We are sailing! - Viking Douro

I am sitting in our French Balcony on the Viking Douro watching the gorgeous scenery. I had wanted to do a day by day log, but we've been so busy, it's now Day 6 and just getting the chance now.

We have never cruised before (ocean nor river) so had no expectations. We are very independent travellers, planning everything ourselves, so the idea of being in the hands of others was really quite strange.

All we can say about the experience thus far is fantastic. From the moment we met our Program Director Patricia to now, everything has been wonderful.

We travelled from Toronto, flying direct to Lisbon. We arranged our own flights and we pre-booked a transfer at the airport with LisbonTaxi a fantastic experience.

We landed 9:30 am and were in our room at the Tivoli Lisboa Hotel shortly before 11 am.

I had some concerns regarding the Tivoli having read some negative reviews on Trip Advisor. The hotel was fantastic. Amazing staff, gorgeous room, beautiful pool and 9th floor terrace bar. The included breakfast (which we ate on the 9th floor terrace) was superb. The food was delicious and there was definitely something for every taste. The smoked salmon was wonderful and the yogurt in the cute little round glass jars was heavenly (definitely not low fat!).

The location of the hotel is ideal for us. Away from the more touristy/busy parts of the city, offering a great morning and night time walk.

We quickly settled in then walked into the City as we had booked a walking tour of the Alfama with Lisbon Explorer. The cost (35 euro) was more than the other walking tours, but the numbers were limited (a maximum of 8 participants - we had 7) and we've found from past experience that you really do get what you pay for. Our guide was Paolo who is well know from rave reviews on line. The tour was to be 3 hours, but we were actully with Paolo for 5 hours. Not once did we feel we wanted to leave the tour or found the time dragging. It was a great start to our visit and offered us insight into the history of Portugal, Lisbon and the Alfama area.

We had a great dinner that night at a quaint wine bar and then enjoyed a cocktail on the hotel's roof top terrace.

Day 1 - Arrival day for most of our fellow passengers, we were on our own and spent the time shopping and sight seeing around Lisbon. We had Frango Piri Piri for lunch which we had discovered last year when we visited Cascais and loved. There was a welcome reception at 7 pm where all the Viking passengers gathered to learn about what was happening over the next few days. We got our colour and bus assignments and instructions on the next day's tour and departure details.

Dinner this night was at 100 Maneiras - a fantastic spot with a young, creative chef.

Day 2 - Another great breakfast and then off on a tour of Lisbon. We toured around the main City then off to Belem where we toured Jeronimous Monestary, including the Cloisters, then had some free time.

We then headed to the Tower of Belem and the Discoveries Monument. We then headed back into Lisbon and had a short walking tour of Alfama. We decided not to stay with the group who were returning back to the hotel and we headed back up to the top part of the Alfama, near the castle, and had a fantastci lunch at a wine bar.

We wandered down into the City and then back to the hotel where we decided to head to the pool. The pool is situated behind the hotel and is an oasis.

We had another great wine bar meal in the Bairro Alto area.

Day 3 - Departure day. We had to have our luggage ready to go for 7 am and on the bus at 8:30 am. We headed out of Lisbon, north towards Porto. We stopped in Coimbra and visited the University and touring the gorgeous library. We lunch in Coimbra and were entertained by two guitarists and a male Fado singer. Very enjoyable.

We regard travel as an adventure and as we approached Porto, the adventure really took a turn. The first bus (we were on the third bus) broke down, completely blocking all traffic and thus none of the buses could get through and drop us at the ship. So, we all got off the buses and walked 10 minutes to the ship. We arrived at approximately 4:30 pm.

We were greated by the smiling faces of the crew, heading into the lounge where we received our check in order. Since the buses were stranded, our luggage was not available. Not to worry, we just headed up on deck for a welcome cocktail and appetizers.

The luggage eventually arrived around 7 pm. All the staff walked down to the buses and started rolling the luggage to the boat. Evenutally bus 1 was moved out of the way and the two other buses were able to proceed to the ship and drop off the luggage.

Our room is lovely. About the same size as our hotel room in New York. Lots of storage space and suitcases can be stored under the bed. Large flat screen TV, clock radio with an iPad docking station. Lots of mirrors, closet space and drawers. The French Balcony window has a black out blind. The bathroom is a decent size, fitted with L'Occitaine products. The shower is also quite a decent size and the water pressure is great.

The room is very quiet. We haven't heard any noise from our neighbours beside or above.

The food the ship has been fantastic. I had read other reviews where people had expressed concerns with the food. Everything has been wonderful. Huge buffet spread at breakfast including an omlette station. Home made yogurt and jams, bacon, pastries, eggs, cheese, musli, oatmeal, cereals, smoked salmon...... I could go on and on. Oh, and sparkling wine!

Lunch is offer in the lounge, a buffet, or in the restaurant where there is a salad buffet and a menu offering. Great soup, various salads, a pasta station, desserts..... and beer or wine.

Dinners on the ship have been wonderful as well. 3 - 4 appetizers to choose from 3 entree, and a few different desserts. There are also standard items (caesar salad, steak, salmon, chicken, a cheese plate). Decent sized portions.... we never left hungry.

We very very fortunate to be in Porto for Saint John's Festival. It is held annually on June 23rd. People gather along the water in the early evening and enjoy a meal of sardines (the chef had grilled some especially for those who wanted to try them) then wander along the water hitting each other on the head with plastic hammers. The evening finale was a spectacular fire works display on the water. We couldn't have arranged a better vantage point to watch the fire works.

Before the fire works, we cast off and sailed along the Douro in land a ways and then turned and headed out to the mouth of the river where it meets the ocean.

A very special first evening on the ship.

Day 4 - I will have to continue our adventure at a later time as it seems it is time for lunch! If you have any questions, please just ask.

I am looking forward to all your experiences. This is the next river I want to sail so very interested in your impressions of the tours and Viking in particular.

We leave for Lisbon in a couple of hours and will be on the Uniworld Queen Isabel. We will spend 3 nights in Lisbon were are also going to be dining at 100 Maneiras and it is our first River Cruise. There is not as much "chatter" about this itinerary as the others, so it is always appreciated when I read a new post or review. I promise to write one when I return...sounds like I wont have much time to post while on board :) Thank you

We`re on the Viking douro next month so were thrilled to read your postings and feel very encouraged! Keep posting please!

Very nice report. Portugal is a beautiful place to visit. The landscapes just keep getting better and better as you cruise toward Salamanca.

Enjoy the rest of your trip. Will look forward to reading your updates.

Hello! I am enjoying your travelog as we plan to take this cruise over Christmas. My question is: what time will you arrive back in Porto to overnight the last night? We have to go back to Lisbon on day 9 as our flight is back to the US at 6 AM on day 10 and we are trying to figure out how late/early to book our flight or take the train. Thanks! And enjoy river boating..we LOVE it!

Pamgoes

Bom Dias! I apologize for not posting more often, but we have been very busy! The scenery is breath taking. Very unspoiled, no other river traffic until you get closer to Regua.

Newfirsttimer - Viking has been amazing. Nothing is too much to ask. The food is wonderful. The staff are so nice - all Portuguese.

Twoboys - We were docked beside the Uniworld Queen Isabel while in Porto. Very nice looking ship.

Pamgoes - We are to arrive in Porto tonight at 8:15 pm

I will catch up on the missing days when I get a chance. Of to the Mateus Palace this morning (it has nothing to do with the wine, only the image of the palace on the bottles).

Bom Dias! I apologize for not posting more often, but we have been very busy! The scenery is breath taking. Very unspoiled, no other river traffic until you get closer to Regua.

Newfirsttimer - Viking has been amazing. Nothing is too much to ask. The food is wonderful. The staff are so nice - all Portuguese.

Twoboys - We were docked beside the Uniworld Queen Isabel while in Porto. Very nice looking ship.

Pamgoes - We are to arrive in Porto tonight at 8:15 pm

I will catch up on the missing days when I get a chance. Off to the Mateus Palace this morning (it has nothing to do with the wine, only the image of the palace on the bottles).

We are back! I do apologize for not posting more frequently, but we were busy and I just never got around to it.

Bottom line: fantastic cruise. Had a great stateroom, wonderful crew and star, fantastic food and drink, amazing scenery, interesting excursions, interesting fellow passengers...... All in all, a wonderful experience.

I will catch up on the missing days as soon as I can.

Wow that sounds great! Thanks for whetting our appetites for our trip later this month. We booked so long ago that we`ve sort of forgotten about it. I`ll look forward to your review but not sure where you`ll post it. The reviews section doesnt seem to have a Viking Douro section. I suppose thats because its a leased boat rather than Viking`s own this year.

Thanks for the lovely cruise report. We will be taking this trip over the Christmas holidays and as it is a fairly new destination for Viking we were anxious to see some reviews. Sounds lovely! Can't wait! :)

We have been back now almost 2 weeks and have gotten over the jet lag which seemed to take longer this time as I think we returned home quite tired from being so busy on the cruise. Last weekend we had R's grandson with us, so I'm just now able to sit and organize my file and get back to the report.

Day 4 - Following breakfast we were on a tour of Porto. The City was a little disheveled after the previous nights’ frivolities. Our first stop was the cathedral and then on to the train station with the fantastic azulejos. The most beautiful McDonalds we’ve ever seen is close by and worth a peak in. We opted to pick up a few pastries at a shop nearby that had a line up of locals out the door (always a good sign). We were then back on the bus meandering through the streets of Porto and then on to Foz right on the ocean. The last stop before rejoining the ship was at a Calem port wine lodge for a tour and tasting and then back to the ship for lunch.

We opted to take the optional excursion to Guimaraes (39 euro) which we really enjoyed. The bus ride was just under an hour and we had a guided walking tour and some free time to wander the medieval streets and have a relaxing drink. We then rejoined this ship further up the Douoro in Bitetos ( I kept calling this town potatoes).

We quickly changed and, following our daily briefing in the lounge, we were off the ship for dinner at the former Alpendurada Monestery.

This was a lovely spot with views over the Douro Valley. Dinner was good – delicious roast pork and a short fado concert.

Should note that you are assigned a bus at the beginning of the trip while in Lisbon and that is your bus group for the entire trip. While on the Douro we had the same driver the entire time. Carlos was amazing. We felt completely safe in his hands even while driving narrow, winding, climbing roads with hair pin turns that seem to have half the bus hanging off the road.

Day 5 – We wanted to be on deck for cast off, so requested an early wake up call and grabbed a coffee from the lounge. The coffee machine was always available and made good coffee, espresso, cappuccino, hot chocolate, steamed milk and hot water for tea. In the early morning there was an assortment of small pastries.

After breakfast and some more time on the sun deck enjoying the beautiful scenery we entered our first lock. This would make a great scene in a James Bond film. Huge steel doors that close behind you, locking the ship in as the water rises. The Captain and his crew did a great job guiding us through the locks. At times there were only inches to spare on either side of the ship.

The ship arrived and docked in Regua during lunch. Following lunch was an excursion to Lamego to visit the magnificent church which has an amazing zig zagging staircase of 686 steps which pilgrims climb on their knees.

We then met the ship’s chef at the market where we had a short tour which was an option for those interested. It would have been better in the morning when the market was busier, but was still enjoyable and a nice way to interact with the chef.

There was free time to wander the streets of Lamego, visit other sites or, as we did, visit a café and enjoy a glass of wine and a pastry.

Our Viking Daily notes we stopped at a winery for a wine tasting, but honestly, neither of us remember that (should have made notes).

We rejoined the ship which had sailed from Regua to Pinhao. We changed for the evening and were off to the lounge for our daily briefing which was followed by a vintage port opening ceremony which was very interesting.

Dinner was on the ship. Another fantastic meal by chef Nuno. There was a folk music show in the lounge that evening.

Entertainment on the ship was minimal. There is an in-house musician who entertained throughout the cruise, but really, at the end of the day we were usually quite content to enjoy an after dinner drink on the top deck and then off to bed.

Day 6 – To be continued as we are off to buy a few plants for our garden.

Any questions, please just ask.

Before I begin Day 6, it came to us that the winery we couldn’t remember visiting was Quinta do Seixo which is Sandeman. This winery is perched at the top of the narrow, winding road (yeah Carlos) and offers great views over the Douro. Had a nice tour and tasting. Bought a couple of ports. I quite liked the white port cocktail that I had been introduced to on the ship.

Day 6 – Another glorious day. We woke early again and went up on deck with our coffee as we left Pinhao for Barca d’Alva. We enjoyed another wonderful buffet breakfast. I was attempting to sample everything on offer, something different each day. The ship made yogurts and jams were delicious. There were different cheeses each morning with lovely fresh rolls (baked on board) and quince jam. Never did have a made to order omelette but R did and he said they ere very good. They always had scrambled eggs on the buffet, but if you wanted a fried egg you could ask at the omelette station and she was happy to oblige.

I believe we passed through a few more locks this morning. Each one different from the last. Could only imagine the small port boats careening down the river, facing the rapids to get the port wine to the cellars in Porto.

Later in the morning, Chef Nuno gave a short cooking demonstration on Pastel de Nata. Recipes were handed out at the end, but haven’t yet attempted making them at home. Of course there were samples following the demonstration.

There was also a Portugues language less this morning which I did not attend, but R did and he said it was quite interesting. Portuguese is a very challenging language.

We had another enjoyable lunch on board. We only had lunch in the lounge once, preferring lunch in the dining room. Food was essentially the same, except there were a few differences and there was also a pasta bar in the dining room where you could have pasta made to order. A different sauce was offered each day. The pesto was especially nice.

At one lunch there was a whole salmon which went really nicely with some pesto pasta and arugula.

After docking in Barca d’Alva, there was a short excursion to Castelo Rodrigo, a tiny fortified stone village. There is a great shop where you can purchase almonds, jams, figs, etc. Very reasonable prices.

One of the highlights of the trip was bumping into a local who was very proud of her town and showed us things which our guide was unaware of. We also made a stop on the way back to the ship to admire the wildlife and scenery. The soaring eagles and falcons were spectacular.

Back on board we changed and headed to the lounge for the daily information session. The Viking Explorers had their reception that night and there were quite a few previous Viking passengers on board.

It was the Captain’s Dinner this evening and the meal was kicked up a notch. Very enjoyable.

Day 7 – This was the day for the full day trip to Salamanca. The bus ride was approximately 2 hours, so we left at 8:30 am and were back around 6:30 pm. A highlight of the bus ride was seeing all the storks and their huge nests perched atop various buildings.

Our recommendation for this day is to skip the included lunch and flamenco show and enjoy more free time in Salamanca.

The morning we had free time and I wanted to show R the ancient Roman bridge (1 BC) which I had seen on a previous visit. The bridge was on the other side of town to where we were dropped off, so we walked the main shopping street there and back making a few purchases along the way. Lots of good shops but not too much time which is why I would suggest skipping the lunch. Another reason was the lunch was not that good. Very disappointing paella.

After lunch we had a guided walking tour of Salamanca which was quite enjoyable. There was only a little bit more free time following the tour before we had to get back on the bus.

The ship had sailed on while we were away and we met up with the ship docked in Vega de Terron.

Dinner tonight was our favourite. It was a BBQ up on the sun deck. Lots of grilled meets and sardines, salads and wonderful desserts. The on board musician played some great tunes and there was some fun dancing going on. The staff got in on the fun as well.

We had found out a couple we had met were celebrating their 43rd anniversary and we arranged for a bottle of sparkling and a special cake. It was a great celebration.

Day 8 – Another early rise as we left Vega de Terron at 7 am. It was a lovely cruise heading back along the river, passing through more locks

After yet another wonderful breakfast, there was a tour of the galley for those interested. Amazing what the chef and his team did in a small space.

Before lunch there was disembarkations briefing. Seems we were coming to the end of the cruise!

Following lunch, we continued to sail down the Douro arriving mid afternoon in Pinhao.

This afternoon’s excursion was to to Favaios, a small village where we visited a traditional bakery and a wine museum. The bakery was quaint and the older baker was quite fun. As well as demonstrating the bread baking, she also danced with various wine bottles and jugs on her head. The bread and jam was delicious.

Dinner that night was at Quinta da Avessada. By this time we were full to the gills and while the dinner was enjoyable, we didn’t eat much.

There was an accordion player and drummer playing at the bakery and they joined us at the winery along with a tambourine player. Seems the tambourine player is a neighbour and he gets paid with wine.

We had a drink at a waterfront spot on the way back to the ship. Very pleasant.

The weather was definitely heating up. We had temperatures the past few days over 30C and this continued on to our last day in Porto.

Day 9 – Our last full day on the ship and we once again rose early as we were casting off at 7 am. We arrived early morning in Regua where we had an excursion to Mateus Palace.

This was one of our favourite tours. The estate is still lived in, in fact we saw the owner and saw his wife returning home. The palace, the one you see on the bottles of Mateus, has nothing to do with the wine. The image was sold in the 1940s. The palace does have its own vineyard and you can purchase the wines in the gift shop. The also grow quite a lot of fruit and you can also buy jams in the gift shop.

We wandered the beautiful gardens on our own for about a half hour and then had a tour of the palace. Extremely interesting.

Back to the boat and a change for dinner. There was a Captain’s cocktail reception in the lounge where all the staff were brought in and applauded for their efforts, followed by the Chef’s Dinner, our last very enjoyable dinners.

As we were docked in Porto, we decided to take a walk and have a late drink with another couple. Lots of people out and about.

Day 10 – Disembarkation was highly organized and efficient. We had advised the front desk that we were staying an extra night in Porto and they arranged for a taxi at the time we wanted.

We had done the majority of packing the day before and finished it up following breakfast. The cab was ready and waiting for us at 9 am and whisked us off to our hotel.

We made some great friends on the ship and it was sad to say goodbye. Two women we had become friends with were also staying an extra night in Porto and just happened to have dinner reservations at the same restaurant as us.

We settled into Hotel Trindade which we chose at is close to the metro which we had planned on taking to the airport the next day. We decided to be high maintenance and take a cab instead as our luggage was heavier that anticipated with the bottles of port and the various items we had bought along the way.

As it was a Sunday, Porto was quite sleepy and the majority of shops were closed. We found a café and had a coffee, then browsed around Via Catarina a very nice, smaller shopping mall on Rua Catarina.

As it was getting towards lunch we headed towards the river, taking the funicular down to the water. Quite a fun experience.

We walked across the Dom Luis bridge and found a nice spot for lunch with a nice view of Porto.

Porto has a wonderful riverfront. But many buildings away from the river are in a complete shambles. Beautiful old buildings that have fallen into disrepair and there doesn’t seem to be any signs of them being restored. Very sad and somewhat depressing.

We wandered back to Porto and browsed the market stalls along the water and then headed up to Clerigos Tower. It was very hot, so we headed (slowly) back to the hotel where we cooled off, then changed for dinner.

We were meeting our friends from the ship at their hotel and then having a cocktail before dinner. We enjoyed some sangria while catching up on the day and then headed down the street to Ode Wine Bar for dinner.

Dining at Ode is an experience. You start with appetizers on the main level and then are taken to your table on an upper level. The food is all specifically sourced and the producers all known.

We shared the appetizers amongst the four of us along with a port cocktail which was delicious. For dinner I had the roasted octopus and, after a bowl of delicious soup, R had the black pork. The mains were delicious. We shared a dessert which was the owner’s mother’s bread pudding recipe.

The owner made wine recommendations based on what we were ordering and what price point we wanted to spend. The two recommended wines were perfect with our meals

We left our friends enjoying some port and headed back to our hotel.

The hotel included breakfast which was quite substantial and quite good. The front desk called a cab for us and we got to the airport in 20 minutes.

It was a fantastic holiday. We had a great time on the cruise, so much so that we booked a Rhine cruise for next June and invited my mother and sister to come along.

We had a fantastic experience with Viking and would not hesitate to recommend.

We arranged our own flights and will continue to do so. We’ve communicated with our friends from England and they were very frustrated by the Viking arranged flights. It actually took them longer than us to get home!!!

If there are more details anyone would like or if there are questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Thank you so much. We`re off on this trip on Friday and feel we know so much more since reading your postings. Is it OK to just stay on the boat while it sails along rather than an early start and a bus trip? We`ve done that before and preferred it to sightseeing in high temps.

Thanks Nippy Sweetie. I hope you enjoy the cruise as much as we did.

Yes, you can always stay on the ship opting out of the excursions. We did everything offered with the mind set that we might as well as we more than likely would not be returning to these spots again. Very few people actually stayed on the ship, but those that did were served lunch and/or dinner and the bar was always open.

If you have any other questions before you leave, please just ask.

How warm was your trip? Was it sunny most days.

Is there much sailing time that allows use of the top deck?

Do they serve any meals there?

We are looking at this trip and trying to decide when to go. Thanks for any suggestions on it. Have enjoyed your journal!!

milling73 - We had fantastic weather. It got warmer towards the end of the cruise - 30C+. But still cooler in the evenings and early mornings. We were in Portugal same time last year and had equally fantastic weather.

We spent quite a bit of time on the upper deck. Fun to be up there when going through locks, under bridges and just sailing along. There were a couple of quite low bridges which forced the crew to lower the bridge, mast, side rails and sun cover and we had to vacate the upper deck until we passed under. On one occassion we all had to crouch as we sailed under. Quite fun.

Meals aren't served on the upper deck, except for the one night when there is a BBQ. You could easily take your breakfast or lunch up to to the upper deck. We often enjoyed a coffee in the morning and a drink later in the day or after dinner.

We really enjoyed the cruise and highly recommend.

Thanks Nippy Sweetie. I hope you enjoy the cruise as much as we did.

 

Yes, you can always stay on the ship opting out of the excursions. We did everything offered with the mind set that we might as well as we more than likely would not be returning to these spots again. Very few people actually stayed on the ship, but those that did were served lunch and/or dinner and the bar was always open.

 

If you have any other questions before you leave, please just ask.

Thanks. We`re going on this trip for R&R after a busy and demanding year. Sometimes we just want to chill and, having heard how beautiful the Douro is, it seems to us that we might prefer to stay on board and do just that rather than go on long bus trips to hot sticky places. I reckon that once we retire we can do more intrepid stuff but, at present, we need to relax. Also we`re not so far from Portugal as you and have a place in Madeira so Portugese culture/architecture etc are not unfamiliar to us. Your review and postings have been very helpful and informative. This time tomorrow we`ll be on our way!

Have a great time NS. Let us know our thoughts when you return.

We just booked this trip for next month. We are wondering if most people fly back out of Porto or is there a van/bus service from Porto back to Lisbon?

We love Viking, this will be our fourth trip with them. We did Russia two years ago and Amsterdam-Budapest last year. Great trips!

Mike Roche

We flew into Lisbon and out of Porto. I believe most people did the same. We were fortunate to get direct flights to/from both. We booked air ourselves. Some that booked with Viking had some interesting connections which made the flight quite lengthy.

Hope you enjoy the cruise as much as we did.