Portugal's Douro River

[gtejones]

Portugal's Douro River
Hi,
I'm booked on this tour on the 13th August, could you tell me the Tour Managers name, also what percentage of male to female are booked.
Thanks

[Ben]

Good afternoon Graham,

Your Tour Manager is a lovely lady called Lima Filomena.

There is about a 60/40 female to male split of 21 passengers.

Hope this helps,

Kindest

Ben

[ColinMelville]

Hi, I'm booked on the Douro River cruise departing on 16 July. This is my first JustYou trip.
Can you give me any advice as to what clothing I should pack?

thanks,

Colin

[Ben]

Good morning Colin,

Thanks for your post, below I have pasted an extract from the final information we send out to customers, I hope this helps,

Kindest,

Ben

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The climate in Portugal varies considerably from one region to another and is influenced by the relief, latitude and proximity to the sea, which offers mild winters, especially in the Algarve. Inland, towards Spain, the winters are colder, although the temperatures are still mild when compared to the rest of Europe.
There is some snowfall. It occurs mostly in the mountains where we find the highest point in mainland Portugal and where it is sometimes possible to ski.

The summers are hot and dry. Temperatures are slightly lower in the coastal areas, because of the influence of the sea. There are often warm, sunny days in the autumn. Nice weather at the beginning of November is often called ‘St Martin’s summer’ as this saint’s day is on 11 November.

Clothing for the spring and autumn should definitely include warm clothes as the evenings are usually cool and these changeable months may well mean the days are cooler and wetter than expected for such a southerly latitude. Please remember it is always easier to shed warm clothes if you need to than to add those you don't have. Comfortable shoes are recommended, as there can be lots of walking on some excursions.
Please note some areas of Portugal suffer from Mosquitoes during warm weather, usually in the evenings, so it is advisable to take insect repellent with you.

[ColinMelville]

Thanks, Ben.
I am very, very overweight. I'm ok with a certain amount of walking, especially if it's on the flat. Climbing hills would be a problem. Can you please urgently provide more information on this aspect -- in the next day or two I have to decide whether to confirm or cancel this holiday, because so far I have only paid the £100 deposit.

On another subject, is it true that there are no laundry facilities; and what kind of clothing is required for the evening meal?

Looking forward to hearing from you again,

thanks again

Colin

[Ben]

Good morning Colin,

Sorry for the delay in reply, I emailed the tour manager of this tour to get the most accurate information. I am awaiting a reply about the laundry facilities and will post this when I know, I hope this helps,

Kindest

Ben

Please see the response below:

The holiday is as active as the guests want, that is, if they want to do the excursions they will be somehow active otherwise there is no activity!

Porto by night – mainly coach tour, visit to the train station is the only walking and standing bit, aprox. 5 minutes walking and 20 standing.

Porto & Wine Cellars – 35 steps, Church S. Francisco, 5 minutes walking up hill to former Stock Exchange Palace, here there is a lift, no need to climb the stairs.

Braga – Some walking and standing involved but the town is flat and no cobles on the street.

Vila Real & Mateus - Stairs and some walking involved.

Salamanca – Nearly two hours walking visit.

Wine Road – Some walking involved; 20 minutes more or less.

Lamego – If guests want can come down the stairs, 680, otherwise can take the coach. In town just few meters walk from bus stop to the Cathedral

To be honest there is not much walking involved on these excursions. If the guest wants can stay on board the Cruise and the only walk they do is from their Cabine to the Lounge, Sun Deck and Restaurant.

[Ben]

Hi Colin,

You are quite right there is no laundry service on board.

With exception of the Gala Evening, the dress code for the evening meal is casual smart.

I hope this all helps,

Kindest,

Ben

[gtejones]

Hi
I went on this tour 13 August for 8 days.
It is a very good tour to spend time in Porto and take excursions around the Duro valley to learn more about the area.
We arrived Monday afternoon and set sail Wednesday afternoon. This gave us plenty of opportunities to 'do' Porto. We had a night tour, free time, a guidd tour and a port wine tasting at Sandeman's cellar in Gaia. We also had an excursion to Braga before setting off up river.
The coutryside is lovely and green, due to rainfall in Autumn and Spring. However, be prepared for some rain on your tour so take a mac/umbrella and a pair of sensible shoes and clothes. We had the hottest day when we were moored over the Spanish boarder and visited Salamanca.
Food and drinks plentiful and good quality. Our tour guide, Filomena, was diligent and caring. She had to take one member to the dentist on the first day and another to the doctor on the second day; we were in good hands.
Entertainment on board gave us a flavour of Northern Portugal and included Fada and Folk Dancining.
I can recommend this as a busy and enjoyable tour.There was a cross section of people with a ratio of 2 men to 3 women.
Graham

(18/06/2012 01:20 PM)Ben Wrote:  Good afternoon Graham,

Your Tour Manager is a lovely lady called Lima Filomena.

There is about a 60/40 female to male split of 21 passengers.

Hope this helps,

Kindest

Ben