SueMo

We were in Funchal in April of this year. If you are in good condition, you can walk—no need for a bus or taxi. From what I had read, the lines for the cable car can get rather lengthy, so we did this first thing It is a 30 minute walk along the water to get there. The first cable car leaves at 9:00 am. A round trip ticket cost us 18 euros. At the top of the cable car you can visit Monte Palace gardens (open 9:30 am, 12.5 euros). It is a beautiful place, but very hilly, so be prepared for some climbs! Afterwards you can check out Igreja do Monte, an 18th century church now on the site of the 15th century hermitage. At the high altar is a statue of the Lady of the Mountain. Check out the tomb of Charles I of Austria, who lived out his years in exile after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914. Charles was the last Emperor of Austria and Habsburg monarch. (We didn’t do this, but you can take the toboggan sleds down the hill afterwards instead of the cable car.) After returning on the cable car, look for the cobblestone street along a corridor of houses with painted doors called Rua de Santa Maria, just two streets behind the cable car station running parallel to the water. If you walk all the way on Rue de Santa Maria in the direction of the cruise port, you will reach the Old Town, Zona Velha. Close by is the Mercado dos Lavrodores farmer’s market in an impressive 1940 building and is a must-do. Cross Run Brigadier Oudinot and check out the shopping street Rue Dr. Fernao Ornelas. At the end of Rue Dr. Fernao de Ornelas, turn left on Rue do Aljube (another main shopping area) to see the Cathedral of Funchal (Se), free. Pass by the cathedral and in 2 blocks turn right onto Rue de Sao Francisco to Rue da Carreira. Shops line Rue da Carreira. You eventually reach Cemiterio Ingles. Turn left at the circle and head back towards the water and your cruise ship.

We’ve gone on Irie Tours on two separate occasions and enjoyed them both. You can check out their website and prebook or just book them when you get off the ship. We’ve also golfed at Old Quarry. The course was a little rough, but the views were beautiful and we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.

I’m so sorry. I hope he has a speedy recovery.

I want to correct my previous post. Evidently there are no longer sea turtles at Somerset. I’ve been told they now can be found at Clearwater beach.

My son was on a cruise last week and played at both Mid Ocean and Port Royal. Mid Ocean charged $275 ($100 less than their normal $375 because of green aeration) for a 1 pm tee time. He and his companions took their clubs with them (ferry to Hamilton, then taxi to the course). Between the hassle of getting there (he said he would rather pay the big $$ and go by taxi the entire way if he were to do it over) and the high greens price, he said he probably wouldn’t do it again from the Dockyards. On the other hand, Port Royal cost only $75 for a 3 pm (twilight rate) tee time, and the taxi ride there and back were pretty painless. The course was in decent shape. I’ve played at Turtle Hill several times in the past from the cruise ship and found it to be very nice for a par 3 course. However last year we found it to be in rough shape compared to prior visits—greens and fairways had a lot of dead grass and bare spots. The grounds just weren’t as nice as they have been in the past. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that the Fairmont Southhampton is no longer open.

The tour they took was the Rib-boat Whale Safari from West Tours: https://westtours.is/boat-tours/ . My son said it was the highlight of his trip. As for the Husavik vs. Akureyi question, go with Husavik! It is commonly thought of as the best place in Iceland for whale watching. If the trips through the ship are pricey, do it on your own. There isn’t really a whole lot to do in Husavik while Akureyi is Iceland’s 2nd largest town and is quite nice. My husband and I did the original whale watching tour with North Sailing https://www.northsailing.is/tour/husavik-original-whale-watching/, which was great, but there are plenty of other companies you can book with. You can do a land tour from Akureyi to see Godafoss, Myvatn Nature Baths (think Blue Lagoon for locals), and/or Hverir geothermal area. Or, just stay in Akureyi and go ziplining https://www.ziplineakureyri.is/ , a short taxi ride from port, and then explore the town.

My son and his family just got back from Iceland earlier this week where they did a rib boat whale watching tour in Isafjordur. Two humpbacks played alongside their boat for the entire time on the water. It was a highlight of their trip, and they brought home some amazing pictures and videos. I would definitely pick Isafjordur as one of the options, not only because of my son’s family’s experience, but for the fact that there are fewer land based tour options there as opposed to in Reykjavik and Akureyi.

Agree with all of the above. In May of this year we debarked our ship at 8:00 am (self carried luggage), facial recognition at the terminal made the process a breeze, immediately got a taxi (no need to pre-book), and were at the airport in about 20 minutes. We were easily there before 9:00 am. Our flight to Paris was not until 1:00 pm, so we ended up having to wait around since the Vueling check-in desk was not open yet.

I can recommend both Thistle Excursions and Wow Scotland tours. We’ve done bus tours on both and they were great! Both were interesting, organized, and fun. They also offer smaller tour groups for those interested in a more private experience.

You can download the app at any time. You can check in for your cruise on the app 45 days in advance. You have immediate access to current cruises (any ship), to see their daily planners and menus. You won’t have access to your particular cruise’s daily planner until the day of your embarkation.

In the past, we’ve taken the ferry to St. Georges and then bus from there to the caves (and stop at Swizzle Inn which is close by). It seems to be a shorter bus ride that way and the ferry to St Georges offers some lovely views. Also, take snorkling equipment to Somerset Long Bay. You might find some sea turtles swimming there.

The temperature will probably be mid 80’s. Port Royal sits next to the ocean so there will be some nice sea breezes. We’ve golfed at Port Royal several times in the past (usually late August/early September) and found out that the NCL ship (we were on Celebrity) has a morning excursion which takes up a chunk of tee times, so mornings might be out. I’d take the 2:00 pm deal.

We did a land tour the 2nd week of September of 2021. I looked at my pictures and most days I wore a zippered sweatshirt with a raincoat, rain-resistant pants, and gloves. I wore an extra layer and a wool hat our days when we did an airplane ride in Talkeetna that landed on a glacier and on the Kenai Fiords National Park cruise.

We took one of the green Denali transit buses (cheaper, said to be non-narrated, but our driver did narrate and spotted and pointed out the animals along the way). We sat in the very front seat, which was not blocked off, so that we could better hear the driver. My husband is also 6’5” and found the seat to be no more uncomfortable than any other buses we have experienced. He always sits on the inside and tilts his knees towards the aisle.

As mentioned above, Boston Whalers can be rented at https://bdawatersports.com/ and you can go snorkeling with the turtles. Also, they have very good jet boat and paddle board tours and rentals that would appeal to teens. Another good option is https://www.islandtourcentre.com/reservations . The Island Tour Centre has a variety of tours that teens would love. We’ve personally done both the Rising Son catamaran (snorkeling, paddle boarding, jumping off high rocks into the water) and the Dockyard Segway tour, both of which I believe teens would love.