Lisbon Port Adventure

[Brayneack]

We are considering the Discover Lisbon by 'Eco Tuk' (LI16) and the Lisbon by Tram and Coach (LI08) shore excursions for our 2020 European cruise. Does anyone have experience with either of these tours and can provide a recommendation?

 

[Disneypeach]

I did the eco tuk and loved it. Toured all over Lisbon and got one of their celebrated pastries included. Had a great guide so that certainly makes a difference. lots of fun.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Hi Ive been to Lisbon twice, most recently in November 2019. I had a look at those port adventures and in my opinion BOTH are very over priced.

In November 2019 I did the Hop On Hop Off bus tour https://city-sightseeing.com/en/80/lisbon/107/hop-on-hop-off-lisbon which cos me €22 . I bought my ticket online in advance and they have 2 routes. There is audio commentary in English through ear phones which you plug into the back of the seat.

Also regarding the local Portuguese custard tarts called Pastel de nata. They are available everywhere, but can be of very different quality. They only cost €1 and the best ones are the ones where you can see them being made. Many shops in the main tourist area of Lisbon sell them and have a window where you can see them being made.

The Disney Magic ship docks at Santa Apolonia.

You can also take regular city buses from the cruise terminal to the main tourist area.

If you go to Google Maps, the main tourist area is from Hard Rock Cafe , in a straight line , down to the river bank. I have walked this area multiple times. Its mainly a pedestrian area, with lots of restaurants shops, cafes and beautiful buildings.

I also use the underground metro to get around. There are 2 main shopping malls which I go to, both both are about 30 minutes by underground metro from the main central Lisbon tourist area. They are typical European malls, with a mix of European and American shops and chain restaurants. The Disney Store is at one of these malls, not in the main central Lisbon tourist area.

Information for Cruise Passengers
Cruise guests whom are arriving into Santa Apolonia will be able to join the Blue Route at bus stop 8 (Terminal de Cruzeiros) or the Red Route at bus stop 16 (Rua do Comércio).

 

[braysmommy]

We booked this tour and it was an incredible day.
http://www.wehatetourismtours.com/lisbon-tours/pirates-of-the-cruise-ships/

 

[lorimay]

We can book next week and we were looking last night at what we want.
We are thinking a trip to Sintra, it looks amazing.



I know you can get the excursions cheaper booking on your own, but we are the people that just feel better booking through Disney.

 

[aggiedog]

FWIW, it's not just cheaper. It usually also better use of port time. On our Baltic cruise, our DCL excursions left maybe 1.5-2.5 hours after the ship docked, and got back 2-3 hours before it left. That didn't really leave much time to do anything extra, see more of the town, etc. And the tours were a big bus of people, so bathroom stops took forever, etc. Our non-DCL tours left right away and lasted as long as we wanted (we always get back 1 hour before departure) and had a max of 8 people.

At least in Europe, we've never had a guide that wasn't keen to make sure we had a good time AND make sure we got back to the ship in plenty of time. Our food tour in Sicily was with the owner of the company and he told us "We live and die by TripAdvisor."

As for Portugal, sorry, I can't help, but I'll be there next month so maybe I'll have more info later.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

I can't answer your question about either tour. But I wanted to mention the taxi option. This was the first time we did this on a DCL cruise, and were a tad nervous, but DCL didn't go where we wanted to. Getting a taxi off the cruise ship was super simple. They had an organized line. We knew where we wanted to go and had it written down, and our taxi driver spoke English. When it was time to return to the ship, we gave ourselves a wide margin of time, and went about haling a cab. It was a bit of work, I won't lie. Think NYC at 5pm. Again we had our cruise terminal written down (our morning taxi driver recommended this because there are two ports and they are not close together) and showed it to him. He did not speak english but we got back to the ship with enough time to then go walk around Lisbon Square as well.

I do realize how nerve racking it can be to not use Disney. There is a major comfort factor with Disney. We felt like to see the things we wanted in Lisbon we didn't have a choice so we went rough. After this first experience we still use DCL if they are doing something cool that you can't do on your own, or going somewhere far away that a traffic jam or issue might prevent you from getting back to the ship. But we are more willing to leave DCL for other options now.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I can't answer your question about either tour. But I wanted to mention the taxi option. This was the first time we did this on a DCL cruise, and were a tad nervous, but DCL didn't go where we wanted to. Getting a taxi off the cruise ship was super simple. They had an organized line. We knew where we wanted to go and had it written down, and our taxi driver spoke English. When it was time to return to the ship, we gave ourselves a wide margin of time, and went about haling a cab. It was a bit of work, I won't lie. Think NYC at 5pm. Again we had our cruise terminal written down (our morning taxi driver recommended this because there are two ports and they are not close together) and showed it to him. He did not speak english but we got back to the ship with enough time to then go walk around Lisbon Square as well.

I do realize how nerve racking it can be to not use Disney. There is a major comfort factor with Disney. We felt like to see the things we wanted in Lisbon we didn't have a choice so we went rough. After this first experience we still use DCL if they are doing something cool that you can't do on your own, or going somewhere far away that a traffic jam or issue might prevent you from getting back to the ship. But we are more willing to leave DCL for other options now.

If anyone wants to do the taxi from Lisbon port as @TikiThunderPirates did, there is a taxi app called FREE NOW. I use this App here in Ireland. You sign up with an email address and they will send you a receipt of your journey. It is similar to UBER. While you do need internet access, most shops, coffee shops etc have free Wifi. So you could do as @TikiThunderPirates did , walk off the ship and get one of the waiting taxi's. Then to return to the shop, go into McDonalds or Starbucks etc, and get a taxi from that location back to the ship.

 

[kaseyC]

Whatever you decide either cruise line tour or on your own, you will absolutely love Lisbon. Our family spent a week there last summer followed by a week in Porto. Fantastic time. If you get the chance and are looking for a place that has a variety of amazing food, go to Time Out Market Lisboa. So very cool. https://www.timeoutmarket.com/lisboa/en/

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

If anyone wants to do the taxi from Lisbon port as @TikiThunderPirates did, there is a taxi app called FREE NOW. I use this App here in Ireland. You sign up with an email address and they will send you a receipt of your journey. It is similar to UBER. While you do need internet access, most shops, coffee shops etc have free Wifi. So you could do as @TikiThunderPirates did , walk off the ship and get one of the waiting taxi's. Then to return to the shop, go into McDonalds or Starbucks etc, and get a taxi from that location back to the ship.

I wish we had known about this/been available when we were in Lisbon. That return taxi grab was crazy. We had to jump out basically in front of the cab to hale it.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I wish we had known about this/been available when we were in Lisbon. That return taxi grab was crazy. We had to jump out basically in front of the cab to hale it.

when were you there? I found out about Free Now App working in Lisbon this summer before my November 2019 trip. UBER is also in Lisbon, I knew about UBER for my November 2018 trip

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

We loved Lisbon so much it's on the "go back" list. We will definitely be using that app when we do!

 

[braysmommy]

FWIW, it's not just cheaper. It usually also better use of port time. On our Baltic cruise, our DCL excursions left maybe 1.5-2.5 hours after the ship docked, and got back 2-3 hours before it left. That didn't really leave much time to do anything extra, see more of the town, etc. And the tours were a big bus of people, so bathroom stops took forever, etc. Our non-DCL tours left right away and lasted as long as we wanted (we always get back 1 hour before departure) and had a max of 8 people.

At least in Europe, we've never had a guide that wasn't keen to make sure we had a good time AND make sure we got back to the ship in plenty of time. Our food tour in Sicily was with the owner of the company and he told us "We live and die by TripAdvisor."

As for Portugal, sorry, I can't help, but I'll be there next month so maybe I'll have more info later.

Agree! I always use TA to research options in all our DCL cruises we have only booked one excursion through them. I really don’t like following a Mickey head paddle and being on a bus with 50 others. Even the Med we did all excursions DIY. As for Lisbon would love to go back on land vacation to spend more time. My son still raves about bakery in Sintra.

 

[lorimay]

Agree! I always use TA to research options in all our DCL cruises we have only booked one excursion through them. I really don’t like following a Mickey head paddle and being on a bus with 50 others. Even the Med we did all excursions DIY. As for Lisbon would love to go back on land vacation to spend more time. My son still raves about bakery in Sintra.

Do you remember the name of the bakery?
We want to take a journey to Sintra and then see some of Lisbon later in the day.

 

[braysmommy]

Do you remember the name of the bakery?
We want to take a journey to Sintra and then sesame of Lisbon later in the day.

I don't remember the name of it but I believe it is opposite the palace on corner. Blue and white awning with outdoor seating.