I always listen to Clark Howard on the radio and see him on HNL too. He commented several times that Ryanair was a great airline to travel if you want to save money and be entertained too. Also, that the rules they hold must be adhered in detail or additional charges will surly find your pocketbook. I have no problem with rules but after booking my flight from Ciampino airport in Rome to Girone airport in Barcelona, I am nervous. We fly into Girona on Sunday, April 25th. We arrive at 11:05 AM. We are taking a cruise on the NCL Jade and must be on board by 3:00 PM for a 5:00 PM departure. The airport is some 60 miles away. Although the airline states that transportation to Barcelona is not a problem for us to make our connection, I am still concerned if we are going to make it in time. Question: What is the surest and fastest way to get to the pier in Barcelona? Hope you can put my mind at ease.

Thanks to all for your continued advice.

Don't worry dear.
We took a flight from Girona to Rome(Cia) in June 09.
The flights are generally on time.
You can take a taxi to Girona Station (25 Euro)15/20 minutes.
I think the train will be the fastest.
Train to Barcelona Sants- 1 hour.
Then a taxi to the marina- around 15 min.
Pl. check with the cruise company and ask for a late check-in possiblity.
All the best.
Cheers!!!!

Ryanair was a great airline to travel if you want to save money and be entertained too

I take it that you wil be entertained by their hilarious customer service policy?

Delays are always possible and IMHO one should always plan to arrive at a cruise port 4 or 5 hours before boarding time (and arrive in the city the day before if possible). I would contact the cruise line now to find out about delayed boarding - and what you would need to do if for some reason the plane is delayed and you miss the ship.

I think the chance of this is VERY small - but if it does occur you want to know what to do in advance - not try to track it down on the spot in a foreign language.

The odds of a problem are small, but the penalty for failure is huge in this case.

Another thing that can happen with any airline is that the flights are rescheduled or canceled. Keep an eye on your booking to ensure that this has not happened.

I'm not at all sure what your question has to to w/ Ryan Air. Nothing really. What you need is transport options from the airport to the port. Train/taxi.

But I HAD to laugh about the >>Ryanair was a great airline to travel if you want to save money and be entertained too.<< bit.

Entertained?? Not likely. Save money - possibly IF you follow their rules to the letter. But they will get you from point A to point B, usually on time or close.

You can take a bus (not run by Ryanair) from Girona airport (turn right when you get out of the airport and walk to the parking lot which is less than 50 yards away).
Busses meet each flight and are very frequent. The trip to Barcelona takes 80 to 90 min and the bus will leave you at Estacion del Nord from which you can take a taxi to the pier.

I'm not fond of Ryan air.
Our luggage was over their limit it was 39lbs.We went from Ireland to Scotland we each had to pay $200.00 for extra weight ,so the $49.00 ticket we bought before we left the states wasn't such a good price.
They didn't charge us extra when we came back from Scotland a week later.all tho we missed our flight by one day and we had to buy tickets again which cost us $239.00 each,Thank goodesness no luggage charge everyone was lined up paying the extra charge.So watch the weight it was costley for us.

Opportunities for humor on any airline are scarce, but I did think it was funny (in a weird and pathetic way) how the flight attendants were aggressively selling smokeless cigarettes on two recent Ryanair flights I took.

Otherwise, I have no complaints about Ryanair. It's cramped, for sure, but so far lots of intra-European carriers. There are baggage restrictions, but ditto for other carriers. Just be aware of all the rules, and don't think of trying to bend them through charm or oversight.

Do we buy the bus tickets in the airport or can we get them from the bus driver?

Have you thought about using the cruise line transfer? That is the safest way. You might try contacting NCL and ask if they have a transfer from Girona. It is likely they do, but your timing may be late.

"Do we buy the bus tickets in the airport or can we get them from the bus driver?"

You buy them at the little booth in the parking lot. It is impossible to miss.

RyanAir has a very good record in terms of arriving on time (probably because they might have to give passengers a free coffee if they are delayed!).

probably because they might have to give passengers a free coffee if they are delayed!)

they usually avoid that by withdrawing their staff form the airport if there are delays....

I consider Ryan air under my required standards.
My recomendation is to avoid it, if you can.
Passangers are treated as cattle, they fly to airports with minimun services and any small mistake you make of their everyday changing rules will cost you extra money and effort.
Thanks but traveling is already stressful enough to add in your plans companies like Ryan air.

Rgds

"I consider Ryan air under my required standards."

I adapt my standards ...
When I pay between €10 and €20 for a flight with Ryanair I don't require or even expect the same treatment as in first or business class with another company.
All Ryanair flights take less than 2 hours so it's bearable, all the airports they fly to have a shuttle bus to the nearest town as well as toilets. I don't ask for more services from an airport. Their rules are pretty clear when you read them carefully and I've never had any problem with excess luggage or hidden fees. Granted, they stink but they are efficient and cheap.

I flew recently business class with Continental and found it dismal : the food was disgusting, one stewardess wore sneakers and contrary to Ryanair they did not speak any other language but English, the in-flight entertainment was out of service (that was pre Undiesbomber) and the seats were uncomfortable.

"The odds of a problem are small, but the penalty for failure is huge in this case."

Oops, finger trouble.

However cheap the fare, I would not book Ryanair if I absolutely had to be somewhere by a fixed time (or indeed ever, if avoidable). If the flight is late or cancelled, tough - you're on your own. All they will do if a flight is cancelled is refund your original fare (which obviously won't pay for another flight at short notice) or offer you a seat on the next flight with availability - which may be days away, with you paying for your own accommodation until then. The papers here frequently feature stories of passengers who had to e.g. hire a car & drive back from Germany. I'd write off this flight and book with a proper airline, ideally one which actually goes to Barcelona and/or for the day before.

I will resume it for you if I may.
Low cost, even Lower responsability.

Rgds