Question about Azores shore excursions

[Traveler$$$]

We are going on the Constellation Transatlantic in May. question about shore excursions in the Azores. There doesn't seem to be much to do. Is there any ground transportation to the village? Do we dock right in town? If anyone has suggestions about what to do we would appreciate it. After 6 days at sea we will need to "do" something

Thanks

[Fblack]

I did a TA on the Constellation and we stopped at Ponta Delgada. They have a free bus to take you out of the pier area which is quite industrial. It drops you off at the very edge of town near the Fort. We just walked around town for a while. Nothing too exciting except for some unusual sidewalks and streets.

[smtcan]

We did a TA on Eclipse last year and stopped in the Azores. We took a tour with Ricardo of Amazing Tours. We were very impressed with his service. He tailored the tour to our interests, and had us back within five minutes of our requested time. We saw the hot springs, the twin lakes and various other interesting places. I would certainly recommend this tour.

Sheila

[kittyluvrnurse]

Please don't think there is nothing to do in the Azores (Ponta Delgada, to be exact). We booked a private tour that took us to Sete Cidades, the Pineapple Plantation, and around town. You must get up to the top of the island and look around. It's absolutely breathtaking. I, too, thought there would be NOTHING to do there and thought our first stop in the transatlantic was going to be such a bore! I can't remember who the tour was through (we booked it as a CC tour group), but it was worth the $30 pp (YES)!

[Host Anne]

We, too, spent the day with Ricardo of Amazing Tours in Dec. during out westbound TA. He was terrific and it was one of our best days of the entire cruise. What a beautiful stop. So much to see and wonderful people.

[LunaSeaRetreat]

Because it was our last port before crossing the Atlantic, I felt more comfortable taking a ship's tour. The one we chose went to a botanical garden. Our guide loved plants and flowers and her island. The island is beautiful. We were glad we did the tour.

Cynthia

[Annapolitan]

My wife and I are on the same May TA. We like the idea of doing the Ricardo tour. We would be interested in cost sharing this experience if anyone else is interested.

[ganny3]

Have been there twice. First time I just wandered around the city and I enjoyed that very much. Lots of old buildings and gardens. It's a very pretty city. I believe they have a little train also that shows you some of the city. Second time got off the ship and found a taxi driver and had a delightful tour out to the furnas in time to see the locals taking their food out of the earth ovens. Unfortunately we didn't have time to stop at any of the restaurants and try the food.

Barbara

[TeaBag]

We had a private tour arranged with our roll call but we got cold feet, worrying about getting back on time. It was a long tour and this stop was our last before 8 days at sea! Not a good time to miss the ship. we learned later it was amazing. Sorry I can't tell you who it was with as our roll call was deleted because it was too large (6,000 posts).

 

We did book a tour through the ship but we were not that pleased. It did take us to see the twin lakes and the pineapple plantation, also the botanical gardens. All these places were great but it really does waste time with 50 people on a bus, getting on and off. We thought the island was beautiful. It reminded us of Ireland very much. Their hedges are hydrangeas and I would love to be on the island when they are in bloom.

 

After we returned from the tour, we had lunch on the ship and then walked back into town. It is very doable and we loved the island. The designs in the sidewalks are amazing, like mosaics in black and white. Some said this was their favorite port.

[Host Anne]

YVR ~ I think you were on our TA in Nov/Dec. I wouldn't hesitate to take a tour with a company like Amazing Tours. They were very conscientious about the time and we were back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

One of my favorite things was that we did stop at a local restaurant in a small town for lunch. I thought the food was great (I like to try a local specialty). When we go again, I will let them know that I'd love to have a meal from the pots that are cooked in the ground at Lago das Funase. It has to be pre-ordered (we didn't know anything about this before our tour) as each restaurant only gets so much each day from the pots. I definitely want to try that next time. Here's a link more info on the area (it even mentions cooking these dishes): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furnas

 

ENJOY!

[cirman52]

We did a TA last year & spent the day in town, due to the rain. Thought it would be rainy as well up in the mountains, wrong, those that went had a great time. In town, we walked all over, found the local market & had a blast seeing the strange local fish. There is a wonderful garden, huge trees, don't recall the name, but am sure it's on PD web site.

[TeaBag]

YVR ~ I think you were on our TA in Nov/Dec. I wouldn't hesitate to take a tour with a company like Amazing Tours. They were very conscientious about the time and we were back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

One of my favorite things was that we did stop at a local restaurant in a small town for lunch. I thought the food was great (I like to try a local specialty). When we go again, I will let them know that I'd love to have a meal from the pots that are cooked in the ground at Lago das Funase. It has to be pre-ordered (we didn't know anything about this before our tour) as each restaurant only gets so much each day from the pots. I definitely want to try that next time. Here's a link more info on the area (it even mentions cooking these dishes): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furnas

 

ENJOY!

 

You're right. It was a great cruise. Do you have another booked?

[Beach Nut]

We did a TA on Eclipse last year and stopped in the Azores. We took a tour with Ricardo of Amazing Tours. We were very impressed with his service. He tailored the tour to our interests, and had us back within five minutes of our requested time. We saw the hot springs, the twin lakes and various other interesting places. I would certainly recommend this tour.

Sheila

 

Are the hot springs available to bathe in? Or are they too hot and/or undeveloped and simply interesting features to view?

 

Thanks. We like to get into hot water whenever we can. :D

 

Susan

[Annapolitan]

Checked with Amazing Tours yesterday to see if they had available space on May 13th. They and their "collaborators" are fully booked, unfortunately. They added the following:

"Sorry but at the moment we do not have anyone that we can trust available to book or to recommend you."

 

We really want to soak in the thermal baths too, if possible, but are unsure how to reliably get there.

[smtcan]

The hot springs are not baths, you can't get into them. Here are some pictures from our visit to the Azores. I hope the link works.

 

Sheila

[Host Anne]

You're right. It was a great cruise. Do you have another booked?

 

We leave for Millennium in a couple of weeks. My first B2B. The second part is a business meeting we will have onboard. Our first "at sea" honest-to-goodness meeting!

 

But I think I'd rather be back doing the Equinox TA and stopping in the beautiful Azores. I still remember how surprised I was at how beautiful the island is. Definitely want to stop there on another TA.

[Host Anne]

Beautiful photos, Sheila. Reminded me of all the places we went. Loved seeing Richardo front and center. What a great day.

 

We didn't see any thermal baths that you could go in. As mentioned previously, all were way too hot.

[CruzR887]

Consider renting a car. We did last Nov on the Equinox crossing. The island is beautiful, the roads good and the drive is fantastic.

 

There are several car rental agencies near the pier.

[ganny3]

Are the hot springs available to bathe in? Or are they too hot and/or undeveloped and simply interesting features to view?

 

Thanks. We like to get into hot water whenever we can. :D

 

Susan

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g189134-i1760-k3642329-Hot_Thermal_Swimming_Pool_Furnas-Sao_Miguel_Azores.html

 

Here is a link to Trip Advisor that gives you some information about the pools. It is several years old so you would need to check it out. There are several places to swim in the thermal waters. I didn't swim in them but saw people who were.

Barbara

[JoePDX]

We were on the Equinox TA Nov/Dec 2012. We had an amazing day with Greenzone Azores Tours. Highly recommend them and our guide Eduardo was wonderful - he truly loves his country! They tailored the tour to what we wanted to see. Eduardo was very concientious about getting us back to the ship on time. Being in a four wheel drive vehicle got us off the main roads into some absolutely breathtaking scenery! We can't wait to return to the Azores and spend more time.

 

Joe

[Beach Nut]

Hi Barbara

 

Thanks for the link to Tripadvisor. It was just what I wanted.

 

Sheila, thanks for posting your photos.

 

Susan

[AzoresW]

May 13th is religious day in Ponta Delgada

 

[rubens]

:confused:

May 13th is religious day in Ponta Delgada

 

 

thanks for telling us

 

we have a taxi tour planned so do you think this feast will have impact on traffic (delays) getting out and in town ?

[AzoresW]

:confused:

 

thanks for telling us

 

we have a taxi tour planned so do you think this feast will have impact on traffic (delays) getting out and in town ?

 

No. There is a highway very close to the pier. Only the most central roads will be closed in the afternoon.