Lisbon - Porto/Douro - Madrid

[Ka Honu]

We're looking at Uniworld and AMA Spain & Portugal itineraries for next summer (2016) and wondered if anyone had any recommendations, suggestions or insights.

 

Thanks.

 

[moatenote]

We cruised the Douro River in May 2015 with AMA (round trip from Porto, Portugal) and loved it! Cruising is only done in the daytime, which we really enjoyed because of the lovely scenery along the river. Ports are generally small towns and tours require a bus ride, but again the scenery is enjoyable.

[truckmaker]

We did the AMA Madrid - Lisbon trip in June and it was wonderful. Even though we are non-drinkers we enjoyed learning about port wine and touring the wineries all along the trip. Several on our cruise very much (!) enjoyed the winery tours and did significant shopping. Some times at dinner it got a little loud. Seemed quiet at breakfast though ... :rolleyes:

 

After over 40 ocean cruises this was our second river cruise and we have another river cruises booked already!

[pinotlover]

We did this trip on Uniworld in September. I would highly recommend Uniworld for this trip. The food and wines on the boat were excellent and the entertainer was a blast! The Queen Isabel is only two years old and is very nice. The crew is very professional and do a great job. They do a very good job on the tours and make them a little bit for everyone.

 

I would encourage you to do at least one extra day in Lisbon, especially if the tours start on a Monday when the majority of museums are closed. I would add a day for Sintra also. On the Madrid side, add an additional day and see the Royal Palace and other sites on your own. The time the tour spent in the Prado is very limited (for us). So we took the free time and spent the afternoon in the Prado (after the group tour) in lieu of the expensive Uniworld alternative of visiting the Royal Palace afterwards. We then visited that and other sites on an extra day.

[Ka Honu]

I think SWMBO has opted to hold Madrid for another time so it looks like Lisbon-Porto-Douro only plus a post-cruise drive down to Albufeira (which allows us extra time in Lisbon and/or Porto if we wish and several days in the Algarve).

 

Thanks for your suggestions (and keep them coming).

[nyfeds]

We spent a considerable amount of time weighing several Douro river cruise options and decided that AMA offered the most ports of interest for us, as well as 3 days pre-cruise in Madrid and 3 days post-cruise in Lisbon, as add-on land touring with AMA. We booked May 2016 and can't wait.

[diane.in.ny]

We did the cruise with Uniworld and really enjoyed it.

 

Spent a few extra days precruise is Lisbon, now one of our favorite cities.

 

And post cruise, we did a couple of days in Madrid. Got to the Prado and the Royal Palace, both worth seeing

[stanc3]

We did the Duoro cruise on Uniworld in April starting in Lisbon and ending in Madrid. We then went on to Barcelona on our own. All the boats are owned by Duoro Azul and the crews all work for that company. We really enjoyed the cruise and loved our daily excursions to wineries and the small towns in the mountains. We especially enjoyed our time in the city of Porto. It is a long ride from Lisbon to Porto, but the stops along the way were wonderful. We would have like a longer time in Lisbon. Portugal is a wonderful country with the friendliest people.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We did the Duoro cruise on Uniworld in April starting in Lisbon and ending in Madrid. We then went on to Barcelona on our own. All the boats are owned by Duoro Azul and the crews all work for that company. We really enjoyed the cruise and loved our daily excursions to wineries and the small towns in the mountains. We especially enjoyed our time in the city of Porto. It is a long ride from Lisbon to Porto, but the stops along the way were wonderful. We would have like a longer time in Lisbon. Portugal is a wonderful country with the friendliest people.

 

All Tauck boats are owned and staffed by Scylla, but that doesn't stop them from getting the best reviews. So, how did this Uniworld cruise compare to your previous Uniworld cruises? Did the Azul link have any effect?

[moatenote]

We spent extra days (on our own) in Lisbon pre-cruise and in Porto after the cruise (AMA Douro) and loved both! If you go to Lisbon, splurge and stay at the Palacete Chafariz (get the two-story tower suite). In Porto we stayed at the Guest House Douro and loved the owners, the breakfasts, and the river views. We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise!

[nyfeds]

We are Tauck fans. Sadly, Tauck does not offer Duoro river cruises. One has to wonder why, as this itinerary is very much in demand. I did call and ask about this and was told they are not offering Duoro river cruises, due to water level concerns. A perplexing response, as all river cruises can be faced with water level issues.

 

Our friends recently returned from their Uniworld Duoro cruise. The seemed marginally pleased.

Edited November 3, 2015 by nyfeds