Flying out from Barcelona post-cruise

[Schplinky]

What is the earliest youwould book a flight for? I have heard that the ship starts to empty earlier than a caribbean cruise and that some folks book flights earlier in the day.

[Keith1010]

First question is whether the ship is arriving in Barcelona that morning or if it is doing an overnight there. After getting off the ship I would allow one hour to get to the airport (could be less but depends on traffic) and would plan to get there two hours before the plane boards. I would also allow some time for unforseen circumstances. Finally, have your TA check with the cruise line to see what time they recommend for flights.

 

Keith

[Schplinky]

Thanks. Our cruise arrives in port at 5 a.m. that morning and I was wondering whether a 9:30 flight was do-able.

[Mike073]

If indeed you can get off the boat promptly, the early flight is doable. There was no customs hassles at all when we got off in Barcelona. However, there may not be any cabs that early unless you prearrange one. I concur you need to allow two hours at the airport.

[dustinjones]

We just got off the Jewel and were off the ship by 6:30 (I think you can even get off earlier) and were at the airport in under a half hour by cab. Totally do-able, but watch out for the lines at the Barcelona airport, they can be brutal.

[Mike073]

When we pulled into Barcelona on the Grand Princess, some people were getting off at 4:30 AM. Yikes!

[Schplinky]

When we pulled into Barcelona on the Grand Princess, some people were getting off at 4:30 AM. Yikes!

 

Good grief! That's amazing.

[Dr. Pam]

Our family cruised the Med last summer aboard the Splendour. I had the same question that you do now. We chose a flight that left at 11:30AM based on postings on CC. We had pre-booked a minivan because there were four of us (I am not a light packer). Disembarkation at Barcelona is amazing.

They have color coded carousels with luggage put on based on your requests and flight times. We actually exited the ship, picked up our luggage and had to wait for our assigned minivan taxi. The drive to the airport was approximately 30 minutes ( hardly any traffic). We checked in and then had a long wait. That was okay....I would rather wait in a departure lounge at the airport than be worried that we wouldn't make our flight! Our friends that had a 2:00Pm flight (Iberia) were caught in a huge line up at check-in and just managed to make their flight. The plane then taxied out and stopped, turned around and realized it had some mechanical difficulties. Long story short, it was a very long day for them!

 

Personally, I don't think I would do a flight before 11:00AM. Just my $0.02.:)