Lisbon

[SOShrink]

We will be going on Uniworld's Portugal, Spain & Duoro trip next month and I have a question about the "Lisbon City Tour" vs. "Do as the locals do" excursion choices. On other trips everyone goes on the routine city tour and the "Do as locals do" is one of the afternoon options. However, on the Lisbon itinerary it seems like you have to choose one or the other. Can anyone who has been on this trip comment on this? Knowing what's NOT covered on the tour is important in planning what to see on our free day.

[laverendrye]

I took this Uniworld cruise a few years ago, but a "Do as the Locals Do" tour was not offered. I'm not sure why it and the city tour are offered at the same time, as the afternoon of Day 2 is shown as free. You can find the details of both tours on the Cruise Companion (look under the "Already Booked" menu.)

 

My choice would be the city tour, as it takes you out to Belèm and the Hieronymites Monastery among other sights. The "Do as the Locals Do Tour" is shorter and you can easily do those things on your own.

 

Day 3 is shown as a free day in Lisbon, which it was on my cruise. However, Uniworld in fact offered an optional day tour to Sintra and Cascais which I took and quite enjoyed. There is much to see in Lisbon though and you may want to spend your time there. (I returned at the end of the cruise and spent another 3 days).

 

It's a great cruise and I hope you enjoy it.

[cole]

I took this Uniworld cruise a few years ago, but a "Do as the Locals Do" tour was not offered. I'm not sure why it and the city tour are offered at the same time, as the afternoon of Day 2 is shown as free. You can find the details of both tours on the Cruise Companion (look under the "Already Booked" menu.)

 

My choice would be the city tour, as it takes you out to Belèm and the Hieronymites Monastery among other sights. The "Do as the Locals Do Tour" is shorter and you can easily do those things on your own.

 

Day 3 is shown as a free day in Lisbon, which it was on my cruise. However, Uniworld in fact offered an optional day tour to Sintra and Cascais which I took and quite enjoyed. There is much to see in Lisbon though and you may want to spend your time there. (I returned at the end of the cruise and spent another 3 days).

 

It's a great cruise and I hope you enjoy it.

 

Agree on all of the above. The Lisbon tour also included a special treat - eating the pastry Lisbon is famous for (forgot the name). Also the Sintra excursion is well worth the extra $.

Cole

[Mimi33]

Pasteis de Belem.

[cole]

Pasteis de Belem.

 

Thanks - yes and yumm!:)

[SOShrink]

Thank you for the excellent advice. I have also read your reviews of your trip. Can you mention any other optional excursions along the Douro Valley or in Spain that should not be missed? Also, in Porto, do we dock close to town so we can walk into town or go to a concert, etc.?

[cole]

Thank you for the excellent advice. I have also read your reviews of your trip. Can you mention any other optional excursions along the Douro Valley or in Spain that should not be missed? Also, in Porto, do we dock close to town so we can walk into town or go to a concert, etc.?

 

My recall fails me as to the optional vs. the scheduled excursions, but I am sure another cruiser will be able to fill you in - but whatever they offered - we took and enjoyed every one of them. As far as docking in Porto - we were right in the town and it was an easy walk to wherever we wanted to go. We enjoyed this cruise so much that we are repeating it again next year, but starting in Madrid and ending in Lisbon. We wanted to see the area in the fall and participate in the harvest activities.

Cole

[laverendrye]

The cruise ships actually dock in Vila Nova di Gaia, just across the river from Porto. However it is only a 10 or 15 minute walk to cross the bridge to the old town in Porto. There are lots of hills on either side however.

 

There are choices for excursions at almost every stop, but so far as I can tell they are all included and unlike some other cruises there do not appear to be any of what Uniworld calls "optional excursions" at additional cost. Aside from the day trip to Sintra I don't recall any other extra cost tours on my cruise.

 

If you have any questions on the proposed excursions I can offer some suggestions.

Edited February 14, 2017 by laverendrye

[SOShrink]

I noticed something very interesting. In perusing our 2017 Cruise Companion, I notice there are no optional excursions. They appear to have done away with the Sintra/ Cascais trip (not that we couldn't do it on our own). And once again, in Porto we have the Porto City tour or the "Do As The Locals Do" choice. The "locals" actually climb up the 249 steps of the Clerigos Tower, go to the famous library Livraria Lello, the St. Francis Church and the Sao Bento railway station. So that seems like a better tour but involves more walking. By the way, has anyone noticed the spellcheck for Sintra is "Sinatra"!

[Host Jazzbeau]

By the way, has anyone noticed the spellcheck for Sintra is "Sinatra"!

 

Do be do be do :)