Q – My wife and I are River Cruise veterans, having done cruises along the Rhine and Danube with Avalon. Now, we are looking at a cruise in the Duoro River Valley. We’ve sort of narrowed it down to AMA or Uniworld. We love the fact that we can come here and get straight advice – so which one should we take?
A – The two new ships along the Duoro this summer, Uniworld’s Queen Isabel and the AmaVida were, interestingly enough, both launched by DuoroAzul. They are the country’s largest river boat company and most of the better boats sailing the Duoro are leased from them. Most of the river boats that are well-known are actually owned by in-country operators who lease them out or by the banks that finance them.
The Queen Isabel is more stately and the AmaVida is sleeker. We like the Queen’s heated swimming pool and gourmet restaurant, You will get to see at least five World Heritage Sites while tasting some wonderful food and the region’s best port wines.ost guests on these programs do a two or three-night pre-cruise stay in Lisbon, a charming, and often-neglected European capital. A day trip to the white stone “white villages” is a wonderful day excursion.
We really think you will be pleased with either of the two ships under consideration. Base your decision on price and cabin location/availability.
