A really large cruise port, the LIsbon Terminal is located in the heart of the action of Portugal's…read morelargest city. My wife and I stopped in for a day trip, a stop on our transatlantic repositioning cruise from the UK to the US. This port is meant to be a terminus for major ocean cruise lines, and has the facilities to handle it. This includes a large waiting area, with comfortable seats, where one can sit and use the strong, free wi-fi to catch up on digital tasks. Once past this area, local information guides had set-up a series of booth to answer questions and sell bus/train tickets for the city. As normal, the two of us planned to explore the city by foot so didn't take advantage.
There were quite a few excursions from our boat, and the large motorcoaches picking up passengers were lined up to pick up passengers. On the other side was the entrance into the city, with the requisite taxi drivers and guides looking for an impromptu tour. But I already knew where we wanted to go, and since it was less than 2 km, a leisurely walk was our choice. It was a good one as it took us through different parts of the oceanfront, mingling with locals and tourists, alike.
The port has excellent public transportation choices, usable for people arriving to start their cruise or travelers arriving, ready to explore the rest of the city.
Getting back on the ship was a cinch, with clear signs on where to go. A security officer did a cursory check of our cruise card, then went through security xray. The gangplank is direct, not the long winding path that some cruise terminals use. There were no bottlenecks...if necessary, it would be easy to get off/get on a boat multiple times. Not sure how it would be set-up for an actual embarkation (where customs and immigration would be necessary), but pretty confident it would work fine.