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General Boarding Process questions - Barcelona departure


dAnleighw

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Hi all,

I've booked to go on my first ever cruise in August on the Vision of the Seas departing from Barcelona and I have so many questions - apologies if any of these seems obvious!

I'm booked into a hotel about a 15 minute walk from the World Trade centre , so we were thinking we are close enough to walk to the port. Are we actually able to walk to the ship or do we have to be driven in?

Also, we are taking one big suitcase and one 'carry on' case - do we have to give these to porters or can we take it on ourselves?

The ship departs at 5pm, what time are we able to board from?

And when we arrive back from our cruise, how long roughly does it take to check out and get off the ship? I'm trying to plan our transfers back to the airport.

Thank you in advance, I really appreciate any advice!

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4 minutes ago, dAnleighw said:

Hi all,

I've booked to go on my first ever cruise in August on the Vision of the Seas departing from Barcelona and I have so many questions - apologies if any of these seems obvious!

I'm booked into a hotel about a 15 minute walk from the World Trade centre , so we were thinking we are close enough to walk to the port. Are we actually able to walk to the ship or do we have to be driven in?

Also, we are taking one big suitcase and one 'carry on' case - do we have to give these to porters or can we take it on ourselves?

The ship departs at 5pm, what time are we able to board from?

And when we arrive back from our cruise, how long roughly does it take to check out and get off the ship? I'm trying to plan our transfers back to the airport.

Thank you in advance, I really appreciate any advice!

On the issue of carry on, you will want to take on one item with things you will need Day 1/Night 1.  Don't give that item to porters.  You might not get your checked bag until after dinner, so your carry on should have your valuables, medicines, and dinner attire (if you are in shorts when you board), or perhaps a bathing suit, sunscreen, sun glasses, etc.  You always keep valuables on your person or in a bag you keep close.  Barcelona is notorious for pickpockets, and although we sailed problem-free our dinner companions weren't so lucky.

I can't comment on all of your other questions, but you will want to arrive as soon as you are able (to get the most out of your trip) given the guidance you received from Royal.  We boarded at 1 PM, which was fine for us because we arrived at the airport the same day.  On departure, we always do the "drag your own luggage off the ship" which means leaving early in the AM, not sure your arrival time.  We leave at 6:30 or so when the ship docks at 6 AM, for example.  Your itinerary will show the planned arrival time, although that may change during your cruise.

Someone who has just sailed from Barcelona can tell you when they boarded, etc.

Have a great trip!

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@dAnleighw

It would be much easier to take a taxi to the terminal.  It is a very busy port and in August it is hot!  Take away the stress and take a taxi, it will only be a few euros. 

The porter will be there to meet you when you arrive.

We boarded at 10:30am, you get to explore the ship and get your bearings before it gets to busy. 

When we arrived back in port they changes our terminal to a different area of Barcelona and it was about a 15 minute bus ride back to the terminal we departed from.  If you have a flight later in the day it should not be a problem.  There were lots of taxis available you may have to wait 10-15 minutes.

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