Eighty metres, and the Douro wants no more
The length of Douro ships is not a matter of style. The Portuguese locks set
the limit, and that limit sits well below the Rhine's. A 135-metre ship simply
does not fit. That is why every line puts hulls of about eighty metres on this
river, with capacities around a hundred.
The consequence for you is pleasant: fewer people at every lock, dining rooms
with a single sitting, and a relationship with the crew closer to a small inn
than a hotel.
The hull
Eighty metres, 98 guests, 37 crew. Out of the De Hoop yard in 2021.
Forty-seven accommodations, all outside, including a full deck of suites with
butler service. Three dining venues and a heated outdoor pool on the upper
deck.
The crew is Portuguese, which shows at the table and in the way the region
gets told. The ship's name comes from Vasco da Gama's flagship, which sailed in
1497.
The Douro
The river climbs from Porto towards Spain, between schist slopes cut into
terraces. The locks are deep and striking, Carrapatelo above all. Days alternate
slow sailing with visits to quintas.
A sister, S.S. Sao Rafael, is announced for 2027 on the same river. For
another navigable wine country, look at S.S. Bon Voyage at Bordeaux. S.S. La Venezia works the Venetian
lagoon, S.S. Catherine the Rhone, and S.S. Marlene arrives on the Danube in 2027.
What the package covers
Shipboard gratuities are included. That is unusual, and it changes the end of
the cruise, which is normally spent working out envelopes. Meals are included,
along with a selection of wines, beers and spirits served through the day.
Scheduled excursions are included, as are the transfers written into your
file.
Wi-Fi is offered aboard as a courtesy, with no guaranteed speed. In locks, in
tunnels and along remote banks the connection drops. Treat it as a convenience
rather than a working tool.
You still pay for airfare, visas, travel insurance, laundry, spa treatments,
communications and optional excursions.
Reduced mobility, the plain answer
Uniworld commits to reasonable efforts and does not guarantee full
accessibility. The line supplies no mobility equipment, and a traveller who
needs help must be accompanied by someone able to give it. The gangway tilts
with the water level. Old towns are walked on cobblestones. Ask about the lift
arrangement on your specific ship before booking, because the answer changes
from hull to hull.
Booking from Quebec
You leave from Montreal, which adds a day at each end of the trip. The
transatlantic flight departs in the evening and lands in Europe the next
morning, six hours out of step with your body. Most travellers arrive the day
before embarkation and sleep a night on the ground. That night is the
difference between boarding rested and spending day one fighting sleep.
Voyages AquaTerra holds a licence from Quebec's Office de la protection du
consommateur. The money you pay moves through the trust account required by
law, and your trip is covered by the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel
Agents. Your advisor gives you the documents that establish this protection.
