We had looked at this cruise for some time but trying to put a package together with airfares, transfers, Hop on/Hop off bus, hotels in Barcelona and the actually cruise itself was to say the least overwhelming. We just happened to get an offer from a travel agency with everything included if we could get back & forth to the NYC area. We had almost passed it up, but finally decided to take the plunge and try it. The travel agency (ICruise) was slow in it getting information to us but in the end, everything went extremely smoothly.
The flight to Barcelona was delayed for 3 hours out of Newark Liberty airport due to cargo compartment problems. If you have never flown across the Atlantic, know that it is very tiring. My cousin said, "Try to sleep as best a possible, You'll need it" and he was right.
Barcelona is an amazing city. We spent our 2 days in Barcelona engulfed in history, architecture, art, and the culture of the Catalonian people. We visited Mont Juic, Sagrada Famillia, saw the Park Guell, Mirador de Colon (Columbus column), La Rambla, La Boqueria market, the Cathedral of Barcelona and many more sights. The cautions were that pick pockets were there to steal you money if you weren't careful. I'm sure it is true but we never had a proble and were out in the streets and restaurants late into the evening. It was worth every minute of it and the hundreds of pictures we took.
We were assigned a Family Harbor interior. The Family Harbor area on-board ship actully has its own lounge. There you can get things that the kids will eat, that are usually not available to other passengers. Sandwiches made without the crust, potato chips, strawberry cheesecake every afternoon, delicious but not so great for the waistline...It was just down the hall on deck 2 and only assessable to those in the Family Harbor. Deck 2 is also very good for those that may experience some motion sickness. Since it is low it rocks and rolls less than the upper decks in heavier seas.