pontac

Reception is staffed 24/7. There will have been guests on the cruise just ended that have already departed. Others will be having breakfast or departing. It's a bit of a crazy time as guests have to leave their cabins and there will be groups of departing guests bags. So leave your cases with the crew to put in a safe space, don't add them yourself to a pile Ensure you have fixed your Viking luggage tags to all the bags you leave; they have your cabin number on so staff know where to take them

If you are talking about Scenic, over-hyping is what they do. But I think the wine Chateaux visited on Beautiful Bordeaux were a good representation - Ch Riviere (Libourne), Ch Lagrange, (3rd Growth, St Julian), Ch Lafaurie-Peyraguey, (1st Growth, Sauternes). (That was n the 2022 itinerary, since then Scenic visit Ch Siaurac (Lalande-Pomerol) which was on Vikings itinerary and there may be other changes)

Yes, no problem. There is an embarkation buffet lunch available 12:00- 15:00. Viking will put your bags in your cabin when it becomes available, which shouldn't be later than 15:00 and will most probably be earlier. The lunch will also be served on the last day should you have a late departure.

That's the big one. On this cruise we're in Bordeaux, centre of the worlds finest wines and home to more than 7,000 Chateaux (wineries making wines from their own vineyards) and this list of 'finest wines of the region made by the best wineries' has just one Bordeaux wine on it. The red, billed as a Bordeaux wine is made by the Rhone's respected Perrin and is from Ventoux, a not particularly prestigious appellation. Retail cost, about €6 incl 20% VAT You are correct that the listed grapes are typical for the Rhone and not found in Bordeaux. The white is a brand, made by Domaine Barons de Rothschild, which is owned by the same company that owns the well-famed and very expensive 1st Growth Chateaux Lafite Rothschild. Not made at or by Chateaux Lafite Rothschild and costing about €12.50 incl 20% VAT in France.

I missed that. There's also a capital 'T' on typical although it's the second word in the sentence They are trying to make the diners think they're very lucky with this 'special' wine although it's a bog standard cheapo. However there's a much much bigger mistake there........

Each cruise has a different mix; on our Scenic Bordeaux cruise over 50% were from UK. The split mentioned above means that two-thirds of those guests were from New World wine countries. There is also a mix on Viking, again, different proportions each cruise. And it seems that the same cruise with the same line differs. Every night on our 2022 Scenic Bordeaux cruise the waiters were pouring wines from the Languedoc. Depends what the definition of local is - they were French - but they weren't from Bordeaux. Just as well we could find Bordeaux wines on the wine list. On our night in L'Amour there was only one Bordeaux wine, and that was a cheap brand. These were the wines. Spot the mistake.

@austinetc and @JordanF it's a sad fact that many people on the Bordeaux cruises -not just Viking - have little knowledge of wine. Some people on my 2022 cruise there said there was too much focus on wine, and complained there were too many winery visits. Looking around the restaurant it was noticeable how many were drinking coke not wine. With the withdrawal of Russia and Ukraine cruising there are fewer itineraries in Europe and I believe many people are looking in brochures or website for places they've not been and booking Bordeaux without knowing its place in wine fame. My first Viking Bordeaux cruise, in 2015, was focused on wine, with an on-board sommelier and different wines each night from the appellation we were in. Viking have since found out that most people are not interested and have toned down the emphasis on wine. It would be good if they designated a few cruises per year as dedicated to wine, but I guess while they fill their boats with the current itinerary they don’t.

Best for what? Heat/cold - I like the heat so prefer mid-summer when tables are set up on the prow and I can eat outside, but on our August Rhone cruise many found it too hot and ate in the air-conditioned (i.e. chilly) restaurant. Best for water levels? Best for sightseeing? Best for Christmas Markets? Best for etc ?

We went on Viking's Rhine & Moselle Discovery. That is 8 days and started in Basel, went through the most scenic part of the Rhine, and turned at Koblenz to sail up the Mosel to Trier. The Mosel is very attractive, the towns along it are too and there isn't anything like the river traffic there is on the Rhine. You say you want a 7 day cruise, but the Emerald cruise you detail is said to be an 8 day cruise, and it doesn't go along the Mosel. Note however that cruise companies include the start day and the end day as part of the cruise days, thus an 8 day cruise usually only has 6 days actual cruising and flight schedules can mean leaving the boat before breakfast on the last day - thus you don't even get the 8th day on the boat! My trip report of my Rhine - Mosel trip is at

Disappointment is understandable, but the schedule is pretty clear about which vineyards are visited. The top classified growths are not open to casual visitors. They have no wine to sell, as all is sold before it's bottled to a middleman. An exception is the Margaux 3rd growth Ch Kirwan where Viking have a dinner paired with Kirwan's wine and you can buy bottles there.

So did we, and it was expensive but it was dead cheap* when we booked it. Problem was the trip was scheduled for 2020 and Covid prevented that. So we rebooked for 2021 and had to pay the full 2021 price (minus what we'd already paid) and didn't go because Covid was still about, so rebooked it for 2022 and had to pay the difference for the 2022 price. You don't say why you were pleased. We were pretty disappointed after reading all the rave things about Scenic on this board, but having taken a second Scenic trip to Douro last month found the experience on that ship quite different. However, though the Scenic cruise visited the world's greatest fine wine region, it wasn't a 'wine' cruise as such - and there were cruisers that complained there was too much emphasis on wine! * Scenic cruises are often heavily discounted; we were alerted via full page adverts from ROL (Readers Offers Online) in the Daily Telegraph, but found we could get the same price booking direct by phone with Scenic.)

There are some special wine focus cruises. See Ama Waterways for example. If you are in the USA (It helps if you have where you are in your profile) the American Wine Society have an annual wine focused cruise. Look at their website for details.

I do not know of others. But there are so many Cruise lines on the Douro now there might be another one that offers 11 days on the Douro. I'll leave it to you to do the searching 🙂 A word of caution though, many which advertise a longer trip still only have 7 days on the Douro, the extra days are in a hotel in Lisbon and for some also in Madrid. Read my report again, there aren't many Quinta visits on the Scenic cruise, and they don't go behind the scenes. It's a basic tourist experience finishing with a couple of inexpensive wines to taste. Scenic can be price competitive; ask for their brochure and get on their mailing list as they often have discount deals; some discounts are deep. There were services offered by Scenic that we didn't use, but you obviously like wine and you can choose what to drink from their wine menu at meal times, and outside meal times get drinks from the bar and you can get your in-room fridge stocked with drinks of your choice.

Boats generally moor facing up-river, i.e. facing direction of flow. Whether you face bank or river depend on what side of the river you moor. Also either side you may be rafted. When moving ,the most scenic part of the journey is the middle Rhine gorge which has many castles in a short stretch. But they are on both sides, so for the best views you need to be on the sundeck or in the lounge. So it doesn't matter which side your cabin is. What might be of more importance to you is direction of travel; whichever cruise line you are looking at will offer the cruise A to B and B to A. So check out flights. Does the line take you to Basel airport, does that fly to your nearest airport or do you need to connect. Does the line take you to Zurich airport does that fly to your nearest airport or do you need to connect. Ditto Amsterdam.

Daily Programmes

Day 11 – Monday 8 July 2024 Last day. We had to vacate our cabin by 08:30. Our flight to Madrid departed at 12:20. We were told that, by Scenic’s rules, we should be at the airport three hours before our flight, but as check-in/bag-drop at Porto didn’t open until two hours before flights, the coach departed at 09:15, and we had a wait before the check-in opened. Scenic had checked us in online the afternoon before and printed our boarding cards. Scenic Azure is on lower left of picture by line of trees on river bank Scenic Azure is on left of picture by line of trees on far side of river The flight left on time and we had a great view over Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, and we could see Scenic Azure at its moorings. Several couples were taking an extension in Madrid, but we were connecting to a London flight which left from the same terminal. There was no security and no queue at immigration to get the all-imported Schengen exit stamp. We had a hot meal in Iberia’s lounge. Note for others making an onward connection. Spain is an hour ahead of Portuguese time. When I said it was time to go to the gate, Mrs P replied there was another hour to go. She hadn’t adjusted her watch and would have missed the flight if she’d been on her own. We didn’t have the spacious long haul plane we’d come out, just a standard short haul jet. Back home we had a Chicken Piri-Piri from Nandos, delivered by Deliveroo – a South African take on a Portuguese dish - cooked in England. Let no one say I’m not a man of the world! And next day I found Cockburn’s Special Reserve Port in Tesco’s for £12, which is €14.24, only 62p more than the €13.50 Cockburn’s were charging

Day 10 – Sunday 7 July 2024 Our last full day on board. Emerald Radiance had gone by the time we went to breakfast, There was a choice of 3 excursions this morning. The 09:00 coach wound up Port's narrow streets to join the highway that bridged the Douro. It took four golfers to their course and then us to Cockburn’s Port Lodge. As we turned into the Lodge entrance I could see Scenic Azure across the Douro and I thought that if we’d been moored on this side of the river it would have been a short walk. Google maps showed it taking less than ten minutes to walk from the river to Cockburn’s Port Lodge. The tour of the Lodge with a Cockburn guide too us through extensive barrel cellar – and he made certain that everyone was aware that the 'ck' is not pronounced in the brand’s name – It is Coe-burn. The highlight of the tour was supposed to be seeing Cockburn’s coopers at work mending and remaking barrels. But it was Sunday, and the cooper’s day of rest. Cockburn’s are the only Lodge to have their own coopers, and the team is shrinking as they are finding it difficult to recruit people willing to learn the craft. I wondered if their working conditions were a factor. Then we sat in their tasting area with a glass of Special Reserve Ruby and a 10 year Tawny Port. Then we exited through the adjoining shop. At 18:00 there was a 6-Bridges Cruise, where the boat cruised up-river ten down to the mouth of the Douro and back to our mooring, passing under all six bridges that link Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia. The chef seeked me out. When we’d had Lamb Shank earlier in the cruise I had jokingly said that all that was missing was mint sauce. He told me that for tonight’s Rack of Lamb he’d been chopping mint and to make sure I asked for mint sauce. I did. By now I’d got into Port and after dinner had two glasses. The house Port was Ferreira Tawny, which the Cruise Director said was the favourite brand in Portugal. I could see why. Overnight Location: Porto https://what3words.com/treaties.emails.streaks

Day 9 – Saturday 6 July 2024 Scenic Azure left its mooring at around 06:10 heading for Porto arriving at about 17:00, and we tied on the outside of Emerald Radiance at 15:10. Our room was next to an unoccupied cabin on Emerald and it was interesting to see how they differed. At about 18:30 the two boat swapped places and we again had a view of the river bank. After dinner, which tonight was a Portuguese buffet, there was classical music concert in St Francis church a short walk away. But we didn’t go as the Cruise Director warned us that the steps up to the church were difficult The bustling other side of the river - Vila Nova de Gaia - with lower river bank side and lined with Port Lodges. Overnight Location: Porto https://what3words.com/treaties.emails.streaks

Day 8 – Friday 5 July 2024 We didn’t take the 08:40 coach tour to Provesende, said to be "one of the most picturesque little towns in the country". I signed up for a Village Stroll with Enrichment Manager Guido. Pinhão is one of the hottest places in Portugal and the temperature was 35-36C – warm but not humid with a breeze. Lovely, and a chance for me to shake the moths from my shorts. This time we didn’t lunch in the main dining room, but had a lighter lunch in Portobellos at the front of the lounge. Late afternoon we took a short coach ride to Quinta Roêda which is one of the Port producing properties owned by Croft. There was the option of a vineyard walk which I would have liked to do, but was warned off it as being rough terrain They have 109ha of vines originally planted in 1811. Sixteen different varieties are grown here and we were told that a blend of a minimum 5 different varieties is required for Port. They poured a glass of Ruby and a 10 year old Tawny Port for us to taste. The boat stayed for a second night in Pinhão Overnight Location: Pinhão https://what3words.com/ramble.misfit.wavelets

Day 7 – Thursday 4 July 2024 If we’d been on the usual 7 day Douro cruise, we’d be vacating our cabin and heading to Porto airport for the flight home. But we had another four nights on board. The other boat had gone by 07:30 and our cabin faced the river bank. We left at the civilised hour of 09:30 for the Cao Palaeolithic Museum. This is seemingly in the middle of nowhere high on a promontory overlooking the Douro where the Cao River joins it. Plans were well progressed to build a dam at the mouth of the Cao. The dam company’s tame archaeologists said there was nothing of importance that would be obliterated and that pictographs which had been reported were modern graffiti. A change of government stopped the project and it was found that many thousands of prehistoric carvings were visible in sheets of schist along the Cao river. They had been made over thousands of years. The modern museum offered replicas and explanations of the carvings found for those that couldn’t venture to the almost inaccessible originals. A demonstration of Palaeolithic tools and techniques, including fire making, ended the visit leaving just time to admire the views and go down a wooden walkway overlooking the Douro. Lunch on board was a barbecue on the sun deck. Salads, sardines chicken, potatoes etc. Waiters served ice-cream for dessert. The mooring was next to a lock and about 13:00 we moved into it, reaching Pinhão at 17:30 – an hour before the scheduled time. We felt the boat could have travelled more slowly, giving us time to admire the beauty of the Douro. Overnight Location: Pinhão https://what3words.com/ramble.misfit.wavelets

Day 6 – Wednesday 3 July 2024 Today most people took the full day excursion to Salamanca, leaving at 09:00. We’d been there on our previous Douro cruise with Viking and didn’t fancy the long coach ride. Instead we were one of a small group to visit the sleep old village of Freixa de Espada à Cinta. The name means sword on the belt of an ash and according to the legend we were told a king tied his sword belt around an ash tree under which he slept and had a dream about his coming success in war. When he woke he declared the village be known as Freixa de Espada à Cinta. There’s a 550+ year old ash tree with a huge metal belt and sword next to a church and the ruins of a castle. We entered a small museum in an old house equipped to show how people lived in old times, then we went to a modern small museum of silk. This was the place where they made silk in the pre-industrial way. They had everything, including some silk worms eating leaves. Then a 10-minute drive to Quinta do Sagueiro. This is a vineyard and farm. The energetic owners have rooms they rent via various sites. We sat at large round tables on their patio under umbrellas with jugs of cold freshly made lemonade, pastries, sandwiches, olives and slices of ripe juicy oranges. The owner, Margarida, had baked an apple cake for us and cut wedges which she put on our plates. Her husband then poured wine for us. They grow grapes of the region which go to the local co-operative. The red wine was delicious and I had a second glass. And I regret not trying his Port. Margarida came around with almonds from their trees which she’d caramelised, and then she sang fado. It was an idyllic spot, a feast of food and welcoming generous hosts. I wanted to buy a bottle of the red wine (a blend of Tourigas Nacional & Franca and Tinto Roriz), but neither of us had Euros on us and they didn’t take plastic. But they insisted I take the bottle, and later give €10 to the Scenic guide who’d pass it on next time Scenic returned to them. Food and drink kept being pressed on us but we had to return to the boat for lunch. At 14:20 we moved to let Viking Hemming moor and we rafted on the outside. After the Salamanca contingent returned we set off at 18:30 back down river to Pocinho which we arrived around 20:00 and rafted to another boat, our cabin facing theirs. Overnight Location: Pocinho https://what3words.com/hilarious.proofread.surroundings

Day 5 – Tuesday 2 July 2024 Around 8:45 we pulled out into the river to let a Tauck boat to moor to the river bank as we rafted on the outside of them, so we retained our river view. Irritatingly the front of Scenic Azure's sun deck is barred to passengers There were various on board entertainments but we missed them all as we were taking in the beauty of cruising the Douro Around 11:00 we moved off up river to Vega de Terrón. It was an all day sailing, passing through two huge locks and we arrived before the expected 20:15. This is the furthest the boats go. The other bank is Spain. We weren’t rafted and our cabin faced the river Overnight Location: Vega de Terrón https://what3words.com/lefthander.chillier.robed

Day 4 – Monday 1 July 2024 Group about to walk up the main street, Note the British style post box. 😉 At 09:00 we departed for an excursion to the town of Vila Real. After a mooch along the main street and a glimpse inside Vila Real Cathedral we went through some side streets to Casa Lapão, a patisserie specialising in convent sweets. These use the yolks of eggs as in the olden time convents used the whites as starch. Pastry and filling are made to a secret recipe by the owner and the staff turn them into the sweets. The day we visited they were making a pastry linked to the town, Cristas de Galo, or Rooster Crests. Our group was split in two to enter the small kitchen by turn. Owner with staff The owner was there, but she employed an English speaker to tell us the history and explain what was happening. The two staff wore nun’s habits and worked away, making 600 a day. A volunteer was called for and I put myself forward. One ‘nun’ rolls a pastry ball very thinly. The other ‘nun’ adds a spoonful of filling in the middle, wraps the pastry over it and uses a zig-zag crescent cutter to represent the roosters comb. These are placed on a tray which, when full, is put in an oven until golden, then sprinkled with sugar. The filling is egg yolk and ground almonds cooked together. My Cristas de Galo was pretty good, but not perfect like the professionals were turning out. Afterwards we sat outside in the sun and a tray of Cristas de Galo was passed around with glasses of tawny Port. The Port came from the local co-operative. The local guide came out and sang fado. The combination of sun, Port, Cristas de Galo and fado was sublime and the highlight of the trip for me. After lunch back on the boat we had the second excursion of the day, this time our choice was to go to Mateus Palace. The palace is depicted on bottles of Mateus Rosé wines, though the property had nothing to do with the wine other than sell its image for use on the label. Gardens are extensive and there wasn’t enough time to enjoy them all. At 17:00 we moved mooring to the other bank for quiet, we were told. Now we had a river view and we weren’t rafted. The bank we’d left filled with hotel boats from Ama, A Rosa, Riviera, Tauck and more. In the evening we were invited to dine in Portobellos. Everyone gets an invitation, and as there were 72 passengers they did three evenings each with 24 diners. It’s something that Scenic trumpets about but I can’t see the point. In the main restaurant one has plenty of choice, in Portobellos there is a set menu. But Mrs P wanted to go, so we did. Overnight Location: Lamego https://what3words.com/stem.egos.mini

Day 3 – Sunday 30 June 2024 There was a choice of three morning excursions; we took the one with latest departure (09:15) which was to Quinta da Aveleda and its gardens followed by a wine tasting. A local guide walked us around the gardens. There was a persistent drizzle at the start which developed into heavy rain. Our guide found shelter for us, and she radioed her colleagues and after 5 minutes a golf cart packed with umbrellas arrived and we continued the tour sheltering under umbrellas. The gardens were spectacular but we couldn’t fully enjoy them in the pouring rain. Goat Tower. There were goats inside but they hid when they saw a camera Summer House in garden As the rain stopped we ended the tour and entered a hall for the tasting. Quinta da Avelada produces 21M bottles annually, and exports 70% to 70 countries. Two glasses and cheese and biscuits were on the table. The first wine was Vinho Verde Casa Garcia NV, named after a long serving winery worker. This was made in the old way with added sweetening and pettillance. 9.5% abv, and on sale at €4. This wine is on Scenic Azure’s wine list. The red was Mandriola de Lisboa 2022, a blend of Syrah, Alicante Bouschet & Touriga National, 3% abv, €5 in the shop. Back on board the boat set off for Régua during lunch, arrived shortly before 17:30 when we departed for a walking excursion to the Douro Museum. This was a quite interesting modern museum about Douro wine. We learned the difference between Ruby and Tawny Port was a matter of the time spent aging in wooden casks. Tawny Ports spend a minimum of seven years in wood. Port can only be made in Douro, although many similar wines are made in other countries. Agreement with the EU protects the name Port, however because the USA does not recognise Port as a geographic name Porto is used in the USA by genuine Douro Ports, We finished outside in the museum garden overlooking the river where we could taste white Port on its own or made into a long drink with tonic or lemonade and ice. I expected white Port to be white, but it’s a pinkish-brown as a result of barrel aging and I couldn’t see the point as it didn’t offer as much flavour as normal Port. White Port gets its name because it’s made from white grapes only. There was a much more tasty 20 year-old tawny Port. Scenic Azure in Regua seen from the Douro Museum garden We remained in Régua overnight. Our cabin faced the riverbank and at some time during the evening Croisi Europe’s Miguel Torga boat was rafted on our outside. Location: Régua https://what3words.com/dozed.sags.bottle

Day 2 – Saturday 29 June 2024 During the night we’d change places with Emerald Radiance. Now our cabin looked out towards the bank. The Emerald Radiance seems to be the same outside, but was fitted differently inside. A walking tour left at 08:40, led by Cruise Director Filipe Nunes. We had to cross the Douro to Vila Nova de Gaia by ferry. But as we were too early Filipe took us on a gruelling walk up and down back streets. When we got to the traditional style Rabello boat used as ferries they were rafted and I couldn’t cross over the gap between the high sided boats, so returned to the boat. At 15:00 I joined a Tile Making class led by Maria Kocas, who we were told was a famous maker of traditional tiles. We could draw freehand or use a supplied template. We painted our design in blue paint; texture was given by washing with thinned paint. I was quite please with my finished tile and we were promised the fired tiles would be delivered to us when we returned to Porto at the end of the cruise. Unfortunately this didn’t happen, and I returned home tile-less. Slow cooked Beef Tenderloin for dinner At 16:30 Scenic Azure left its mooring and arrived at Entre-os-Rios about 20:00 Overnight Location: Entre-os-Rios https://what3words.com/fleshes.percussion.caged