Our summer adventure through Spain started with three nights in Barcelona with Adventures by Disney before we boarded the Disney Dream for our cruise around Spain.
After loving our Adventures by Disney Rome Escape before our Mediterranean cruise, we knew this was exactly how we wanted to start another European adventure. There’s something pretty wonderful about landing in a foreign country and immediately handing over the logistics to Disney.
Spain with Adventures by Disney and Disney Cruise Line
Day 1: Arriving in Barcelona & Welcome Dinner
Day 2: Gothic Quarter, Park Güell & La Sagrada Família
Day 3: Montserrat, Flamenco & Viva Espana!
Day 4: Farewell Barcelona, Hello Disney Dream
Day 5: Cartagena
Day 6: Malaga & Granada
Day 7: At Sea
Day 8: Santiago de Compostela
Day 9: Betanzos and A Coruña
Day 10 & 11: At Sea
Getting to Barcelona
Bound and determined to finally sleep on a plane, I went all in on research. Neck pillows. Seat cushions. Eye masks. Headphones. You name it, I probably researched it, ordered it, tried it or packed it. We also made a point to hydrate really well in the days leading up to the trip and had a little overnight flight routine planned out. And y’all… it worked! Not the entire way, mind you, but I was lights out for a nice chunk of the flight, which felt like an absolute miracle after some of our previous overnight flights to Europe.
I’ll share all of the things I tried and what actually worked in a separate post because I have THOUGHTS!
Arriving in Barcelona with Adventures by Disney
I promise you that there is no better feeling than landing in a new country after a 10 hour flight and having someone there to immediately take over the logistics. After landing in Barcelona and collecting our luggage, we were met right at baggage claim by ABD porters. They loaded up every single thing, walked us straight out to our waiting Sprinter van and whisked us away to the hotel.
No figuring out transportation. No dragging luggage through the airport. No navigating a new city while exhausted after an overnight flight. THIS is one of the things I love most about Adventures by Disney.
Airport transfers might not sound like the most exciting part of a vacation, but when you’ve just crossed an ocean with a pile of luggage and someone is standing there waiting to take care of everything for you, it feels pretty darn luxurious.
Gran Hotel Havana
When we arrived at the Gran Hotel Havana, we met our two incredible Adventure Guides, Cesc and Billy.
Cesc was from Barcelona and Billy was from the States, which gave us that wonderful combination Adventures by Disney does so well with a local perspective paired with a guide from home. They helped us get checked in and settled into our room.
It’s honestly hard to explain how close you become to your Adventure Guides in such a short amount of time. We were only going to be together for three nights, but somehow by the end of these trips your guides feel like family.
And Cesc and Billy were AMAZING. I missssss them!
Our First Taste of Barcelona
We weren’t quite ready to give in to jet lag, so we headed out on our own for a little exploring and made our way to El Nacional, at the recommendation of Cesc and Billy.
This place was SO cool! Housed in a beautiful former industrial building, El Nacional has several restaurants and bars serving Spanish specialties all under one roof. It was exactly the kind of place we wanted for our first afternoon in Barcelona.
We grabbed a few tapas and a glass of wine and officially toasted to the start of our Spanish adventure! It was also just enough activity to convince ourselves that we were adjusting beautifully to European time.
Reader, we were not. Honey and I headed back to the hotel and were LIGHTS OUT for a glorious two hour nap.
Whit, apparently operating on a completely different level of jet lag immunity, went to the gym.
Welcome to Adventures by Disney
That evening, we met our fellow Adventurers for the official start of our trip. One of my favorite parts of any Adventures by Disney trip is that first gathering. Everyone comes together for introductions, you meet the people you’ll be traveling with, the guides walk you through what’s ahead and there’s this wonderful sense of anticipation in the room. And bubbles, of course.
After introductions, we boarded our motorcoach and headed up Montjuïc for our Welcome Dinner at El Xalet de Montjuïc. And WHAT a welcome to Barcelona. Perched above the city, the restaurant had absolutely stunning panoramic views over Barcelona. We enjoyed a delicious dinner with our new Adventure family while the sun slowly set over the city. The food was wonderful. The views were incredible. The sunset just kept getting prettier. It was one of those evenings where you sit there and think… We are really here.
A Little Adventures by Disney Tradition
One of the little touches I love about Adventures by Disney is the collectible pin tradition. Each day of the adventure, our guides gave us a special pin representing something we had experienced that day. We added them to our Adventures by Disney lanyards as we went, so by the end of the trip our lanyards told the story of our adventure. It’s such a simple thing, but you know Disney… they have a way of turning the smallest details into keepsakes. We received our first pin that evening, and it was officially time to start our collection!
A Little Olympic History
After dinner, we walked over to the nearby swimming and diving pools used during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The setting was spectacular, with the Barcelona skyline stretching out behind the pools. If you’ve ever seen those iconic images of Olympic divers seemingly suspended over the city, this was the place. And I loved learning that the venue wasn’t simply an abandoned relic from the Olympics.
The pools were still used by locals, and at night the space took on an entirely different personality with an alfresco bar where you could sit in the stadium seats overlooking the Barcelona skyline. How cool is that?!
Sweet Dreams, Barcelona
By this point, the overnight flight, tapas, wine, two hour power nap, bubbles, dinner and sunset had officially caught up with us. It was time for bed. Sweet dreams, Barcelona!
Planning an Adventures by Disney Vacation?
By the time we took this trip, I had traveled with Adventures by Disney seven times, across different destinations, itineraries and styles of adventure. That firsthand experience is a huge part of what I bring to my clients.
I don’t just know Adventures by Disney from a brochure or an online training course. I’ve traveled with them. I know what the days actually feel like, what makes the experience worth it, what you need to know before you go and, just as importantly, which adventures are the best fit for different families.
When you book your Adventures by Disney vacation with me, my help doesn’t end when the reservation is made. I’ll help you choose the right adventure and departure, navigate the booking process, prepare for your trip, understand what to expect and answer all of those little questions that come up along the way.
And because I’ve experienced Adventures by Disney myself seven times, my recommendations come from firsthand experience.
My planning services are complimentary when you book your Adventures by Disney vacation with me.
If Spain, or any Adventures by Disney destination, is on your family’s bucket list, I’d love to help you turn it into a trip that’s right for your family.
