APT River Cruises & Tours
View company profile →
Lisbon and the Duoro tour
Just returned from Lisbon and the Duoro tour and found it disappointing. The hotel in Lisbon was good and within walking distance of the centre or €4.50 in a taxi. We were in 2 groups for the Lisbon tour and we definitely drew the short straw. Over a hour wait at the Belem tower for a supposed timed entrance, the other group had gone straight in. When I questioned the wait with Raphael he just shrugged his shoulders and said nothing to do with me. This cut down the time we had in the city which meant we saw little. Lots of information on the two buildings we saw but no information on the layout of the rest of the city. (The other group had a extensive tour.) We didn't do the optional Sintra trip choosing to go by train at a fraction of the cost. Our arrival in Porto was in heavy rain and thick fog and the boat was berthed quite a distance from the coach along a series of walkways. The ship was disappointing not the luxury vessel we expected. Dirty frayed carpets in the lounge not a good look for a ship on its 4th trip. Staff were lovely and hard working and always ready to help. Maria worked hard as the cruise director and was very knowledgeable. The weather and broken lock gates could not be accounted for but the itinerary seemed to have significant omissions with nothing in place to cover problems. We seemed to spend a lot of time docked at remote locations not at towns listed in the itinerary. The weather wasn't good but cushions were just left out in the rain so when it stopped there was nowhere dry to sit. The trip to Salamanca was good but it would have been better to have had the guided tour first followed by free time. I had looked forward to advertised visit to Mateus Palace only to find they hadn't managed to get tickets and the town of Entre-os-Rios was only viewed from the opposite bank while the ship was loaded. Stormy weather in Porto necessitated docking some distance away but the guided tour was a bit of non event. We saw the Cathedral and the station and chose not to spend longer time due to the wind and rain. Food on the ship was generally good lunch was a bit hit and miss. The dining room felt quite cramped not much room between tables which was a problem at breakfast time with people accessing the buffet. Again carpets showing fraying and wear. The wine was nice. Overall for the amount we paid I did not feel the cruise represented good value for money and would not recommend. Unlike our previous APT cruises.