Barcelona Taxi

[marvq469]

We plan to take a taxi from the Barcelona airport to the cruise port. Can anyone share their experience with this? Is it easy to get a taxi? OK if we only speak English? Can we pay via credit card? I've read that it isn't necessary to tip taxi drivers in Barcelona, is this true?

[Hank]

Getting a taxi is just like most airports. There is an organized taxi queue right outside the luggage area exits and the drivers will all understand "cruise port." Most of the taxis will take Visa or MC but they prefer Euros. Its pretty easy to get Euros in the airport and the best rates are from ATMs. The cost of your taxi will be about $30 and your best bet is to simply make sure the taxi driver uses the meter. We do tip taxis in Spain, but we usually only give them about 5% or simply round-up. If the driver helps you with the luggage you might want to give an extra Euro, but keep in mind they actually do charge a small supplement for luggage (its allowed in their rate system).

Hank

[marvq469]

Thank you! Very helpful! Another question...
In past cruiser's experience, if you board your ship early, are you then able to disembark for a few hours to explore the city? Or do you have to stay on the ship once you check in. For example, we will be arriving to our ship around 11am, but we don't set sail until 4pm. Can we check in at the ship & go explore Barcelona for a few hours?

[Hank]

Yes, it is possible to leave the ship after you are checked-in. You only need your cruise card (which you get when you check-in). However, its possible that you may not be able to get on the ship before noon. It would also be possible to just drop your luggage at the port and than go right into town and check-in at a later time. The only problem would be that you would still have your carry-on stuff.

Hank

[marvq469]

Thank you! That is exactly the info I was looking for