After falling asleep very quickly the evening before and as we had gained an hour overnight, I woke up just after 5:00am and the first thing I did was go out onto our verandah to get some fresh air and I could already see the lights of Lisbon off in the distance. As our stateroom was on the opposite side of the Disney Dream to what the city would be and once we got a little bit closer, we quickly got dressed and headed up to a chilly Deck 13 along with a handful of our fellow passengers with a hot drink in hand to watch as we sailed past the Belem Tower, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) and then finally under the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge at 6:20am.

About fifteen minutes later we very slowly sailed past the Praça do Comércio before docking at the Lisbon Cruise Terminal located at the Jardim do Tabaco Quay just before 7:00am.

We walked back down to our stateroom where we could sit in bed and chill for a little while as even though our all ashore time was 8:00am and our all aboard time was 9:00pm making it a very long day in port, we had already been to Lisbon together in 2019 (and my boyfriend had spent some time working there over the years) so we were in no hurry to be off the ship as soon as possible and could just take it easy.

We were treated to a beautiful sunrise across the River Tagus just before 7:30am and shortly afterwards we also watched and waved from our verandah as the AIDAperla sailed past and docked further along the same pier.

After having a shower and getting dressed ready for the day ahead, we walked up to Cabanas to get some breakfast just after 9:00am. Once we had finished eating, we decided to walk along outside on Deck 12 to look at the view of Lisbon and was completely surprised in the best way possible as a dress rehearsal for the Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean deck party was taking place. They asked that no photos or videos were taken and there were Cast Members everywhere to stop people from taking any pictures as they walked past. It was great fun to watch and sing and dance along to as it’s one of my favourite shows onboard and it really felt like a mini bonus Pirate Night albeit in the blue skies and sunshine of Lisbon.

After collecting our cameras and bags from our stateroom, we made our way down to Deck 3 Midship where we disembarked the Disney Dream at 10:00am. There was a long walkway alongside the ship to get into the terminal where you could also take some great photos of the Dream from – and we also walked past Don “Ducky” Williams (the famous Disney illustrator) who was boarding the ship that morning in Lisbon ready for the cruise back to Florida. Inside the terminal was a little busier as the AIDAperla was disembarking at the same time but everything was very clearly signposted the entire way. We also saw a passenger screaming, swearing and physically fighting with several of the port customs and security officers as she was trying to enter a secure area of the terminal directly from outside and trying her hardest to push past them – she did not succeed.

Just like in Vigo the day before, the cruise terminal is located right next to the city centre of Lisbon so this is another port where you really do not need to book any overpriced excursions or organised tours as everything is very close by. If you do need transportation anywhere though, there are plenty of taxis and Tuk Tuks waiting directly outside the terminal building. You can also easily access the extremely cheap and efficient Lisbon Metro system as the terminal is located halfway and only a few minutes walk between both the Santa Apolónia and Terreiro do Paço underground stations which are both located on the Red Line (Linha Vermelha).

As already mentioned as we had both been to Lisbon before, we did not really have a set plan for the day but rather we just wanted to walk around and take in some of the sights that Lisbon has to offer. Our first stop of the day was the Miradouro das Portas do Sol viewpoint and to get there all we had to do was cross the road in front of the terminal and make our way up the hill through the narrow alleyways and up several sets of stairs.

The walk up to the viewpoint took us fifteen minutes and the view looking across Alfama towards the Igreja de São Vicente de Fora were absolutely stunning however the sun was in completely the wrong place to be able to get a great view the other way back towards the Disney Dream so we decided to come back later that day before getting back on the ship.

One of the best tips that I recently learnt which I would love to share is that if you have trouble using stairs when exploring a city (which are extremely common in Europe), use Google Maps to get walking directions and make sure to select the “Wheelchair Accessible” option in the menu. This will provide you with an alternate route that may take a little longer, but it will avoid the staircases on the way.

Alfama is the oldest district in Lisbon and is made up of historical buildings and from the viewpoint we walked downhill past the Sé de Lisboa (Lisbon Cathedral) and the Igreja de Santo António de Lisboa (Church of Saint Anthony) towards the Baixa neighbourhood along the same route that the famous Tram 28 takes.

It was also along here that it became painfully obvious why the Lisbon locals hate the Tuk Tuk’s as much as they do as they drive dangerously, cause pollution, block the narrow cobblestone streets (as well as the paths) and cause congestion absolutely everywhere when they slow down or stop to show people the various sights despite a long line of traffic stuck behind them – they truly are a nightmare.

Once we reached the yellow coloured buildings in the Praça do Comércio it was immediately obvious how busy it was in Lisbon that day due to combination of two cruise ships docked, October school holidays across Europe as well as a UEFA Champions League football match which was taking place in Lisbon that night between Benfica and Feyenoord. To others it might not have seemed that busy but as we usually travel in Europe during the off-season when it’s very quiet, it was a little bit of a shock to the system – it was the complete opposite to when we visited Lisbon in December 2019.

From the Praça do Comércio we walked along the Rua Augusta (and past all of the awful and overpriced tourist trap restaurants) towards the Elevador de Santa Justa (Santa Justa Lift). The lift connects the lower streets of the Baixa area to the higher Bairro Alto and Chiado neighbourhoods and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Lisbon and the queue for it on this day was even longer than I had ever seen before.

However despite the line, the viewpoint from the top of the lift is amazing but another handy tip to know when visiting Lisbon is that it is possible to get there completely free of charge without having to wait and all you have to do is walk less than five minutes. If you would like to see full directions of how to avoid the crowds and the wait at the Santa Justa Lift in Lisbon you can read my blog post here.

After getting a few small bits of shopping that we wanted to get in Lisbon and stopping for an iced coffee at a really good and quiet hidden Starbucks in Chiado with lots of comfortable seating, we walked up to the viewpoint above the Santa Justa Lift which is located at the top of Calçada do Sacramento past the Carmo Convent ruins.

Even though the higher observation deck was closed for maintenance work, the view from the lower deck (where the lift exits to) was still amazing and we were rewarded with an incredible and clear view over Lisbon towards the Castelo de São Jorge though the Disney Dream was hidden just out of sight from where we standing.

After leaving the very busy and crowded observation deck at the Santa Justa Lift we walked just under ten minutes to the landscaped gardens of the nearby Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint which due to a food festival had been transformed to an area with so many different food and drink stands.

From here we walked down the street where the Elevador Da Glória funicular usually runs (it was not operating that day) to the Praça dos Restauradores. We then took a slow walk back through Chiado towards Pink Street (which is covered in colourful umbrellas) and then on to the Time Out Market which is located on the waterfront in the Cais do Sodre neighbourhood.

As we were hungry the first thing we did at Time Out Market was head to Croqueteria to get some of their amazing croquettes for lunch – the vegetable curry as well as the goat cheese ones were so good! It did not take us long to eat them which was just as well given how busy and crowded the market was as we struggled to find anywhere to sit.

However the main reason to visit the Time Out Market is to go to Manteigaria who are famous for their Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts) so of course we had to get some whilst we were in Lisbon. We bought a box of six for €7.80 to take back onto the ship with us as well as two extra (€1.30 each) so we could enjoy one straight away and they were just as good as I remember them from my last visit and something I never ever thought I would like the first time I tried one.

After our much needed little break for something to eat, we once again walked slowly back through Baixa and past the Praça do Comércio and back up the hill into Alfama to the Miradouro de Santa Luzia where the sun was in the right spot and we had a perfect view of the Disney Dream below us and we could even see them painting the other side of the forward funnel.

After a chilly start to the day, it had turned into a very hot and sweaty day and after all that walking our legs were definitely starting to ache (especially after walking all around Vigo the day before too) so we decided to head back to the ship for the rest of the afternoon after our perfect little whirlwind tour of Lisbon.

It was such a beautiful walk back along the waterfront to the entrance of the cruise terminal and there are so many opportunities to take photos of the ship in Lisbon – and I also made sure to get a close up picture of Sorcerer Mickey on the stern of the Disney Dream as with the exception of embarkation day in Southampton, this would be my only chance during this cruise.

Getting back through the terminal was very quick and easy despite it looking busy and there were plenty of signs for both of the ships to make sure you used the correct entrance to the terminal to go through security.

We were back onboard the Disney Dream just before 3:00pm and the first thing we did was change into our bathing suits as we needed some time by the pool to cool down after walking around Lisbon. We were both still a little hungry so I got a plant based hot dog and fries from Tow Mater’s Grill along with a cold drink. However we struggled to find anywhere to sit in the Quiet Cove but we eventually found some chairs in the area in front of Satellite Falls on Deck 13 where we ate our food in peace and quiet looking out over Lisbon in front of us.

After cooling off in the Quiet Cove Pool – sadly the Aquaduck was not running that afternoon – we made our way back to our stateroom where we saw an invite waiting for us on the bed for the Gold, Platinum and Pearl Castaway Club Onboard Reception that would be taking place the following morning in the Walt Disney Theatre – this would be our second time attending one of these events as they only happen on cruises that are eight nights or longer.

We also used this time to do some much needed laundry as well as having a quick tidy up and putting everything away that we had needed in both Vigo and Lisbon ready for the next two days at sea.

On the Personal Navigator we saw that there was something called “Disney Friends” listed under character appearances that was due to start at 6:15pm in the Lobby Atrium which turned out to be Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Chip and Dale, Goofy and Pluto just roaming around and meeting with everyone – it was such a fun and relaxed way to see them all in a short space of time.

Once we got back up to our stateroom, we made a Mimosa each using our complimentary bottle of Prosecco from being Platinum Castaway Club members and some nice orange juice that we had bought the day before in Vigo and sat on our verandah and watched as the sun started to set over Lisbon.

Not long afterwards I noticed the colours in the sky had become a lot more intense so I quickly grabbed my camera and ran up to Deck 13 (it seemed there was a lot of people doing the exact same thing) and was simply amazed at the absolutely incredible sunset surrounding the ship and the photos simply do not do it justice. It was such a beautiful sight to see and another of my favourite memories from the cruise.

As suggested by Anthony our Cruise Director that morning on the Good Morning Disney Dream show, we disembarked the ship along with several others for a few minutes just before 8:00pm just so we could see the Disney Dream all lit up at night from the waterfront in Lisbon which is something that you do not often get the chance to see as you have usually left the port a few hours earlier in daylight – the only other time that we’ve seen this was on our Hawaiian cruise on the Disney Wonder when we overnighted in Nawiliwili on the island of Kauai.

It took no time at all to reboard the ship as the terminal was completely empty as the AIDAperla had left Lisbon a few hours previously and we were back onboard at 8:15pm just in time for our dinner in Royal Palace. I had been tempted to skip dinner and go and watch Deadpool and Wolverine in the Walt Disney Theatre instead that night (there was also another showing at 11pm) but as it was coming out on Disney+ a few days after the cruise, I decided to wait until we got back home to finally watch it.

To start my meal I ordered the Breaded and Deep Fried Brie followed by the best French Onion Soup I’ve ever had onboard. As I had loved my Ahi Tuna and Avocado Towers so much the night before, Jaqueline had said she would get them again for me on this night so I had two for my main course – it only seemed right as I am not sure when I will have the chance to have another one as they are not on the menu on either of the next two cruises that we have booked. And yes, spoiler alert – we have another two cruises booked!

Neither of us wanted dessert but Jaqueline insisted that we had to get something to take back to our room to enjoy later so we got the Classic Opera Gâteau to share.

After dinner we made our way up to Remy on Deck 12 Aft as we had brunch booked for two days later and I wanted to give them advance notice that I do not eat meat as I know that they appreciate knowing about any special dietary requirements in advance instead of last minute as it gives them more time to prepare especially as they offer a tasting menu.

Our day in Lisbon ended very similar to how it started as we changed into our pyjamas and sat on our verandah with a cup of tea (as well as a little dessert) and watched as we sailed away from the city. We left the dock at 9:45pm and sailed back under the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge twenty minutes later at 10:05pm.

I was feeling so tired after such a long and tiring day so after making the most of the 5G mobile data as we left Lisbon, it wasn’t long before I climbed into bed as I could not keep my eyes open any longer. One thing that was very noticeable on this night was that we could not feel any movement on the ship at all as we sailed away from Mainland Europe and out into the Atlantic Ocean on our way towards the Azores so hopefully the rough seas were well and truly behind us – and thankfully they were!

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