Picture heavy fun review - MSC Armonia - Canary Isles and Madeira - incl. DIY trips

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Tenerife port

In the port of Santa Cruz deTenerife you will be picked up by a free port shuttle bus, which will bring you to the port exit.

Good thing, since depending on where your ship docks it can be quite a walk otherwise. In the picture you can see our Armonia, then an Aida ship followed by a Thomson ship.

Lol – I like the hovering-in-the air non smoking sign … looks like some sort of flying saucer – or the Voldemort sign from Harry Potter .

We had the shuttle bus completely to ourselves …

He really drove just for the two of us --- what a luxury.

See the brown oval structure in the picture behind the slanted roof? Looks a bit like an exhaust pipe sticking up into the air?

That’s where your shuttle bus will drop you off --- just two stories further down --- there is an elevator hidden in the exhaust fume thingy… this picture was taken looking back to it while on our way off the port.

Lol – I liked this statue

...and my measly attempt to imitate it …. Gheesshhh I should have at least loosened my ponytail.

We were on a mission to get to the main bus depot in order to get to Puerto de la Cruz and eventually Loro Parque. Here’s a map on how to accomplish this on your own:

I’ll describe the path in detail in the next post.

Stay tuned!

Stef

[denisey]

Welcome Back! It looks like Tenerife is going to be another fun port!

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Welcome Back! It looks like Tenerife is going to be another fun port!

 

:) yay -- you waited for me .... thanks! :)

 

Tenerife wasn't as packed as the other days ... we only wanted to re-visit Loro Parque, which we had visited 10 years ago on one of our first holidays.

 

We're big fans. You've never been? Don't worry, I'll lead you through it with tons of pictures to get a thorough taste:cool:.

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Okay …so let’s start walking towards the bus station.

If you look at the map I showed you in the last post, you’ll see a big round structure. This is what it looks like in real life:

Up to this watery monument you walk southbound (left) along the shoreline-promenade … but when you see this thing (and it really cannot be missed), it is time to cross the road towards it.

Keep on working southbound along the edge of this round thingy and soon you’ll stand in front of this naked guy:

lol, he has a helmet on, and his sword comes in handy, so I guess he isn’t completely naked afterall:D.

Him and his colleague stand guard in front of her:

Mhh, looks like the statue from earlier on … guess she came with a ship …. Who is she? Anybody knows?

Well, she is placed within this row of columns, which look like a semi-modern impression of Stonehenge. Nothing I expected to find on Tenerife.

But actually this picture is also good for directional purposes…. See the two buildings behind her? You need to walk through that exact street separating them in order to get to the tram station … Which will be up next…

Stay tuned!

Stef

[Elmartellama]

The statue was built in honour of "those who lost their lives for Spain". That kind of monuments were built after Spanish civil war, during the fascist era, displaying typical Spanish / Italian Fascist architecture. They are usually very controversial.

 

That one in particular was built in 1944 and it is an allegory of the "liberation crussade" that made possible the Franco regime for 40 years. Franco coup was planned in the Canaries, that's why they build such a vast monument there.

 

Most of them were removed since 1975, not surprisingly.

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

The statue was built in honour of "those who lost their lives for Spain". That kind of monuments were built after Spanish civil war, during the fascist era, displaying typical Spanish / Italian Fascist architecture. They are usually very controversial.

 

That one in particular was built in 1944 and it is an allegory of the "liberation crussade" that made possible the Franco regime for 40 years. Franco coup was planned in the Canaries, that's why they build such a vast monument there.

 

Most of them were removed since 1975, not surprisingly.

 

:eek: I didn't know the Franco Regime started on the Canaries ... I'm quite shocked. Thanks for filling in this lack of knowledge. I admit I really didn't do any historical background check for this cruise ... I should have....won't happen again. Lol -- I did manage to decipher the Spanish inscription with the honor for the fallen Spanish .... just that I didn't put it in context with the Franco regime. We have these monuments all over Germany honoring those who fell in the first and second world war ... usually there are the names of the soldiers written below, who came from the according village.

 

I still don't get the allegory with the woman and the waving hair.... something like "Lady Liberty" US-style? oh well.

 

:)Thanks for your help!

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

The tram

When you walked through the street I told you about you’ll end up right in front of the tram station “Fundacion”:

You need to enter the tram on the right side of the platform to go to the bus depot.

Now: Attention everybody. We made a crucial mistake which I want to warn you about: You have two possible means to pay your tickets…

One: buy single tickets for each ride ---- worst idea ever!

Two: Buy Bono cards for 12 Euros to use for all your rides.

You see that’s what we did. It

is

the way to go!

But here’s our mistake --- we bought one Bono card for each of us …

Totally unnecessary!!!!!!! For the tram rides to and from the bus station and the entire bus route to Puerto de la Cruz and back for two people you need only

ONE

card!!!!!

You’ll even have enough money left on the card to take full sightseeing-like trips of Santa Cruz with the tram afterwards…… Sigh, we now own two more than half full Bono cards ….. I guess we’ll have to return to Tenerife to use them again to get our money’s worth.

This is the inside of the tram:

That’s what they look like from the outside:

It is only a short ride with no stops between Fundacion and Intercambiador (aka Bus station).

This is what the bus station looks like from ground level:

The tram station is really right across the street.

Let’s continue with getting to the right bus in the next post. Sorry if this is too detailed folks, but I wanna make sure to get it foolproof, because it is such a nice, cheap and easy way to get to Puerto de la Cruz. If you look at the prices of the gazillion official ship excursions going there--- it’s insane!

Stay tuned!

Stef

[SquishTheWhale]

Thanks for all the info on Tenerife so far- I really wanted to go to Loro Parque on our Jan cruise but it looked too difficult to do indpendentley so we booked the ships excursion! But if I go again I'll know how to do it from your post :) I'm looking forward to hearing what you thought of the park!

[Bimmer09]

The theatre

Lol – first of all I loved the name La Fenice – just because it’s the name of the newly renovated theatre in Venice, which I desperately would love to see a Verdi Opera in my lifetime.

 

Stef-

I don't sail MSC so seldom read this board and am just finding your review today.

 

I sailed out of Venice in September 2014 on the Ocean Princess and the day before we joined the ship we went to La Fenice which was near our hotel. We had bought tickets to Il Trovatore a couple of months before on line.

 

It is a beautiful house! Too ornate for a Wagner Disciple like me but I can still appreciate all the work that went into the restoration. We had a private box which we shared with an Italian couple. It's a small house with a big stage and a big orchestra pit so they have their priorities right. The band was very high quality and despite being such a small house they had really good singers and production values.

 

The organization and facilities for the audience were top-notch. Very friendly staff.

 

Here are a couple of photos I took during our visit....

 

Exterior- there are 3 restaurants in the small square just out of the shot-great for a meal before or after or a coffee during intermission.

 

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Before the performance as people take their seats

 

 

My Opera Companion, Carol, leaning out of our box after the show

 

 

I hope you get to see La Fenice for yourself!

Tchuss!

 

Norris

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Hi Bimmer09,

 

Lol, here I am writing about bus depots and you're dazzling me with La Fenice photos. Wow! You've got me drooling. I HAVE to see an opera in this beautiful place....just have to! With our next vacation still a year away and Italy probably waving on the horizon for the oh so distant year of 2017 -- things like this will help me keep the dream alive until we finally experience La dolce vita on sight again. Thank you!!!!!!

 

 

Stef

[denisey]

Hi Bimmer09,

 

Lol, here I am writing about bus depots and you're dazzling me with La Fenice photos. Wow! You've got me drooling. I HAVE to see an opera in this beautiful place....just have to! With our next vacation still a year away and Italy probably waving on the horizon for the oh so distant year of 2017 -- things like this will help me keep the dream alive until we finally experience La dolce vita on sight again. Thank you!!!!!!

 

 

Stef

 

I'm looking at 2018 for a return to Europe! :(

 

I will definitely need to go look at the opera house next time I am in Venice! Loved the photos Bimmer!

 

Denise

Edited August 4, 2015 by denisey

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Bus depo in Santa Cruz:

 

 

 

 

When you enter the bus depot through one of the giant glass doors, you feel like you've just entered an airport terminal of a big city. It is huge! But when you let your eyes wander around a bit, you'll find this hallway with a giant sign above it:

 

 

This is the route you have to take to get to the busses.

 

In Order to get to the 103 to Puerto de la Cruz, you have to ascend

two

sets of escalators to the very top level.

 

 

Then you move down the line of bus-line signs until after not so long you'll reach the right spot for the 103.

 

 

Tadaaahhhh!!!!

 

 

There are many more busses which go to Puerto de la Cruz ... don't make the mistake to enter one just because the 103 isn't there yet. The 103 is the only line which will bring you to Puerto Cruz DIRECTLY! The other ones will all stop at various other towns along the way, making the ride more than double (or even triple) as long! Just be patient and wait for the next 103 to arrive ... it's worth the wait.

 

 

stay tuned!

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Thanks for all the info on Tenerife so far- I really wanted to go to Loro Parque on our Jan cruise but it looked too difficult to do indpendentley so we booked the ships excursion! But if I go again I'll know how to do it from your post :) I'm looking forward to hearing what you thought of the park!

 

Mhh, well, I guess you can't cancel a booking like that .... I wouldn't know. But maybe, if you've reached the park with your excursion and find you have too little time left to explore, maybe you can tell them to go ahead without you, so you can travel back to port independently and enjoy a couple of more hours... just an idea.

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

The bus ride to Puerto de la Cruz

 

The ride takes about 30 minutes. It does stop along the way to pick some people up, but not too much. Most of the route goes along the big freeway connecting both sides of the island. Here are some pictures:

 

fast and direct road -- and you can see the Teide Volcano in the background

 

wait....

 

here it is getting much closer:

 

 

and still a bit closer:

 

A trip to the Teide must be extraordinarily wonderful as well, but you'd need an entire day ... so not this time for us, since we longed to see Loro Parque again.

 

speaking of the devil:

 

 

Whoohoooo!!!! We're coming!

 

 

 

 

This is where you're being dropped of in Puerto de la Cruz .... okay, having just experienced the vast and modern bus depot of SANTA Cruz, this road with a couple of bus signs is kinda dissapointing .... but it does the job. Just remember that you're not looking for a real building on your return to the bus .... just a street with tons of busses and plenty of bus-line signs. Oh, the 103 is one of THE furtherst down the street line .... so you'll have to pass almost all the other signs to get to the end of the street when you're heading back in the evening .... just to make sure you don't panic after having read a gazillion other line numbers before finding the 103 eventually :-)

 

 

Anyway, the final bus stop in Puerto de la Cruz is still a bit away from the park. You CAN walk .... along the coast even if you wish ....

 

 

... but we were sooo eager to get to the park as fast as possible, that we treated ourselvelves to a cab. The ride took less than 5 minutes and cost around 4 Euros.... Perfect!

 

stay tuned!

 

Stef

[Bimmer09]

Hi Bimmer09,

 

Lol, here I am writing about bus depots and you're dazzling me with La Fenice photos. Wow! You've got me drooling. I HAVE to see an opera in this beautiful place....just have to! With our next vacation still a year away and Italy probably waving on the horizon for the oh so distant year of 2017 -- things like this will help me keep the dream alive until we finally experience La dolce vita on sight again. Thank you!!!!!!

 

 

Stef

 

Stef- you are welcome.

 

The Venice cruise was the first one we have taken which coincided with opera. We usually cruise Alaska or the Caribbean, neither of which have opera.

 

We visit Europe often ( I think 7 times in the past 12 years) and have seen operas in Bayreuth (best opera house on Earth), Staatsoper Berlin (2nd best)

National Opera in Munich, Zurich Opera and Vienna Staatsoper.

 

The Opera is closed in both Rome and Barcelona on our next trip -Emerald Princess from Rome September 26....just 7 weeks away (otherwise we would have tickets.)

 

I will write a big review on that one!

 

Read my reviews....and consider Princess in your future!

 

Bis später.

 

Norris

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Hi guys,

 

:o

 

no, I haven't abandoned you. Sorry for the delay. The weather was just too beautiful (lol -- I know the climate change is a bad thing, but actually I do enjoy the warmer temps in summer nowadays around here in northern/center Germany).

 

But I wasn't completely lazy. I did sort the Loro Park pics and am happy to anounce 14:D:eek::D Loro-posts heading your way. ....well not today....but I promise to get started on it tomorrow!

 

So please hang in there a tiny bit longer....thanks:p

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

We visit Europe often ( I think 7 times in the past 12 years) and have seen operas in Bayreuth (best opera house on Earth), Staatsoper Berlin (2nd best)

National Opera in Munich, Zurich Opera and Vienna Staatsoper.

 

The Opera is closed in both Rome and Barcelona on our next trip -Emerald Princess from Rome September 26....just 7 weeks away (otherwise we would have tickets.)

 

I will write a big review on that one!

 

Read my reviews....and consider Princess in your future!

 

Bis später.

 

Norris

 

Hi Bimmer 09,

 

Lol -- how to put it mildly? Wagner and us don't harmonize ..... yet maybe, who knows what the future brings. But I see why Bayreuth ranks top for you if you're a Wagner fan :).

 

I have never been to any REAL Opera performance ... just watch them on TV or listen to them while driving .... not the same .... I know -- but better than nothing. We do love to go to the theatre, just haven't had the chance yet to experience anything besides regular concerts or dramas /comedies (usually Shakespeare).

 

:rolleyes:Lots of stuff to still experience in the future, yay!

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Loro Park 1 – getting started

You pass the entrance area and pay for your tickets below this slanted Thailand-style

roof. The entrance fee is quite high – 34,00 Euros per person for the regular admittance. You can buy VIP tickets including a behind the scenes tour, but we knew there’d be hardly enough time to see the rest of the park during our time frame, so we stuck to the “normal” fee.

Here’s a map I copied online… sorry, didn’t think of taking a photo of our own map.

foreign picture:

It gives you a good overview and an idea what to expect.

We started off walking towards the penguins (

THE

reason we wanted to visit the park again) and passed this pretty waterfall and it’s liquid inhabitants underneath:

Next up: the penguins:p !!!

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Loro Park 2 – planet penguin

They have this round building housing the penguins. When Tanja and I first visited this place years ago, it had just opened up. Picture a round piece of Antarctica beamed into a giant glass bowl turned upside down – then picture a moving band slowly inching forward around this bowl with spectators gaping openmouthed at the icy and snowy scenery behind the glass. Pictures don’t do it any justice whatsoever. It’s a miracle to witness and I strongly urge everyone to visit. Sigh, here are my attempts to capture the spirit.

Entrance to the snow-dome:

Some penguins hanging out while it’s snowing from the ceiling:

Hi there!

Yummy fish – Lol, I think Tanja proved perfect timing in taking this pic

The underwater views are another highlight:

Lol – these suckers are just too fast for the camera …

These pictures don’t portray the intensity of the experience at all! Really --- it is absolutely wonderful! Go check it out yourselves!!!!!

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

 

PS:

 

:)When we saw that there'd be a port stop on Tenerife, we both simultaneously yelled:"hooray, we'll get a chance to see the penguins again!" THAT'S how much we loved them on our first visit. And we loved it just as much this second time around (10 years in between)!

Lol -- no other port program would have been able to surpass the penguins, so I didn't even bother to look. I guess we'll take another look in another ten years from now:D.

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Loro Park 3 – bird cuties

Loro Parque is all about birds … well, actually parrots. It started with a broad selection of breeds when it first opened its gates. Nowadays you still see some of the “older” park areas with the older cages … mhhh--- I guess there still is room for improvement here. But let’s start with other birds, who we saw right next to the penguins:

Lol – Papageientaucher! No clue what they are called in English.

I love these speedy little dervishes whizzing about and playing and dancing in the water. Really a fun experience.

Another birdy-awwwhhh experience was to see these two tiny parrot babies:

But enough of these “special” bird sightings. Let’s get to the real bird show to be seen on sight: The Loro Show is up next!

Stef

[SquishTheWhale]

Lol – Papageientaucher! No clue what they are called in English

 

Puffins :) Which I think is a cute name that suits them well as they look kind of puffed up!

Edited August 12, 2015 by SquishTheWhale

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Puffins :) Which I think is a cute name that suits them well as they look kind of puffed up!

 

:) that IS a cute name....thanks for the info!

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Loro Park 4 – Loro Show

After the penguins we hurried over to the Loro Show and got in just in time. Sadly, that meant for us to take seats in the very back:

Isn’t this ceiling so cool?

The show itself is cute. Parrots doing tricks:

The woman who leads the show is wonderful and I like her way of handling the birds. We had fun …. But the best of the show is when they let the parrots fly --- many of them ….. directly over your heads …. So close you feel their feathers brushing you midflight. Wow!!!!!! Lol – we had visited the show 10 years ago and came back for just that feeling. We loved it the second time around as well. We tried to capture the flying birds with our cameras …. No chance … they were just too fast. You can merely see them as shadows zipping past:

Next up: three dolphin posts!

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Loro Park 5 – dolphins (one of three)

So after the Loro Show we headed straight to the next show – the dolphins. But wait, who’s that hiding behind the foliage?

Hey it’s the woman from the Loro show! Why is she bringing the parrots over to the dolphins’ pool?

Oh cool … They’re flying.

Really pretty to see these colorful birds fly by with the blue pool underneath and the ocean in the background.

 

But now after this feathery introduction …. Here come the dolphins:

More to come!

Stef