Azamara's tours: are they worth the cost?

[Nippy Sweetie]

Well OK but I haven't done any Azamara tours yet!!

I just found them very expensive compared with other cruises I've been on and wanted to know if these ones were typically well organised and run etc etc. OK?

 

[federalexpress]

As an Azamara newbie, I have no experience of actually going on ship tours but I do know a tour I have  booked in the Falklands for my forthcoming cruise was less than half the cost booked direct, compared to what was available via the ship. As far as I can tell, exactly the same itinerary, if anything better because it is led by a native English speaking Falklander.

 

 

[uktog]

7 minutes ago, federalexpress said:

As an Azamara newbie, I have no experience of actually going on ship tours but I do know a tour I have  booked in the Falklands for my forthcoming cruise was less than half the cost booked direct, compared to what was available via the ship. As far as I can tell, exactly the same itinerary, if anything better because it is led by a native English speaking Falklander.

 

 

That can often be the case. 
There are places where all tours are led by “natives”. The Falklands is one. And that is certainly somewhere where I was planning to go “native”. Unfortunately the ship never got there due to weather but the provider I was with did not ask for payment until the day because the success rate of getting there is less than 50/50. Always worth doing your homework on that one. What risk is attached to any upfront payment, what’s the refund policy etc 

Edited July 17, 2022 by uktog

[Beamafar]

In very many cases, the tour operators that the ships use are the same ones who provide private excursions and you’ll find that, in a lot of cases, tour busses tend to arrive at each of the tourist spots on your excursion around the same time, as they offer similar routes. 

[nordski]

3 hours ago, uktog said:

I’ve done great ship tours and shocking ones

Ive done great private tours and some shocking ones

Ive been on shocking ships tours and the other bus had a great tour

Ive done a great private tour only to find others the same day had a poor time in another van with the same provider

Ive found other guests great company on ships tours and experienced appalling behaviour by one guest on a private tour and vice versa

There’s no perfect answer, private tours are not always the way to go nor are ships tours something to never do. 
 

It’s a case of do your homework, recognise your personal budget and tolerance for others and choose what works for you. Then go and make the most of it. No point in whining or letting that shop stop you did not like spoil the day. It’s not about what you could have done recognise what you did do. 
 

Ok? 

I would add, that if there is a tour or site that is a very high priority then we consider the cost of taking a private tour that will allow us to control the pace and focus.

 

It’s a costly option that we only use very rarely and thoughtfully, but it has provided several truly memorable (in a good way) experiences.

[federalexpress]

2 hours ago, uktog said:

That can often be the case. 
There are places where all tours are led by “natives”. The Falklands is one. And that is certainly somewhere where I was planning to go “native”. Unfortunately the ship never got there due to weather but the provider I was with did not ask for payment until the day because the success rate of getting there is less than 50/50. Always worth doing your homework on that one. What risk is attached to any upfront payment, what’s the refund policy etc 

 

Was that with Patrick Watts? I've booked with him, no issue with refunds, he takes payment on arrival so if the ship can't dock, you lose nothing. 

 

Don't know whether he is right but he also claims ship's tours are often led by people for whom English is not their first language e.g. Chileans, Peruvians etc, and who therefore are not as familiar generally with the Falklands.

[uktog]

40 minutes ago, federalexpress said:

 

Was that with Patrick Watts? I've booked with him, no issue with refunds, he takes payment on arrival so if the ship can't dock, you lose nothing. 

 

Don't know whether he is right but he also claims ship's tours are often led by people for whom English is not their first language e.g. Chileans, Peruvians etc, and who therefore are not as familiar generally with the Falklands.

It was Patrick, though I have not heard of anyone saying their ships tour was led by someone who was not fully familiar with the island or that had language issues but someone will no doubt chip in if the claim is valid

[Port Power]

4 hours ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

Well OK but I haven't done any Azamara tours yet!!

I just found them very expensive compared with other cruises I've been on and wanted to know if these ones were typically well organised and run etc etc. OK?

 

Usually they are well organised and well run.  Azamara uses local operators they have worked with for years.  Especially as tours are not usually really large groups.
 

One tour I went on at a new destination was well done, but didn’t go a bit further along the river as was advertised.  I heard the operator tell the skipper at push off, “turn around at the bridge”.  On return we gave feedback to the shore excursions desk that the tour was excellent and the skipper and mate very good, but disappointing that part of the tour was missed.  We all received a partial refund.  So Azamara stands by their shore excursions.

[Keeria]

4 hours ago, federalexpress said:

As an Azamara newbie, I have no experience of actually going on ship tours but I do know a tour I have  booked in the Falklands for my forthcoming cruise was less than half the cost booked direct, compared to what was available via the ship. As far as I can tell, exactly the same itinerary, if anything better because it is led by a native English speaking Falklander.

 

 

I fully agree with you. We were on the tour from Patrick Watts to Volunteer Point in the Falklands in 2019. The same tour that Azamara offered at less than half the price. We will be again on Pursuit to Antarctica in January 2023  and we will book Volunterr Point again with Patrick Watts. An unforgettable experience. 

 

[mj_holiday]

We have done some AZ excursions and enjoyed them, and felt worth the money.  We have also done a local walking excursion which was also enjoyable.  It really depends on the port.  

 

With a private tour, there is no guarantee that the ship will wait for you if there is trouble getting back and arrive late.

[lisiamc]

27 minutes ago, Keeria said:

I fully agree with you. We were on the tour from Patrick Watts to Volunteer Point in the Falklands in 2019. The same tour that Azamara offered at less than half the price. We will be again on Pursuit to Antarctica in January 2023  and we will book Volunterr Point again with Patrick Watts. An unforgettable experience. 

 

We also were fortunate enough to do the tour in the Falklands with Patrick Watts. It was an amazing day!

Edited July 17, 2022 by lisiamc

[Nippy Sweetie]

I would be scared to go with an independent tour in case we were too late back. Pleased to hear the tour groups were quite small. Useful feedback people!

[lisiamc]

15 minutes ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

I would be scared to go with an independent tour in case we were too late back. Pleased to hear the tour groups were quite small. Useful feedback people!

An intensive Italy cruise is not a bad time to be adventurous if you were tempted to try an independent tour. If the worst happened and you were so late back that you missed the ship, it would likely only be a minor problem to meet the ship at the next port, depending on where that port was. Most providers of independent tours are VERY careful to get everyone back on time, so they keep their good reputation.

[PirateWife]

Worst tour was a private tour set up by someone else. Best tour was an Azamara ship tour. But there have been some really good private tours and some poor ship tours. For me it often depends on where I am going and what is available. Safety is always important. Everyone has their own style when traveling and want different things from tours. I avoid ones that feature shopping in shops but love open markets. 

[federalexpress]

4 hours ago, uktog said:

It was Patrick, though I have not heard of anyone saying their ships tour was led by someone who was not fully familiar with the island or that had language issues but someone will no doubt chip in if the claim is valid

Nor I but that is what he suggested in his email, at least with some ship's tours. His own tour does seem to get rave reviews.

[Baynanno1]

14 hours ago, uktog said:

I’ve done great ship tours and shocking ones

Ive done great private tours and some shocking ones

Ive been on shocking ships tours and the other bus had a great tour

Ive done a great private tour only to find others the same day had a poor time in another van with the same provider

Ive found other guests great company on ships tours and experienced appalling behaviour by one guest on a private tour and vice versa

There’s no perfect answer, private tours are not always the way to go nor are ships tours something to never do. 
 

It’s a case of do your homework, recognise your personal budget and tolerance for others and choose what works for you. Then go and make the most of it. No point in whining or letting that shop stop you did not like spoil the day. It’s not about what you could have done recognise what you did do. 
 

Ok? 

 

Well said and very well covered.

 

My only addition would be that unfortunately some cruisers will either fail to read, or ignore the word "strenuous" with the result that the pace of the tour is slowed to that person's pace (or lack of), usually resulting in less time at a site, or occasionally missing part of the tour.

[smj]

I would always ask how many people will be on the tour. I have been on some of their “small” tours with 28 other people!  In my opinion a private tour is a better value but that is not always possible.

[KirkNC]

If anyone thinks AZ’s tours are expensive, check out Oceania.  They are significantly more.  Of all the lines we cruised we have found AZ to have lower costs then most.

[Nippy Sweetie]

I was comparing tour costs with Viking who provide an included tour in every port plus some that you can pay extra for. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, KirkNC said:

If anyone thinks AZ’s tours are expensive, check out Oceania.  They are significantly more.  Of all the lines we cruised we have found AZ to have lower costs then most.

Oceania's tours have a high list price, but most passengers take OLife to get several tours at $100 each and 25% off on the rest.

[KirkNC]

20 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Oceania's tours have a high list price, but most passengers take OLife to get several tours at $100 each and 25% off on the rest.

Not sure I agree with “most” but certainly some do.  We have only found that to be a smart move for us once when we were planning an Asian cruise and we’re uncertain about the post Covid options for alternatives (the cruise ended up getting canceled).  If you are only doing a few O tours, O life makes no sense.  If you are going a lot, it may.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Pre-Covid we almost never took a ship's excursion, because we were generally able to see more and pay less with Roll Call groups.  But our January cruise on Oceania had itinerary changes nearly every day so we ended up taking only ship's excursions.  And our Azamara cruise coming up in October was the $1,000 OBC deal so we are again taking only ship's excursions as we try to spend down all the OBC from that and other offers.  But as that itinerary has also changed several times, I'm glad that it's Azamara that has to do all the cancelling and rebooking!

[KirkNC]

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Pre-Covid we almost never took a ship's excursion, because we were generally able to see more and pay less with Roll Call groups.  But our January cruise on Oceania had itinerary changes nearly every day so we ended up taking only ship's excursions.  And our Azamara cruise coming up in October was the $1,000 OBC deal so we are again taking only ship's excursions as we try to spend down all the OBC from that and other offers.  But as that itinerary has also changed several times, I'm glad that it's Azamara that has to do all the cancelling and rebooking!

We are the exact same.  We seldom did ships tours pre Covid but now in many ports the private tour guides are still trying to get back up and running.  I also find myself a little less willing to push the envelope.  In March 2020 we were disembarked in Perth instead of Fort Lauderdale in May and had to find our own way home, that leaves a lasting impression.

[suewheldon]

On 7/15/2022 at 4:11 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

Someone on a Port forum blithely said you have to do a land tour to visit Argostoli Greece – until I showed him my Azamara itinerary that calls there on October 15.  Azamara regularly has uniquely-intensive itineraries, but thanks to the deletion of Venice this particular cruise got better and better!

We visited Argostoli, on the island of Kefalonia, last month. Lovely place and you dock in town. We got a taxi to a lovely beach where we spent a few hours. A very inexpensive day. 

[Storylady]

On 7/18/2022 at 1:37 PM, Nippy Sweetie said:

I was comparing tour costs with Viking who provide an included tour in every port plus some that you can pay extra for. 

Viking includes tours of about mostly 3 hours that are free for each of their ports. For those who have already been to that port, they would be interested in other tours that Viking also offers. But the Viking charges for those tours and the prices on Azamara are similar.