MS Vasco de Gama: a 2002 hull with a 2025 fit-out
The MS Vasco de Gama was built in 2002 and refurbished in 2025. That is the widest gap in the Douro fleet between the age of the hull and the age of what you actually touch: 23 years between the two dates. On a river ship it is the second date that matters to the passenger. A properly maintained 2002 hull sails without trouble; 2002 carpet does not.
She is 75 metres long and 11.40 metres wide, carrying 134 passengers in 69 cabins across 3 decks with 25 crew. CroisiEurope rates her at 4 anchors, its top river category. Sixty-nine cabins for 134 passengers gives an average occupancy just under 2 people per cabin, which is the norm on this river.
The name, and the itinerary it announces
Vasco da Gama opened the sea route to India at the end of the 15th century by rounding Africa. The ship carrying his name climbs 200 kilometres of valley without ever losing sight of the bank. The irony is gentle, and it says something true about this kind of travel: you do not go for the distance, you go for what passes by.
What passes by is World Heritage terraced vineyards cut into schist on slopes nobody would have farmed without stubbornness. Calls are made at quintas where port is still produced. The ship works through the locks that step the river between Porto and the Spanish border, and that passage between concrete walls remains, for most passengers, the sharpest memory of the week.
Three decks, one lift
The 3 decks bring the lift CroisiEurope reserves for this class. On the Douro, where excursions run up hillsides, the lift is not a brochure comfort: it decides whether the third day feels like the first.
Getting to Porto from Montreal
Porto has no non-stop service from Montreal-Trudeau. A connection is required, usually through Lisbon, Paris or Frankfurt. Allow a full day outbound. We always place arrival the day before embarkation, and we recommend 2 nights in Porto before boarding.
What is included and what is not
The CroisiEurope formula covers full board from the welcome dinner to the final breakfast, drinks with meals and at the bar, and onboard entertainment. Excursions vary by departure. Gratuities are not covered. Travel insurance never is, and on a connecting itinerary it deserves serious attention. We itemise every line and explain what Quebec's FICAV fund covers before you sign.
Who she suits
Travellers who want a recent fit-out without paying for a new hull, and for whom 134 passengers is enough. Like the other 4 Douro ships she has a pool on her sun deck; anyone after the most recent refit will find the MS Infante Don Henrique, redone in 2026. Anyone after a recent hull should compare the MS Gil Eanes of 2015, and anyone weighing fares should know that the MS Fernão de Magalhães has been waiting for its next refit since 2015. The full fleet is on our CroisiEurope cruises page.
