Ponta Delgagda excursions

[jinpasco]

Anyone been to the stop in the Azores ? We have been looking at excursions and a common theme are the words rain and fog so we hesitate booking. Are there people in the port offering last minute excursions ?

[Mary229]

Check the port of calls board.  I used the ship’s excursions since most of the sites are some distance.  I would not rely on walk up service so either use the ship or hire a private excursion in advance.  I liked Azores very much and did not experience bad weather, it was sunny and mild. There is abundant natural beauty 

[Haljo1935]

We were very anxious about that stop during the Nov Dec 2023 TA from Rome->FLL since weather can be tricky. We were fortunate w/clouds in the AM that cleared to a beautiful day and we were able to do our excursion.

We booked in advance with an independent that would refund if the port was canceled, so we weren't at risk. Agree w/ @Mary229 that ship or independent pre-booking are best, just be sure they offer refunds if the ship can't stop. I don’t even recall seeing locals offering excursions; doesn't mean they didn't, I just don't remember seeing them.

[jinpasco]

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

We were very anxious about that stop during the Nov Dec 2023 TA from Rome->FLL since weather can be tricky. We were fortunate w/clouds in the AM that cleared to a beautiful day and we were able to do our excursion.

We booked in advance with an independent that would refund if the port was canceled, so we weren't at risk. Agree w/ @Mary229 that ship or independent pre-booking are best, just be sure they offer refunds if the ship can't stop. I don’t even recall seeing locals offering excursions; doesn't mean they didn't, I just don't remember seeing them.

Thank you. We are doing that sailing Nov 2024 so that gives me a good idea of what to expect. Mother nature has her own agenda for sure. I believe just booking thru the cruise line is what we may do and keep an eye on the weather and their cancellation policy. I don't want to leave it to chance at the port as we may never get to the island again and it looks beautiful. Do you remember the name of the private tour company ?

[Kala89]

We have been to Ponta Delgada twice on trans-Atlantic voyages.  The first time we used Amazing Tours for an excellent tour.  The second time, we booked 4 vans with Green Visions Tours.  Both companies provided excellent tours with good guides and were easy to communicate with.

[SDARCH]

We loved our excursion to Sete Cidades.  Even the bus ride was tolerable due to the abundant natural beauty on the way (and a few beers in our backpack).

[Haljo1935]

7 hours ago, jinpasco said:

Thank you. We are doing that sailing Nov 2024 so that gives me a good idea of what to expect. Mother nature has her own agenda for sure. I believe just booking thru the cruise line is what we may do and keep an eye on the weather and their cancellation policy. I don't want to leave it to chance at the port as we may never get to the island again and it looks beautiful. Do you remember the name of the private tour company ?

I will look it up; it's on my computer and I'm on my phone.

We didn't go through the ship b/c they were crazy expensive and filled up quickly. We were very happy w/the tour we did.

[jinpasco]

11 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

I will look it up; it's on my computer and I'm on my phone.

We didn't go through the ship b/c they were crazy expensive and filled up quickly. We were very happy w/the tour we did.

You have that right! We booked under a sale that gave us 300.00 PP toward excursions. We booked 2 ( and had to add 10.00 to the total) . Since Azores is the last port I want to make sure we get back on time. Its a long ride back to the USA.Thank you

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, jinpasco said:

You have that right! We booked under a sale that gave us 300.00 PP toward excursions. We booked 2 ( and had to add 10.00 to the total) . Since Azores is the last port I want to make sure we get back on time. Its a long ride back to the USA.Thank you

But it is only a 4 hour nonstop to Boston😉

[cruisemom42]

I was on the same cruise as @Haljo1935 so same weather for me.

 

This was the only port I'd not been to before. I had a shore excursion credit through HAL for the HIA promo and I chose to use it here even though I knew I'd lose the credit if the port was canceled. A lot of the tours did sell out.

 

I'm very glad I chose one that got me out and around a good part of the island. This port is all about the natural beauty (not my shtick in general) and I got to see a nice sample of it. I'd definitely recommend a tour -- either private or ship -- that lets you have a similar experience.

 

Note:  While it's easy and convenient to walk around the city near the port on your own, be aware that on Sundays there is very little open.

 

[chisoxfan]

On 3/28/2024 at 5:56 PM, SDARCH said:

We loved our excursion to Sete Cidades.  Even the bus ride was tolerable due to the abundant natural beauty on the way (and a few beers in our backpack).

We frankly had a different experience. It was a long bus ride and we were greeted with long lines of cars and tour buses upon arrival. Much of the time (for seemingly everyone there) was spent waiting to use a single dilapidated toilet.  I'm sure a few beers on the bus (a good idea although) would hasten this need. The crater lake is beautiful just not sure the overall experience was worth it. We have only regretted two excursions in our years of travel and this was one (and this was free using excursion credit). We wished we would have wandered the town instead which is easy to do.

This was in October and no other ships in port and could not understand where all these tourists came from.

[kazu]

I chartered a whale watching tour for our roll call (it can be booked individually of course).  Sadly, we did not get to do it.  The ship could not make the port. It can be a difficult port for the ship to get into depending on King Neptune so do make sure your tours are refundable if you can’t dock as mine was, thankfully.

[Fred321]

Have been there at least 4 or 5 times. Have rented a car once from the office on the pier ( should probably be able to drive a standard transmission as they are the most common available) Roads are good and easy to get around. Two other times we simply picked a driver from the guys on the way out of the terminal for a day trip around the island. Both trips were great. Had a nice Mercedes sedan all to ourselves with very friendly and knowledgable drivers. Just make sure that they really speak English before saying yes. Almost all of them do. In all three cases the cost for the two of us was cheaper than an excursion from the ship and didn't include a 40 person bus. Also don't need to worry about not making the stop and getting a refund and you get to decide where to go and how long to stay there. The island is beautiful so getting out of town is a good idea.

[jinpasco]

23 hours ago, Fred321 said:

Have been there at least 4 or 5 times. Have rented a car once from the office on the pier ( should probably be able to drive a standard transmission as they are the most common available) Roads are good and easy to get around. Two other times we simply picked a driver from the guys on the way out of the terminal for a day trip around the island. Both trips were great. Had a nice Mercedes sedan all to ourselves with very friendly and knowledgable drivers. Just make sure that they really speak English before saying yes. Almost all of them do. In all three cases the cost for the two of us was cheaper than an excursion from the ship and didn't include a 40 person bus. Also don't need to worry about not making the stop and getting a refund and you get to decide where to go and how long to stay there. The island is beautiful so getting out of town is a good idea.

Hiring a taxi is usually our go to at many ports as long as our port days are on the longer side ( allowing for traffic, weather etc) We have met some very nice people that way. We usually ask.." Show us your town and what you do, where the locals eat " rather than a managed tour. Thank you for giving us that perspective on this port. 

[Fred321]

Sounds like exactly what we do.  If you are already comfortable with that then doing it at this stop should work out great. Have fun.

[Naismith]

I was there last year in early April. We used the "GPSmyCity" phone app, that had several articles and walking tours.  We did the downtown tour including climbing up the tower for a great view (entrance to the right of city hall.)  We also visited the Sao Bras Fort and military museum (which was the only place we visited with fee).  After picking up lunch at a local mercado, we went up to a park/botanical garden for a picnic.  On the way back, my husband was able to get a much-needed haircut at a local shop, so I walked back to the ship by myself.  We were on a much smaller vessel, and could walk on and off (no tendering).  It was overcast and drizzly in the morning, but was fine during our hike around the garden. But for those that cannot do all that walking or if the weather was bad, I like the idea of hiring a taxi.  

[jinpasco]

7 hours ago, Naismith said:

I was there last year in early April. We used the "GPSmyCity" phone app, that had several articles and walking tours.  We did the downtown tour including climbing up the tower for a great view (entrance to the right of city hall.)  We also visited the Sao Bras Fort and military museum (which was the only place we visited with fee).  After picking up lunch at a local mercado, we went up to a park/botanical garden for a picnic.  On the way back, my husband was able to get a much-needed haircut at a local shop, so I walked back to the ship by myself.  We were on a much smaller vessel, and could walk on and off (no tendering).  It was overcast and drizzly in the morning, but was fine during our hike around the garden. But for those that cannot do all that walking or if the weather was bad, I like the idea of hiring a taxi.  

Sounds like I don't have to book an excursion to have a good time exploring. I enjoyed the mention of the barber. We are on a 28 day cruise and my husband wanted me to bring clippers ( No!) Did you have Euros or pay in dollars/ credit card ?  We are debating how much we should bring in Euros to cover the little things. Timing of this port will be perfect for his haircut, its a Saturday so hoping they will be open. Thank you