After the excitement of the night before, we were VERY grateful that our final morning with Adventures by Disney started slowly.
We slept in, made our way downstairs for another delicious included breakfast and consumed copious amounts of coffee. Breakfast was included each morning of our Adventure, which is one of those little conveniences I always appreciate with ABD. There was no need to figure out where to go or how much time we had before meeting the group. We could simply head downstairs, eat when we were ready and start the day.
We also donned our Spain jerseys again because we were still riding VERY high from the celebration the night before. After watching Spain win with our Adventure friends and then pouring into the streets of Barcelona to celebrate with what felt like the entire city, there was no way those jerseys were going back into the suitcase just yet.
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
Saying Goodbye to Our Adventure Guides
Eventually, it was time to say goodbye to Cesc and Billy, which felt surprisingly hard considering we had only met them three days earlier.
That is something Adventures by Disney does so incredibly well. Your Adventure Guides are with you throughout the trip, taking care of the logistics, answering questions, sharing stories, taking photos, making you laugh and somehow always knowing exactly where everyone needs to be next. You spend so much time together in such a short period that they really do begin to feel like friends.
After our goodbyes, we boarded the motorcoach for our included transfer to the port. Once we arrived, Cesc walked us straight to the front of the line, and before we knew it, our Adventures by Disney Barcelona Escape was officially over.
But our summer adventure was only getting started. We were going home to the Disney Dream.
Welcome Home
There are few things that make me happier than walking onto a Disney Cruise Line ship and hearing our family announced.
“Disney Dream, please welcome aboard the W family!”
No matter how many times we sail, that moment never gets old. After 21 Disney cruises, walking into that beautiful atrium still genuinely feels like coming home.
This sailing was especially exciting because we had just spent three incredible days exploring Barcelona, and now we had an entire cruise around Spain ahead of us. Instead of navigating airports, packing up for another hotel or figuring out how we were getting to our next destination, we unpacked once aboard the Dream and let our floating hotel take us there.
THIS is why I love cruising Europe.
Concierge Welcome Lunch at Royal Palace
Since we were sailing Concierge, our first stop was the Concierge welcome lunch at Royal Palace.
Embarkation day can be hectic, and this is one of the Concierge benefits I really appreciate. Instead of searching for a table at a busy lunch venue while carrying our things around the ship, we sat down for a relaxed meal and officially settled into vacation mode.
By the time we finished lunch, our suite was ready, so we headed upstairs to unpack and get settled. After several days of living out of suitcases in Barcelona, it felt wonderful to put everything away knowing this would be home for the rest of the trip.
Meeting Our Concierge Hosts
Once we were settled, we headed to the Concierge Lounge for the open house and to meet the Concierge Hosts who would be taking care of us for the week.
I’ve sailed Concierge on every Disney ship, and the hosts are always one of my favorite parts of the experience. They become your go to people throughout the sailing, whether you have a question, need help with plans or simply want to stop by the lounge for a drink and a chat.
The lounge would become one of our favorite places to spend time throughout the week, but on this first afternoon we had somewhere even better to be.
Sailing Away from Barcelona
For sail away, we headed to the Concierge sun deck and climbed into the hot tub.
After three very full days exploring Barcelona, this was exactly what we needed. We had nowhere to be, nothing to organize and no sightseeing schedule to follow. We simply sat in the hot tub with drinks in hand and watched Barcelona slowly disappear behind us.
It was spectacular.
This was the beginning of a completely different pace for the second half of our trip. Adventures by Disney had allowed us to pack an incredible amount into our time in Barcelona, and now the Disney Dream gave us the opportunity to slow everything down while still waking up somewhere new.
That balance would become one of my favorite things about this entire vacation.
A Very Relaxed First Night Aboard
We had absolutely no interest in rushing anywhere that evening, so we didn’t. We enjoyed happy hour in the Concierge Lounge, caught up with several of our Adventures by Disney friends who were also sailing Concierge and eventually had dinner delivered to our suite.
This was exactly the kind of Disney Cruise Line evening I love. There was no need to get dressed for dinner, hurry to a show or try to squeeze every possible activity into embarkation day. We ate in our suite, headed back to the Concierge Lounge for cards and drinks, and spent the evening with friends we hadn’t even known a few days earlier.
One of the unexpected bonuses of pairing our Barcelona Escape with this sailing was that quite a few people from our Adventures by Disney group were continuing onto the Disney Dream with us. We had already shared three incredible days together in Barcelona, and now we had an entire cruise ahead of us.
Eventually, the excitement of the previous night and embarkation day caught up with us, and we called it a night. We climbed into bed as the Disney Dream carried us away from Barcelona, and we had the sweetest dreams as we floated toward our first port of call.
Why I Love Pairing Adventures by Disney with Disney Cruise Line
This was our second time pairing an Adventures by Disney Escape with a Disney cruise in Europe, and the transition between the two is one of my favorite parts of the experience.
We had spent three days exploring Barcelona with guides, transportation, meals and logistics handled for us. On our final morning, breakfast was included, our luggage was loaded, our motorcoach was waiting and we were transferred directly to the port. Cesc even walked us to the front of the line before saying goodbye.
Then we stepped aboard the Disney Dream and everything shifted.
The first part of our vacation had been about seeing and doing as much as we could in Barcelona. The cruise gave us permission to slow down. We could spend an afternoon in the Concierge Lounge, watch sail away from the hot tub, have dinner in our suite and still wake up the next morning ready to experience another part of Spain.
For me, that combination is pretty hard to beat.
Planning a Disney Vacation in Europe?
By the time we took this trip, I had traveled with Adventures by Disney seven times and sailed with Disney Cruise Line 21 times. I had sailed every Disney ship at least twice, experienced Concierge on every ship and cruised with Disney throughout the Bahamas, Caribbean, Alaska and Europe.
That firsthand experience is a huge part of what I bring to my clients.
I don’t just know these vacations from brochures or online training courses. I’ve experienced them myself, including the little details that can make a big difference when you’re deciding how to spend a significant amount of money on a family vacation.
I can help you determine whether Adventures by Disney makes sense for your family, compare Disney Cruise Line ships and itineraries, decide whether Concierge is worth it for the way your family travels, choose the right stateroom and put the pieces together if you want to combine a land Adventure with a European cruise.
My planning services are complimentary when you book your Disney vacation with me.
If a Disney cruise in Europe has been sitting on your bucket list, I’d love to help you find the ship, itinerary and stateroom that are the right fit for your family.
Up next: our first port of call and a day in the Spanish countryside.
