We recently returned from this tour (7/24 - 8/4). After 17 land tours this was our first river cruise. I'd like to share overall opinions and then include specific on a day by day basis in subsequent posts.
The Andorinha is a very comfortable ship with a highly attentive staff and great food. The cabin was very nice. The ship is only three years old, so everything was new. For people with limited mobility, this may not be the tour for you. The elevator did not go to the upper deck and it was not easy to get on and off the ship. In some instances you needed to go through other ships that were docked next to us. In one instance we needed to climb to the upper deck to get to the adjacent ship. Depending upon the tide the gangways often were very steep.
We thought the pork loin the final night on the boat was the best food of the trip surpassing that at DOC. Each night we had cream soups that were wonderful. We had two very enthusiastic tour guides along with a cruise director. There was also a hotel manger on the ship who took care of everyone's needs.
Due to the narrowness of the river and the number of locks that need to be traversed, the ship travels during the day and docks at night. As a result, when it docks you are not in a place that can be explored before or after dinner. You can do some small walks along the riverbank but do not see much.
The best docking was in Porto where the ship was in a marina in Vila de Gaia downriver from Porto. You can walk along the estuary to the Atlantic and see the beaches (or even put your toes in the water). The coast line has a combination of sandy beaches and rocky coastline. While not as rocky as in Maine, it is more like Maine than other parts of the Atlantic.
The trip goes through a number of locks (one as high as 45 meters) followed by going under bridges which require a number of structures to be lowered and the umbrellas on the upper deck to be lowered. The ship was designed specifically for these locks which fit one ship with only feet to spare on either side.
We were glad that we chose this itinerary which included cities at both ends of the tours.
Would we go on another river cruise? We're not sure.
If you are considering this tour, I would recommend not going in July or August. It was VERY HOT (over 100F many of the days) making some of the activities very uncomfortable. I think it would be much more enjoyable in the fall or the spring.
