Barcelona Riots - Viking Sky October 30

[dalai]

My parents are sailing on the Viking Sky from Barcelona on October 30.  They're starting to take note of the riots in Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia, and are, understandably, getting concerned about their pre-cruise arrival time as well as the cruise itself being disrupted.

I suggested they start to think about Madrid or Valencia before the cruise and then just get to the port via driver on the day of.  They have trip insurance, but they believe political disruptions are not covered.  

 

Has anyone spoken to Viking about this situation, or have there been other posts about this on other boards?  Anyone been through something like this before?  Any other suggestions?

 

Thank you.

 

 

[AllisonJames]

We sailed Viking Star out of Barcelona in December 2017 and for several weeks before there was a lot of media coverage on riots.  When we got to Barcelona there weren’t any issues at all.  We passed by one minor demonstration when we were walking around but that was it.  We felt very safe and loved Barcelona! The food was awesome and the people were lovely.

[eylarson]

• Create an account at STEP.state.gov and provide the details of your specific trip, including dates of arrival and departure for the countries you choose.
• US State Department  will email you new Travel Advisories and Alerts as soon as issued them, so be sure to provide an email address that you can access during your trip.

[Mich3554]

We are on the Viking Jupiter right now.  Viking canceled our tour day in Barcelona today, and we stopped in Valencia instead.  We are scheduled just to disembark in Barcelona tomorrow on schedule.  Supposedly today (the 19th) is the worst of the riots.

 

We were planning on leaving Barcelona on the 24th on our own.  The few people I know who are taking the Viking Barcelona excursions at the end have not changed anything (as of last night).  We are supposed to meet up with one of the couples tomorrow night for dinner after the cruise, and they have not canceled out yet.

[broker1217]

Here is the security alert issued Friday, October 18:

 

https://es.usembassy.gov/security-alert-october-18-2019/

 

It includes links to many resources for tourists to monitor the situation and asses any risk/inconvenience. 

I believe the demonstrations are expected to primarily be over this weekend in response to the verdict in the trial of 12 pro-independence Catalan leaders. 

Absolutely register with the STEP program---very important in this situation.

[broker1217]

Additionally---it is a 6 hour drive from Madrid to Barcelona. I would not do that on the day of departure as it is too risky. What if the driver does not show up or has car issues?

They can take a high speed train from Madrid to Barcelona in just under 3 hours.

I would do that the day before departure and stay at a hotel near the port.

[Cienfuegos]

The AVE high speed train service has functioned at a reduced level during the political protests,  and other service limited.  The main Barcelona train station was blocked and closed for a time.

 

BBC reported last night that the vast majority of protests have been peaceful, as huge crowds gather and often sing. Blocking streets, highways, the airport access road, etc.  But, a small number of violent protests have drawn police response and media coverage.

 

https://www.thelocal.es/20191018/barcelona-protests-general-strike-shuts-down-catalonia

[broker1217]

I would be more concerned with the strikes and transportation issues than the protests.

You should be able to avoid the protests if you stay informed, and as Cienfuegos states, violence is a rarity.

But a general shut down or reduction of train service would be a big problem if they choose to stay in Madrid.

 

Per Viking website:

 

'We are working closely with local partners to monitor the current political climate in Spain. At this time, we have not altered any itineraries with scheduled time in Catalonia. The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority. Should we deem any modifications necessary, guests and travel agents will be notified directly."

[dalai]

Thank you, all.  These were extremely helpful replies.  

[RavensFan2011]

I just looked on the Viking website, did not see that information re:Spain.

Could you please tell me how to find that?

We will be on Iconic Mediterranean in November.

 

Thanks,

Lynne

[broker1217]

12 hours ago, RavensFan2011 said:

I just looked on the Viking website, did not see that information re:Spain.

Could you please tell me how to find that?

We will be on Iconic Mediterranean in November.

 

Thanks,

Lynne

 

On the Viking Ocean website homepage---click on My Trip and a drop-down will appear. Click the second item 'Updates on current Sailings'.

 

https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/my-trip/current-sailings/index.html

[RavensFan2011]

Found it, thanks!

[Peregrina651]

The most important line in the message about the problems in Barcelona is: Should we deem any modifications necessary, guests and travel agents will be notified directly.

 

There will probably be no further changes to the message on the website so it is not necessary to keep returning to this page. Any updates can be looked for as either an e-mail, a phone call to your phone number of record and/or a notification on MVJ.