Duoro River Cruise

[donaldsc]

We are thinking of doing a Duoro River cruise. Our TA has spoken highly of Uniworld cruises. However, they are significantly more expensive than most of the other guys.

 

Are they worth the additional money in terms of food, amenities, excursions, etc?

 

We can afford UniWorld so it is not a matter of "can we afford it"? Our TA rebates to us most of his commission so he is not making significantly more off us if we book more expensive cruise.

 

I should say that we have never done a river cruise before.

 

DON

[joybug]

This was the best river cruise we've taken. We went in Oct. when the grapes were being harvested. We visited several winerys, and at 1 we picked & stomped grapes. It was so much fun and beautiful. We've taken several trips with Vantage travel out of Boston. Jan

[pinotlover]

We chose Uniworld, over Viking that we normally take, for this cruise next September. If you pay Uniworld upon booking, which you must do with Viking, a very significant savings is had and the price differential shrinks significantly.

 

Remember, all the boats on the Douro are small, and may not represent what is typically seen with the Viking Longboats in other waters.

 

This may appear as very snobbish or elitist,( but not meant to be so) but we are giving Uniworld a try because our last couple of Viking tours have become very pedestrian. For example, People coming in hot and sweaty, from their tours, going to the bar and drinking until dinner. They then come to dinner dressed as they arrived from the tours. Since Viking has no dress codes, some dressing very casual for dinner, particularly in the summer and early fall months, was always the norm. Seems to me the definition of casual is being lowered yearly. So we are giving Uniworld a test to see life on the other side. We are still planning on doing the Viking China tour in 2016, but looking at options for Europe.

[cole]

We are thinking of doing a Duoro River cruise. Our TA has spoken highly of Uniworld cruises. However, they are significantly more expensive than most of the other guys.

 

Are they worth the additional money in terms of food, amenities, excursions, etc?

 

We can afford UniWorld so it is not a matter of "can we afford it"? Our TA rebates to us most of his commission so he is not making significantly more off us if we book more expensive cruise.

 

I should say that we have never done a river cruise before.

 

DON

 

I always like to comment on the Douro river cruise in addition to Uniworld. We did this cruise in April starting with several nights in Lisbon at the beautiful Tiara Hotel. The excursions were great and Uniworld is totally all inclusive, so tips at the end of the cruise are not expected - in fact, if you want to "reward" special service from any of the staff, you have to force them to take it. I have made this comment before but will repeat it - due to the fact that ships cannot sail on the river at night, you have the opportunity to view the beautiful scenery during the day as you travel from port to port. I am not sure what other companies you might be considering, but you won't go wrong to choose Uniworld. If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them.

Cole

[donaldsc]

We chose Uniworld, over Viking that we normally take, for this cruise next September. If you pay Uniworld upon booking, which you must do with Viking, a very significant savings is had and the price differential shrinks significantly.

 

Remember, all the boats on the Douro are small, and may not represent what is typically seen with the Viking Longboats in other waters.

 

This may appear as very snobbish or elitist,( but not meant to be so) but we are giving Uniworld a try because our last couple of Viking tours have become very pedestrian. For example, People coming in hot and sweaty, from their tours, going to the bar and drinking until dinner. They then come to dinner dressed as they arrived from the tours. Since Viking has no dress codes, some dressing very casual for dinner, particularly in the summer and early fall months, was always the norm. Seems to me the definition of casual is being lowered yearly. So we are giving Uniworld a test to see life on the other side. We are still planning on doing the Viking China tour in 2016, but looking at options for Europe.

 

Please comment when you return.

 

DON

[travelling fools]

I always like to comment on the Douro river cruise in addition to Uniworld. We did this cruise in April starting with several nights in Lisbon at the beautiful Tiara Hotel. The excursions were great and Uniworld is totally all inclusive, so tips at the end of the cruise are not expected - in fact, if you want to "reward" special service from any of the staff, you have to force them to take it. I have made this comment before but will repeat it - due to the fact that ships cannot sail on the river at night, you have the opportunity to view the beautiful scenery during the day as you travel from port to port. I am not sure what other companies you might be considering, but you won't go wrong to choose Uniworld. If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them.

Cole

 

I would like to take you up on your offer to answer questions please.

I would like Duoro River trip but hubby thinks it looks like a lot of wineries and not much else.Is this true?

If you do not want to go to wineries is there other options?

Do you sail mostly at day or night on this tour?

[cole]

I would like to take you up on your offer to answer questions please.

I would like Duoro River trip but hubby thinks it looks like a lot of wineries and not much else.Is this true?

If you do not want to go to wineries is there other options?

Do you sail mostly at day or night on this tour?

 

Actually there was only one excursion to a winery (Sandeman) and the trip to and from it was beautiful, so well worth it even if you are not interested in Port. The wine museum is an option while the ship is docked. So please don't think that this is the focus of the cruise. The excursions were wonderful with great tour guides. The ship only sails during the day which is a major plus as far as we were concerned because you get to see the gorgeous countryside. I don't think you will be disappointed at all if you choose this cruise and the pre-cruise in Lisbon is also terrific. Can you tell, this was one of our favorite river cruises? :D

Cole

[jojocmcla]

Joybug, how was the weather along the Douro in October? My husband and I are thinking of doing this cruise, probably 2016.

[Riversanddale]

We did the Douro this past Christmas with Viking and loved it. You will enjoy whichever line you choose. It's one of our top two trips out of several. We especially enjoyed the tile museum experience in Lisbon; our lunch with male Fado singers in Coimbra as well as the university; and the little towns up the river. Fall should be even better with leaves on the grapevines.

 

Boats are not permitted to sail on the Douro at night because it is a tricky river to navigate. The only exception we were told is in Porto where they can sail at night to give views of the bridges and city with all the lights - beautiful.

 

We fell in love with Lisbon at the end of a tulip cruise and we've returned twice more (so far). It's filled with history, architecture, good food and really nice folks. Enjoy your stay and look into taking the train for a short ride north or south along the coast if you have time. There are wonderful local guides available from Lisbon Explorer if you enjoy learning about the area - that's why we fell in love with it.

 

One note - when bread, butter, cheese are served at your table when you are seated there is a charge if you eat them (we found that true at all the restaurants we've eaten in in Portugal). It's custom. You can always say, "No, thank you."

 

Have fun and enjoy!

[cole]

One note - when bread, butter, cheese are served at your table when you are seated there is a charge if you eat them (we found that true at all the restaurants we've eaten in in Portugal). It's custom. You can always say, "No, thank you."

 

We were told by our pre-cruise director that you might be charged unless you ask them to remove it from the table. Good advice!

Cole

[4774Papa]

What is the typical charge for the bread, cheese, etc?

[cole]

What is the typical charge for the bread, cheese, etc?

 

Have no idea. We never kept it. Not only did they bring bread, etc., but olives and other small appetizer kinds of dishes and there would have been a charge for each of them that had not been returned.

Cole