Travel 2026 - Spain & Cruise
The second half of our back-to-back cruise on the Celebrity Equinox was an itinerary of travel to ports in Portugal, southern Spain, and Morocco. We opted to stay onboard when the ship stopped in Barcelona, since we have been to this city twice before…and because we know from experience that the disembarkation/re-embarkation process can be quite chaotic. But it was also a day we could kick back and enjoy the ship as there were only 15 or so other sets of passengers, mostly couples, doing a continuous cruise. During the passenger changeover the crew gets pretty busy with deep-cleaning the cabins, public spaces, and food areas - our mission was to stay out of the way...and the best place to be was by the very empty pool. It was a bit of an overcast day with a threat of showers but was still quite warm. In the days leading up to our arival Barcelona had several heavy rain warnings and I am sure the precipitation was welcome after the hot summer.
Lisbon as our first port of call following our departure from Barcelona and a full day at sea. Having been here before we did not feel the necessity to book an excursion or do the hop-on/hop-off bus. Rather, with dinner plans ashore in the evening, walking was the order of the day - and Lisbon is a very walkable city…especially if you like hills. The main promenade along the waterfront is quite long stretching along the north bank of the Tagus River towards the Atlantic Ocean and our ship was moored at the cruise ship terminal along the promenade. Lisbon’s city area is built up like a medieval old city with narrow alleys and steep cobble streets near the waterfront, but buildings are relatively new having been reconstructed after the 1755 earthquake, fire and tsunami. There are lots of interesting architecture styles and colourful façades alongside monuments and fountains. And, of course, a few churches. It was, apparently, unseasonably hot for early October, so the next day we opted to stay onboard and poolside while everyone else left 😎
The next port of call was meant to be Porto, but the actual cruise port is in Leixöes over 8 km from the city centre. And there was no organized shuttle service, so unless people had booked an excursion the only options were taxi, Uber, or public transportation into the city 🙄 But, having been to Porto before, we decided to walk the seawall along the Atlantic Ocean to the mouth of the Douro River and back…a total of about 18,500 steps (15 km). The Atlantic Ocean was surprisingly calm and the weather was very warm with intense sunshine - hard to believe it is autumn! We walked back through Foz do Douro to see the cute side streets and examples of mosaic tiles. Interesting crèche-like mausoleum structures were scattered between homes and there were a lot of places for sale. There were a few remnants of fortifications that would have guarded the mouth to the Douro, a strategic sheltered harbour area and was, at one time, hugely invested in by Britain for its liquid commodity…port.
Going from Porto to the next port of call, Cádiz, Spain, was another sea day of excellent weather that was perfect for relaxation by the pool and writing. One of the things we really enjoy are having many days at sea as there is so much flexibility to do whatever one wants…or do nothing at all! We had been in Cádiz before and quite enjoyed the city, so this time we went ashore to get some walking in…about 10 km or so. Cádiz is one of the longest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, first the Phoenicians and then the Romans. Throughout its history this city has been a fortified port and served as a major naval base to help guard the mouth of the Rio Guadalquivir where treasure ships from the New World brought their loot for transport to Seville. Lovely ocean vistas, seaside promenades, colourful architecture, and cute medieval alleys give Cádiz a delightful charm. Again, the weather was spectacular!
The final port of call of this trip before heading back to Barcelona was Tangier, Morocco. We had to set our clocks back 2 hours after advancing it 1 hour ahead for Portugal which was pretty confusing for everyone on the ship. Having been to Tangier twice before, Jean decided to enjoy the quietness of the ship while I went for a walk off the beaten path. Tangier has quite a mix of cultures, language, and architecture given it changed hands as a defensive port site between their original inhabitants, then the Romans, Vandals, Moors and European powers. In our last two visits, we spent time in the Old City exploring the alleys of the medieval quarter within the old fortress walls. This time I ventured outside the Old City where the quasi-modern areas are a bit run down and, seemingly, impoverished. Being an early weekday morning, people were headed to work and school - there seemed to be very little social interactions amongst those I saw. Most of the social interactions were between the cats. In a way, it reminded me of Istanbul where feline guardians could be found everywhere.
As I wrote this blog, I was sitting on the fantail of the Equinox with a beautiful and calming view of the Mediterranean. It is our third sea day and last one before we dock in Barcelona. And as a final send off, this last day has turned out to be spectacular…as most of the days on this trip have been. Quite honestly, this has been one of the top three cruises we have taken (twelve with Celebrity) and made an especially great experience by some very wonderful crew members. In the past we have had mostly good service and attention, and there have been a couple times not so much (there was one particularly bad one on a Celebrity ship that shall not be named). And, as has become our custom, we submitted the names of the outstanding team members who contributed to our experience on both segments of the cruise - often times they are not recognized and, in some cases, deal with some pretty outrageous attitudes of guests and nasty managers. Lucky for us, we will see many of the same team members when we return to the Equinox at Christmas time.
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