Things I learnt on my first cruise

Or do the Douro river cruises go one way only from Porto and leave you on the Spanish border?

Cruising is not for everyone but some people only cruise.
Different cruise companies offer different services and costs.
If you are thinking of cruising read the small print and ring up the company with your questions before you book so you'll not be disappointed.
One thing I really don't like is not having a kettle in the room. I like to have a cuppa when I read in bed so this is an irritant to me.
If you are on a long trip check there is a laundry room because having to pay for having your clothes washed by the ship is very expensive.
WIFI is a rip off I can't imagine anyone paying for it.
It would be nice to stay for longer in port, some of the stops can be very short and not much time to do anything on your own.
Excursions are expensive and we usually book things privately before we leave England but we did do the Petra trip on one cruise as to do it on our own risked missing the ship leaving.

jura2, I think the VRC in Portugal begins in Lisbon, bus to Porto, boat east from Porto, overland to Spain. Back overland to boat, west to Porto, depart by air.

We added days at the beginning and end in Spain.

I love cruises and VRC. Brilliant.

Thanks Norah - VRC = Viking Cruises?

Jura2, Yes, Viking River Cruises are our preference. The internet is free, the beer and wine are free, there are lots of free tours and excursions. The food is nice, seated as you prefer, plenty of options to every taste. BRILLIANT.

We never have to dress up, the tipping scheme makes sense, there is a walking circle on the upper deck, snacks out at the coffee bar all day.

When we have booked our own excursions, because of price, we have never had a problem returning on time (they do know if you are not aboard and wait up to a certain time). We do take our phones, they have the numbers.

I figure it out, reserve for a car, fit to the sailing times, and go. Once VRC had an add on tour (not included in that day free offerings) ridiculous price. They must pay what their vendor charges, it was 8 times as much as going on our own in a car. Hired car was a far more pleasant scheme.

Had we missed the boat entirely we could have had the chap in the hired car take us on downriver. Always a way to find the boat.

very helpful, thanks. We live abroad, so might be easier/cheaper to book with French companyn- will have to do some studying here

We had never cruised until about 4 years ago.
We travel independently normally but have slotted in one way cruises to our independent travel trips as well as sailing round trip across the Atlantic and to the Caribbean.
Not all ships have the same rules so it's best the check before you book.
Cruising is not for everyone but some people stay with the same cruise lines however we have used the lines for us which work out best for the area of the world we want to travel. To keep going to the same areas doesn't interest us.
The one thing I would say for us is that the ships only dock for a few hours for us it would be great to be in cities over night or for a couple of days.
The thing with cruising is you have to do something you are interested in while at sea then it makes for a great trip.

We have been with Cunard and P & O. Prefer to go from Southampton as I hate flying. Have enjoyed them all. If you get seasick try those wrist bands that work on acupuncture principles - they work for DH who got seasick if he sreps in a puddle. They do work.
Interested to read about Viking on here and tempted to try them next. Have visited some wonderful places on a cruise and it's so easy as everything is dome for you. All the variety and you only unpack once. On a coach tour you are packing and unpacking all the time and that's when I start losing things. Oh, a life on the Ocean Wave, tra la !