Funchal/Madeira Port Debarkation

[amyj23]

Hello! We are arriving into Funchal on RCL at 9am on our cruise, and we are considering an excursion that's at 10am (independent of the ship) and requires a 9:30am check in. I have communicated with the tour operator, and they told me it's a 15 min walk, or we could catch a cab. I have never sailed to this port nor have we sailed RCL. I assumed it could be 9:30am before we even are able to get off the ship. Can someone tell me about their experience with distance from ship to a taxi at this particular port? The operator said they could be flexible and let us arrive 15 min prior. I don't know whether I'm trying too hard to make this work. We really want to do this excursion. Even if the tour operator agrees to refund our money if we miss it, I don't want to have to decide on the fly on another excursion. Anyone with advice, I'd love to hear it! 😃

[alserrod]

Hi, can anyone move this thread to "other ports" subforum?

 

(Madeira is a Portuguese port, not a Spanish one)

[John Bull]

The quay at Funchal is well over 1/2 mile long long, so it depends on quite how far along your ship is berthed. There will e taxis at the ship. And retro buses partway along the quayside 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/jPjhUxtoiD9zjMPc6

 

And can you quote the location you need to be at to meet the excursion operator?

 

JB 🙂

[edinburgher]

19 hours ago, amyj23 said:

We are arriving into Funchal on RCL at 9am on our cruise, and we are considering an excursion that's at 10am (independent of the ship) and requires a 9:30am check in

Remember that you won't be able to leave the ship until it is "cleared" by the authorities. If this is a private tour could the operator not give you a slightly later meeting time?  And if it is a public tour you should read the T's and C's very carefully especially regarding a late arrival should they have to leave without you or if the ship does not, for some reason, make it to port.

 

19 hours ago, amyj23 said:

I don't want to have to decide on the fly on another excursion

 If this will be a first visit to Funchal, a tour might not be essential as it is easy enough to explore the attractions in town independently.  You would only need to do online research/homework before leaving to plan your time there.  If on the other hand, you were wanting an island tour, you could look at what other tour operators are offering as their timings might be less stressful for you.

Edited January 30 by edinburgher

[amyj23]

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

Remember that you won't be able to leave the ship until it is "cleared" by the authorities. If this is a private tour could the operator not give you a slightly later meeting time?  And if it is a public tour you should read the T's and C's very carefully especially regarding a late arrival should they have to leave without you or if the ship does not, for some reason, make it to port.

 

 If this will be a first visit to Funchal, a tour might not be essential as it is easy enough to explore the attractions in town independently.  You would only need to do online research/homework before leaving to plan your time there.  If on the other hand, you were wanting an island tour, you could look at what other tour operators are offering as their timings might be less stressful for you.

 
We are totally aware of doing tours independently of the cruise ship. We are seasoned cruisers and routinely book independent tours. This is a snorkel excursion and there isn’t one offered by the cruise line or I’d actually consider it. The only thing close to it is on a speed boat that’s rough and my husband’s back and my neck can’t handle it. Yes, we’re aware we can’t leave until the ship clears. That was why I posted this. I knew we wouldn’t be able to get off the ship until probably at least 30 min after we pull in. And if we did this excursion there isn’t a worry about getting back late because it ends several hours before we have to be back on board. The tour operator can only be so flexible, because if they have non-cruise passengers on it, it’s not fair to make them wait on account of us. (I see what you mean now, no, this isn’t a private tour. I just meant it’s a company not affiliated with RCL.) If he fills up with folks from our ship, then I wouldn’t even be worried. Because we’d all (forgive the pun) be in the same boat. But no one on our FB group is responding to whether anyone else has booked it. 
Your final advice is my plan B. To do some tour around the island. The island looks gorgeous. But I really wanted to sneak a snorkel excursion in to this vacation and this is the first island I found one. We’re doing island tours already on Lanzarote and Tenerife. I wanted to do something on the water for this one. 
I was hoping there’d by someone who has been to Funchal and could give me an idea of how far it is from ship to leaving the port. There really isn’t a lot of info on these boards about the Canary Islands. This has been a tough cruise to plan for!

Thank you for taking the time to respond! 😃 

[amyj23]

19 hours ago, alserrod said:

Hi, can anyone move this thread to "other ports" subforum?

 

(Madeira is a Portuguese port, not a Spanish one)

I’m aware. CC is thin with Canary Island threads and it seemed most fell in this forum. Not sure why Portugal doesn’t have a spot somewhere. 

[amyj23]

14 hours ago, John Bull said:

The quay at Funchal is well over 1/2 mile long long, so it depends on quite how far along your ship is berthed. There will e taxis at the ship. And retro buses partway along the quayside 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/jPjhUxtoiD9zjMPc6

 

And can you quote the location you need to be at to meet the excursion operator?

 

JB 🙂

Thank you JB! That’s really helpful. That would take a bit to walk down. 
This was the description the tour operator told me “The cruise port is on the other side of the marina, so if you come by taxi is close but if you come walking it would be 15min approximately.”

The address on the company’s website is this, but not sure if this is the exact location of where the catamaran will be: Avenida Do Mar, Funchal, 9000, PT.

After reading your post, I’m leaning towards not going. Unless I could fill the catamaran with others from my cruise. But no one is responding to my FB post, so there’s probably little hope for that at this point.  (Sorry about this formatting. Lol. I’m on my phone and can’t get it off.)

[John Bull]

HI again Amy,

 

I share your grief with technococololgy 

This formatting in sympathy 😄

 

That address is indeed the marina.

15 to 20 minutes walk.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/K3ytuXXTqcFuhPtD9

9 am is quite late for an arrival, I suspect it'll be more like 8am arrival & disembarkation from 9 am. 

Are the arrival times quoted for the other ports similar or earlier? 

But regardless, it's a bit of a risk.

 

One time we rented a car and circum-navigated the island.

Most of it was very scenic, but the south coast was almost all in long tunnels. Tunnels aren't very scenic.🙄

 

On another occasion we took the cablecar up to Monte, then descent on a wicker toboggan

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=41437dda0f3602d3&rlz=1C1GEWG_en-GBGB999GB999&sxsrf=ACQVn0_1lub_4KJNvM6qf3RaYrxZD-E-Tg:1706643072268&q=funchal+toboggan+ride&tbm=vid&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjilNLw7IWEAxU1gf0HHc5JBEoQ0pQJegQICxAB&biw=1346&bih=670&dpr=1.25#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:0c16b81e,vid:7wZugMQpcSU,st:0  (not our video, one of several on YouTube)

From the cruise pier by retro bus (or tuk-tuk or taxi) to the cablecar station, which is just past the marina.

Up in the cablecar to the first station, Monte Palace Gardens.

Short walk round the corner to the start of the toboggan ride.

The ride takes you about half-way down to Funchal, then walk or haggle a shared taxi to the town centre.

Fun day, not too expensive.

 

More posts on the Europe, other Mediterranean ports (??🙄??) board

Here are some

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=Funchal&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149

 

Super island, super people

 

JB 🙂

[amyj23]

7 hours ago, John Bull said:

HI again Amy,

 

I share your grief with technococololgy 

This formatting in sympathy 😄

 

That address is indeed the marina.

15 to 20 minutes walk.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/K3ytuXXTqcFuhPtD9

9 am is quite late for an arrival, I suspect it'll be more like 8am arrival & disembarkation from 9 am. 

Are the arrival times quoted for the other ports similar or earlier? 

But regardless, it's a bit of a risk.

 

One time we rented a car and circum-navigated the island.

Most of it was very scenic, but the south coast was almost all in long tunnels. Tunnels aren't very scenic.🙄

 

On another occasion we took the cablecar up to Monte, then descent on a wicker toboggan

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=41437dda0f3602d3&rlz=1C1GEWG_en-GBGB999GB999&sxsrf=ACQVn0_1lub_4KJNvM6qf3RaYrxZD-E-Tg:1706643072268&q=funchal+toboggan+ride&tbm=vid&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjilNLw7IWEAxU1gf0HHc5JBEoQ0pQJegQICxAB&biw=1346&bih=670&dpr=1.25#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:0c16b81e,vid:7wZugMQpcSU,st:0  (not our video, one of several on YouTube)

From the cruise pier by retro bus (or tuk-tuk or taxi) to the cablecar station, which is just past the marina.

Up in the cablecar to the first station, Monte Palace Gardens.

Short walk round the corner to the start of the toboggan ride.

The ride takes you about half-way down to Funchal, then walk or haggle a shared taxi to the town centre.

Fun day, not too expensive.

 

More posts on the Europe, other Mediterranean ports (??🙄??) board

Here are some

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=Funchal&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149

 

Super island, super people

 

JB 🙂

Thanks for taking the time to give all the suggestions and advice, JB! Will check that other thread out, too!

[edinburgher]

23 hours ago, amyj23 said:

This is a snorkel excursion and there isn’t one offered by the cruise line or I’d actually consider it.

 

Without knowing that, I wrongly assumed you were heading out on an island tour rather than exploring Funchal itself as Funchal and island tours are probably the two most popular options for this port call.

On 1/29/2024 at 8:00 PM, amyj23 said:

I don't want to have to decide on the fly on another excursion. Anyone with advice, I'd love to

Was trying toi be helpful advising that, if your tour didn't work out and you planned to stay in town, no tour would be essential as it would be easy to explore Funchal  independently with the help of some pre-trip homework.

 

For anyone else planning a visit to this beautiful floral island, suggestions include.

 

Monte Palace, the Botanical Gardens, the wicker toboggan ride, all in the Monte area, easily reached by either cable car or public bus.  In town, the colourful market, the pretty pedestrian shopping area next to Blandy's Wine Lodge where you can tour and/or sample some of the best Madeiran wines, 9and the Cathedral is nearby too) End with a  stroll along the waterfront to return to your ship.  Even should you not visit Blandy's to tour or sample, do sit somewhere and enjoy a glass of local wine.

Edited January 31 by edinburgher

[amyj23]

2 hours ago, edinburgher said:

 

Without knowing that, I wrongly assumed you were heading out on an island tour rather than exploring Funchal itself as Funchal and island tours are probably the two most popular options for this port call.

Was trying toi be helpful advising that, if your tour didn't work out and you planned to stay in town, no tour would be essential as it would be easy to explore Funchal  independently with the help of some pre-trip homework.

 

For anyone else planning a visit to this beautiful floral island, suggestions include.

 

Monte Palace, the Botanical Gardens, the wicker toboggan ride, all in the Monte area, easily reached by either cable car or public bus.  In town, the colourful market, the pretty pedestrian shopping area next to Blandy's Wine Lodge where you can tour and/or sample some of the best Madeiran wines, 9and the Cathedral is nearby too) End with a  stroll along the waterfront to return to your ship.  Even should you not visit Blandy's to tour or sample, do sit somewhere and enjoy a glass of local wine.

Thanks, Edinburgher! I have plenty of time to plan an alternate activity. I will use your suggestions above! 

[Scottishclover]

On 1/30/2024 at 4:44 PM, amyj23 said:

 
We are totally aware of doing tours independently of the cruise ship. We are seasoned cruisers and routinely book independent tours. This is a snorkel excursion and there isn’t one offered by the cruise line or I’d actually consider it. The only thing close to it is on a speed boat that’s rough and my husband’s back and my neck can’t handle it. Yes, we’re aware we can’t leave until the ship clears. That was why I posted this. I knew we wouldn’t be able to get off the ship until probably at least 30 min after we pull in. And if we did this excursion there isn’t a worry about getting back late because it ends several hours before we have to be back on board. The tour operator can only be so flexible, because if they have non-cruise passengers on it, it’s not fair to make them wait on account of us. (I see what you mean now, no, this isn’t a private tour. I just meant it’s a company not affiliated with RCL.) If he fills up with folks from our ship, then I wouldn’t even be worried. Because we’d all (forgive the pun) be in the same boat. But no one on our FB group is responding to whether anyone else has booked it. 
Your final advice is my plan B. To do some tour around the island. The island looks gorgeous. But I really wanted to sneak a snorkel excursion in to this vacation and this is the first island I found one. We’re doing island tours already on Lanzarote and Tenerife. I wanted to do something on the water for this one. 
I was hoping there’d by someone who has been to Funchal and could give me an idea of how far it is from ship to leaving the port. There really isn’t a lot of info on these boards about the Canary Islands. This has been a tough cruise to plan for!

Thank you for taking the time to respond! 😃 

My advice would be to do an island tour in Madeira. The island is absolutely gorgeous - I have been around 15 times. Much more scenic in my opinion than Tenerife and Lanzarote. Not sure a snorkel excursion is the way to go on the island.

[VMax1700]

Dear Mods,

Why is this thread in "Other Mediterranean Ports"?

Madeira is NOT in the med.  It is not even close to the Med.

Probably should be moved to "British Isles & Western Europe" (you won't get much more "West" than this!

Or perhaps change the "Spain" sub forum to be "Iberian Penisula and Macaronesia Islands".

[Cotswold Eagle]

5 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Dear Mods,

Why is this thread in "Other Mediterranean Ports"?

Madeira is NOT in the med.  It is not even close to the Med.

Probably should be moved to "British Isles & Western Europe" (you won't get much more "West" than this!

Or perhaps change the "Spain" sub forum to be "Iberian Penisula and Macaronesia Islands".

Well, that’s where Funchal is listed, along with other Portuguese ports. So now you have prompted it to be moved away from where other threads on the same port reside…. 
 

It’s the same CC logic that puts Le Havre (and ‘Paris’) in the French board, even though that too is a sub of the Mediterranean category. The list of named ports takes precedence over the actual geography. 

Edited February 2 by Cotswold Eagle

[VMax1700]

13 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Well, that’s where Funchal is listed, along with other Portuguese ports. So now you have prompted it to be moved away from where other threads on the same port reside…. 
 

It’s the same CC logic that puts Le Havre (and ‘Paris’) in the French board, even though that too is a sub of the Mediterranean category. The list of named ports takes precedence over the actual geography. 

At least part of France and part of mainland Spain is on the Med. Portugal, of course, is not in the Med, and so should 'logically' be within the "British Isles and Western Europe". 

Though, do not start me on there only being "North American Homeports" and every where else is just a "Port of Call".

[edinburgher]

On 1/31/2024 at 6:51 PM, amyj23 said:

Monte Palace, the Botanical Gardens, the wicker toboggan ride, all in the Monte area, easily reached by either cable car or public bus.  In town, the colourful market, the pretty pedestrian shopping area next to Blandy's Wine Lodge where you can tour and/or sample some of the best Madeiran wines, 9and the Cathedral is nearby too) End with a  stroll along the waterfront to return to your ship.  Even should you not visit Blandy's to tour or sample, do sit somewhere and enjoy a glass of local wine.

Regardeless of whether you choose to snorkel or go on an island tour instead, if your ship is in town for a full day, you should have a little time left over, enough to do or see something in Funchal.  Making your decision easier, any "homework" you do ahead of time should give you an indication of distances from the dock and the time which might be needed to do it.

 

Note that my suggestions for others looking for ideas, took us two visits to complete, with the Monte Palace and the Botanical Gardens  forming the base plans on our second visit as we could not manage everything on our first and had to prioritise.  Should there be a third, an island tour would be our first choice.

Edited February 3 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

On 1/31/2024 at 6:51 PM, amyj23 said:

Thanks, Edinburgher! I have plenty of time to plan an alternate activity. I will use your suggestions above! 

new info added in above post.

[amyj23]

On 2/4/2024 at 7:17 AM, edinburgher said:

new info added in above post.

All great advice/info Edinburgher! I have been busy the last few weeks and suspended planning, but this will aid me once I pick up planning again! 😃

[amyj23]

I somehow missed all the comments about where this thread belonged until today. Yeah, it makes zero sense that it's listed under the Mediterranean. I wish someone could explain that one to me. Well anyway, all of you who responded to this gave me loads of great advice. So hopefully it won't matter that no one will find it unless they purposely search for the right keywords! 

[amyj23]

Thanks to all of you for your feedback and suggestions. After I read what you said, I researched and realized how gorgeous this island is. I finally settled on a private tour of the island. I'm really looking forward to it!