Cruise’n’Travel
Journalist / Cruise Reviewer
&
Maritime Historian
A
Comprehensive 2008 Ship Review
Funchal
seen departing
In the past this intimate yacht like Funchal
has undertaken line voyages from UK/Europe to
The Funchal is genuine classic liner and she offers her guests a relaxing and informal style of cruise, one that is more suited to those who enjoy an old-fashioned style of service which is more personal, something that is lacking in the modern world.
You will discover the very best of facilities
on Funchal. There are four lounges and bars, a casino, a well
stocked duty free shop, library, card room, hair salon two
restaurants a pool and medical facilities. Five of her six
passenger decks are serviced by three lifts.
Ship
Review - MV Funchal in
As
this image indicates, as do all others, her paintwork is
immaculate!
My first impression of the ship was how
spotless she looked for a 47 year old classic liner, her external
paintwork was perfection, and the same can be said of all her
external paintwork on the ship. There is no doubt, she is a
shinning example of how a ship should be maintained and the truth
is, some of the larger cruise companies could well learn a lesson
from Classic International Cruises, especially considering this
is a Value for money cruise company and they do not pretend to be
a more glamorous cruise line, like the one I was on at the time!
Here
we see the forward hatch open, whilst items are still being
loaded in the morning
Windows
are to the Gama Lounge
Having
passed all the usual security measures, as we boarded, we were
greeted by Hotel Manager Joaquim Innes and Cruise Director John
Eagan who was given the charge to show us around. John took myself
and Mr. Tan on an extensive tour of the ship, covering all her
public rooms, facilities and decks. Due to all cabins being fully
occupied we were unable to view any, however, we did manage to
look at some through the open door whilst several were being
cleaned up on Navigator deck, although for privacy reasons I did
not photograph any.
Whilst
having an enjoyable drink in the Piano Lounge I had the
opportunity to chat with quite a number of passengers, as well as
later out on Navigators deck. These conversations proved to be
most helpful, as each and every passenger I spoke with, spoke
very highly of the ship, and the crew. Passengers were obviously
impressed with the superb service they were receiving aboard from
all the staff a mixture of Portuguese and International staff.
The high standard of food on offer received many comments and all
I can say is that these were some of the best fed passengers I
have met! Obviously, John Eagan and his staff did an excellent
job as did all those who provided the entertainment, the shows,
bands, cabarets, etc, etc. The list just went on. I was beginning
to think that the people I was speaking to were paid by Classic
International Cruises, but no they were all genuine passengers!
As
the ship was on a voyage from Australia to the UK sailing via the
Suez Canal, whilst Oriana was sailing via South Africa, it was
interesting to learn there were quite a few aboard who were past
P&O passengers who have chosen to sail annually on Funchal
rather than P&O, as they feel they are receiving better value
for money! Also, as the said, being on a smaller yacht like ship,
they got to know the other passengers so much better, and this
made it a very happy ship indeed!
All
these comments really lined up with the countless emails I have
received over the years. The vast majority of these have been
more than favourable, with only a few having the odd problem.
Generally these related to not to having a 24 hour dinning venue,
or 24 hour coffee facilities, etc. The point is: Classic
International Cruising is a traditional cruise company and they
are a “Value for money Cruise Company.” Some people
tend to forget that Classic International Cruises do not claim to
be anything like Cunard, Princess Cruises or P&O, and they
make no claim of being a 4 or 5 star luxury cruise line, but they
do offer an excellent cruise product. It is worth noting that tea
and coffee is available at 6.30am for those early birds.
How
do the passengers rate the Funchal?
Whilst
on board I managed to obtain a copy of the passenger
questionnaire results. This was based on the cruise prior the
line voyage from Fremantle to the
The
Results
“Atmosphere
onboard” had a 98.79% rating. The overall cruise
satisfaction rating was 94.22%. Meals (restaurant & buffet) scored
96.8%. Entertainment scored 97.3%. However the most amazing score
of all was the "Politeness of the crew" which had a
score of 100%, which is simply unheard of in the business! As my
readers will know I have been in the passengers shipping industry
since 1960 and part owned a cruise company in 1970’s, thus I
understand what satisfaction percentages mean, for they can make
or beak a company! Obviously Classic International Cruises has
researched their market well and they operate good ships and they
maintain them to perfection, and ensure that their passengers
receive total value for money, offering them, excellent service,
food, entertainment and a vast variety of ports to choose from.
Is
she a good sailing ship?
This
is a question I am frequently asked by those who have never
sailed on a smaller sized cruise ship. Passengers on Funchal will
tell you that she sails just fine, if not as well or even better
than many of the larger cruise ships. The point is this; the
movement of a ship is not related to the sheer size of a ship,
but good hull design. You will find that ships designed in the
1960’s, as is the Funchal, had superior sailing capabilities
than many of the large cruise ships of today. Many of these
modern ships were certainly not designed for heavy seas. In
addition these ships have huge 10/11 deck boxlike superstructures
on a low hull design, whilst Funchal is a long and sleek ship
having a low profile. In addition, for your comfort Funchal is
fully stabilized!
A photographic deck by deck tour of the ship
Navigators
Deck:
Public
Facilities: Aft is the delightful fully covered Buffet, which
offers breakfast and lunch daily, as well as especially themed
buffets on various occasions. This is also the venue for deck
parties at night.
Above
and below: The Buffet
Accommodations:
Cabins on this deck are category 10, being Outside Premium twin
bedded rooms with a picture window, with a TV, refrigerator and a
hairdryer. In addition there is one category 11 two roomed Suite,
with a separate bed and sitting room with the aforementioned
“premium” facilities.
Open
deck: This deck is blessed with a spacious promenade on both port
and starboard, idea for sport facilities and just relaxing in the
sun reading a book, as many did whilst in port just prior
departure.
A
well kept ship with superbly kept lifeboats
Navigators
(Boat) Deck Starboard looking aft
Promenade
Deck:
Public
Rooms & Facilities: Forward is the delightful Gama lounge.
This rooms has a delightful ambience with the curved bar
centrally located on the forward wall, sided by windows on both
sides making a bright and colourful room, as the photographs
hereunder prove. The aft wall contains both fine timbers,
providing those touches of yesteryear, yet also modern art work.
Gama
Lounge – looking forward
Gama
Lounge – looking port/aft
Gama
Lounge – looking starboard/aft (AH)
The
Gama Lounge Bandstand – located forward starboard of the Bar
(AH)
The
lift and a remarkable semi circular forward stairwell face these
chairs
Library,
Zarco Hall Casino & Slots: The Library is located on the
starboard side of the Zarco Hall Casino. As can be seen from the
library photo there are ample books to choose from. The tables
can also be used for cards or whatever game you may wish to play.
The main hall between the Library is named “Zarco Hall”
and this is the Casino venue at night complete with tables, etc,
whilst on the portside there is a separate room for those noisy
slot machines. For those who like a gamble, there are suitable
facilities onboard.
Zarco
Hall (Casino) - looking towards the Slots Room on the port side (AH)
Piano
Lounge: This delightful room, has fine timber wall cladding and a
large curved bar and with its well arranged furnishings this
rooms makes for a delightfully intimate environment for a chat
with fellow passengers, enjoying a drink and enjoying the sounds
of the ships pianist & band.
Piano
Lounge – the author with Cruise Director John Eagan
Piano
Lounge – looking to starboard (AH)
Hairdresser,
Photographer, Shop: The starboard hallway leading aft contains
these three facilities, all of which have excellent facilities
for a ship of Funchal’s size!
Ilha-Verde-Lounge:
Aft on Promenade deck is the 350 seat Ilha-Verde-Lounge. This is
the ships main Show Lounge and entertainment venue of the ship.
During the day this room is used for general entertainments,
whist at night it is rearranged with seats facing the stage for
the show presentations. This room also has a large dance floor
near the stage and a bar offering waiter service to the tables.
Again, during the day this room is bright and airy, but I am told
at night it takes on a whole new atmosphere!
Open
deck: Promenade deck has wider deck space available forward of
the ship, rather than aft, next to the Ilha-Verde-Lounge. Aft on
Promenade deck is the Lido Bar with ample tables and chairs in
the shade to enjoy a drink, then there is the Pool with two
showers at the side, and a huge sun deck with ample deckchairs to
soak up the sun!
The Lido
Bar
The
Pool and Sun Deck
The
Pool and Sun Deck – looking up to the Buffet
Reception:
Forward in the main lobby and the Reception Desk. One of the
unique features of the Funchal is the forward semi circular
stairwell that commences at
Pursers
Office / Reception Desk
Lisboa
Restaurant – looking aft
The
Gym: Far aft, and yes you cannot go any further aft than this, is
the Gym. As the photograph shows, it has some of the basic
equipments as well as a few not seen. However, there is always
walking around the deck and sports to add to the list of
activities. But there is no reason to leave the ship not fit,
unless of course you decide to spend less time in the gym and
more time in the restaurant and buffet!
Madeira/Algarve
& Estoril Decks:
The
ships medical centre is located aft on Madeira deck, apart from
that these three decks are occupied by cabins of various grades,
be the value for money inside cabins or outside ones with a
porthole or a picture window. Check the Classic International
Cruises brochure for cabin details. This page only contains a few
of the cabin grades available. However, no matter which cabin you
choose, you will be comfortable and have the facilities of the
ship!
The following four images were provided by (CIC) - Classic International Cruises.
Outside
Twin with a window
Outside
Twin with a porthole
Inside
Twin
Inside
Twin/Three or four berth cabin
Funchal
with her long elegant sleek lines!
She
has a fine stern view
SOLAS
2010:
Mv
Funchal has been so well maintained and constantly upgraded by
Classic International Cruises that she will fully comply with the
new Safety Of Life At Sea regulations, which will come into
effect in October 2010. I have bee advised that CIC Cruises will
continue to operate this fine ship for quite some time yet, which
is good news for all classic ship lovers and for those who enjoy
that special cruise experience!
A Special Update: As I reported in 2008,
the Funchal will certainly not be sold and head the way of so
many other classic ships and head to the Indian breaker's yards.
For her owners have meticulously maintained this fine ship and
constantly upgraded her.
Funchal is scheduled to return to service on
April 5 and will undertake a seven day “Easter cruise”
and then continue a series of cruises from
We need to remember that the Funchal is the
true veteran of the “Classic International Cruises”
fleet for she is their very first ship and was purchased in
August 1985.
Page
One …
Page
Two …
Deck
Plan
Page
Three …
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Athena …
She will be cruising from
MS
Stockholm …
Athena’s history page on ssmaritime.com
MV
Princess Daphne …
Cruising from
MS
Port Sydney …
Princess Daphne’s history page on ssmaritime.com
MS Istra …
Arion was built as a Yugoslavian cruise ship in 1965 - on
ssmaritime.com
For
Information and Reservations contact:
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Commenced
in the Passenger Shipping Industry in May 1960
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Note: Cruise-Australia is a non-commercial and privately owned
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industry since 1960 and is currently semi-retired, but continues
to write cruise and ship reviews and articles in order to better
to inform cruise and ship enthusiasts and provide information for
those intending a cruise in the future.
However,
if you are interested in a cruise, I am happy to refer you to a
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