Might miss embarkation in Barcelona

[FlyerTalker]

On 7/19/2019 at 4:44 PM, CruiserBruce said:

A clarification here. You need to run to Immigration, which will be first(Passport Check...determining if you are allowed into the country), not Customs (which is about your personal property). Immigration is heavily dependent on the length of the lines. Customs in Europe is easy and fast, but you have to claim your bags first, and that can take 30 minutes or more.

 

There is significant difference between Immigration and Customs.

 

On 7/19/2019 at 4:52 PM, clo said:

And I think you did a super job explaining it.  I think many people think of it as just one thing.

 

+1

 

Add in the comments about "direct" flights.....oy!

[clo]

29 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

Add in the comments about "direct" flights.....oy!

MANY years ago I worked for an intl. airline.  "Direct" drove me crazy then and still does.  (That's a very long time to be crazy!)   Do people really not know the difference between "direct" and "nonstop"?

[FlyerTalker]

9 hours ago, clo said:

Do people really not know the difference between "direct" and "nonstop"?

 

It's true -They don't.

[SRF]

16 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

I said that it was a lousy decision.

 

But now the decision is made and hopefully the plane will arrive early, which is very common on eastbound transatlantic flights, and they get some extra time.

 

I have landed late too but most of my eastbound transatlantic flights has landed early.

 

I agree that MOST do. But of course, when you need it to, it will not.  Pesky guy named Murphy. 😄

 

 

[ducklite]

On 7/19/2019 at 3:43 PM, ptf2009 said:

Okay...here are a few suggestions to help you:

When you get off the plane go directly to customs...do not stop at the bathroom. If the line is long, ask people if you can go in front of them....the worse they can say is "no," right?

I would expect most people to say "no."  As my father always used to say, "Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part."

 

I think this is a fools game.  Why not go in a day or two early and spend the time in Barcelona and try to get yourself on their timezone so you aren't walking around in a fog the first couple of days of your cruise?

[ducklite]

On 7/19/2019 at 3:55 PM, ptf2009 said:

One more thing...maybe ask the flight attendant if you can get off first if you don't have first or business class seats....every second will help you! LIke I said "RUN' to customs...it's easy to find once you depart from the plane. Oh, and BCN is probably the nicest airport I have ever seen...had a long wait on the return home since we were 6.5 hours delayed...grrrr.

That request is very likely to get a "no" in response.  Everyone else has been cooped up in that sardine can just as long, and have just as many reasons to want to get off quickly.  Most airlines now charge extra for the first 5-10 rows in economy, and those people absolutely have the right to get off before the rest of the people behind them-it's what they pay for.

 

Again, their lack of planning would not constitute an emergency on my part.  I paid to book seats in the first row after business class on a flight later this year due to a tight connection at LHR where I know those minutes will count.  Perhaps the OP should consider doing the same.  The only person who should get a priority disembarkation who is sitting behind me would have a life threatening medical emergency and be met by medics at the end of the jetbridge.  

[ducklite]

On 7/19/2019 at 3:59 PM, SailingSal said:

I am anxious just reading this - why are you doing this to yourself?  Do you want to miss the first day?  I would be on the phone now to see if RCL will hold your room - or/and then be changing my flight to at least the day before the cruise leaves! I wouldn't even drive to Bayonne. NJ from Cape May, NJ without at least arriving 6 hours ahead of time.  Landing 3 hours before any cruise is insane!

We've shown up to Port Canaveral (75 minutes from our home) three hours prior to our cruise leaving and felt we cut it way too close.  Unfortunately I had been out of town on a hectic business trip the week prior and got home around 1:00 am the night prior (was supposed to be home at dinnertime, but delays...) and needed to get a couple loads of laundry done before I could pack for the three of us, and then the dog puked on the carpet, and suffice to say it was not a good start to our vacation.  

 

Our next cruise leaves out of London on a Saturday at 9:00 pm and we're landing at LGW at 10:00 am-ish on Wednesday.  That way we'll be over jet lag and really able to enjoy the port intensive cruise.

 

[ducklite]

On 7/19/2019 at 4:27 PM, livylotte said:

Timewise it is doable.  We did it in May.  From landing at Barcelona to literally being onboard took an hour and a half.  We did have a little bit more time to play with though because our flight landed at 09.45am and we were on board at 11.15am.

I'm not sure I would be quite so comfortable with a flight that lands at 12.  Not sure how it works for Canadian citizens - do you have immigration to go through?  If so I'd be a bit twitchy on that timescale.

Of course they have immigration to go through.  Canada isn't part of the Schengen agreement.

[h-sar]

OP, as a fellow Canadian I admire your risk taking behaviour, as flying to most parts of the world from here is usually a difficult thing. We fly from Edmonton to Fort Lauderdale for our Christmas cruise every year and are glad we do not have to make a decision between flying in the day of or the day before, as between layovers and flight time, we usually have about a 13 hour travel day. Have to confess, I am glad that the decision has been taken out of our hands as I’d be stressed flying in the day of! 

 

Given that you appear to have a nonstop flight from Toronto (correct me if I’m wrong) and only have carry-ons, your chances of making your cruise are greater than they might be for others. Good luck, enjoy your cruise, and promise that you will return to this thread and give us an update of not only the cruise, but the exciting trek from the plane to the ship. I don’t know how many times I get invested in threads like this, only to be disappointed when the original poster never comes back to report after the trip. Hope to hear from you! 

[ReneeFLL]

On 8/22/2019 at 10:53 AM, clo said:

MANY years ago I worked for an intl. airline.  "Direct" drove me crazy then and still does.  (That's a very long time to be crazy!)   Do people really not know the difference between "direct" and "nonstop"?

 

Way to many don't know and then get pissed that there was a stop in another city.

[retiredgram]

OP:   Please report back when you return in Sept. and let us know how you made out. Wishing you the best.

[mike x ftc]

We're all dying to know - did you make it???     We were on your cruise and kept wondering!

[dawnelda]

Hello all! OP here.

 

Everything went ... perfectly. We were the 7th and 8th people off the plane and there was no wait at Immigration - we were able to walk right up to an officer and were stamped through. We had our passports at the ready when we got to Immigration so we were the 1st and 2nd people from our plane to exit the airport (which was so empty it looked like an apocalypse had happened).

 

No line-up at the taxi stand. No traffic to speak of on the highway to the ship.

 

The longest we waited before boarding the ship was about 10 minutes at the port check-in. Having landed at 12:10 (we were scheduled to land at noon), we were in our stateroom at 1:07 p.m.

[mom says]

That's wonderful news OP. Glad everything went so smoothly for you,  I'm sure you were very relieved.

[retiredgram]

Thanks for the follow up.  Glad everything worked out for you.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for the update.  Glad it worked for you.

[mike x ftc]

Well done! I like it when a gamble pays off, so glad you made it, thanks for updating us.

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, mike x ftc said:

Well done! I like it when a gamble pays off, so glad you made it, thanks for updating us.

I cannot help wondering if OP would have given a detailed update if result had been different - missed sailing, missed flight to first port, and then things kept going south.