Published on Dec, 2024
Azorean Tales is EXCEPTIONAL.
I’m writing this to share the details of what I did (and YOU can do too) to create your own cruise ship excursion for a small group of fellow passengers (that you will meet through our FB & Cruise Critic groups). We ended up designing & enjoying a far superior, more comprehensive, less costly, 6-hour excursion in small vehicles and at a significantly lower price than a comparable cruise ship tour. Read on.
To avoid the cruise ship large buses (and high costs), I also requested smaller vehicles and searched for a reliable local tour operator (reading reviews in Google & TripAdvisor). I contacted a local tour operator (Azorean Tales) because of their exceptional high rating (5.0 on Google) and my having been on one of their excursions (as a solo) on a prior visit to Ponta Delgada.
After designing (with Carlos, the agency’s owner), an itinerary that would make maximum use of our time at port, Carlos proposed what I agreed was a fair price. As I am a solo traveler, the next step was to find others in our FB & CC groups to join my group of 9.
Because of the excursion’s comprehensiveness, the convenience of port pick-ups & the price, we ended up filling TWO 9-person vans & TWO 20-person small buses. We ended up being 58 “new friends” divided into 4 groups, each vehicle with its own guide. The four vehicles followed each other throughout our 6-hour exploration of the Azores’ San Miguel Island. The fact that our 4 vehicles stayed together gave us comfort knowing that if anything happen (nothing did), we were prepared to help each other; excellent planning on the part of Azorean Tales. Oh, Azorean Tales even included an option for most of us to bathe in a natural hot springs in a beautiful botanical garden; LOVED IT.
Read on; I’ll tell you how to set it up for your cruise. It’s easy.
It’s easy. Call (or email) Azorean Tales (Carlos) and tell him what ship you’re on, the day you’ll be at port & your times at port. He’ll propose an itinerary and propose a price. You just announce it (post it) on your FB & CC group pages, provide information on the offering & share the reservation email. Azorean Tales will receive & track reservations & handle payments.
As I was the group’s “organizer,” Carlos kept me informed of bookings & any tweaks to the itinerary. I then posted the updates our FB & CC group pages. My only role was to serve as the conduit for any queries; so easy. Because the initial 9-person van (that remember, was my only aim) sold out within hours of posting, Azorean Tales was kindly able to add additional vehicles for us, with each selling out promptly; the offering was that good.
I’ve attached pics of our excursion to so that you can see what we saw & where we went. The excursion hosted by Azorean Tales for our group of 58 was so good that I ended up organizing FOUR separate excursions (each with four small vehicles) with them. (NOTE: I will have been on two Back-to-Back NCL transatlantics, visiting Ponta Delgada FOUR time between November & February).
Fellow passengers who’ve participated have consistently expressed their gratitude and how much they enjoyed our day together. (NOTE: Azorean Takes also kindly created a waiting list for those who were unable to confirm a reservation).
My advice, urge fellow passengers to book early as anyone can always cancel should something come up; it happens. I’d especially recommend Azorean Tales to solo cruisers because the groups are small & there are many fellow solos participating. Azorean Tales can also dedicate a 9-person van for a family group.
If you’re not up to taking the initiative to create a group excursion for your ship’s visit to Ponta Delgada, Azorean Tales also offers individual excursions that you can book as a solo or family group directly through their website.
