Portugal's Douro River Cruise Bike Tour

Straight Talk

We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.

Ships

The ships we sail on are like a floating luxury hotel, so you can visit a new destination each day without touching your suitcase once you've settled in. Our ships are custom‐designed with a variety of inviting spaces that offer plenty of room for both relaxing and socializing. These ships are vastly smaller than most cruise ships, with up to just 150 passengers on our river trips and up to only 250 on our ocean trips.

Backroads Support on Board and on Shore

We sail with up to 40 Backroads guests. Occasionally there may be more than one Backroads group on board and you may cross paths with the other group on some routes or at restaurants. For instance, we may have a group of 20 hikers and another group of 20 bikers. When this occurs, each group will have their own dedicated onboard Backroads leaders. On shore, you'll have up to three additional land-based leaders to support your group, offering the same high ratio of Backroads Trip Leaders to guests as you'll find on our hotel trips.

Backroads Cruising Life

If you're new to Backroads active cruise trips, there are a few things you need to know. Our cruises are smaller, and much more intimate than a typical cruise. They are also quite lively, social experiences, shaped by both our Backroads group and the larger ship community. Additionally, even with an itinerary subject to fixed nautical schedules that may occasionally limit our time on shore, we get out and explore far beyond the cruise norm. If you love meeting new people, enjoy the ease of unpacking once, and don't mind a set schedule of port departure times, you'll love our approach to active river and ocean cruising. Nobody does it like we do.

Meals

On our active cruises, we seek out diversity by including regionally authentic and inventive meals for onshore lunches, picnics and the occasional onshore dinner. On-ship meals, though delightful, are meant to appeal to a wide cross section of passengers and may at times feel more conventional for some, and less reflective of the region than on Backroads hotel trips.

Itinerary Flexibility: Going with the Flow

Our daily itinerary is based on scheduled sailing and port arrival times and as a result some days have more opportunities for exploring on land while other days have more sailing time. Every river has its own unique temperament and for centuries water levels have shifted due to rain, temperature and agriculture. High water levels may mean the ship cannot pass under a bridge, low water levels result in slower sailing, and a disabled lock can also lead to some extra cruising time. Should any unforeseen change happen during your river cruise, we will work closely with AmaWaterways' captain and staff, who are very experienced in going with the flow.

Stateroom Categories

In contrast to our usual land-based trips, which have similar room categories, the AmaWaterways ships offer a wide range of stateroom categories. The top-tier staterooms often fill fast so book as early as possible if this is important to you.

Double-Docking

Some port conditions require that ships tie up alongside each other, in which case you may need to walk through another ship to access our ship. This is a perfectly normal part of river cruising due to its popularity. You may occasionally experience obstructed views from your stateroom when the ship is double-docked, but rest assured that as soon as we set sail again your beautiful views will be restored.