Barcelona to Dover - Gibraltar?

[ljmiii]

We're experienced DCL cruisers and are going back and forth between two cruises in 2019 - Barcelona to Dover and Dover to Copenhagen. One the one hand, we've done the Dover to Copenhagen itinerary before (albeit in reverse) and loved it. On the other, new is good and we've never sailed Barcelona to Dover...but the itinerary looks a little less interesting.

But my question is, "Does anyone know if the passage past Gibraltar into Cadiz happens during daylight?" Ashore in Cadiz is 8:30AM. TIA

 

[Gilland18]

We were on the 2017 WBTA which stopped in Cadiz. We went past Gibraltar just ahead of sunset. 2014 WBTA we should have arrived there during first seating for dinner but the captain chose to slow way down and we went through after second seating in the dark. So it's possible but not guaranteed.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Image from our deck 6 starboard side verandah taken on 2015 WBTA as we sailed by the Rock. Weather was not the best.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

We're experienced DCL cruisers and are going back and forth between two cruises in 2019 - Barcelona to Dover and Dover to Copenhagen. One the one hand, we've done the Dover to Copenhagen itinerary before (albeit in reverse) and loved it. On the other, new is good and we've never sailed Barcelona to Dover...but the itinerary looks a little less interesting.

But my question is, "Does anyone know if the passage past Gibraltar into Cadiz happens during daylight?" Ashore in Cadiz is 8:30AM. TIA

We just returned from the 2018 EBTA. All the dining teams told all the tables at dinner that night that we would pass Gibraltar around 9:00pm (it's still light at this time). At 8:30pm we head up on deck to take a peak. Thankfully another passenger mentioned to us he just talked to the Navigational staff and we would actually be passing at around 12:00am. We had to be up at 6:00am for our port. Not happening. Sure enough people the next morning showed us pictures taken at around midnight.

As a side note we LOVED the EBTA. When we planned it we did it for the 7 sea days, the ports were a bonus. We LOVED Lisbon, Cadiz (we went to Seville which was just our favorite over all from any place on the trip) and Barcelona. Ponta Delgata and Malaga (we went to Alhambra) were solid seconds. Only Ibiza was a ok port. We loved out Port Adventure so that made up for it though.

 

[KDG]

We will be on the Barcelona to Dover cruise next July (2019). Ports are Barcelona, Cadiz, Lisbon, Brest and Portsmouth. Where would the best port to visit a warm, sandy beach?

 

[SleepyV]

If you are in Barcelona a couple of days before your cruise then there are beaches very close to the city.
Lisbon has beaches about 45 mins -1 hour away. Here is a link for further information.
http://lisbonlisboaportugal.com/lisbon-beaches.html

Brest and Portsmouth will rely on good weather to be hot.
http://www.brittanytourism.com/to-s...ide-activities/beaches/plage-du-moulin-blanc2 looks like best beach for Brest.

Portland is close to an English seaside town called Weymouth. It has the traditional seaside activities; donkey rides, fish and chips etc. It will be the coolest ( in temperature) of all ports but that will depend on what you class as warm.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

We will be on the Barcelona to Dover cruise next July (2019). Ports are Barcelona, Cadiz, Lisbon, Brest and Portsmouth. Where would the best port to visit a warm, sandy beach?

The two "beach" ports on our cruise are not on your itinerary. Malaga and Ibiza. On a side note, in Cadiz we made the two hour trek (via a DCL tour) to Seville and it was completely worth it. We loved our time there.