The 69 Bolivians, including families with children, were taken to the port transit area, the government's regional delegation in Catalonia said.

The cruise ship, MSC-Armonia, which began its journey in Brazil, arrived in Barcelona early on Tuesday and was scheduled to leave for Corsica off the French coast later that day.

It was detained after authorities discovered the Bolivian citizens' visas were invalid.

According to a Spanish Interior Ministry source, they were also carrying false documents.

The Bolivians, denied access to Spanish territory, will be taken to another boat while authorities process their cases to decide on potential deportations or granting of asylum, the delegation said.

Speaking by the port terminal, a Bolivian man named Juan, who declined to give his last name, said his son was among those detained.

His son, Juan said, was coming to Spain on holiday and had trusted a travel company who told him his documentation was legal when it actually was not.

"We don't know if they will be deported. Right now, we are in a wait-and-see moment in which we don't know if there will be a solution," Juan said.

El Pais newspaper said the Bolivians had intended to settle in Spain.

The case could signal a lesser-known irregular migration route from Latin America to Europe.

The cost of a similar cruise ship journey starts at about 1000 euros ($A1642), according to a specialised website.

Operator MSC Cruises, which was responsible for checking the travel documents, said in a statement it would collaborate in the investigation.

The Bolivians would need to "follow the immigration process provided for by law," it said.

Passengers told Reuters that planned stops in France, Greece and Croatia had been cancelled due to the delay.

"People on board are enraged, feeling that it's surreal," said Paul Ibarguengoitia, 26, who is travelling with his family on the MSC-Armonia, adding that some disgruntled passengers had left the vessel over the change of itinerary.

Australian Associated Press