Ocean Discovery – Lisbon, Porto & La Coruna

About this cruise

This is the kind of cruise where you actually have time to go back to a port highlight you missed the first time. 24 nights from Lisbon on March 21, 2028, visiting Leixões (Porto), A Coruña and Bilbao, with additional stops along the Western Mediterranean. Disembarkation is in Dover. The final stretch is open ocean, which gives you time to process everything you've seen and use the ship one last time. Crossing 7 borders through the Western Mediterranean: Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Morocco. You'll notice the culture shift at every stop. You get around 10 hours in each port, which is enough for an excursion, lunch, and some wandering around on your own. When you're not ashore, Nieuw Statendam takes the food seriously, with 12 restaurants to choose from. 6 are included, and the rest are worth the splurge. One of the underrated parts of a longer cruise: you actually get to know people. The couple from dinner, the group at trivia, the bartender who remembers your drink. Suits retirees, remote workers, or anyone who doesn't need to be anywhere else for a while. Pro tip: fly in the day before. Lisbon has plenty to offer, and you'll board relaxed instead of rushed. A March departure catches that sweet window of warm-enough weather before the summer rush. You start in Lisbon and come back with stories from Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Morocco.