Portugal River Cruise with Viking River Cruises
We are super excited to announce the details of my 40th birthday trip (Cameron, that is). We’re going to Portugal and Spain on a river cruise with Viking River Cruises, the world’s leader in river cruising.
It’s a big milestone, so we’re doing it in style!
We will be joining the Portugal River of Gold cruise in late May 2018. The tour begins in Lisbon and the ship will make it’s way up and down the Douro River Valley, the world’s oldest demarcated wine region and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. More details about the itinerary here.
We have wanted to take a European River Cruise for years but they are not kid friendly. Because we rarely travel without our boys, we intentionally pushed off this type of trip. That is, until now.
To celebrate my 40th birthday, we thought it would be fun to take an adult only trip.
That’s right – NO KIDS!
This 12 day trip to Europe will be the longest time apart from our boys. We are a little nervous, but we think they’re ready. Well, we hope they’re ready.
Why a European River Cruise?
The easy answer is luxury and convenience. We like the idea of slowly floating down river on a luxurious ship and exploring new towns every day. It’s a fun and easy way to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time. It’s the perfect way to experience Europe.
We’ve been on a few cruise ships before. Mostly in the Caribbean. Read about our last cruise here.
While we did enjoy our time on the big mega ships of the Caribbean, it’s not our preferred style of travel. We don’t like the volume of people and impersonal experience you get on a large 3,000+ person ship. The ships are just too big for our liking.
We also don’t like being in the open ocean for long periods of time. Especially when the swells get too big. We don’t have our sea legs, so when the ship starts rocking it’s not an enjoyable experience. It took me 3 days to stop feeling wobbly after a cruise to the Bahamas. I was very happy to step on land after that cruise.
We are excited to try this slower, more intimate style of cruising.
We will be staying in a Stateroom on the Viking Osfrid. This ship was custom built to sail Portugal’s Douro River. Amenities on the ship include a large sun deck with shaded sitting area and al fresco dining area, swimming pool, organic herb garden, putting green and an open air Aquavit Terrace.
You can take a 360° Virtual Tour of the ship here. The photography is quite impressive.
Here’s the itinerary for the Portugal River Cruise:
- Day 1 – Lisbon, Portugal
- Day 2 – Lisbon, Portugal
- Day 3 – Porto, Portugal
- Day 4 – Porto, Portugal
- Day 5 – Régua, Portugal
- Day 6 – Barca D’Alva, Portugal
- Day 7 – Salamanca, Spain
- Day 8 – Pinhão , Portugal
- Day 9 – Régua, Portugal
- Day 10 – Porto, Portugal
If you’re curious about the cruise we are taking, watch the short promo video below.
Having trouble viewing? Watch directly on YouTube.
Have you been on a European River Cruise?
If not, what would you like us to write about?
Share your experience and questions in the comments. Our readers thank you!
European river cruise sounds fun and exciting!