Ridiculous Azamara Excursion Price

[gddeluca]

We just booked the Quest from Reykjavik to Montreal in Aug 2025. I looked at shore excursions and the only port currently showing was for Saguenay Quebec.

 

I almost choked. There were several excursions of the Bus tour + maybe a snack type. (Along with the warning that the buses may be school buses) The cheapest one was about Cdn$ 300.00/each and the top one was quoting over Cdn$ 800.00/each. ( US$450 to US$1150 for the two of us)

 

This is out 1st Azamara Cruise. Is this an error in the listing? Does Azamara actually get away with charging such prices?

 

We visited Saguenay in 2022 on the Regent Navigator, so I've good idea what these tours would be like.

 

If this is typical Azamara pricing, then this may be our first cruise where we never leave the ship.

 

George

 

[uktog]

Sadly it may be correct. I was looking at what they were charging in Edinburgh this summer out of curiosity. Incredible high prices not sure why maybe they’re trying this as a route for revenue (and a way to drain off people’s OBC quickly). I need to set up a one day ships excursion business in Edinburgh to pay for some ships excursions in Japan 😀

[ECCruise]

I would wait until all the tours are available before deciding about cost vs. value.

 

Yes, there are definitely times where Azamara tours trend to the pricey, but not always.  As an example, we will be in Montevideo twice in the next month or so, once on Quest and once on HAL Oosterdam.  In that port, as an example, the Azamara tour prices are equal to--or in a couple of instances, less--than on Holland. 

[Grandma Cruising]

2 hours ago, gddeluca said:

We just booked the Quest from Reykjavik to Montreal in Aug 2025. I looked at shore excursions and the only port currently showing was for Saguenay Quebec.

 

I almost choked. There were several excursions of the Bus tour + maybe a snack type. (Along with the warning that the buses may be school buses) The cheapest one was about Cdn$ 300.00/each and the top one was quoting over Cdn$ 800.00/each. ( US$450 to US$1150 for the two of us)

 

This is out 1st Azamara Cruise. Is this an error in the listing? Does Azamara actually get away with charging such prices?

 

We visited Saguenay in 2022 on the Regent Navigator, so I've good idea what these tours would be like.

 

If this is typical Azamara pricing, then this may be our first cruise where we never leave the ship.

 

George

 

No need to stay on the ship. If you do a bit of research you should be able to source some tours from independent providers at a much more reasonable price. For example we did an overnight tour from Safaga in Egypt to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings that was half the price of the Azamara tour and we used the same hotel and went to the same sites as Azamara.

[AJCM]

Azamara’s prices are very high in some instances. Roll Calls in cruise critic are very active for Azamara and you can usually arrange or join a small group at a better price. In our experience they are usually more enjoyable in a small group. It does seem, however, that independent tours are pricier than pre-covid; so that is a contributing factor in present high Azamara prices.

 

When we look at cruises where we think it will be necessary to do excursions at most stops, we have previously booked Regent (Alaska and Japan) and, this year, Silversea (Norway). Once the price of an Azamara suite and excursions is factored, we’ve found little price difference.

[Lynda S]

4 hours ago, AJCM said:

Azamara’s prices are very high in some instances. Roll Calls in cruise critic are very active for Azamara and you can usually arrange or join a small group at a better price. In our experience they are usually more enjoyable in a small group. It does seem, however, that independent tours are pricier than pre-covid; so that is a contributing factor in present high Azamara prices.

 

 

For sure what you are saying about pre-covid prices for some independent tour operators is correct - they have definitely gone up - way up!  We will be in Barcelona pre-Quest in November and thought it would be nice to get a private guide on the day before we board.  We have always done this and it works out well.  

I took a look on my usual go-to site 'Tours By Locals' and the prices I saw astounded me!

I was seeing $1100-$1400 USD for a full day tour   - and that was commonly for only 3 people!

Hop on Hop Off Bus here we come....

[Grandma Cruising]

4 hours ago, Lynda S said:

For sure what you are saying about pre-covid prices for some independent tour operators is correct - they have definitely gone up - way up!  We will be in Barcelona pre-Quest in November and thought it would be nice to get a private guide on the day before we board.  We have always done this and it works out well.  

I took a look on my usual go-to site 'Tours By Locals' and the prices I saw astounded me!

I was seeing $1100-$1400 USD for a full day tour   - and that was commonly for only 3 people!

Hop on Hop Off Bus here we come....

HOHO bus is a good option in many ports.

[laurieb]

10 hours ago, Lynda S said:

For sure what you are saying about pre-covid prices for some independent tour operators is correct - they have definitely gone up - way up!  We will be in Barcelona pre-Quest in November and thought it would be nice to get a private guide on the day before we board.  We have always done this and it works out well.  

I took a look on my usual go-to site 'Tours By Locals' and the prices I saw astounded me!

I was seeing $1100-$1400 USD for a full day tour   - and that was commonly for only 3 people!

Hop on Hop Off Bus here we come....

We've used Tours by Locals in the past, and like you, am astounded at what many of the guides are charging now

[nordski]

7 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

HOHO bus is a good option in many ports.

 

1 hour ago, laurieb said:

We've used Tours by Locals in the past, and like you, am astounded at what many of the guides are charging now

 

And the HOHO service in Barcelona offers several options, all of which are excellent in our view. We used it in the evening when it was much less crowded.

[nordski]

22 hours ago, gddeluca said:

We just booked the Quest from Reykjavik to Montreal in Aug 2025. I looked at shore excursions and the only port currently showing was for Saguenay Quebec.

 

I almost choked. There were several excursions of the Bus tour + maybe a snack type. (Along with the warning that the buses may be school buses) The cheapest one was about Cdn$ 300.00/each and the top one was quoting over Cdn$ 800.00/each. ( US$450 to US$1150 for the two of us)

 

This is out 1st Azamara Cruise. Is this an error in the listing? Does Azamara actually get away with charging such prices?

 

We visited Saguenay in 2022 on the Regent Navigator, so I've good idea what these tours would be like.

 

If this is typical Azamara pricing, then this may be our first cruise where we never leave the ship.

 

George

 

Using TripAdvisor for guided tours in Saguenay this summer that include the fjord and National Park, there seems to be only one provider right now and the price is about $300. CAD for two.

 

Perhaps more providers will appear as summer approaches. Already some of this company’s tour dates are fully booked. 

 

The $800. CAD tour seems to be for a gastronomic experience at a farm, hosted by a chef. In our experience, that seems to be the usual price on AZ for this type of tour.

 

 

 

[ECCruise]

2 hours ago, laurieb said:

We've used Tours by Locals in the past, and like you, am astounded at what many of the guides are charging now

Pretty much all the same with the other providers like WithLocals and GetYourGuide.

[ECCruise]

13 minutes ago, nordski said:

 

The $800. CAD tour seems to be for a gastronomic experience at a farm, hosted by a chef. In our experience, that seems to be the usual price on AZ for this type of tour.

Our experience has been that if a tour has anything to do with food or "foodieness" there will be a premium.  And that goes for every cruise line, not just Azamara.

[Dynacruiser]

Oh, no!  Does this mean that Azamara is in financial trouble?  

 

(just kidding @Host Jazzbeau) 🤭

[gddeluca]

I'm getting the impression that the prices I saw have somehow become the 'norm' for Azamara. If so, they certainly won't become our 'norm'. Our most recent cruises were with Silversea and Regent, so we were isolated as trips there were included. But there were two others on Seabourn and Celebrity, where they weren't included. Azamara's prices seem to be more than double what's expected. Yes, I know, inflation etc. etc. ... but US$450 for 2 people on a 3 hr bus tour?

[Ayden]

6 minutes ago, gddeluca said:

I'm getting the impression that the prices I saw have somehow become the 'norm' for Azamara. If so, they certainly won't become our 'norm'. Our most recent cruises were with Silversea and Regent, so we were isolated as trips there were included. But there were two others on Seabourn and Celebrity, where they weren't included. Azamara's prices seem to be more than double what's expected. Yes, I know, inflation etc. etc. ... but US$450 for 2 people on a 3 hr bus tour?

I think the excursion prices often reflect the part of the world area you are visiting.

Also tour operator supply and demand in each of the ports.

Maybe have a look at other itineraries to see if this is the case to help you decide.

We have had many memorable Azamara shore excursions over the years and found them comparable to Celebrity tours.

I agree, the price you are quoting is ridiculous.

[uktog]

I’m also finding that the Tours by Locals tours in Japan are very much geared to very fit folks with an awful lot happening (I know some will customise them).
Azamara tours do appear to have more coach travel rather than public transport which will impact on costs. However to survive the Japan intensive marathon we will look to dodge the sprints and accept some of the Azamara prices. 

[ECCruise]

I think making the assumption that prices for one day, in one port, are the "norm" for Azamara is a mistake.

 

Anymore than me making the assumption that since we are taking an 8 hour guided tour to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay including a 3 course sit down lunch at a cost of $169 each, then returning to the ship for a 3 hour Azamazing Evening (at a cost of $0, BTW) makes Azamara's excursions underpriced. Cause that is good value on any cruise line, honestly.

 

And I'd be happy to cite 4 or 5 tours in the same number of ports on that B2B sailing next month that I consider reasonably priced.  Not a steal, perhaps, but not too hateful.  Especially since we booked those after investigating private options first, as always. 

[gddeluca]

Right now, a local tour operator is offering a basic 4.5 hr bus tour in Saguenay for US$95. The cheapest Azamara equivalent is US$210 for a 3.5 hr version.

 

Can you say "Rip-off"

[ECCruise]

5 minutes ago, gddeluca said:

Right now, a local tour operator is offering a basic 4.5 hr bus tour in Saguenay for US$95. The cheapest Azamara equivalent is US$210 for a 3.5 hr version.

 

Can you say "Rip-off"

Honestly, sounds fairly normal to me.  That is one of the reasons that people take private tours:  The often lower cost.

 

Plus, remember that the a large percentage of those booking Azamara tours likely have some (or a lot) of OBC, whether from booking bonuses, purchase of an Experience More Package perhaps, reducing the net price a great deal.  That definitely factors into our decision process. 

[gddeluca]

Somehow, to us, a Cdn$1600.00 charge for a 1/2 day bus ride and food (even some gourmet chef's version) will never make us think, " Oh, that's a  'fairly normal' reasonable charge".

 

And also being 1st time Azamara cruisers, we of course are just oozing with piles of unused OBC's to help defray the cost.

 

[laurieb]

1 hour ago, gddeluca said:

I'm getting the impression that the prices I saw have somehow become the 'norm' for Azamara. If so, they certainly won't become our 'norm'. Our most recent cruises were with Silversea and Regent, so we were isolated as trips there were included. But there were two others on Seabourn and Celebrity, where they weren't included. Azamara's prices seem to be more than double what's expected. Yes, I know, inflation etc. etc. ... but US$450 for 2 people on a 3 hr bus tour?

Please also remember, you're looking way out into 2025.  whatever you're seeing now probably won't even exist then.  You would be better off to wait until early next year to start looking for tours.

Edited February 1 by laurieb

[ECCruise]

2 hours ago, gddeluca said:

And also being 1st time Azamara cruisers, we of course are just oozing with piles of unused OBC's to help defray the cost.

 

I assume you are being sarcastic here, but plenty of first time Azamara cruisers have lots of OBC available to them.  Recent bookings received up to $1000 OBC. And any guest can purchase an experience more package that can provide between $300 and $700 credit toward shore excursions. Book a B2B and you get $400 OBC for each leg, first timer or not. 

 

Our loyalty for nearly 20 Azamara sailings yields us a whopping $0 in OBC. 

[gddeluca]

Laurie: Yes certainly, I wasn't actually trying to book anything. Merely to see if there were tours that differed from what was on offer the the last time we visited the port. We have been cruising for many years and have visited most ports (some of them WAY too many times). And nowadays my legs are failing (neuropathy) and long walks etc. are just a dream, meaning I can only choose from the very lowest activity level tours.

 

I was simply astounded by Azamara's prices for the common 'drive-around-town-bus-tours'. We've been on all kinds of cruise lines, from bargain basement to luxury and never encountered anything remotely like Azamara's prices.

[gddeluca]

ECCruise: Yes, Sarcasm.  We have a whole $300 in excursion credits, which wouldn't get the 2 of us on the cheapest tour I saw. And there's another half dozen ports I haven't even thought of. Yes, $300 will go far on that lot.

 

Maybe I should have stayed with our favourite, Regent, but we'd never tried Azamara and the itinerary looked different.

 

We'll manage.

 

 

[Dynacruiser]

I think that having OBC or not having OBC is not too relevant here.

 

@gddeluca is merely observing that the Azamara excursions in Quebec in Aug 2025 are priced quite high.    Based on the information he provided, I would agree.

 

However, after 3 Azamara sailings last year and 3 booked this year, I have not noticed excursion prices to be that high.     

 

I venture to guess that factors affecting your excursion prices could be:

• Prices are going up everywhere, not just cruises, not just Azamara.  (hmm, do we need a sticky discussion about how prices of everything are going up around the world?)
• Both tour operators and Azamara may want to protect themselves against higher inflation and operating costs in 2025 and are dramatically increasing their prices
• The prices are destination-specific, perhaps there aren't many tour operators and the ones available to quote 2025 prices want lots of $$$$.

In your case, I would look for excursions from local operators, and keep and eye on prices closer to your date.  I would not pay those high prices either.  BTW, I am actually surprised that Azamara has excursions for an Aug 2025 cruise! 

 

@gddeluca, you may be second guessing your decision to come to Azamara for the first time.   Like I wrote other upset folks who come here regretting their first booking with Azamara, give the cruise line a chance and they may change your mind.  Get into a mindset that you will enjoy your vacation, that's the important thing.

 

Personally, I stick with Azamara not because they are perfect (they are not!), but because after many years I KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT from them, and I like what I get.   I also got disappointed when I tried other cruise lines and decided to return to Azamara.  I am sure there are better cruise lines than Azamara, and if you already found it, stay loyal to it!

 

 

Edited February 1 by Dynacruiser