Accomodations in Barcelona: Pre-cruise we stayed 2 nights at the Eurostars Grand Marina. This is a beautiful hotel, walking distance to great restaurants and the end of Las Ramblas. Our flight from Toronto arrived around 9 am and a taxi ride to the hotel took about 20 minutes and cost less than 30 Euros. Our room wasn't ready when we arrived, but we were able to enjoy breakfast in the restaurant (pricey, but an expansive buffet to select from). Once our room was ready, we found it to be beautiful; a fair size for our 2 weeks worth of luggage and with a small balcony. While we didn't use it, the hotel has a roof-top patio with a pool and a well appointed gym facility. Rooms include free unlimited wi-fi. The bathroom facilities are huge and beautiful. The hotel also offers a "pillow menu" - I highly recommend taking a look and selecting a pillow special for your needs. The trip from the hotel to the port was quick with the hotel car (slightly more expensive than a taxi, but a luxury we felt was worth it). We would definitely use this hotel again.

Post-cruise we stayed at the Hilton Barcelona primarily because I had enough Hilton points to cover us for the one night. The hotel is primarily a business hotel and is not convenient to either tourist activities in Barcelona or the port. There's limited options nearby for food, so if you don't want to venture with public transit or taxi, you're stuck with the standard Hilton menu. The hotel itself is okay for one night, but it does need some updating.

Embarkation procedure: Embarkation was extremely smooth - as we are platinum C&A members and suite guests, we are able to use priority lines to avoid any waits. That said, the other line did not appear to be very long. Suite: We were booked in suite 1060 - a grand suite on Deck 10, very near the centrum elevators. The location was excellent and this suite has the benefit of being on the "bubble" and therefore has a significantly larger balcony than other suites in the same class. The only recommendation for the suite would be to upgrade the tvs from old "tube" tvs to flat screens. This would modernize the guest experience and save weight on board (and therefore fuel). Read more