My wife and I are both American citizens living in Florida.
We are planning on spending exactly 88 days in Spain this summer to be within the Schengen limitations. We are then going to England for about a month.

To return home, we are returning to Barcelona to take a transatlantic cruise or maybe several back-to-back cruises on the same ship. The Celebrity cruise will make many stops in various countries iincluding Spain.

Will this additional time on the cruise be considered "days within Schengen countries" or is a cruise considered "in transit" so that the additional days do not bring us over the 90- day limit?

I do not want to be denied boarding for the cruise in Barcelona and I certainly do not want to be considered to be overstaying my 90-day limit.

I have tried to get answers from my travel agent (Costco) and the cruise line and they didn't know the answer. Most of the reps did not know what "Schengen" was. The Spanish Consulate wasn't any help because they suggested that I apply for a long-term visa because they said there is no way to extend the 90-day period (especially while we were in Spain).

Before I book the cruise, I want to have a firm, reliable answer with good documentation.

Thanks for the help from the Forums!

After 88 days in Schengen, you have two more days allowed before you have to stay away for 90 days before returning. Your return to Barcelona will count as extra two days, but further stays in Schengen will breach the rules. I don't think there is an exception for cruise passengers. While most border agents won't be too fussy, technically you are illegal. One solution is to get a separate Spanish visa for your initial stay (not using visa-free Schengen stay), which still allows you 90-in-180 days for your cruise. Whether Spanish consulate will issue one or not is another matter.

A good resource is a Schengen Calculator given on another thread.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs...ulator_en.html

It's an interesting question. Where will you finally be flying home from? A Schengen member country, or somewhere else?

You could be considered in transit while on board the ship, but, depending on the ships route and registry, you may have to pass through passport control when you reach the next stop. Then it would be a problem.

Costco "agents" and not really travel agents. They work for Costco. Try booking through an agency specializing in cruises. Check the ASTA web site (www.asta.org). You should be able to find one, if not a dozen, in your area.

My guess is that this would be a problem - unless you plan not to get off the ship at all and fly home from a non-Schengen country. But I'm not an expert. Agree to check with cruisecritic.com and the cruise board here for answers from those who have done this a lot.