Hotel recommendation for Lisbon SD II Fall crossing

[Host Dan]

Hello folks!

 

Well my flights are booked, the ship awaits, and I only need to decide on a pre-cruise hotel.  Any recommendations?

Close to the port?  I'm only staying a night or two, so it doesn't have to be fancy.

 

Thanks all!

[garysarah]

We were just there last month picking up the ship. We stayed several days at the Emerald House Hilton.  Great hotel. We liked that it was a short walk to the trams/busses. (Though a LOT of stairs) it wasn't really in the best spot for other things.  I didn't really get a feel for a good spot. Ubers are really cheap there so I wouldn't worry about being really closed to the port. What you DO need to worry about is where the ship will be located. About half the people on our voyage had trouble getting to the ship. Many people's drivers just dumped them out. It was quite a sore spot for people as we started our voyage.  It said Apolonia cruise terminal,  which is easy to find. That's where the big ships were. Seadream was east of there, also called Apolonia but across from the Apolonia metro station. You wouldn't want to walk it with baggage!

[COCOYOTE]

Dan:

We were on the Spring Crossing which ended in Lisbon and I will second what "garysarah" state about knowing where the yacht will be.  We  disembarked at the Santa Apolonia terminal, which is small and NOT at the main cruise terminal and across from the Santa Apolonia train station.  Our driver was waiting for us at the main cruise terminal and would not come to get us at the Santa Apolonia terminal.  Luckily the train station was directly across the street from where we were so we went there and got a cab to the airport.  

Regarding hotels, we've stayed at the Barrio Alto which is a very nice hotel but you will need an Uber or cab to the cruise terminal, as well as the Fontecruz Lisboa when it was a Marriot Autograph hotel , now known as the 138 Liberdade Hotel.  We also stayed at the Pousada de Lisboa on the Praca do Comercio (make sure you join the hotel's frequent traveler program as they have special offers which will lower room costs).  All of these hotels will allow you to walk, eat and see Lisbon as much or as little as you want before you board. You also have a selection of Marriott, Sheraton and Hilton hotels throughout the city as well as smaller B&B's, some which are quite nice.

Have a wonderful time.  Wish we were going to be with you as you enjoy Early Riser's coffee.  2024 for sure!

Jill and Dave

[Fairydust312]

We stayed at The Ivens last year and loved it. Very cool and quirky and in a great location. Not near the port but as others note, ubers are cheap and easy.

[ctbjr1309]

We stayed at The Ivens previously and are planning to do so again in November.  Particularly good choice for Bonvoy afficionados 😀.

[Host Dan]

Thank you all for the recommendations!  I'm going to take a look, and make a decision!

[Host Dan]

On 6/10/2023 at 1:46 PM, COCOYOTE said:

Dan:

We were on the Spring Crossing which ended in Lisbon and I will second what "garysarah" state about knowing where the yacht will be.  We  disembarked at the Santa Apolonia terminal, which is small and NOT at the main cruise terminal and across from the Santa Apolonia train station.  Our driver was waiting for us at the main cruise terminal and would not come to get us at the Santa Apolonia terminal.  Luckily the train station was directly across the street from where we were so we went there and got a cab to the airport.  

Regarding hotels, we've stayed at the Barrio Alto which is a very nice hotel but you will need an Uber or cab to the cruise terminal, as well as the Fontecruz Lisboa when it was a Marriot Autograph hotel , now known as the 138 Liberdade Hotel.  We also stayed at the Pousada de Lisboa on the Praca do Comercio (make sure you join the hotel's frequent traveler program as they have special offers which will lower room costs).  All of these hotels will allow you to walk, eat and see Lisbon as much or as little as you want before you board. You also have a selection of Marriott, Sheraton and Hilton hotels throughout the city as well as smaller B&B's, some which are quite nice.

Have a wonderful time.  Wish we were going to be with you as you enjoy Early Riser's coffee.  2024 for sure!

Jill and Dave

You are going to be missed, Jill and Dave!

[JES4845]

Every time we’ve embarked or disembarked SD in Lisbon it has been at the Santa Apolonia smaller ship “port” across the street from the train station of the same time.  We have stayed at the Bairro Alto hotel closer to the city center, but like you we are only staying two nights before this crossing.  We booked the Editory Hotel which is built above the train station - gets good reviews - because it is literally across the street from where SD has been before.  The only minor factor is SD2 will be coming out of several weeks of dry dock work in the nearby shipyard.  Not sure if that will change the embarkation location - doubt it, but I will ask SD.

[JES4845]

P.S. to prior reply - SeaDream shoreside confirms SD2 will depart from the Santa Apolonia Passenger Terminal as in the past - across the street from train station of the same name and a bit east/northeast several blocks from the “main” port terminal used by larger ships.  The full name of the hotel I mentioned built above the train station is The Editory Riverside Hotel.  See you in Nov!

[Host Dan]

Thank you so much for your excellent information!  See you on a couple months!

[JES4845]

Another quick suggestion I’ve learned the hard way - on morning of embarkation I always check the exact location of the ship on MarineTraffic.com and sometimes take a screen shot just in case the location has changed or a driver can’t find it otherwise.

[Host Dan]

Very good tip!

[Host Dan]

Getting ready to check out of the Editory Riverside Hotel. The room was tiny, actually about the same size of a cruise ship cabin.  I can see SD2 in the distance, but too far to walk.  For what I paid for 1 night stay, I would not stay there again.

I will try and post from the ship, but no promises, as star link did not work well last crossing I was on.

[Mike in AR]

Safe travels in the crossing!

 

I haven’t seen any info on the work done to SD2 in Portugal at the shipyard. Was this a routine maintenance or any major work performed?

 

My wife and I will be boarding in St Marteen in 2 weeks. Looking forward to returning after a few years.

 

Mike

[garysarah]

The major updates were done 2 years ago so probably a few tweaks recently. If you haven't been on since covid will be all updated. 

[Mike in AR]

Thanks Gary! Indeed, it has been 5 years since our last voyage. We are so looking forward to yachting next week!

 

Thx!

Mike

[ctbjr1309]

On 11/26/2023 at 5:04 PM, Mike in AR said:

I haven’t seen any info on the work done to SD2 in Portugal at the shipyard. Was this a routine maintenance or any major work performed?

As best I can tell, this was routine maintenance.  Nothing looks different to me other than fresh paint, varnish, etc.

Edited November 30, 2023 by ctbjr1309

[ctbjr1309]

On 11/30/2023 at 4:40 AM, ctbjr1309 said:

As best I can tell, this was routine maintenance.  Nothing looks different to me other than fresh paint, varnish, etc.

I subsequently learned that there is new carpet and new material on the furniture in the Main Salon.

[TheFrenchGuy]

On 11/26/2023 at 7:19 AM, Host Dan said:

Getting ready to check out of the Editory Riverside Hotel. The room was tiny, actually about the same size of a cruise ship cabin.  I can see SD2 in the distance, but too far to walk.  For what I paid for 1 night stay, I would not stay there again.

I will try and post from the ship, but no promises, as star link did not work well last crossing I was on.

As I mentioned onboard, we did stay at the Ivens for the first time, but this is going to be our go-to hotel in Lisbon from now on. Smallish (87 rooms), great location, and great service!

 

[ctbjr1309]

22 hours ago, TheFrenchGuy said:

As I mentioned onboard, we did stay at the Ivens for the first time, but this is going to be our go-to hotel in Lisbon from now on. Smallish (87 rooms), great location, and great service!

 

We stayed at The Ivens last year.  We too liked it and will stay there again.

[TheFrenchGuy]

On 12/10/2023 at 5:29 PM, ctbjr1309 said:

I subsequently learned that there is new carpet and new material on the furniture in the Main Salon.

And upgrade of the electrical system to allow shore power connectivity: https://seadream.com/press-releases/SeaDream-Yacht-Club-Upgrades-Fleet-Shore-Power-Connectivity