CMV Funchal 21 Oct 2014

Hi, I am booked on the MV Funchal from Bristol to Lisbon from 21 Oct 2014 until 30 Oct 2014. Does anyone know at which dock the Funchal will be arriving in Lisbon on the 30th or if there is public transportation from the docks into the city? Has anyone seen a roll call for this cruise? Any suggestions as to shore excursions, independent, sharing, or otherwise, in the Canary Islands or Madeira ports? Thanks very much for any info, Vicki

You could also ask on the Other Mediterranean Ports forum here:

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=234

thanks, Ray66. although my cruise doesn't go to the Mediterranean, I do see helpful info on Lisbon on the site you sent the link for. that's great. Vicki

If you use the Search function on that forum, you will see messages that cover Madeira and the Canaries.

thank you, Ray66, that is so helpful. I'm pretty hopeless at searching and getting around the threads but thanks to your suggestion, I did find a search option. When I went to the link you sent, on the top, it showed that it's called "other Mediterranean ports" (or something like that) yet under ports, I don't see that - I'll keep trying.

another thing I've been trying to find, although this is way off topic, in late June 2014, I heard that a Taku Lodge shore excursion from Juneau got weathered in and had to spend 2 nights at Taku Lodge (and so missing the next 2 days of their cruise). I've hunted for any info on this but haven't found any, either in google news or cc. That must have been a very interesting time for all those involved and I've heard it's never happened before. I'm sure it was very stressful for many, although in a beautiful spot, and better for everyone to be safe.

The following is the general Ports of Call page:

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

Scroll down and click on Europe to get this:

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

and then it shows Other Mediterranean Ports

thanks so much, Ray66, that was very helpful and I've found some good Lisbon info, including a site that should eventually show the port where the Funchal will dock in Lisbon. I'm still hoping to find some passengers on this cruise and am looking forward to this smaller sized ship. Has anyone sailed on it recently? thanks again, Vicki

Hi, I am booked on the MV Funchal from Bristol to Lisbon from 21 Oct 2014 until 30 Oct 2014. Does anyone know at which dock the Funchal will be arriving in Lisbon on the 30th or if there is public transportation from the docks into the city? Has anyone seen a roll call for this cruise? Any suggestions as to shore excursions, independent, sharing, or otherwise, in the Canary Islands or Madeira ports? Thanks very much for any info, Vicki

Amoba, the port of Lisbon indicates one Funchal to be arrived on the 30th by 9AM, by the Rocha Conde de Óbidos terminal.

All cruise terminals in Lisbon are in the city, since Lisbon has an entire riverfront from southwest to northeast. So you can expect transports anywhere but not into the city since you already are in the city.:)

This particular cruise terminal is located in the south of Lisbon where there's a train station just around the corner (Santos) where you can go to the downtown, and there are also buses, tram and taxis.

Thanks very much Dom Peres, that is more helpful news. It's great to know that there will be plenty of public transportation options nearby, to get to hotels and around the city from the port. When I look at the portodelisboa website, I can't find any ships/ports for more than a week or two into the future. How are you finding this information? If you are familiar with the Lisbon area, could you tell me the name of the inn by the lighthouse in Cascais? Thanks again, Vicki

Thanks very much Dom Peres, that is more helpful news. It's great to know that there will be plenty of public transportation options nearby, to get to hotels and around the city from the port. When I look at the portodelisboa website, I can't find any ships/ports for more than a week or two into the future. How are you finding this information? If you are familiar with the Lisbon area, could you tell me the name of the inn by the lighthouse in Cascais? Thanks again, Vicki

The info is from the port of Lisbon.

I guess you're talking about the Santa Marta Lightouse. It's called Farol Hotel (sorry for the pub...).

Having cruised on this tub from Falmouth recently, I would suggest you cancel and fly instead! The staff, crew, food etc. are all great, it's just that the boat should not be allowed out of a boating pond. If it has stabilisers, which I doubt,

then they must be too stingy to spend the fuel penalty on extending them. We spent three very uncomfortable days and nights rolling and pitching so much that we had muscle cramps from the exertion for days after. The cabin was about the size of a large dog kennel, with so little storage that we didn't unpack for the duration and the stink of diesel in the corridors and stairwells was nauseating. I also had serious doubts about the safety onboard, having had a good look at the (mostly open) lifeboats, which look as if Noah had some input into their design. The gangplank was almost literally that, with a gap at both sides of over 18 inches, and through which anyone could have fallen into the drink, or onto the quay! and only when I made a big show of taking photographs did someone make up a rope barrier, but even then only on one side. My other major gripe is that no one used the hand gel, and in the buffet it took me two days to find out there was a dispenser, almost hidden on a bulkhead behind the trays. All in all a disaster waiting to happen!

grantdrive, that sounds very discouraging and as though I better bring extra seasickness tablets. How many days were you on the Funchal, where did the cruise go, and was it this past summer? Which deck was your cabin on? Were many passengers seasick? Hopefully, they'll have hand sanitizers and nets for the gangplank as standard practice by the time I go. But there probably isn't time to get proper stabilization. I'll have my camera ready! Thanks very much for any more info! Vicki

The cruise from Falmouth was 11th August this year for 12 nights to Portugal, Spain and Morocco, and to be fair they were claiming that the tail end of a hurricane was causing the extreme movement of the ship, but having crossed the Bay of Biscay many times on the old "Pride of Bilbao" car ferry, once in a force 12, I didn't believe that one bit! There were a few people not seen for a couple of days due to seasickness, and many more who took falls, not least because the handrails have gaps all over the place, including on the stairs. We had an outside cabin no: 527, with a single porthole that spent half it's time under water due to the rolling. They called it deck 4, which I couldn't get the hang of the logic of with a number starting 5. We did speak to people who had been on the ship before, and when we couldn't believe they had come back a second time on it, they said it wasn't as bad before, and anyway they liked the staff! I had to agree with that, they are all very nice, so you may be luckier with the weather. Good Luck.

Thank you, grantdrive, for the additional info on this ship. I emailed Portuscale about the issues you raise and they, as expected, assured me that all is well. but at least I wanted to bring it to someone's attention that these issues matter to passengers as it can make such a difference to repeat business. Although seas can still be rough, I'm at least hoping for hand sanitizers to be available and will watch out for missing railings. Here's hoping for the best, smooth sailing, and a pleasant cruise although my expectations are a bit lowered. Vicki

I am sure you will enjoy the experience, as I said the staff are very pleasant, and seem genuinely to be happy to be working there, so the company are obviously trying hard to make it all work. If you have the kind of weather we are having now it will be fine, but I stand by my comments on cabin size and diesel smells, which improve when under way, but get worse in port and for a while afterwards. If you come across a bar stewardess called Olena from the Ukraine, give her my regards.