Babymoon Part 1: Austin to Barcelona for Canary Island Cruise

As you might have seen on this post, we have an exiting year ahead with expecting a little one.  We decided to squeeze in one last big trip before he arrives.  Our babymoon (Jan 2019) would take us to Barcelona for a Canary Island cruise with NCL then a quick stop in Amsterdam before ending up in Stockholm for a weekend.

Packing was a bit more difficult this trip due to colder climates on the itinerary.  We still made it with carry-on bags home how. 

Our journey began on a Friday evening after I rushed home from work all worried the government shutdown would booger up the TSA lines.  It had not, so we arrived with plenty of time to grab dinner before the flight, which was fortuitous because the meal on the flight to London was not very good.

A friend mentioned that many airlines let pregnant people board early, so I played that card and it worked.  Looking back, I'm really glad I did because with all the construction at ABIA and the large plane, the jetway felt like it was a quarter mile long.  Which seems longer when you are rolling a suitcase and pregnant.  Once we were airborne I watched a couple movies and napped a tad on the ten hour direct flight to London.

We landed at Heathrow and passed the layover time by eating and waiting for our gate assignment.  The flight to Barcelona was about 2 hours.  We landed around 4p local time and snagged an Uber to our AirB&B.  It was a great spot at the top of Las Ramblas. I loved people watching from our nook.

We found a little cafe in a square for dinner and then checked out Paradise Bar.  Apparently it was named one of the top 50 bars in the world.  They have all kinds of amazing creations and it was fun to sit at the bar and watch the masters work.  Don't worry, my drink was non-alcoholic.  Jet lag was catching up to us so we headed to bed.

our Airbnb

[Day 1] The following morning I tracked down a chai and McDonald's for breakfast.  We people watched and ate our breakfast as the city woke up.  After leaving the flat, we decided to run over to the port and drop off our bags so we did not have to deal with them all day.  As we waited in line, a lady fell.  When boarding the boat later that afternoon, another lady fell. I felt so bad that we haven't even left port and people were falling!

Once we were bag-less, we grabbed a ride to Sagrada Familia for our entry time appointment.  We visited this fascinating basilica back in 2012 on our Western Mediterranean cruise.  Back then they were starting to add the stained glass and we were very curious as to what had been worked on in the intervening years.  The church has been under construction since the 1880s (funded by private donations) and is a Gaudi masterpiece.  Such an incredible place.

After wondering through the church and museum area, we checked out another Gaudi location: Park Güell.  We did not stand in line and pay to actually go in this time.  Instead we caught views of the city and glimpses into the park.

We were getting pretty hungry so figured we should grab food we had already paid for on the cruise.  Got settled in our room and explored the boat after lunch.  After we left port, we enjoyed a couples massage and I had two dinners.  Yes, you read that right.  I was absolutely starving again around 9:30p so we went back for more.  If I'm being honest, the food was just ok on this boat.  Wasn't outstanding like you would hope for in a cruise, but this pregnant lady did not have to make a grocery list, shop, or cook so I was happy.

Next up: sea day and Casablanca!

Pregnant cruising/travel notes -  NCL did not allow pregnancies after 24 weeks and I had to send them a letter from my doc to let them know I was ok to travel.  I also brought that letter with me and had my medical records from the doc just in case.  Make sure to check with your specific airlines/cruiselines on their pregnancy restrictions.  Also make sure to wear compression socks on the plane, my doctor recommended ones that go above the knee (thigh highs).  I was prepared with seasickness meds and Sea Bands I did not need.