WJ. Rooms opened at 1

 

[Sorry Muffin]

8 minutes ago, Seville2Cabo said:

We arrived at the terminal at 10:15. Porter met us at the cab and took our bags, by 10:30 we were thru check in and in the terminal shops and they let us in the ship before 11. 

Went straight to Chops to schedule our speciality dining and then to WJ. Rooms opened at 1

 

Thank you

[johnjen]

On 6/7/2019 at 8:15 AM, aring75 said:

Our Flight:

 

I don’t really mind flying, but I have always had a hard time sleeping on a plane. Granted, I’ve never flown as far as Europe, but I’ve been on a red-eye, I’ve been crazy-tired, ready to drop, just-wish-I-could-just-get-an-hour-or-two-please tired and it doesn’t seem to matter. I hate trying to sleep on a plane. Mark? Pssh. Pretty sure he can sleep anywhere.

 

We knew we were going to look for Business Class fares for this trip (just because of the whole Anniversary celebration-thing, you know), but those lie-flat beds also sounded pretty nice. However, we didn’t want to go too crazy with the prices either. Also, we don’t have a bunch of FF miles to upgrade us to the nice seats, so it was me checking the computer at 330 days out watching for available fares. 

 

Me:    Hey, Mark! There aren’t any non-stop business class fares from Tampa to Barcelona for our dates (I know, imagine that, right?), but we can go from Tampa to Miami to Barcelona.

 

Mark:    How much is that?

 

Me:    $4200

 

Mark:    Total?

 

Me:    Each.

 

Mark:    $8400! Holy…! That’s more than our cruise.

 

Me:    Yeah. I guess sleep is overrated.

 

But, then, lo and behold. About two weeks after that someone posted on a FB group to which I belong about a reasonably-priced fare they had booked through the cruise line (Air2Sea) from Tampa to Barcelona for our cruise. Dare I risk it? Airfare through the cruise line? We’ve only ever done it once before, for an Alaska cruise. We had no problems that time, but I’ve heard of others’ stories. I decided to call our TA just to see my options.

 

Turned out I could book Business Class fares through the cruise line for $1480pp. What? Okay, so I checked out Matrix / Google Flights and it was still showing that Eight THOUSAND dollar nonsense. I mean, how? So of course, I called my TA and asked what she thought about the flight. Is it honest-to-goodness Business Class? Or, you know, “business class?” “-ish?” She said it seemed legit. Well, not really. She’s a very proper 70+ year old southern lady. She didn’t use the word “legit.” But you get the idea.

 

We will be flying from Tampa to Atlanta (on First Class fares) where we will then have a very-nearly three hour layover. Yuck. But then it’s on to Barcelona via Delta One®. Yay. Now that’s what I’m talking about. Lie-flat seats baby.

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back though it’s a different story. We leave Barcelona on Swiss International Air, so not true Business Class - just an empty seat between. We connect through Zurich with barely an hour to spare. (Yeah. That doesn’t make me nervous at all.) And then we board Edelweiss Air (back to Business) for our return trip to Tampa. I seriously had to Google Edelweiss Air. I had never heard of them and was a little worried about what I had gotten us into.

 

Hmmm.

 

 

 

 

We're business class as well via Air France and we were fortunate enough to nab ours for $1240pp, that is from IAD to BCN with a stop in CDG. Going BC is smart since the flight is lengthy, every time we fly over the pond it's the best way to travel. We booked our flights through Air2Sea and also noticed the flights otherwise were clearly in that range you just mentioned....it's insane....we're on Vision for July 5th! This will be our second cruise in the med. Next one is on Brilliance in 2020 for the Baltic. Have fun on your upcoming cruise. if there is any advice I'd give you, BE SAFE and make SURE you get yourself a travel purse and wear it over your head/shoulder style....the pickpockets, especially in LaRambla shopping area, are horrific. One tried nabbing wife's pocketbook right in front of me. 

[johnjen]

On 6/7/2019 at 8:16 AM, aring75 said:

Our Hotel:

 

I really struggled with this one. Having never traveled to Europe before I really had to do a lot of research about hotels and the area in and around Barcelona. I looked at a bunch of hotel recommendations here on CC, on TripAdvisor, on FB (and other social media sites), and also asked for general word-of-mouth recommendations from people I knew. We wanted a “nice” hotel, but I quickly learned that star-class ratings overseas are not always exactly the same as they are in the US. Also, sticker shock is a real thing you guys. Wow.

 

I took a quick peek at Airbnb. They have this thing called Airbnb “plus” now where the homes offered are inspected and guaranteed to be what is offered in the description. But Mark said he’d feel better at an honest-to-goodness hotel, so I narrowed it down to three. From those, Mark picked the H10 Casa Mimosa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s located in the same block as La Padrera (Casa Milà) in the Eixample District just northwest of Plaça Catalunya. When I first booked, our Deluxe Garden Terrace Room was 223€ (which converted to approx. $250). However, I kept watching, and I also signed up for their online club to save an additional 5%. Eventually I got the same room for 192€ (or $215), and since we were staying three nights, every penny would count! Also, that room rate includes breakfast. Not sure if we will use it every day we are there, but it’s nice to know we can.

 

Look again at Air BnB.....much better rates for more value and amenities....perhaps not a free breakfast but at least we have our own villa we couldn't turn down and it has a rooftop pool much alike Hotel Jazz. Our rate for the rented villa near Sagrada Familia comes out to being 180 euro per night and we're there for three nights, meeting my daughter from Belgium there before the cruise. Two years back we booked our SF visit online ahead of time, zero line waiting to get in. We're also doing (again) the Aerobus from BCN to city Centre, far more convenient and less expensive than a cab.

[aring75]

Sorry to take so long to get back. It was a very full day. Our tour was with InOut Barcelona Tours. They are an up and coming tour company in Barcelona, as this is their fourth year in operation. They limit all of their groups to maximum eight people, and hotel pickup/drop off is included in your tour rate. 

 

Our guide, Mateus (everyone calls me Matt) picked us up right outside our hotel at 8:15am. We picked up a family of four from Montreal and a couple from Orlando, then we were on our way. 

 

Today’s tour was going to be a LONG one. Girona is about an hour an fifteen minutes outside of the city of Barcelona, so we drove there first. Once we arrived, we stood outside the city walls while Matt gave us some history. 

 

 

 

Then stopped for the famous “postcard picture” as we crossed the bridge into the walled city. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we arrived, it was so quiet and peaceful! Almost no one was around. That would quickly change. Large bus tour groups would start to overtake the city in a couple of hours. I was SO happy we got here earlier and beat those crowds! Thanks Matt!

 

 

 

 

[aring75]

So Mark was able to get his GoT fanboy fun after all. Apparently, much of season 6 was filmed in the walled city at Girona. 

 

You might recognize where Circe made her famous “Walk of Shame.”

 

 

 

You can see the bell tower of the cathedral from many points in the city. But you can hear it every fifteen minutes. It rings to indicate every quarter hour and the top of the hour. 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we climbed to the very top of the wall, we could see all of Girona laid out before us. 

 

 

 

 

 

Believe me. You definitely want to do that climb first thing in the morning. Let’s just say, I think we burned off breakfast and earned a decent portion of our lunch making that climb!

 

Lol, okay it probably wasn’t THAT bad. We’re just THAT out of shape. 

[aring75]

After the “hike” we were given a little over 45 minutes to explore a bit on our own. We noticed at this point, however, that it was really starting to get crowded. I was so glad I got good pictures earlier. Mark and I saw an outdoor cafè from before and stopped for a coffee and some relaxation. The rest of the group met up with us agreeing that it was almost too crowded to walk through the narrow streets. So we moved on to our next destination. 

 

Pals

 

 

 

Pals is a medieval city set between Girona and the Costa Brava area. It is a gorgeous little village full of alleyways and cobblestone streets. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They have a small church (St Peter’s) and part of the structure is actually preserved original stonework from the 7th century. Sometimes it’s just so hard to wrap my head around that. Standing inside a building that has been used for so many centuries. It’s humbling. 

 

They allowed non-flash photography. So, thankfully, I was also able to get pictures. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One the most famous things Pals is known for is it’s Tour of Hours. Their own bell tower. 

 

 

 

You just barely see the Mediterranean in the distance when you stand at the Tour’s viewing platform. 

 

 

 

More to follow

[Coralc]

On 6/8/2019 at 10:56 AM, Ashland said:

 

Loved this itinerary but was disappointed in the ship...I think I'll avoid booking this class again. Many years ago it was fine but now our taste's have changed.

 

 

 

I hope the vibration wasn't too bad Ash. We were onboard in February out of NOLA, and I sort of tend to agree with you. We had a midship JS and had sewage flooding in the bathroom (twice) . They insisted it was shower drain overflow from people showering....really? At 3AM? We had several inches of water and sludge. (twice) The neighbors' accessible cabin had to have the carpet replaced, because there was no sill going in the bathroom,  It was a great cruise, as they all are,  but we were not happy with some things. 

[aring75]

We wandered around Pals for about an hour or so. Took pictures, wandered in the shops, stopped in a creperia. Loved this stop. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we headed toward the coastal towns. We drove through several areas, but stopped at Calella de Palafrugell. We all had lunch at a little restaurant overlooking the beach. Then had about 45 minutes to look around on our own. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a pretty long drive back to Barcelona (about an hour and a half) so the tour took almost ten hours total. We left at 08:30 and returned around 18:30. So while I would absolutely recommend the tour if you are staying in the city for a few days before or after your cruise, it’s simply too long for anyone who’s only looking for a shore excursion for the day. 

[aring75]

Our second full day in Barcelona we had a city tour. Today we would see the Gothic Quarter, La Sagrada Familia, Montjuic and the Olympic Village, Park Güell, and Casa Milà (La Padrera).

 

We started off by meeting at the tour offices for Explore Catalunya. From there we walked the short couple of blocks to the Catredal de Barcelona. 

 

 

 

From there we walked through the original city gates (the Roman gates)

 

 

to Barri Gòtic (the Gothic Quarter). We wandered the dark alleys and winding streets learning of Catalunyan history. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made it over to St. Mary of the Sea Cathedral built in the 14th century found in the Ribera District. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aring75]

After our walking tour of the city (which took around an hour and a half) we boarded a small bus for Montjuic. 

 

We were sitting in the last row of the bus, so this gives you a good idea of the size of our group. 

 

 

 

We drove by the port and I could see several ships in port. I never got a good vantage point for a picture, but I saw a Princess ship, two Celebrity ships, Costa, and Silversea. There was one woman on our tour who had booked it privately and was on one of the cruises. 

 

We drove through the Olympic Village and spent 20-25 minutes at Montjuic for pictures. 

 

 

 

 

 

After, it was off to Sagrada Familia. We spent 30-ish minutes together as a group getting information from our guide. Then he gave us nearly two hours to explore SF on our own and to have lunch in the area. We were to meet up at a designated area at a specified time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took so many pictures at Sagrada Familia, but I won’t inundate you with them. Just let me say the sheer magnitude is impossible to convey in a picture on a phone or computer screen. You just can’t imagine it. It’s like trying to describe the Grand Canyon or the Great Wall of China. You simply have to be in the space. It truly is awe inspiring. 

 

After lunch and meeting back up with the group, we drove to Parc Güell where our guide walked with us through the main area and then, again, gave us around 40-45 minutes to wander on our own. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was very crowded at Parc Güell and I really don’t think we had enough time to see everything. I enjoyed it, but it was really hot. Plus, I felt rushed because of the tour time constraints. 

 

Our last stop was Casa Milà / La Padrera. This was another area that was extremely crowded. There were a few areas that were so overrun with other tour groups, that Mark and I just kind of hurried past. 

 

Pictures on the rooftop:

 

 

 

 

Our tour ended here. You were on your own to find your way back to your hotel / cruise terminal, etc. It DID say this on the booking confirmation, but I was very glad that our hotel was just around the block. Some people had 1-2 km to get back and they were dreading that walk. 

 

Would I recommend this tour? It was pretty good. Yesterday’s, however, was really good.

 

I feel like most of what we did today could be done on your own with just minimal planning. EVERYTHING in the city is easily walkable. And there’s also the HOHO bus if you’d rather do that.

 

We paid $82 each, and that included all of our admissions (priority admission for Sagrada Família - no waiting in line). But you can buy your tickets online ahead of time, so I would say unless you just feel more comfortable with a guide, a city tour probably isn’t necessary. Just my two cents.