Disney Cruise Out Of Barcelona

[leahgoogle]

We just booked a Disney Cruise out of Barcelona. We have never been to Barcelona and we are looking for some good things to do/see before we board. Any suggestions?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I love Barcelona! You want to plan a few days there. First you have to see La Sagrada Familia. Walking through the Latin Quarter is a must. You might also enjoy the Montserrat Abbey. Also, the food is amazing!

I have 2 trip reports below (Med cruise and Transatlantic) with our time in Barcelona if you want to check them out.

 

[pjacobi]

If you have never the flown trans-Atlantic route, you need to be more concerned about combatting the effects of jetlag. If you don't, you'll be sleeping all day and never see a thing!


-Paul

 

[o&smom]

Absolutely LOVE Barcelona! Is it just you and your significant other or are you traveling with kids? Either way, I agree do NOT miss La Sagrada Familia. I recommend getting tickets later in the day. As the sun gets lower, the light streaming in through the stained glass windows is even more beautiful. Everyone responds differently to jet lag. We fly all the way from the West Coast to Europe. Luckily, we all adjust fairly quickly. We also take a homeopathic jet lag spray. Not sure if it helps, but we have all adjusted so well we don’t want to see what happens without.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Our cruise left from Barcelona left year. We fell in love with the city. The food is fantastic. Very walkable if you are mobile. We hired a full day tour one day that took us to Montserrat (not to be missed).

 

[lois00525]

We've been to Barcelona about 8 times with DCL and absolutely love it! Monserrat, La Sagrada, the Latin Quarter, Park Guell are fabulous. We stay at the Royal Ramblas Hotel on La Ramblas because it is only about 10 minutes away from the port. It is a very lively area and can be crowded it the early to late evening. We will be going again this year, and will fly into Barcelona 4 days prior to sailing. The first day we take it easy to get over our jet lag, and then enjoy the rest of our time.

 

[imbelle]

You also get good light through the windows of La Sagrada Familia in the early morning (agree with getting advance tickets to see the interior). Casa Batllo and Casa Mila are must sees for fans of Gaudi architecture. And if you're into dance or music, a flamenco show can be a great evening's entertainment.

 

[Duane]

I completely echo what others have said about Barcelona... It is a very cool city, and very much walkable... Before you arrive, download the "Citymapper: All Live Transit" app for your phone. This is about the best app that I have found that combines all modes of transportation in one app. But to me, the best feature is its ability for walking directions. In my experience, apps like Google and Apple Maps take a second or two to figure out which direction you are moving, Citymapper hones in the quickest and is very accurate.

Have fun exploring!

 

[leahgoogle]

Absolutely LOVE Barcelona! Is it just you and your significant other or are you traveling with kids? Either way, I agree do NOT miss La Sagrada Familia. I recommend getting tickets later in the day. As the sun gets lower, the light streaming in through the stained glass windows is even more beautiful. Everyone responds differently to jet lag. We fly all the way from the West Coast to Europe. Luckily, we all adjust fairly quickly. We also take a homeopathic jet lag spray. Not sure if it helps, but we have all adjusted so well we don’t want to see what happens without.

It's just DH and I for this trip Thank you for the advice. I will look into the jet lag spray.

 

[leahgoogle]

Thank you all for the replies and information!

 

[leahgoogle]

I completely echo what others have said about Barcelona... It is a very cool city, and very much walkable... Before you arrive, download the "Citymapper: All Live Transit" app for your phone. This is about the best app that I have found that combines all modes of transportation in one app. But to me, the best feature is its ability for walking directions. In my experience, apps like Google and Apple Maps take a second or two to figure out which direction you are moving, Citymapper hones in the quickest and is very accurate.

Have fun exploring!

That sounds like an awesome app. I will definitely download it!

 

[gmi3804]

One caveat: To combat over-tourism, Barcelona's cruise port is soon being changed to Tarragona, which is about a half hour away from the airport, so make sure you know which port your ship is supposed to depart/arrive. It'd take you about an hour to get into the city from there.

 

[BruinEd03]

We just booked a Disney Cruise out of Barcelona. We have never been to Barcelona and we are looking for some good things to do/see before we board. Any suggestions?

I agree with what everyone else has said, but one thing to be aware of is pick pocketers. We met one cruise passenger (different cruise line) who had his passport stolen at La Sagrida.

 

[mmouse37]

Our cruise left from Barcelona left year. We fell in love with the city. The food is fantastic. Very walkable if you are mobile. We hired a full day tour one day that took us to Montserrat (not to be missed).

We did the same thing a few years ago. I thought the Abbey was magnificent as well as the tram that goes to the top. Just stunning!!

We also enjoyed the Gaudi Museum. What an imagination he had!!

One thing I absolutely wanted to do in Barcelona was a Flamenco dancing show. We found one that included dinner and had Flamenco dancers. Really enjoyed it!!

I am pretty sure this is the one we did.

El Tablao de Carmen Tours and Tickets​

El Tablao de Carmen is one of Barcelona’s best flamenco shows, honoring one of the world’s greatest flamenco dancers, Carmen Amaya. Known for her skill, passion, technique, and fiery personality, Carmen—a native of Barcelona—performed at this very site for King Alfonso XIII of Spain during the opening of the 1929 Universal Exposition.

MJ

 

[Annabell]

We like Park Güell.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We did the same thing a few years ago. I thought the Abbey was magnificent as well as the tram that goes to the top. Just stunning!!

We also enjoyed the Gaudi Museum. What an imagination he had!!

One thing I absolutely wanted to do in Barcelona was a Flamenco dancing show. We found one that included dinner and had Flamenco dancers. Really enjoyed it!!

I am pretty sure this is the one we did.

El Tablao de Carmen Tours and Tickets​

El Tablao de Carmen is one of Barcelona’s best flamenco shows, honoring one of the world’s greatest flamenco dancers, Carmen Amaya. Known for her skill, passion, technique, and fiery personality, Carmen—a native of Barcelona—performed at this very site for King Alfonso XIII of Spain during the opening of the 1929 Universal Exposition.

MJ

I wasn't a fan of Gaudi... until I got there! His vision was extraordinary. Our guide was amazing and just made me appreciate it all the more. Park Guell was fantastic as well. We missed the Flamenco- just not enough time. But I would love to return to Barcelona again

 

[imbelle]

I wasn't a fan of Gaudi... until I got there! His vision was extraordinary. Our guide was amazing and just made me appreciate it all the more. Park Guell was fantastic as well. We missed the Flamenco- just not enough time. But I would love to return to Barcelona again

Agree, in art college I thought that his work looked grotesque in pictures. But when you see it in real life it makes beautiful, perfect sense.

I had hesitated over the flamenco show, thinking that it might be cheesy, touristy. But there was no dialing it in at the show we went to see. I dance and my spouse is a musician and we were floored by the talent of the dancers and guitar players.