Please sign in to post.

My Barcelona visit and Mediterranean Cruise is upcoming

My trip to Barcelona for four nights followed by a Mediterranean cruise is right around the corner.

I did not. have to ask as many questions as I did London to Lisbon.

I found my hotel thanks to recommendations on this site.

I asked about connecting airports but did not have to ask as many questions about air itself.

A member suggested that I take the hop on hop off bus which I still might do but I may also be signing up for the following day excursion with Spain Day Tours:

Personal pick-up at the start of the tour
* Touring in a new, comfortable and air-conditioned vehicle (Europe's best)
* High quality, accommodating, and personal service during the 8-hour tour which will visit all the main highlights of Barcelona and Montserrat
* If the group is up to 6 persons - a personal experience with an English speaking driver-guide in a minivan
* If the group is 7-12 persons – touring with a driver + English speaking expert guide in a van/mini-coach
* Discounted skip-the-line tickets to Park Guell - only 9 Euros with our special group rate! We highly recommend the visit inside as there won’t be much to see from outside and advance tickets can save hours of waiting!
* A drive up the Montserrat Mountain with a drop-off right at the entrance (no need to even partially walk up)
* Entry fee to Montserrat National Park is included
* Tickets to visit inside the mountain-top Basilica are included (subject to availability by the time you confirm)
* Personal drop-off at the end of the tour

The price of the small-group tour includes transportation, petrol, toll roads, parking, driver-guide or driver and guide, admission to the site of Montserrat, admission to the Basilica in Montserrat and all taxes. The price does not include the discounted ticket to Park Guell which we will buy in advance for you if you wish to join the group for the visit inside the park.

During the tour we will visit all the highlights in Barcelona (including the outside of La Sagrada Familia, Montjuic, National Palace, inside Park Guell, and more) as well as the famous site of Montserrat with its spectacular views and mountain-top Basilica (tickets included).

I have separately bought a ticket to go inside La Sagrada Familia another day.

I asked some questions about the ports I will be visiting and sites to see. All my excursions are booked. In Rome and Florence as well as one other port, I have signed up for excursions for persons who use a cane or walker.

My plans are to post some reviews as I go along assuming that I have decent wi fi.

And I got another injection for my arthritic knee. I think this one took. The Sketchers shoes also seem to be helping.

.

Posted by
1631 posts

We've used Spain Day Tours several times. It will be a good day.

Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
2252 posts

Does anyone know if Spain Day Tours and Barcelona Day Tours are one and the same?

Andrea, I have heard good things about Spain Day Tours but I seem to be running into a snag. There is never enough persons in the group to make it happen. That has only happened twice thus far. I will give it a little more time. I wonder if there is a problem because there is only me and they do not want to add just one person to a group.

Posted by
1631 posts

Bostonphil, have you checked the Cruise Critic Roll Call? I've always joined a Spain Day Tour that was organized by someone on the Roll Call. No problems filling up the spots.

Posted by
65 posts

One of my favorite day trip tour companies is Walks --I use them in Italy and Spain, and I am always very, very pleased.
They usually run the tours even if the group is small, and they do not depend only on cruise ship passengers. However, I am not sure if they are the best choice if you have limited mobility.

Here is the link to their Barcelona tours:

https://www.takewalks.com/barcelona-tours/

Have a fantastic cruise!

Posted by
2252 posts

Helo PhilaLady

Should you come back to this discussion, I want you to know that I checked out Walks. The only Barcelona excursion that I am currently interested in is Montserrat. Walks offers one but it is a full day including a meal and Cava Tasting. And it costs more than I want to pay.

Thank you for the suggestion

Posted by
2252 posts

Andrea

Maybe will check out cruiscritic but I am also looking at one offered by Viator.

I always sign up for my roll call but i find cruisecritic complicated to use.

Posted by
43 posts

We'll be sailing on Celebrity Equinox in November and have booked a bunch of excursions, including the one to Montserrat, with the highly recommended Spain Day Tours. Maybe we'll meet out there

Posted by
33837 posts

I was thinking of your trip just this afternoon.

When do you go exactly?

Posted by
2252 posts

Hi Nigel,

I fly out a week from Tuesday arriving Wednesday, the 16th. .

My plans were to do the Ho Ho bus on Thursday and Montserrat on Friday. I have bought a ticket for La Familia on Saturday. I may cancel The Ho Ho bus if Spain Day Tours gets me into the all day tour

On the Wednesday that I arrive, after checking in at the hotel, I plan to walk from one end of Las Ramblas to the other. I want to find the bus stop that takes me to the cruise port on Sunday.

The American Cup is happening in Barcelona and there is some kind of huge food festival in Plaça de Catalunya some of the days that I am there.

I am a lot more together than when I took my last cruise. I am traveling better and yes, I am taking notes. I really did not understand how to travel last cruise and my knee was such a. problem.

I plan to review on R S as I go along.

Update: Spain Day Tours got me into the all day excursion that will cover a lot of Barcelona and later Montserrat on Friday so plans have changed so that means Thursday is wide open for now. I do not think that it will be difficult to find something to do.

Posted by
2252 posts

Hi Sonia,

I am deleting my first response to you because everything has worked out with Spain Day Tours. I am joining the group that will tour Barcelona and then on to Montserrat. I did not think that it was going to happen but it has. I am going next week so it looks like we will not meet in November.

I have heard very good things about Spain Day Tours.

I am going to try to post reviews as I go along.

Posted by
2252 posts

geova ...

Spain Day Tours and Barcelona Day Tours are under the same umbrella of a corporation or maybe even a mega corporation.

Posted by
8882 posts

Thrilled your trip is starting soon and that pain control is working. Have a wonderful trip.

Posted by
2252 posts

Thank you Carol now retired

I am hoping to post some trip reviews as I go along.

Posted by
11569 posts

Have a great trip,bostonphil! Barcelona is large and spread out. Make sure you go up to the top of Montjuic for the terrific views. La Sagrada Familia is an awesome edifice and Park Guell is worth some time too.
Las Ramblas has sections that are not worth seeing. And others that are! Be alert on Las Ramblas for pickpockets.

Posted by
2252 posts

Good Morning, Suki

I believe you may be the person who recommended I take the Ho Ho bus and I planned to do that my first full day.

But the excursion that I signed up with Spain Day Tours is a very thorough tour of Barcelona. which includes Montjuic and going inside Park Guell before heading to Montserrat. I have separately bought a ticket to go inside La Sagreda Familia the day after my excursion with Spain Day Tours. So it looks like I will not be taking the Ho Ho bus.

I think that you may also be the person who recommended HCC Montblanc. Although I chose to stay with Hotel Continental Barcelona, I have recommended HCC Montblanc to many others based on your recommendation.

The American Cup is happening in Barcelona. There is a huge food festival going on at Plaza Catalunya while I am there.

Assuming that all goes well and as planned, I should be checking in at my hotel early to mid afternoon on Wednesday. Then I want to walk to the Columbus Monument and try to find the blue bus stop that takes me to cruise port on Sunday.

By the time that I get back to my hotel, I probably am going to be ready for a shower and bed.

I have already made a mistake . I paid for my Spain Day Tour using a CC and paying with U S dollars but I had the option to pay in Euros. I believe that I read to always pay in Euros .... Is that correct?

I will do my best to post on R S as I go along.

Thank you for your support, feedback and encouragement.

Posted by
7868 posts

I wouldn't call it a mistake to have paid in $.
The difference will have been minimal, and at least you know exactly what you paid, rather than waiting for a later conversion rate by your bank, when the exchange rate might have adversely moved.
The mistake would have been doing DCC in Spain.