Douro River Valley Cruise

[luckyfriday]

Does ANYONE have ANY info or any advice on a river cruise on the Douro River Valley in Portugal? We are going on Vantage in May. First time with Vantage and on Douro River cruise....what to expect, what do we want to see in Lisbon as we have some free time there. Maybe what we want to especially see at the other stops , etc? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

[mmoh]

We just recently returned from Douro Valley trip, somewhat dissappointed. The scenery was lovely but, after sailing in one direction then returning the same route it became a little boring. Nothing to do in the evening when the ship is docked, as we only sailed during daylight hours. Take a side trip from Lisbon to Sintra, we enjoyed what we saw, sudden downpour dampened our visit, but we saw we liked.

[luckyfriday]

Thank you for responding! What cruise line did you go with? Our last day we are scheduled to take tour of Sintra...will look forward to it.

[alexandra cruiser]

and you should get plenty of advice.

We took it a few yrs.ago with Uniworld,,and it was 1 of my favorite.May depend on cruise company?

We LOVED the scenery,and had plenty to do in each port.Had 3 days prior in Lisbon and got a guidebook and TRIED to see it all.Did take cruise bus tour too.

Thought Porto was GREAT,,could walk across bridge right to quaint town.

Even when docked at nite,,found plenty to see and do in towns and on ship.Can always go on own, not necessary for cruise tours ALL the time.

Hard to believe above poster was less than happy with hers,,,most LOVE it.But to each his own,I say.;)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Porto is a great town, very picturesque. And across the river are all the Port houses, so make sure to get a tour of one of these.

[joybug]

Lucky, We are going with Vantage in September 2012, would lve to hear from you when you get back. Jan

[AtMaui]

I've done several trips with Uniworld the Duoro River was definitely my favorite! We loved the time spent in Lisbon before the cruise and even spent another day after the cruise. We went to Sintra which we thought was just OK but Caiscai was wonderful!

 

Yes, you do go down and back on the same route but the scenery is beautiful. We got off and wandered around at night and even ate off the ship a couple of times.

 

The only negative was the fact that we were there in July and it was 114 degrees!!

 

Wendy is right about the Port houses. We had a tour of one included in the cruise plus a trip to Sandeman's that was incredible.

 

Enjoy!!!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

It was Sandemann's we went to as well. Very good tour, lovely samples at the end, some very good port! There's also a port museum on the other side of the river--didn't go there.

[luckyfriday]

Thank you all for the wonderful info! This is very helpful...

I actually have two more questions:

What do you suggest we see/do in Lisbon (we have free day before cruise) AND how do we get all that PORT home???

Thanks

[luckyfriday]

Lucky, We are going with Vantage in September 2012, would lve to hear from you when you get back. Jan

 

Joybug...I will give you the full scoop! Lucky...

[jucaha]

The Viking Douro River cruise takes you to Salamanca, Spain. I had the opportunity to visit this city! What a gem! Do not miss Plaza Mayor, the University, the Old Cathedral... There is a pasterie shop just off the plaza...sit and have a churro and cup of hot chocolate (which is very thick!). Just walk around and enjoy the culture of this beautiful college city...

[luckyfriday]

The Viking Douro River cruise takes you to Salamanca, Spain. I had the opportunity to visit this city! What a gem! Do not miss Plaza Mayor, the University, the Old Cathedral... There is a pasterie shop just off the plaza...sit and have a churro and cup of hot chocolate (which is very thick!). Just walk around and enjoy the culture of this beautiful college city...

It sounds like a neat city thank you for the info and thanks for the tip on the pasterie shop as well :-) We look forward to checking this city out!

[H2Otstr]

It sounds like a neat city thank you for the info and thanks for the tip on the pasterie shop as well :-) We look forward to checking this city out!

 

We were there in 2008 with AMA. It is a beautiful city. We did find that most of the stores closed just after lunch and remained closed until 4 pm, so we were unable to do any shopping (if you are interested in shopping). So if you see something and the store is open, go in while the store is open.

[mickieandlee]

We were on Uniworld in 2010 and one of the excursions to Salamanca, Spain was to a hotel for lunch and a flamenco dance show. The dancers were young, lively, sassy and proud. It was wonderful! Dinner at a monestery high on a hill over looking the river valley was amazing.

You will learn all about cork and what can be made from it besides bottle stoppers. How wonderful chestnuts are and how wonderful the people are.

[jpver]

We planned a Douro Cruise with Croisieurope (ms Fernao de Magalhaes) early July. As excursion we planned of course Salamanca and organised by Croisieurope.

We stay 3 days in advance in Porto to visit the city by ourselves.

Than after the cruise we have rented a car and go down to Aveiro, Coimbre to the Lisbon area where we planned of Course Sintra Lisbon of course , Setubal and area. These visits are of course on our own.