Days 12, 13 - Sea Day & Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal

Weather
Cloudy, 70

Map

What we did
On the first morning, we did a backstage tour which was a free perk of having Elite status. The tour was at 9am and started with a Q&A with some of the performers. We got to see back stage, the performers’ dressing rooms, and a few other things. It was very interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes and to learn a little about the performers. After, we met Sherry and Kathy for morning Mahjong in Normandie. The rest of the day was relaxing as we napped and read in our state room. After dinner, we went to the 7pm performance, James Lee Humphreys, a British singer, which was very entertaining.

The next morning, we had a bigger breakfast in the main dining room as we didn’t believe our schedule allowed for lunch, which ended up being true. We came into port at around 10am and saw a typical island that had clouds hugging the hills and it looked quite rainy. Thankfully, the timing of our adventure seemed to evade the rain drops. The two or three times it rained, it was very light and we were on the bus, so it never hampered our day. We had joined a Facebook group for this cruise and someone had posted a five hour tour of the island, so we decided to do that. After finding the tour company (Azorean Tales), we climbed into the small bus and had a wonderful time. There were 27 in our group and Sylvia was our tour guide. She gave us a lot of interesting information about the island and the tour exceeded our expectations. Ponta Delgada is the largest city in the Azores and looks very much like a Portugese town, with its black-and-white cobblestone streets and low white and pastel colored buildings. Our first stop was the Gorreana Tea Plantation; Europe's oldest continuously operating tea plantation, dating back to 1883. Surrounded by rolling green tea fields overlooking the Atlantic, the plantation produces both black and green tea using traditional methods. We enjoyed learning about the tea-making process and discovering this unique piece of Azorean history. They still use much of the same equipment used in the 1880s. The tour ended with a fresh cup of black or green tea. At Miradouro do Pico do Ferro, we took in spectacular views over Furnas Lake, surrounded by lush green hills and the beautiful countryside of São Miguel. The Azores sit where three tectonic plates meet: the North American, Eurasian, and African plates. Our guide said they had a few earthquakes earlier in the week, but thankfully, we didn’t experience any.

Next, we explored the calderas, where volcanic activity creates bubbling hot springs and steaming vents that remind you the Azores are still shaped by their volcanic past. We learned in the summer, they actually boil bags of corn in the hot springs and sell them to tourists! At this stop, we also tried some of the liqueurs Ponta Delgado is famous for (tangerine, plus tea, milk and cinnamon). Our next stop was on Furnas Lake to see the Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias. The chapel is built from local volcanic stone and brick, with beautiful stained-glass windows imported from France, giving this little church a striking, almost fairytale appearance. Our final stop was along the coast to take photos of Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo, a beautiful little volcanic islet just offshore from São Miguel. Its circular shape, formed by an ancient volcanic crater, creates a natural swimming lagoon inside, and the views of this unique landmark against the deep blue Atlantic made it a wonderful photo stop. We returned to the ship very happy with our first look at the Azores.

Explore

Join us on our travel adventures and tips.

Info

atkullgren@gmail.com

© 2025. All rights reserved.