As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
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There are other changes as well.
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It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
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I know there aren't that many people here who have done this, but DH and I are booked for 2011 and I have a ton of questions for those who have.
What airline did you take to Barcelona?
How did you deal with the baggage allowance?
Did you ship anything ahead? If so, how did that work out?
How many days ahead were you in Barcelona?
Where did you stay?
How did you get to the port?
If you don't mind my asking, how much was your airfare, hotel, ground transfers, etc.?
This is a huge undertaking for us and I'm trying to figure out as much of the budget as possible to see if we can really do this. I've only ever traveled to the UK and that was a long time ago, so I'm just a bit intimidated by the pre-cruise planning. Not so worried about the actual cruise part. And we've got family in Orlando, so post-cruise is no big deal either. But I'm also incredibly excited about this - I've always wanted to do a TA cruise and being able to do it on DCL is like icing on the cake. Like chocolate icing on the cake!
TIA!
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I have no answers for you, just wanted to say I'm JEALOUS! I did the Westbound Panama transit and loved it. One of the great things about long cruises west is that you keep gaining an hour sleep as you pass through the time zones. I wouldn't like losing time on vacation going Eastbound!
I know there aren't that many people here who have done this, but DH and I are booked for 2011 and I have a ton of questions for those who have.
What airline did you take to Barcelona?
We had a non-stop between Philiadelphia and BCN on US Air. My advice is to do any connecting flights inside the US, with a direct flight from a US airport to BCN. Check fares on all airlines, based on a variety of convenient "gateway cities" (airports with direct flights to Europe. Each airline is likelly to specialize in different airports.
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How did you deal with the baggage allowance?
The allowances will still vary by airline. If you use the same airline for your domestic connecting flight as you use for the transatlantic leg, you normally get the international allowance for the entire trip. On international flights going outside North America, you generally get more free baggage than on domestic flights (lately, flights from the US to Canada, for example, are treated like domestic flights for the purposes of baggage).
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Did you ship anything ahead? If so, how did that work out?
Shipping ahead is not really an option. Since it's an international export/import, there must be a recipient willing to take responsibility for the goods - pay customs fees, local taxes, etc. If you have a friend or relative who can do that for you, great. However, they won't let you mail to yourself (for pickup at a post office, for example), and DCL's port agent probably won't want to do it, either - it's too big of a security and legal risk.
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How many days ahead were you in Barcelona?
We flew in the same day (arrived around 9:00am local time). We had cruise line transfers, and because we were there so early, they gave us a free three-hour bus tour before taking us to the ship. We stayed three nights post-cruise, but for us, it was a research trip.
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Where did you stay?
Hotel A/C Barcelona
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How did you get to the port?
Cruise transfer. After the cruise, taxi. Any hotel in the downtown area is going to be a fairly cheap cab fare.
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If you don't mind my asking, how much was your airfare, hotel, ground transfers, etc.?
We booked air through the cruise line, so transfers were included. I think we paid around $750-800 per person. Hotel was a decent rate for what it was (four-star, luxurious breakfast included), but probably in the $200/night range if I remember correctly.
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We did the WBTA this past september. It was fabulous!!
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Originally Posted by pflamingo
I know there aren't that many people here who have done this, but DH and I are booked for 2011 and I have a ton of questions for those who have.
What airline did you take to Barcelona?
USAir. We paid $401/pp for the fare from Wash DC to Philly to BCN. We set up a fare tracker on Kayak and several of the folks on our cruise ended up booking the 3rd week of January when USAir and several other carriers had a sale. (The advise from the 2007 WBTA was that fares were lowest 8 months out, which was January, so held true in our experience.) It was truly the most no-frill international flight I've ever had, but for the price and an overnight flight, it wasn't bad.
How did you deal with the baggage allowance?
I have Premier status on United, thus am Star Alliance Silver, which gave us an allowance on USAir of 2 bags per person up to 50lbs each.
Did you ship anything ahead? If so, how did that work out?
No, because the cost is significant. However, I did price it out, and it is possible, to ship either to the hotel (if you're staying there before sailing) or to the port.
How many days ahead were you in Barcelona?
We flew out on Wednesday, arriving in Barcelona first thing Thursday morning. We got on the ship on Saturday.
Where did you stay?
Le Meridian Barcelona, but mainly because I had credits for free nights there. Many on our cruise stayed at the Pratik Barcelona and Pratik Ramblas hotels. If you find the WBTA thread the first page had a list of everyone's hotels and flights.
How did you get to the port?
We got to the port by a van arranged through the hotel. We got to the hotel by booking a private tour that picked us up in the airport on Thursday, toured us around Barcelona for 4 hours, and dropped us off at the hotel just in time for the 2pm checkin.
If you don't mind my asking, how much was your airfare, hotel, ground transfers, etc.?
Airfare was $401/pp to Barcelona, and $82/pp home from MCO to DC. So about $500/pp. I think the tour and transfer from airport to hotel was 39 euros/pp, and the transfer for 6 people and luggage from hotel to port was 40euro total.
This is a huge undertaking for us and I'm trying to figure out as much of the budget as possible to see if we can really do this. I've only ever traveled to the UK and that was a long time ago, so I'm just a bit intimidated by the pre-cruise planning. Not so worried about the actual cruise part. And we've got family in Orlando, so post-cruise is no big deal either. But I'm also incredibly excited about this - I've always wanted to do a TA cruise and being able to do it on DCL is like icing on the cake. Like chocolate icing on the cake!
OP - Since you are from Georgia, you might seek some advice from su_kraft on the DISboards who was on the WBTA with us and is from Georgia. She also shipped packages to the ship ahead of time and may be able to answer that question.
I know there aren't that many people here who have done this, but DH and I are booked for 2011 and I have a ton of questions for those who have.
What airline did you take to Barcelona? Iberia from Boston cost us $630 RT per person. We needed to change planes in Madrid.
How did you deal with the baggage allowance? 2 checked bags and 1 carry-on check the sizes that are a little smaller then domestic travel.
Did you ship anything ahead? If so, how did that work out? We made everything fit into our bags. I always travel with a luggage scale.
How many days ahead were you in Barcelona? We left on Tuesday because it was an overnight flight and spent 3 nights in Barcelona before the cruise and one night after the cruise.
Where did you stay?
For the three nights before the cruse we stayed at Eurostars Grand Marina. It is a five star hotel right next to the port. I loved the hotel and would stay here again.
I original booked through Eurostars but later cancelled and booked through Expedia because it was cheaper. We had a superior room for $245 a night including taxes.
For the one night after the cruise we stayed at Novotel Barcelona Cornella because it was close the the airport. It was just OK. IT was listed as a four star but not IMO. It smelled of smoke and would not stay here again. We had a queen size bed room cost $120 a night including taxes.
How did you get to the port? Taxi just be careful some taxis will charge for each piece of luggage you have (cost 1 euro each). We took taxis to and from the airport and traveling around Barcelona.
If you don't mind my asking, how much was your airfare, hotel, ground transfers, etc.? I have an excel spreadsheet listing all our cost. If you would like a copy just PM me. Thinks to think about...
This is a huge undertaking for us and I'm trying to figure out as much of the budget as possible to see if we can really do this. I've only ever traveled to the UK and that was a long time ago, so I'm just a bit intimidated by the pre-cruise planning. Not so worried about the actual cruise part. And we've got family in Orlando, so post-cruise is no big deal either. But I'm also incredibly excited about this - I've always wanted to do a TA cruise and being able to do it on DCL is like icing on the cake. Like chocolate icing on the cake!
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