macntosh

Just back from the Funchal cruise to La Coruna, Madeira and the Canaries, that turned into the cruise to Madeira and Portimao!! Whilst I like classic ships and found the crew friendly and helpful, the ship rolled constantly - even in flat calm waters. When we asked at reception - did she have stabilisers and where they being used, we were told yes and yes and blamed the wind. With such a low, sleek profile and consequently little air draft, I find it have to believe the wind had so much effect??

 

I am posting a full review on my blog - see below - and on Cruise Critic when I complete it.

Hi Sharon,

Many thanks for your update on the Funchal.

Love your blog and the pictures.

I must admit that we were worried about the stability of the vessel and I think you have assisted us in our decision not to travel on her.

My partner is an amputee and finds constant rolling in rough seas very difficult with balance. We have just returned to Sydney on Celebrity Century from South Australia via Bass Strait and experienced 1 particularly rough day where it was safer to stay in bed rather that walk around the ship.

So I can only imagine what it was like on the Funchal.

Hi all,

Just a couple of pictures from Century's departure from Sydney tonight on her first South Pacific cruise of the season.

Enjoy.

Let's start with:

a) window washing the apartments at Kirrabilli

b) welcoming a "mystery" ship back from a "Mystery" cruise

c) Sydney Harbour Car Wash

d) practice welcome to Jamie Packer's tinnie?

 

:)

Oh, how could I forget...

e) is the Sea Princess getting out of drydock? (oh, too soon for Sea Princess jokes??)

.... What's going on?!

 

Any Sydneysiders know what's going on? There's a huge water spray going on near the OPT!

Let's start with:

a) window washing the apartments at Kirrabilli

b) welcoming a "mystery" ship back from a "Mystery" cruise

c) Sydney Harbour Car Wash

d) practice welcome to Jamie Packer's tinnie?

:)

Hi all,

Looks like the reason for Portuscale cancelling the Funchal's 2015 Australian season is to do with the lack of port infrastructure in Geelong to handle cruise ships. Nothing to do with the line itself.

Here is the information quoting from the local Geelong Mayor.

http://www.cruiseweekly.com.au/news/gm-shock-at-season-axing/19493

Let's hope that something can be done quickly to improve facilities and allow cruises by smaller ships departing from smaller Australian ports. Remember, big is not always better.

We were very tempted to book on Funchal for the very reason that she was small and not one of the mass market ships.

Oh well, will have to wait and see what happens.

Hi Vicki & Gaelsail,

Well it is very pleasing to hear on the Australian board of CC that those passengers affected by the cancellation of the Australian 2015 Funchal season are receiving their refunds.

Apparently, all cancellations are being handled on an individual basis in order to cover any customers who had non-refundable airfares booked rather than just a "blanket" cancellation policy to cover everyone.

Full credit to Portuscale Cruises for their ethical and honest approach.

On the Australian boards, there has been much comparison to how poorly Celebrity have been handling an itinerary cancellation for Celebrity Century verses how well Portuscale have been managing their Australian season cancellation.

This gives me even more confidence if we decide to book any of Funchal's 2016 Australian itineraries.

I would still love to hear from anyone that has recently sailed on Funchal with a full review of their trip and the ship itself.

Vicki (Amoba) would love to hear back from you after your UK to Portugal cruise next month. As you know, there seems to be a real lack of current reviews of Funchal's sailings.

Smooth sailing to you all...

I have just read that the 2015 Funchal Australian cruises have been cancelled.

See the link on the Australia & New Zealand cruises board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2096237

I can only say that I was interested in doing a cruise on her, but given the lack of any response to my initial post back in July, it looked doubtful that there was any current information available about the current 2014 sailings.

Rather disappointed they have cancelled, but hope the can try again in 2016 for cruises to/from and around Australia.

Let's just hope the company, Portuscale Cruises, can survive and not send their vessels to the wreckers.

Wow! A thread that has been educational and funny...:)

I've got sore ribs from laughing at some of those responses.

We've got:

the serious dress code comments,

the trans-Tasman rivalry, (Oz Vs Kiwi)

the upmarket posh Kiwis with their sandals & t-shirt verses

the Aussie thongs & un-ironed stubbies,

the westies,

the Bogons,

the rednecks, and

yanky doodle dandy!

Have I missed anyone?

Thank you jan-n-john for your initial question. I hope you have been able to make sense of all this throughout the thread and that you get to enjoy your trip down-under.

Contrary to some popular misconceptions, most bogans actually love dressing up, particularly if the men get to wear a sharp suit with a black shirt and brightly coloured tie. For woman anything that shows a copious amount of flesh and or leg is essential.

 

For more information I suggest you consult the excellent "Things Bogans Like" page and refer to the section on "Suiting Up":

 

http://thingsboganslike.com/2010/05/20/141-suiting-up-2/

And for the retro bogans, there is always the Safari suit...

Lightweight and wrinkle free... :) Perfect for the long haul traveller...

Not sure I have laughed so much in ages reading this thread.

I'm sure the written code is no different, but I also understand the Aussies, bless their hearts, are a highly informal people some of whom may consider recently-pressed shorts for men to qualify as "formal." ;)

 

We will be doing a trip out of Australia with (I understand) mostly Australians aboard, and it's a long way to fly out there so I'm wondering what we actually need to pack, and whether that would be different from a trip out of, say, Rome. We are in Aqua Class so formal nights at the MDR are not in our scope in any event.

Dear Jan-n-John,

Can I suggest you google the word "bogan".

It might surprise you that no self-respecting Aussie worth their salt would ever were shorts that were pressed. :rolleyes: more creases and wrinkles the better....

Next we will be wearing jeans with seams ironed into them.:eek:

Yes, bless our hearts and our little cotton socks, but suggest you continue to pack "dressier" clothing than an "ironed" pair of shorts.

Oh, and by the way we have electricity now... ;)

Yes, I'm playing with you... but seriously, you will need to pack at least one classy outfit for the MDR and Blu. Most men wear at least a suit on formal nights, but good trousers, a sports jacket and tie are also very acceptable for men and the ladies always seem to have some amazing "blingy" tops / outfits.

Remember, enjoy your cruise down under and be aware that many Aussies will "pull your leg" occasionally. It's the Aussie larrikin nature.

All part of life's experiences.

Have a great trip.

Hi Amy,

Wishing you a wonderful cruise.

Please give Marilyn a HUGE hug from both of us for her Birthday.

Mark & Peter.

Hi all,

Before I make a booking on the Funchal for one of her upcoming Australian itineraries, I wanted to find out a little about life on board.

Can anyone who has recently travelled on her, update me on the following (and I do mean recently, not back in the CIC days):

1. do they have formal dress nights in the MDR or is it mainly "casual" dress.

2. being a smaller ship, how stable is she in bad weather? I see that they have recently fitted new stabilisers, but as some of the upcoming itineraries are crossing Bass Strait, which is notorious for rough seas, I wanted to get a better picture of what to expect in bad weather. (Planning to travel with family, but my partner's sister is not a good traveller at the best of times.)

We are only looking at the short 3 day Newcastle to Geelong sector or reverse, but I need to convince some family members that it is ok to travel on a smaller ship. (we/they have only ever sailed on larger "mass" market ships)

Australia's cruise season brochure for Feb & March 2015 is at the following link: http://www.portuscalecruises.com.au/ but there is little mention in the copy about what to expect on board.

Additionally, here is the main web site, but again no mention of dress standards, activities, etc.

http://www.portuscalecruises.pt/en-GB/Portuscale-Cruises--The-discoveries-continue.aspx#.U78av6N--70

I also notice that they have removed mention of their other ships, MV Oporto, MV Lisboa and MV Azores from their Portuguese web site.

Love to hear from anyone who has recently sailed on Funchal for a review.

Can I have your autograph :p

Only for a price Liz... :)

I had requested a copy of their brochure which has now arrived in the mail. It's just a hard copy of the .pdf that they have posted online.

We are still seriously looking at booking, but we are waiting to talk to my partner's family to see if they would be interested in joining us.

Now here's the funny side of things. Just been looking at their .au website only to find that they have quoted one of my posts (#5) from this thread on their website. Wow! I'm famous... :rolleyes:

Here's the link to their "News" page on the web site.

http://www.portuscalecruises.com.au/news.html

Wonder if they will give us an upgrade when we book??? The owners cabin would be nice...:)

At least we know they are watching the CC site closely.

May be we should be posting questions for them to update us on. eg. do they do formal nights or can I leave the suit at home?

Let's see what develops.

Why is Australia excluded???

Good question, but I think the question should actually be: "Why is the rest of the World excluded?"

Answer: Miami seem to think that their entire customer base is from North America and even with the internet, the rest of the world will never hear about the competition... :rolleyes:

Now, have we all got that warm and welcoming feeling? :)

In reality, it would probably be a nightmare to run a global competition as even just for Australia, they would still need to have gaming permits for every State and Territory, just like every Oz company that runs a competition.

Yes, it's all too hard. So why can't they run a "ship merchandise" giveaway or something for those outside the "legal" bounds of the competition to enter. Who wouldn't like another X carry bag or water bottle posted to them? :eek:

Quebec has different rules and regulations regarding contests. The majority of contests that are open to Canadians are not open to residents of Quebec because of restrictions in Quebec.

At least those in Quebec now understand how it feels for those of us living in the rest of the world when X has a promotion that excludes us.

It was only in more recent times that we (outside North America) were able to get the 123 offers, etc.

So X, how about a competition for your other customers outside the USA?? Fair is Fair. :D

Hi all,

I have been attempting to find a roll call for the Funchal and stumbled over this thread. We are looking at the Newcastle to Geelong sector or reverse.

Thought you might be interested to see the recent itineraries for Funchal's Australia's cruise season for Feb & March 2015.

The link is:

http://www.portuscalecruises.com.au/

Additionally, here is the other information I found for the other ships in their fleet.

http://www.portuscalecruises.pt/en-GB/Portuscale-Cruises--The-discoveries-continue.aspx#.U7KqaiY9LIV

Mark: Thanks for the info on Adelaide. Did u like the Oosterdam? Planning for next year. Was thinking about month of Sept/Oct, good time for both australia and new zealand? thanks,

Hi Elaine,

Not only did we "like" Oosterdam, we LOVED it! We would do it again in a heartbeat. Ship has a great style. Many would say gaudy décor, but it works.

Sep / Oct is a great time. It's not too hot in Sydney or Auckland and it's not too cold (freezing) in the south of New Zealand. Remember, in the south of NZ you are still in the 40 degrees south of the equator, so it can be cold.

As for clothing, you only really need a number of light layers. If you get hot you can just peel off a layer.

I have not looked at her itinerary, but don't delay, just book it. :D:)

Thanks for all the Adelaide information, the train sounds quite efficient.

 

We are on the same cruise as Zorrosuncle, the Volendam calls at Adelaide November 13th.

 

We are looking forward to another visit to the lovely city of Adelaide.

Hi Erewhon,

You once provided me with much needed information, so it is a pleasure to be able to return the favour and assist.

My partner is from Adelaide and we return there regularly to see family. In fact, we are also cruising to Adelaide, but just before you on Celebrity Century in October.

Have a great time on Volendam.

OK, I'm sold. Where do I sign up?

Just checked the web site and it looks great. Love the Newcastle, Eden, Geelong 3 night itinerary in Feb 15 or the reverse in March.

Have just emailed them to get a copy of the brochure so I can check the pricing.

Something very different to the norm. Fantastic for all those in Geelong and regional areas of Victoria to do the SA and TAS itineraries.

I think this is one we need to watch. It will be interesting to see how the regular cruisers of the mass market lines react to this classic boutique style of ship/yacht.

Wow! No lines, no queues, no crowds... Am I "jaded"? Yeh, probably. :)

Has anyone noticed that Portugese cruise line Portuscale is bringing the 10,000 tonne Funchal to Aust from Feb next year to do a season of cruises ex Sydney, Newcastle and Geelong?

Hi Gerko,

There was an article in the latest Cruise Passenger magazine.

Here is the link to the article online.

http://cruisepassenger.com.au/2014/05/portuguese-cruise-ship-sails-australia/

The ship has lovely lines. Reminds me of the old Royal Yacht Britannia.

Interesting itineraries as well. Something a little bit different to the modern mass market ships.

What date are you in Adelaide as there is no major works planned that is shutting down the outer harbour train line which services the cruise port, that was all finished ages ago. I even rang Transport SA (our local Adelaide transport provider) to check and they said other than an upgrade to a station on the line which will not interfere with the train's timetable there is nothing planned at present.

 

Even if for some reason they shut down the line, in Adelaide alternative bus transportation is always provided. Also Cruise Ships are not a common occurrence in our Port so the City of Adelaide quite often puts on free shuttle buses. Possibly why HAL isn't.

 

But we are a very safe city, especially during daylight hours, you will have no problems with our buses nor our Taxi drivers. Mind you they don't always speak the best English, they tend to be new arrivals in the country but they certainly have enough to get you where you need to go.

Hi ZorrosUncle,

As already mentioned, there may be a "free" bus shuttle provided by the South Australian tourism body, hence HAL not needing to provide this service.

Additionally, I just looked up the Transport SA website (thanks Wastegirl for calling Transport SA) to find the timetable for the train from Outer Harbour (where the ship berths) to the Adelaide CBD. The train goes every 30 minutes on the half hour from Outer Harbour with a scheduled 40 minute ride to the Adelaide Railway Station.

The timetable is here:

https://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/timetables/view/OUTHA/0/1/0

The fares are AU$5.00 1-way in peak hours or AU$3.10 off-peak (after 9.am - 3 pm) for a SingleTrip Metro ticket.

Even if there are no "free" bus transfers provided on the day, then the train is still great value.

I can only suggest that you "get out and about" in Adelaide and really make the most of your visit. It's a great place to visit, so enjoy!

Don't get hung up about the cruise line not providing transfers, there are lots of transfer alternatives with taxis and trains, plus any free bus transfers potentially provided by the SA tourism board.

And finally, yes we do speak English... :) We probably all talk too fast and drop the endings of words, but you will "catch on" to Ozzie slang...:eek:

Enjoy your trip.

Hi ZorroUncle,

As Stratheden has pointed out, Adelaide is one of the easiest places to get around. From Port Adelaide where the ship berths, it is an easy taxi ride to the downtown area. The CBD area is built on a planned "grid" layout and surrounded by parklands. A very comfortable and safe city to get around.

Don't let the lack of ship pre-arranged transfers deter you. It is one place you do want to get out and explore. If you enjoy good food and fantastic local wine, then this is the perfect port to explore. Make the most of your time in Adelaide. You won't regret it. And all this from someone from Sydney... :):eek:

Can I suggest that you look at booking a local tour for the day as some of them will pick up at the ship and drop off either in the CBD if you want to do some shopping or drop you back at the ship. Just ask what pickup and drop off options they offer.

Here are a couple of suggested tour operators and information that you might review for further information.

Hope that helps.

http://www.adelaidetourism.com/tours/

http://www.southaustralia.com/brochure-request.aspx

http://www.viator.com/adelaide-tours/d376-ttd?pref=02&aid=g1766

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attractions-g255093-Activities-Adelaide_Greater_Adelaide_South_Australia.html

http://www.southaustralia.com/regions/adelaide-city.aspx

Despite booking a 15-night Sydney to Sydney cruise, once on-board we found it to actually be 4 legs:

1) 2 night Sydney to Melbourne

2) 6 night Melbourne, Port Lincoln, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Robe (which we missed) then back to Melbourne

3) 5 night Melbourne, Hobart, Port Arthur & Bernie then back to Melbourne

4) 2 night Melbourne to Sydney

 

Gae

Hi Gae,

Can you provide any details about Port Lincoln?

We are booked on Celebrity Century which visits there next October and was curious to hear what options were available and what most people did that day.

I'm already counting on a seafood lunch that day... (:-))

Thanks

Mark.

cant seem to find any tours etc to do in Auckland run by the celebrity solstice in aprx 2015.has anyone gone to rotorua from the ship and back in time,is it doable

 

thank you

Hi Nodandade,

Rotorua is best done from Tauranga. Solstice berths at Mount Manganui (the port for Tauranga) and there are many tours offered up to Rotorua.

You can either book a tour with a local operator or rent a car and drive up there yourself. It is about a 90 minute drive each way.

Suggest you discuss on your Solstice roll call incase there are others that want to share a mini bus or book with the same tour operator for a discounted deal.