From Missing Our Excursion… To Two Amazing Port Days

After the whole sea pass drama and missing our excursion in Ponta Delgada, I won’t lie… it took a bit of a reset mentally.

At the time it felt like a big deal, especially when you’ve been at sea for days and you’re really looking forward to getting off the ship. But one thing cruising keeps teaching us over and over again is this… Not every day goes to plan, and that is okay.

Fast forward a couple of days, and we have now had two completely different port days in Lisbon and Cádiz, both done entirely on our own, and both reminders of why we actually prefer doing ports this way.

Lisbon

This was a bit of an unusual one straight away, gangway didn’t open until 11:30am, which changes your whole day. We still got up early though, purely to watch sail in, and if you ever get the chance to sail into Lisbon… do it. Going under the bridge is one of those moments that just feels different.

We had no excursion booked and decided just to walk the city. Ended up being out for about 4 hours, no real plan, just taking it all in. That’s honestly when cruising feels at its best for us, when you are not rushing between “must-see” spots and just experiencing the place.

We debated the hop-on hop-off buses right at the port, but the weather made the decision easy… just walk.

Back onboard, we did the North Star (free version). This is one of those things that used to be fully free, now it’s a mix of free and paid depending on the experience. We wouldn’t personally pay the $45pp for the extended version, but the free one still gives you great views.

Cádiz

Completely different pace, and probably one of our favourite stops so far. This is the kind of port where you don’t need to overthink it. You can walk straight off the ship and you are in it.

We headed along the coast first and ended up at the Castle of San Sebastián, which is completely free and just a really nice walk with views the whole way. From there we made our way back towards the Cathedral of Cádiz, grabbed some breakfast and coffee right outside it, and just sat taking it all in.

We were back onboard by early afternoon, which is something we almost always do. Get out early, see what you want to see, then come back and enjoy a quieter ship.

A Couple Of Takeaways From These Days

– You don’t need an excursion in every port

– Some of the best days come from just walking and exploring

– Getting off early and coming back early is a game changer

– Not every “missed opportunity” actually ruins your trip

Missing that excursion felt like a big thing at the time, but a few days later… it hasn’t mattered at all.

Do you prefer booking excursions in advance, or just getting off the ship and figuring it out as you go?

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