Our 7th river cruise with Viking and quite possibly the best. It's difficult to grade river cruises against each other as itineraries and scenery are so different but this one was truly fantastic. Starting in Lisbon a day prior to meeting up with the group we were glad VRC had chosen the Tivoli Lisboa as their hotel as the location was excellent with everything we wanted to see on our 3rd visit to Lisbon within walking distance. It was a quick and easy (and inexpensive) ride on the Metro to the stop one block from the hotel. The people of Lisbon were friendly with a gentleman assisting us with our luggage up to street level from the Metro station. Heads up when eating on the economy...some restaurants will bring a plate of starters you have not ordered and make you think its complimentary but its not, just send it back when it arrives at the table. Only gripe with the hotel was the untimely pickup of trash in the wee hours of the morning that woke me up each of the 3 nights we were there. Sightseeing on our own was easy and fun. We hired (40 euros) a tuk-tuk to give us an hour tour of some of the best viewing points overlooking the city, some nice churches, the Alfama district, and we ended up at the Castle of St. Jorge at the top of the hill. Don't walk to the castle as its steep and you'll be pooped when you arrive. The walk down is easy but be careful on the cobblestones. Sightseeing in Lisbon with VRC was good but we started after breakfast and by the time we arrived at the sights many tourists were already there and taking photos was not easy. We saw the Belem tower, the Monument to the Discoveries, some city sights and the Jeronimos Monastery which was amazing. We walked through the Alfama in the late afternoon on our own, ate a pizza with a cold beer, and found some wonderful little shops with crafts that made excellent souvenirs and gifts. We sampled the local cherry liquor, Gingha, and it was quite good.

The bus ride to Oporto was nice and we made a good stop in Coimbra to see the university and have lunch. The library at the university is incredible and the view from the courtyard is great.

Arriving at the ship we were pleasantly surprised when we received an upgrade to a veranda suite cabin. The Douro was beautiful. We only sailed during the day and we were taken to stops where we boarded busses that took us to towns and wineries nearby. The ship moved a number of times as we were touring. Our driver and daily guide were both stellar. The river was narrow and winding and the hillsides quite steep with vineyards all along the route. We went through several locks some of which raised us 100 ft. The food and service onboard were exemplary and the wines provided at lunch and dinner were quite acceptable. The port and wine tastings were a highlight each day we did those activities. Read more