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Azores (Ponta Delgada)- Ship tour vs "on your own"


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We were in the Azores on a TransAtlantic Cruise in April on RCL's Voyager. Although we don't usually take ship excursions, we did do the excursion to Furnas Lake and the Walk around the lake. The Furnas Lake area is interesting as the area has all this boiling mud and boiling water coming up from underground. The best part was the bus ride there and back is probably 1.5 hours each way so we got to see alot of the island and countryside and it is so pretty there and we went through several very small towns.

 

If you want to see my pictures of our day in the Azores, please check the following link:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/MartyReep

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We were in the Azores on a TransAtlantic Cruise in April on RCL's Voyager. Although we don't usually take ship excursions, we did do the excursion to Furnas Lake and the Walk around the lake. The Furnas Lake area is interesting as the area has all this boiling mud and boiling water coming up from underground. The best part was the bus ride there and back is probably 1.5 hours each way so we got to see alot of the island and countryside and it is so pretty there and we went through several very small towns.

 

If you want to see my pictures of our day in the Azores, please check the following link:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/MartyReep

 

Thanks for the info and especially your pictures of the Azores -- really enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing. Were you able to walk around the town? Anything interesting?

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We were only in the Azores from noon to 6. Our tour started at 1 and we were back at the ship a little after 5:30 so no time in town. This was the first ship tour I ever had that they didn't stop to "shop" somewhere. :eek:

 

By the way, it is a LONG walk from the pier into town (20-30 minutes along the sea wall - there was a shuttle bus for $5 each way!!!!). The people we talked to that didn't do a tour and just walked into town, said there was nothing special to see or do there and, of course, everything is so expensive that no one I talked to bought anything either.

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  • 1 month later...

We also used Roccardo of Amazing tours on 2007, he was fantastic, nothing was to much trouble . he will be at the shispide ready to meet you off the ship, he will give you a great time and he is very careful to allow time to get back to the ship before departure.

 

If there is anything you particularly want to see, he will make sure you do.

 

If we ever visit Ponta Delgada again he will be the first person we book

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We were there last year. There is a free shuttle bus from the ship to the edge of town. There is not much in town. A fort, a clock tower, church, typical shops. The most interesting thing in town is the sidewalks.

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we took the shuttle into town. then we rented a car and went to twin lakes. loved the little village at the bottom of the valley. drove back to town and then over to the other side of the island and explored the town. went to a liquor factory and had samples. drove up to fire lake on a winding two lane rd. realized it was getting late and decided to take an unmarked shortcut from fire lake (above the clouds) one lane no guard rails back down to just outside the town. turned in the rental car and walked over to their version of a mall. bought DD some jewelry and started walking back to ship. realized we wouldn't make it so we took a cab. We were the last pax on board with 2 minutes to spare!

had a great time and the only reason we were pressed for time is we didn't get off the ship until 11am

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You must get out into the countryside; it is magnificent!

 

We told Ricardo we wanted to see the blue and green lakes, but he wouldn't take us because he said it was all clouded in and we wouldn't see anything. We were very disappointed.

 

Instead, he took us to other very interesting and scenic places.

 

When we got back to the ship, the people who took the ship's tour to the blue and green lakes said they couldn't even see the lakes!

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Hi,

 

The twin lakes are often clouded over. On my second visit, I finally saw them. On both visits, there was a man selling souvenir items from a van. Good prices and quality goods. He took both $ and Euro. It is true that with the ship tour you will go rain or shine and there is a great possibilty of not seeing a thing. Try to skip the pineapple farm if possible as it is just greenhouses.

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We were only in the Azores from noon to 6. Our tour started at 1 and we were back at the ship a little after 5:30 so no time in town. This was the first ship tour I ever had that they didn't stop to "shop" somewhere. :eek:

 

By the way, it is a LONG walk from the pier into town (20-30 minutes along the sea wall - there was a shuttle bus for $5 each way!!!!). The people we talked to that didn't do a tour and just walked into town, said there was nothing special to see or do there and, of course, everything is so expensive that no one I talked to bought anything either.

 

 

I quite agree - a long walk and nothing much to see. Much better to do a ship tour if you want to get off the ship.

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Hi!

 

Ponta Delgada has a new cruise terminal:

 

2669270756_981d424825_z.jpg?zz=1

 

Opening day, July 5th:

 

Portas do Mar ... a inauguração !

 

So people need to be careful when talking about Ponta Delgada. The city is under heavy construction. They are still bulding an underground garage, a shopping mall, a casino, a five star hotel, gardens....etc

 

 

you can always check the Webcam:

 

http://www.climaat.angra.uac.pt/WebCams/index4.htm

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You must get out into the countryside; it is magnificent!

 

We told Ricardo we wanted to see the blue and green lakes, but he wouldn't take us because he said it was all clouded in and we wouldn't see anything. We were very disappointed.

 

Instead, he took us to other very interesting and scenic places.

 

When we got back to the ship, the people who took the ship's tour to the blue and green lakes said they couldn't even see the lakes!

 

The lakes were fogged in this May when we arrived but within minutes the fog lifted for views of the lakes. Our guide said this is a frequent occurance and there is no way to know if you'll be able to see them but sometimes waiting several minutes, as we did, you will get a view. IMO for this reason they are not worth just going to see unless the tour takes you other places.

 

.

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  • 2 years later...

Hello, We are taking the EPic on the TA in May 2011. We will be arriving in Ponta Delgado at 10am and the ship leaves at 6pm. Can anyone recommend places that were worth visiting, not to miss, etc ? We will be arranging our tour on our own, I've gotten some names of tour operators from here and trip advisor. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! thank you

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I have booked with Lisa Ringelberg basically because I wanted to go to the "copper pool" a thermal swimming pool. It is near the botanical garden and then we're going to lunch at a local place. Other than that I have left the rest of the tour up to her as she has the knowledge and experience. It should be a nice overview of the island and hopefully it won't be raining. ;)

 

Other must see is the coast, the pineapple plantation, the tea plantation and the thermal vents. Someone has mentioned that the 2 lakes are now both the same color due to nitrogen runoff from fertilizers. Its a small place and should be very interesting to explore. Have a great trip!

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We wandered round the town. It is very pleasant. Make sure you take some euros. They are not keen on anything else. We gave a lady a few coins to buy lemons for her gin on the ship. The shopkeeper would not take a dollar. We sat in a pavement cafe and watched the world go by. The drink prices were terrific compared to the ship.

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We were in Ponte Delgada in May 2008 and at this time of the year the weather is quite unpredictable as it gets foggy and rain more than 60 % of the time .

We did not book any tour but rather took the touristical ''train'' around the city which lasted around 50 minutes for about $10 and waited for the sky to clear up ! It never did unfortunatly ! There were taxis that offered tours of the Lakes and the fumeroles for about $60 for 4 persons but we decided to decline the opportunity.

People who took the cruise tours were quite disappointed as they barely saw anything and got wet at trying to

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  • 5 months later...

We had a great time in Ponte Delgada on our own. The Lagarta (the Lizard) is a tourist tram with tours of the city. We took both the Garden, and Historic tours. It is also fun to wander the streets, compare the different stone patterns, and admire the architecture. Each street has a different pattern.

Vicki

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Hello, We are taking the EPic on the TA in May 2011. We will be arriving in Ponta Delgado at 10am and the ship leaves at 6pm. Can anyone recommend places that were worth visiting, not to miss, etc ? We will be arranging our tour on our own, I've gotten some names of tour operators from here and trip advisor. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! thank you

Hi Luv2Crui$e, we are going on the Equinox transatlantic in May and will be in Ponta Delgada as well . I have been having a very hard time finding a tour company or taxi driver, everyone is completely booked already. Maybe you got some suggestions of people I can contact and what ypou have been advised to see while you are there... Thanks Kaye14:o

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We arrive on the island in just over a weeks time and I am currently in the process of booking a taxi for a private tour. I'll let you know how it went when we return to the UK.

I would appreciate any info you have for the Azores. We will be there in May and don't have a plan as of yet. We would like to take a taxi tour but cannot find one. Please tell me what you did and if there is someone we can contact. Thanks so much Kaye14:o

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  • 1 month later...
I would appreciate any info you have for the Azores. We will be there in May and don't have a plan as of yet. We would like to take a taxi tour but cannot find one. Please tell me what you did and if there is someone we can contact. Thanks so much Kaye14:o

 

Take a look at www.geo-fun.com. They have quite a few tours for Ponta Delgada.

 

If you're interested in more adventure/outdoor excursions, try

www.futurismo.pt.

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