The Spanish culture coupled with volcanic landscapes makes the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, one of the most popular holiday destinations for Brits.
With a warm climate and year round sun, Tenerife is only a 4.5 hour flight away from the UK, making it the ideal starting place to cruise around the islands from, on the new Fly-Canaries itinerary with P&O Cruises.
Starting in October 2022, you will be able to experience an overnight stay in Tenerife onboard Azura before exploring the rest of the Canary Islands, so here is a selection of the best shore experiences that P&O Cruises offer in Tenerife.
From sea kayaking to stargazing, and wine tasting to whale watching, there are dozens of cruise tours that will give you a taste of the island.
Disclaimer: My trip was sponsored by P&O Cruises. As always, all words and opinions are my own.
Whilst in Tenerife, you might also like to check out:
Why Visit Tenerife?
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands and attracts over 5 million tourists each year.
It is located off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean, and it’s average year round temperature is 25 degrees, making it the most temperate place to visit in Europe.
This trip was my first time visiting the destination, and I was surprised at how varied the island was, how beautiful the landscapes were and just how many adventure activities were possible, so close to home.
We had 4 days to experience as much of the island as possible by taking part in P&O Cruises specially curated shore excursions, that are designed to introduce you to everything this Spanish Island has to offer.
When is the Best Time to Visit Tenerife?
The Canary Islands are one of the few all year round destinations, and are a great place to experience winter sun in Europe.
I visited at the end of June, but weather in the winter months when the Fly-Canaries Cruises will take place is not much cooler, expect temperatures of around 20 degrees centigrade and rarely any rainfall.
Making it the perfect kind of weather for sightseeing and exploring the beautiful volcanic landscapes of Tenerife.
How Can You Visit Tenerife with P&O Cruises?
There are several cruise itineraries that visit the island:
Fly-Canaries Cruises
There is a new Fly-Canaries itinerary which starts in October 2022.
Azura, will be based in Tenerife for all of the winter season, and itineraries include an overnight stay on the island.
Meaning you can do more excursions in Tenerife, including evening activities like stargazing or dinner at Hard Rock Cafe.
Azura is the perfect ship for exploring this sun-drenched region, as it has entertainment for all ages, 4 pools, relaxation for adults at The Retreat alfresco spa terrace and movie nights under balmy skies at open air cinema, SeaScreen.
On top of that, the Canary Islands will be brought to life on board too, expect Latin-themed entertainment and the chance to savour flavours of the islands from special menus by Local Food Hero José Pizarro.
You can get a 7-night Fly-Canaries cruise on Azura from £574 per person and 14-night itineraries start from £979 per person.
Canary Island Cruises from Southampton
P&O Cruises also have winter cruises that depart from Southampton and also visit the Canary Islands, so if you are not a fan of flying you can still book to come and try these fantastic experiences.
Arvia Maiden Cruise
Also Arvia, the newest P&O Cruises ship will join the fleet at the end of 2022 with a maiden cruise on December 9, 2022 for 14 nights taking in the Canary Islands.
Prices start from £1,299 per person for 14 nights.
How Can You Get Around Tenerife?
The easiest and most carefree way to explore the island is via a tour or excursion, where you will have a knowledgable guide and driver to take you to all the best parts of the island, without the hassle of following directions or looking for expensive parking.
However there are some shore excursions with P&O cruises that are bookable via Musement.
What is Musement?
Musement is new to P&O Cruises and it offers guests the opportunity to just book attraction or entrance tickets and then the rest is up to them, we did two of these experiences, tickets to Siam Park water park and the dinner and show experience at Hard Rock Cafe.
For these excursions you would need to make your own way to and from the experience yourself, by either hire car or taxi, they allow guests to have more flexibility and the ability to tailor their time in port.
A good hack for transport, would be to make a day of it, and book Musement tickets alongside other P&O cruises shore excursions that would be able to reduce the distance you will need to travel independently.
For example: The cruise port (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) is situated in the North of the island.
Whereas Siam Park and Hard Rock Cafe are both on the South of the island.
So you could book a half day whale watching tour in the afternoon (in the South), and from there you can take a shorter taxi ride to dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, before getting a taxi back to the cruise terminal in the North.
Why Book a Tenerife Shore Experience with P&O Cruises?
There are several reasons to book your excursions directly with P&O Cruises including:
- Complete peace of mind – if guests are delayed for any reason on the way back to the ship P&O Cruises won’t set sail without you, meaning you don’t have to worry about anything.
- Freedom of choice – from once-in-a-lifetime adventures, to simple, convenient transfers, there are a huge range of experiences with something for everyone.
- In depth local knowledge – there are destination experts, who work alongside local guides to offer a range of unique, authentic and exciting adventures with real value for money.
- Easy booking options – You can book online at my.pocruises.com up to 365 days to 3 days before your holiday or visit the shore experiences team when you get on board the ship.
- Transparent prices – All shore experiences are priced in pounds at the time of booking with no hidden extras.
- Accessible shore experiences – wide range of accessible shore experiences for guests in wheelchairs.
How Much are the Tenerife Cruise Excursions?
For half-day tours, P&O Cruises shore experiences range from £40 to £50 per person.
Full-day excursions range from £60 to £100 per person.
The once-in-a-lifetime experiences like helicopter rides, range from £100 to £200 per person.
What Tenerife Shore Excursions are Available?
There are dozens of shore excursions available and the best thing about them, is that they are catered for every type of traveller so you will always find something to suit your interests.
I have covered in detail the range of best P&O Cruises shore excursions to do in Tenerife, but here is a quick lowdown of the types of activities to expect.
For Adventurers
Tenerife is an adventurers playground, its volcanic landscapes and coastlines allow you to do everything from exploring the volcano in Mount Teide National Park, the highest point in Spain to experiencing some of the best stargazing in Europe, or quad biking through Masca Valley.
For Water Lovers
P&O cruises have some great excursions that are perfect for those who love the water, from sea kayaking in Los Gigantes cliffs to whale and dolphin watching on a catamaran, to whizzing around on a jet ski and even getting drenched at the worlds best water park!
For Culture Vultures
There are so many things to do in Tenerife for those who love history and culture.
Including the visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site of La Laguna, doing a forest walk, visiting the beautiful botanical gardens of Puerto de la Cruz, and exploring the natural pools and colourful facades of Garachico Village.
For Foodies
There are several food and drink shore experiences with P&O cruises, including wine tasting at Bodegas Monje, lunch at Abaco Mansion, dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, fresh mojitos on the beach and a cooking demo with the Torres brothers.
Also remember, if you don’t want to do a shore experience you don’t have to, P&O cruises offer complimentary digital destination guides for all the ports they visit around the world which can be found at pocruisesguides.com.
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