Early flight time back from Barcelona to UK ?

[seasickphil]

We have disembarked in Barcelona a few times before but always at a leisurely pace. Cunard can only offer us flights back to the UK at 18.20hrs but we don't want to wait around all day before flying home and then having a 3hr drive home. We can get a flight at 10.50am, so if we self disembark do you think this would be achievable. Queen Elizabeth is due to dock at 07.00am ( we believe ) and not having any experience of getting off the ship early we really would appreciate other peoples views on this. Yes we know there are always things that can and do go wrong but would love your thoughts on this please and maybe some of you have actually made flights this early which could help with our decision. Also if you self disembark do you all just make your way to the gangway and wait, or do people in the grills get priority like they do when embarking. Thanks.

[PORT ROYAL]

3 hours ago, seasickphil said:

We have disembarked in Barcelona a few times before but always at a leisurely pace. Cunard can only offer us flights back to the UK at 18.20hrs but we don't want to wait around all day before flying home and then having a 3hr drive home. We can get a flight at 10.50am, so if we self disembark do you think this would be achievable. Queen Elizabeth is due to dock at 07.00am ( we believe ) and not having any experience of getting off the ship early we really would appreciate other peoples views on this. Yes we know there are always things that can and do go wrong but would love your thoughts on this please and maybe some of you have actually made flights this early which could help with our decision. Also if you self disembark do you all just make your way to the gangway and wait, or do people in the grills get priority like they do when embarking. Thanks.

Seem to remember that KLM had a lunchtime flight to Norwich via Amsterdam in about 4.5 hours.

Check flight times etc with Cunard.  This could solve all problems, including the drive.

[seasickphil]

PORT ROYAL

Thank you for your response, i'm aware of the flights from Norwich but not sure Cunard deal with them. I can source them ourselves obviously, but if the flight from Norwich to Schiphol is cancelled ( not the most reliable since pandemic ) then that causes real problems getting to the ship on time Have asked T A to look into this though for us with Cunard, so will wait for response.

[PORT ROYAL]

12 minutes ago, seasickphil said:

PORT ROYAL

Thank you for your response, i'm aware of the flights from Norwich but not sure Cunard deal with them. I can source them ourselves obviously, but if the flight from Norwich to Schiphol is cancelled ( not the most reliable since pandemic ) then that causes real problems getting to the ship on time Have asked T A to look into this though for us with Cunard, so will wait for response.

Fly out 1/2/3 days earlier, grab a Hotel and spend some time in Barcelona.

[seasickphil]

9 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Fly out 1/2/3 days earlier, grab a Hotel and spend some time in Barcelona.

We can't, that's the problem, we should have been on Queen Elizabeth at the moment,Singapore to Tokyo. After being on Queen Mary 2020 when Covid broke out and we ended up in Australia instead of going round Asia ending in Hong Kong. We booked again for 2021/22 Cunard cancelled both (like all cruise lines did) and then again for this year but last year with Tokyo still not open for cruise ships and Hong Kong removed from itinerary we felt that that maybe Asia was no longer for us. So this time we cancelled but we had to book an alternative cruise within 6 months of our original sail date, we had 2 cruises already booked for this summer therefore not leaving us with much time to work with. So although we don't like it we can only fly out on the day the cruise departs. Like everything else when you get older, the less hassle the better but sometimes this is not always possible, will just have to see what is best. 

[PORT ROYAL]

5 minutes ago, seasickphil said:

We can't, that's the problem, we should have been on Queen Elizabeth at the moment,Singapore to Tokyo. After being on Queen Mary 2020 when Covid broke out and we ended up in Australia instead of going round Asia ending in Hong Kong. We booked again for 2021/22 Cunard cancelled both (like all cruise lines did) and then again for this year but last year with Tokyo still not open for cruise ships and Hong Kong removed from itinerary we felt that that maybe Asia was no longer for us. So this time we cancelled but we had to book an alternative cruise within 6 months of our original sail date, we had 2 cruises already booked for this summer therefore not leaving us with much time to work with. So although we don't like it we can only fly out on the day the cruise departs. Like everything else when you get older, the less hassle the better but sometimes this is not always possible, will just have to see what is best. 

Oh!  Hope one’s TA steps up to the plate….  Wishing one good luck and safe travels.

[gumshoe958]

A 10.50am flight is perfectly doable. It’s only a 20 minute taxi ride to the airport so aim to disembark by 8.30ish and you’ll be fine.

[Dancer Bob]

The last time I flew out of Barccelona Schengen exit took over an hour. Are you doing self-help debarkation? I suspect there's a good reason Cunard won't give you the earlier flight. What's your risk tolerance for purchasing a last-minute ticket for the late flight? 60%? 90%? 99.99%