We arrived in Barcelona 4 days prior to the cruise to see the sites and spend New Years. We stayed at the Hotel Condado in the Gracia section of the city. A great find and away from the touristy spots of Las Ramblas.

Our cruise on the NCL Jade began on Jan 2. We took a cab to the port (18 euros plus some sort of port fee). We arrived about noon with about 1000 of our soon to be closest friends. Our bags were whisked away to our rooms and we waited about 1/2 hour to be checked in.

Once we got our room cards, we boarded the ship. The atrium was small and crowded with people waiting to get in their rooms. We simply went up the stairs to the Blue Lagoon restaurant and had some lunch. A great place to eat and talk to the friendly waiters. Read more