MS Estrela Reviews
3 MS Estrela reviews from past cruise travelers.
3 MS Estrela reviews from past cruise travelers.
Great Food, Great Service...but 0 Lisbon with Douro Discovery Rosemary and Neil, NSW, Australia, Apr 2026
We were very impressed with both the food and the service given on the ship. There was a great range of food and it was always served with a smile. The cabin, though understandably small, was well maintained and there was plenty of room for storage with cases tucked away under the bed. The evening entertainments were enjoyable and well chosen. However, read more when we arrived on board and were directed to our cabin, we received no information regarding what happened next. All there was, was a piece of paper from the Travelmarvel CEO and a safety video being shown on the cabin TV. It was up to us to go out and ask to actually find out that the daily schedule was posted near the tour desk and that it could be accessed eventually through the TV. We understand that saving paper is important but a brief “How to” on the back of the CEO’s welcome would have easily solved our confusion.
The guided tours and accompanying guides were generally good and we enjoyed them, but often it was quite a lengthy trip away on a bus. We figured we could have simply done a bus tour! We usually found that, where the ship docked, there was little or nothing to do if you didn’t take the excursion. At times, as well, we felt the Tour Director on the boat was too verbose. Simple, straightforward explanations and directions would be been better, especially as over half of the passengers were of an age that complicated explanations meant important information was either not understood or was forgotten. So, if you just wanted a few calm days on a boat with great food and service, it was fine.
The guided tours and accompanying guides were generally good and we enjoyed them, but often it was quite a lengthy trip away on a bus. We figured we could have simply done a bus tour! We usually found that, where the ship docked, there was little or nothing to do if you didn’t take the excursion. At times, as well, we felt the Tour Director on the boat was too verbose. Simple, straightforward explanations and directions would be been better, especially as over half of the passengers were of an age that complicated explanations meant important information was either not understood or was forgotten. So, if you just wanted a few calm days on a boat with great food and service, it was fine.
This cruise was excellent is many ways - boat was great, rooms good, staff were wonderful. They were extremely attentive and responded to all requests immediately, as well as being pleasant, sociable, and linking well with the group and individuals. The Douro is a wine and port region, so the views were spectacular over the terraced vineyards and Quintas. read more There was a variety of good entertainment in the evenings - Karaoke/Dancing/Singers/ Fado. Staff were active in encouraging all this and participated themselves. The meals were excellent and offered a lot of variety and choice. All wines with dinner were included. The tours were all quite interesting. However, there were no 'active' excursions. There were no hikes/bikes/kayaking, as there are on other advertised Douro cruises. Although you indicated we could get suggestions from the cruise director, there was only one day that he suggested a hike that was well worth doing. Otherwise, we were in ports without interesting hikes, or he had no suggestions. As we are active travelers, often walking/hiking 6-10km a day, or biking, this was very disappointing. Although the cathedrals/castles/wine and port excursions were interesting, they only involved minimal walking - often no more than 1 km. So, if you are not looking for an active tour, this was excellent in all other ways.
Fabulous 7 day cruise on the Douro River with Travelmarvel. Very beautiful Valley - endless terraced grape vines and winerys. Beautiful ship. Estrella and great staff.. included drinks with lunch and dinner plentiful- drinks at other times very reasonable.. Pool great to lounge in on the top deck.. plenty of lounges and shade available on the top deck read more too. Great addition to our trip organised by Tracey.
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