Azores cruise ship calendar

Which ships are in port on which day, and how busy the town will be.

Ponta Delgada is a port of call rather than a home port, and Praia da Vitória takes most of the rest: ships usually arrive between 7 and 9 in the morning and leave between 5 and 6 in the evening. On a day with two large ships, several thousand passengers come ashore at once, and the harbour front, the city gates and the whale-watching boats fill up by mid-morning.

Planning your day ashore? Pick a day marked quiet, or set off after 3 pm on a busy one: the coach tours are back at the quay by then. On a day with no ship at all the crater roads are empty.