Not everyone loves group bus tours, but if you don’t mind them you likely will have an opportunity to see more than passengers who head out on their own. The Quest maintains a shore excursions desk; savvy passengers book port trips from home to ensure the ones they want are available. Others connect on Cruise Critic and make independent arrangements with fellow passengers.
Not every port requires an excursion. In a big city like Istanbul, you can simply walk from the port, take a taxi, or hop on a city or sightseeing bus.
Travel is more enriching in the company of a private tour guide. If you hire one, you'll have a more expensive and more personal experience. In some countries, guides must pass a rigorous course of study. If your itinerary takes you to Turkey, we recommend Mehmet Cabuk. He possesses a wealth of information on everything from ancient history to modern culture and his English was better than ours.
Azamara Quest does offer well-organized group excursions in clean, modern buses, and sometimes they are the best option. For example, the lengthy trip from the port in Alexandria to the pyramids of Egypt stretched for 13 hours and included lunch on a Nile cruise. The tour provider thought of everything: water, snacks, a bathroom on board, even a pre-stamped postcard and daily newspaper.
One thoughtful Azamara touch: Upon returning to the ship after a day of touring, passengers are greeted with a complimentary beverage, ranging from lemonade, water, and fruit punch on warm days to wine and hot chocolate on chilly ones.
