TRAVELER REVIEWS

There's no better way to learn what a trip is like than from the firsthand experiences of your fellow travelers, and our Traveler Reviews are the real deal—unbiased and unedited—giving you an honest appraisal of the experiences that await you on this trip.

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

This was a wonderful trip.. want to thank our guides for making it extra special..
Patricia Queiros.. Pedro, Manuel, Mamen(Carmen) and Manuela . They were all wonderful .
Please thank them again for for making this trip so memorable.

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

This journey along the Douro River, with the pre-trip to Barcelona was wonderful. Both my husband and I agree, that it just isn't the scenery itself, the culture, and the side trips that make for a wonderful river cruise, but also a major part that made this trip so comfortable and stress free was the cruise director Patricia. This trip was so stress free and relaxing and met all of our goals. Thank you

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

I would like more choices for side trips
I do not like all church stuff. there is more to see. I was the youngest couple on this trip and the other I went on with you on the doro river . sorry I like to talk to a person not type if yould like to talk to me call me

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

The trip was excellent! Cruise Director Carmen was the most accommodating and friendly host I could have hoped for! She went out of her way to make us feel welcome and if we needed anything she was right there for us! Thank you so much. The other person who was a stand out was the guide we had in Lisbon, Rui. He made the history come alive without spending too much time in one place. He combined humor and history to make it a true adventure! Thank you!

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

This was my first experience and it was excellent, first class all the way. Patricia Quieros was our Tour Director and she was top notch. Perfect English, tremendous knowledge, and completely a pro! She took such good care of us. The hotels and ship were excellent accommodations, the food was to die for and the excursions perfect. I’m in love with Portugal. The people are so friendly to Americans and happy! Barcelona is the most beautiful city I’ve seen. This trip is total eye candy!

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

We were a group of 9 friends who took this trip together. We made some wonderful memories. Our Cruise Director Carmen was exceptional she went above and beyond to make our trip such a pleasure. She gave us a nickname calling us her "Golden Girls". We had such a great time we wrote an article with pictures for our community magazine about our trip. I had the honor of being invited to the Captains table for his dinner. I haven't been disappointed on any of my trips I've taken with Vantage whether it was a Land tour or River Cruise. I 'm definitely looking forward to my next trip.

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

Carmen was terrific "herding" her charges from point A to B. I have to give kudos to the group of 117 passengers as we never had to wait for anyone! Phillipee? our local guide for many excursions was wonderful. With a smile on her face at all times you couldn't help having a good time!

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

Third trip with Vantage and again we weren’t disappointed. The stay in Madrid to begin the trip was very interesting. Enjoyed Madrid very much. I highly recommend the Duro River trip. We had an excellent tour director. Patricia Queiros was very much on top of her game. Efficient, knowledgeable and very organized. We picked our date because it included many wineries and beautiful vineyards. One interesting event was spending a day picking grapes, stomping the grapes and having an outstanding lunch at one of the vineyards. If you like visiting small towns and seeing the different cultures this is a trip for you. We enjoyed Porto and Lisbon very much.
The ship was smaller then the longboats but it was very comfortable. Food was was as good as most food on river cruises. The on board attendants were nice and helpful.

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

We greatly enjoyed the Douro River cruise/tour from Madrid to Lisbon. June was an excellent month to travel in that it began with an unseasonably cool start in Madrid and was warming into normal summer temperatures for the rest of the trip. Extending in Madrid is highly recommended for first time visitors because of the richness of the history and sites in this city. Our tour guide, Patricia Queiros, was excellent, informative, available and high energy. Local tour guides were informative and entertaining as well. Many people experienced inadequate air conditioning on this second voyage of the Douro Splendour and those problems were slow to be solved resulting in unhappy passengers. The pacing and variety of the excursions were excellent although persons with mobility challenges were tested, but were always alerted to the challenges and given alternatives. The hotels were first class and had excellent locations and breakfast buffets. The Lisbon Epic Sana needs to review its baggage delivery services as it took more than two hours to receive our baggage from the bus. Also, the Vantage emergency support team is to be commended for helping us at the Lisbon airport when one of our passports was misplaced and we missed our flight. Their guidance and offers of continued help was very reassuring until we were finally able to locate the missing passport and get on another flight home. Again, we truly enjoyed our cruise/tour on the Douro River and highly recommend it to others.

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

This was a great trip, we drank wine and enjoyed the view from our ship. Loved that it was a small vessel. We had a wonderful tour director, Patricia Queiros who made everything possible, all the time. She was delightful, knowledgeable and fun. Who could ask for anything more.

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

This was an awesome trip. The local guide in Madrid was exceptional. All the ports and excursions were interesting and we learned a lot. The scenery was beautiful and there was a good mix of active touring with some personal down time.

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

Absolutely fabulous trip. All the tour guides and cruise director were so professional and easy to be with. The pace was well thought out & the information was wonderful. I can't stop "lecturing" our friends about cork! The food was also great and it was really fun to have wine from the area we were in - great job!

Portugal & Spain: Treasures Along the Golden Douro

Patricia Queiros is undoubtedly the best Cruise Director around. She is well organized, efficient and does everything possible to prevent problems and to solve them if they occur. She ensures that customers are treated as individuals and works tirelessly to ensure that the customers are pleased with the events. Any description of her work must include positive superlatives.

The trip locations were very interesting, the ship was quite nice and the experience was made even better by having Patricia Queiros as the Cruise Director. There were historic and modern places to visit and Vantage made it easy to access all the sites. Portugal and Spain were quite scenic. I highly recommend the Douro River cruise to anyone.

The Douro: Portugal's River of Gold & Spain

Would liked to spend additional day in Lisbon. Liked Madeira very much and having Manuela
being a resident was very helpful. She was an outstanding hostess. We seemed to be the only guest on the top floor in Funchal and we did not have some things in our room that the other guests had.

The Douro: Portugal's River of Gold & Spain

Very well organized and beautiful trip. The food was excellent, the staff friendly and helpful and the accommodations clean and comfortable. Barbara, the cruise director was especially competent and helpful.

The Douro: Portugal's River of Gold & Spain

This was an exceptional vacation. Northern Portugal is extraordinary, truly spectacular. I can't wait to return one day with my whole family. There are way to many things to talk about the area for this one review. Vantage was a fabulous tour company, love the staff and tour guides they hire. One real surprise about this trip was the influence the area had on JK Rowling/Harry Potter, she taught in the area and we got to see some of her inspiration. I took this trip in late October and we had great weather.

The Douro: Portugal's River of Gold & Spain

. The afternoon in Navare was a waste of time. Off-season, nothing to do
. Madrid pamoramic bus tour was very very bad ! Nothing to see !!!.
. "Joe" was OUTSTANDING. One of the best directors ever.
. Sara, the guide for most of the trip was GREAT. Really a plus for Vantage.
. Fantastic crew on Duoro Serenity. Well trained.
. Very fun trip to Avenessa Winery with a great lunch. A positive for sure.
. The optional trip to Toledo was a plus.... Would have been a little better if the guide didn't "run" . Said had to "move" to see all, then she was late returning after free-time. Great sights, however.
. Salamanica was a fun stop.... Recommended
. Alberto, our server on the ship, was phenomenal, helpful, informative, and good-humored. A big "thank you" to hm.
. Would recommend this trip, however, we think some of the "trips" should be revisited . IE: why go to a church on the day it is closed???? Makes no sense !

The Douro: Portugal's River of Gold

Loved the trip! Great crew, tour guides and wines. Went in 2016 and see Vantage has improved the itinerary and added more places to visit. Recommend it very highly. Was my first river cruise and looking forward to another.

The Douro: Portugal's River of Gold

This trip was a great one for us. Madiera for the extension was a perfect start. Our hotel, The Pestana Carleton, was clean, comfortable, in the center of town and had exceptional ocean views. A great choice. Manuela our tour director was knowledgeable and did a great job. She was a great source of information on dining options, including the recommendation of the local sandwich, the Prego.
The Pestana in Lisbon was a beautiful property located away from tourist areas but the city easily managed.
Our Group leader Rui is the best leader Vantage had provided, and we have had some good ones. He was knowledgeable, friendly and constantly available to make the mainland portion of the trip a success. Hew is indespensible on this journey. Both the city tour and the Sintra extension were well done. The Fado dinner in Lisbon exceeded the good optional Fado dinner on Madiera although both were good.
Porto and the Douro were beautiful. The river trip was one of great scenery although the tours were somewhat less than others, a factor of our location. We enjoyed all of them. Both Salamanca and the Avessada winery days were highlits for us.
The ship's staff, particularly the dining room staff, were very solid and helped make the journey a success. The food was both good and largely Portugese. The ship owners also provided the tour busses and these too were solid.
Our only concern will b addressed by Vantage with a new ship next year. The Duoro Spirit is showing its age, in particular with the cabin baths.
We enjoyed the trip and our traveling companions and came home smiling. Again, Rui played a major role in both the success of the trip and our enjoyment of it.

The Douro: Portugal's River of Gold

Still raving about this trip. Our tour director, as we've come to expect, was terrific.

Portugal & the Douro River Wine Country

Great Trip !!!! Better Than we expected..... Rui was our program director and we could not have asked for a better one.

Thanks for good travel.......

John & Carol Nelson

Portugal & the Douro River Wine Country

Enjoyed the trip very much.....the Cruise Directors were exceptional. Loved the pre excursion to Madeira (well worth the experience)....Only really had one complaint & that was on this ship which was leased by Vantage...we had to almost beg for ice every day for our room. We like the Vantage ships that have an ice machine on one of the floors so you could get your own ice anytime you wanted. Good cruise if you love wine...the wine was "flowing" Loved it!

Portugal & the Douro River Valley

As an American of Portuguese heritage, I had been wanting to explore Portugal further. While I had been to Portugal on numerous occasions, I had not experienced Madeira nor the areas north of Fatima. I chose Vantage for that particular reason. Immediately, my wife and I were impressed by the quality of the staff they employ. Maria Manuela Cunha was an absolute treasure trove of knowledge. Furthermore, the accommodations Vantage used is top notch. I had never stayed in a 5 Star hotel. That was so fantastic. The staff on-board the Douro Spirit were equally impressive in ensuring all our needs were met.The sights were visited were once again over and above what we had been anticipating. Overall, I would rate this trip as one of a lifetime and look forward to Vantage's other cruises.

Portugal & the Douro River Valley

I have traveled several times on the river cruises and this is one of my favorites. Portugal is a beautiful and very interesting country. We saw gorgeous landscapes, tasted delicious food, drank exceptionally fine wines. We visited villages, monuments, wineries, churches, and met many wonderful and friendly people. I highly recommend this trip and am sure you will be very pleased if you take it.

Portugal & the Douro River Valley

This was an excellent journey with an outstanding guide. It included many interesting towns, especially Oporto and Caicais which is a beautiful seaside town. Great sardines! The wineries were so interesting especially when we went way up, I think to Pinhao, and picked grapes, stomped grapes, had wonderful lunch. A great day and a highlight. I recommend this trip highly. High ratings for quality & value. Not sure if they came out that way on chart.

Portugal & the Douro River Valley

Thoroughly enjoyed this under appreciated, old historical country. Has so much culture to offer that is not well known. My program mamager Rui Barreiro was outstanding-- his knowledge of the country's history was amazing. He was so aware of all of our needs and wants before we even knew that we needed them. A wonderful outgoing individual that you should be aware of as a great program manager that you don't want to lose. Dora Payne

Portugal & the Douro River Valley

One of the best river cruises we have taken, our guide was great. Portugal is a small country and we feel we have covered a lot of the country and part of Spain. If we didn't have other places to see we would consider going again. We definitely recommend this cruise.

Portugal & the Douro River Valley

Although my program manager was excellent and Portugal was a gorgeous country, the trip was spoiled by ship, Douro Cruiser. The boat was understaffed, the food mediocre, and cabins incredibly small. Of all my Vantage trips, this one was my first disappointment. My roommate was traveling with Vantage for the first time;I'm not sure she will travel with Vantage again. On the trip, I didn't speak to one person who was pleased with our ship/accomodations. I understand Vantage has contracted already with another ship for the next 3 yrs. Here's hoping it's a big improvement!! The itinerary was fine. Both hotels at Madeira and Cascais were fabulous; Lisbon hotel was so-so.

Portugal & the Douro River Valley

This part of Portugal is up there with the most beautiful seismic areas in Europe. We were blessed with outstanding weather and accommodations . The boat was superb. Our stay cascade capped this memorable trip. How this hard working population ever found a way to grow the millions of grape vines just blew our minds. Thanks to all who made this trip so enjoyable.

Portugal & the Douro River Wine Country

A lovely trip across Portugal. Our favorite part was sitting up on deck and watching the ship enter the locks. The ship and the hotels were excellent. Lovely scenery and visits. If you enjoy drinking port wine, this is the trip for you.

Portugal & the Douro River Valley

We enjoyed seeing the port grapes being grown on the steep hills next to the river. The food was very good on the river boat as usual along with the continuously poured wine at the evening meals.. The trips to the wineries were scary going up the mountains, but once to the top the visits to the wineries and the grape farm were very educational. The fact that they still stomp the grapes was novel. The only part of the trip which was disappointing was the trip to Fatima as we expected to see a much different scene rather than the oversold touristy areas. We would highly recommend the trip.

Portugal & the Douro River Wine Country

Great trip. Good accomodation on ship, and in hotels before and after the ship. Fine food on board. Lunches in local cafes very interesting. No end of wine with meals. Wonderful tours to winemakers and port wine "houses". Nice cruising on the river, and some places good for walking and meeting locals. Great day in Salamanca, Spain at the university and lunch and walking. We'd do it again but we have other things to see first.