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German Registered Cruise Ship "DEUTSCHLAND" in Iberian Ports

October 4, 2013, 1:40 pm
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"DEUTSCHLAND" is a superb cruise ship, built in 1998 she is German-Registered and is owned and operated by PETER DEILMANN REEDEREI, "DEUTSCHLAND" is 22.400 G.T., a German version of the "LOVE" BOAT" is set on board and is called "THE DREAM SHIP". Photos taken at La Coruna, 18.9.2013 top four and leaving Lisbon 21.9.2013
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"FUNCHAL" of 1961 back cruising in 2013

October 7, 2013, 1:44 pm
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FUNCHAL was introduced over 50 years ago, the ship was built in Denmark in 1961 to be operated by the Portuguese Shipping Company EMPRESA INSULANA DE NAVEGACAO on the Portugal to Madeira and Azores Service, due to the oil crisis and the boom on commercial aviation the ship was withdrawn from regular liner service in 1972, a decision was made to convert the ship for full time cruising in Holland, the original steam turbines were replaced by diesel engines her original livery black hull and yellow funnel were replaced by a all white hull, the funnel however remained yellow with a black top, she was flying the Portuguese ensign until 1985 cruising for C.T.M., when she was sold to the late Mr. George Potamianos, since then and until 2013 she remained with the same owners cruising all over the World operated by first ARCALIA SHIPPING and lately CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL CRUISES. In 2010 "FUNCHAL" was laid-up in Lisbon to undergo a massive refit, unfortunately due to financial problems of C.I.C. the ship was after 2012 abandoned, she faced the menace of the scrap yards, but in February of this year, against all odds the ship was bought by a Portuguese business man, Mr Rui Alegre, a new company, in fact the first Portuguese Cruising Company was created to manage "FUNCHAL" and other three ships of the former C.I.C.. I have known "FUNCHAL" for 50 years, she is the last survival of a prosperous Portuguese Merchant Fleet from the 50's and early 60's, she has been throughout the years one of my favourite ships, to see her back in active service together with the building of the new QUEEN MARY 2 are for me, the most exciting moments of the new century in terms of the Maritime World. In September "FUNCHAL" resumed her cruising activity and I've decided to follow her in different European Ports the next "posts" on this Blog will show the ship in France, Spain and Portugal, stay connected and follow "FUNCHAL" on her last leg of the themed "WINE CRUISE" started back on the 9.9.2013 finishing in Lisbon 20.9.2013. 10 photos above taken at LE VERDON SUR MER 16.9.2013, BILBAO 17.9.2013, LA CORUNA 18.9.2013, PORTO 19.9.2013 and finally LISBON 20.9.2013, two photos on each of the ports mentioned.
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M.V. "FUNCHAL" at LE-VERDON-SUR-MER

October 10, 2013, 3:59 am
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"FUNCHAL" left the port of Goteborg on the 9.9.2013 on her way back to Lisbon, where she was expected to arrive on the 20.9.2013, this cruise was known as the "WINE CRUISE", the ship would visit well known Southern European Ports with easy access to wine regions, well known places for me so I decided to follow the ship by car throughout France, Spain and finally Portugal. After the failed attempts of reuniting with FUNCHAL in the UK, she cancelled calls at Leith and Tilbury, the first Continental European Port for me would be Le-Verdon-sur-Mer, since La Rochelle the day before was not part of my schedule. The best way to get to Le Verdon is if you travel from the north on the A10 is to take the ferry at Royan, there are departures every 45 minutes at this time of the year and the crossing takes 20 minutes. Le Verdon is a small village and the cruise terminal is about 4 kms away situated literally on the middle of nowhere, there are no public transports going there and even to find a taxi would be extremely difficult, Le Verdon is just over 100 kms from the city of Bordeaux, where passengers on cruise ships normally head to on organized excursions. To get to the Port was easy enough by car, the problem and big disappointment was to come, I could see the ship about 100 meters from me but access inside the Port was restricted, as it can be expected, my best persuading skills, if any, didn't result on this occasion, even the fact that I was a Portuguese Ships Enthusiast following a Portuguese ship for hundreds of miles didn't work with the Port's security, at the end I was kindly told where I could get near the ship and photograph through the fences, above is the result, not the reunion I was expecting but I was still happy nevertheless, later decided to wait for her departure, scheduled for 8pm, she was on time but already too dark for better photos. Images 16.9.2013
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M.V. "FUNCHAL" at Bilbao

October 11, 2013, 11:51 am
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After LE-VERDON-SUR-MER, "FUNCHAL's" next Port of call would be Bilbao in the Spanish Basque Country, I have visited the city many times arriving or departing from the nearby Santurtzi Port on cruise ferries, the PRIDE OF BILBAO and the CAP FINISTERE. After the opening of the fabulous GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM in 1997, the cruise ship calls rocketed creating the need for better passenger facilities with a designated Terminal, this is how the new GETXO CRUISE TERMINAL was born, for all the information on this new infra-structure please click here. The surrounding area is beautiful with an excellent leisure marina, restaurants and bars and a very nice sandy beach. I arrived with plenty time to spare before the scheduled departure of the ship for 3 pm, unfortunately the weather was not on my side, decided to ask the Port Security officer for the best place in his opinion to photograph the ship underway, the person on duty was incredibly nice and co-operative, he even found me a place to park in front of his cabin, making sure that the coaches returning the passengers to "FUNCHAL" would negotiate the passage safely, after a few minutes of conversation without a doubt the best place would be the pier, where one can walk to the very end and almost touch the ships, the weather would not be a setback, so decided to find a proper "berth" for my car and brave the elements, when I got to the end of the pier it stopped raining, "FUNCHAL" was just slipping her moorings helped by two tugs, surely due to the strong winds, she was once again dead on time saluting the other passenger ship in Port, the SEVEN SEAS VOYAGER. If it wasn't for the weather this experience would have ranked among the most memorable recently, I remember just saying to "FUNCHAL" see you tomorrow at La Coruna and off she went gently rolling at the breaking water of the famous Bay of Biscay. Photos 17.9.2013
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Cruise Ship "ASTOR" arriving Lisbon

October 11, 2013, 1:24 pm
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Lisbon is spoiled for choices in terms of cruise ships diversity, not as many visits as Barcelona or Southampton but more variety of passenger ships, here is the ASTOR arriving at the Portuguese Capital, 23.9.2013
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CUNARD and P & O "WORLD CRUISES" highlights for 2015, two epic voyages

October 12, 2013, 4:29 am
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CUNARD and P & O have announced their 2015 "WORLD CRUISES" programs. "QUEEN VICTORIA" will depart Southampton on the 20.1.2015 on a 103 nights epic voyage, named "PACIFIC WORLD VOYAGE", the highlights will be the maiden calls at Puerto Limon at Costa Rica, Christchurch in New Zealand, Rarotonga at the Cook Islands, Bora Bora at the French Polynesia and San Juan del Sur at Nicaragua, the ship will return to Southampton, May the 3rd she will join the other two QUEENS to mark the 175th Anniversary of Cunard. P & O's "AURORA" will also depart Southampton on the 8.1.2015 on her "SOUTH AMERICA & SOUTH PACIFIC VOYAGE", the ship will transit the full extent of the Magellan Strait and call at Moorea at the French Polynesia, Rarotonga at the Cook Islands and Akaroa in New Zealand, the ship is back at Southampton on the 23.4.2015. Photos of the two ships in Southampton back on the 7.12.2007, "QUEEN VICTORIA's" maiden arrival to the Port, after departing FINCANTIERI.

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"FUNCHAL" at La Coruna, 18.9.2013

October 23, 2013, 1:41 pm
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It's been twelve days since my last entry on this blog concerning "posts" connected with my ship stalking of "FUNCHAL", after Le-Verdon-sur-Mer and Bilbao, the next port of call for the ship would be La Coruna, I will never forget after the ship's departure from Bilbao I have followed her for over 30 miles on the road that leads to Santander, a delightful journey with the ship always in sight but unfortunately out of reach to my lenses, nevertheless quite an experience. "FUNCHAL" would stay at La Coruna in Northern Spain from 9 am to 3 pm, also in Port the DISCOVERY on a cruise with British passengers and HAMBURG, after some photography at the port, I've decided to wait for the ship's departure, shame about the weather, once again windy with some showers. Photos 18.9.2013
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October 26, 2013, 8:41 am
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After following "FUNCHAL" for nearly a week it was my turn to step on board as a passenger for the short trip from Porto to Lisbon. This was an exciting moment for me, "FUNCHAL" has been for decades like a toy for me, one of the last original built Passenger Liners from the 60's, the last survivor of what was once a proud Portuguese Mercantile Fleet, she is today a unique ship, there are very few passenger ships like "FUNCHAL", she has rounded lines a streamlined profile with real wooden decks, two of them sheltered, the amount of outdoor space available for her passengers it's just amazing for a ship with barely just under 10.000 G.T., her interiors are full of charm and character. The last time I have sailed on her was back in 1987, she is today a completely different ship in terms of decor, hardly recognizable, what has not changed much throughout the years is her profile and the feeling of being at sea on a delightful ship, some of her decks were actually lengthened and the swimming-pool area completed modernized giving the ship even further additional space for passengers to savour those unique moments of being at sea. The return of "FUNCHAL" to cruising after three years laid-up in Lisbon has been followed all over the World with great interest relegating for second plan most of the new cruise ships. "FUNCHAL" cannot compete with brand new passenger ships, she is a unique ship with a specific market, the market constituted by passengers that love traveling on a real ocean liner and then cruising, to be back on this ship after all these years has been unforgettable for me, she has a special place in my heart and sincerely hope her precious cargo "passengers" will book on regular basis in order to keep this beautiful ship alive for many years to come. Recently I have created a group on Facebook that follows the ship everywhere she goes and brings back her prestigious past spanned for over five decades, to follow this FB group and eventually becoming a member, please click here. Photos taken 19.9.2013 and 20.9.2013
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Cruising on MV "FUNCHAL" passenger facilities

October 27, 2013, 11:28 am
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                                                    Junior suite on Navigators Deck
                                                       Porto Bar
                                                             Internet Center
                                                        Restaurant LISBOA
                                                          COIMBRA Restaurant
                                                                     GYM
                                                            Beauty Center

                                                 Ilha Verde Lounge and Library and card room below
"FUNCHAL" has seven decks OBSERVATION/NAVIGATORS/PROMENADE/AZORES/MADEIRA/ALGARVE and ESTORIL. Restaurants LISBOA and COIMBRA are located on the AZORES deck as well as the Wellness and Beauty Center, the ship has also a medical Center on deck MADEIRA, the majority of the passenger facilities though are located on PROMENADE deck and include ILHA VERDE LOUNGE, PORTO BAR, GAMA BAR, LIBRARY AND CARD ROOM, SHOPPING ARCADE, INTERNET CENTER, CASINO and sheltered decks, the ship has also on offer a Deck Buffet known as the LIDO on the NAVIGATORS deck.All the passenger facilities are brand new, she retains a very cozy and classic atmosphere for what she has a reputation for decades, very comfortable surroundings without being very luxurious, the ship has 244 cabins which will be reduced for 240 with capacity for approximately 500 passengers. GAMA LOUNGE is shown below. For further photos of the "FUNCHAL" interiors please visit my Facebook Group here Photos taken on board 19 and 20.9.2013

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Three giant cruise ships in Lisbon last October

November 10, 2013, 10:02 am
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Last October, three massive cruise ships were at the Portuguese Capital together, the CROWN PRINCESS from PRINCESS CRUISES, the ROYAL CARIBBEAN INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS and the CELEBRITY ECLIPSE operated by CELEBRITY CRUISES. The INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS is currently the largest cruise ship visiting Lisbon at 154.407 G.T., this giant beautiful ship was introduced in 2008. Photos 17.10.2013
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November 14, 2013, 12:26 pm
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The 1997 built "ROTTERDAM" entering Lisbon last September, the ship is the sixth to bear this Historic name, this was the second time I had the opportunity to photograph this ship this year. Photos 22.9.2013
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DUBAI THE CRUISE HUB OF THE MIDDLE-EAST

November 30, 2013, 4:03 am
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I went recently to China via Dubai Airport, waiting for my transfer flight to my final destination, I had a few hours so time to explore the magnificent new Airport and of course time for a detailed visit to the magnificent Tourist Information and its wonderful facilities. Dubai is today the aviation hub for the region and also the cruising hub of the Middle-East, situated on the crossroads of Europe and Asia on the Arabian Peninsula, Dubai is today an ideal stop for cruising holidays. The new Cruise Terminals are situated at the heart of the city in Port Rashid reflecting Dubai's rich maritime heritage, today most of the Cruising Operators include the region on their itineraries for a visit or indeed turnaround cruises. For further information on cruising from Dubai as well as for the region's hospitality and heritage, please visit www.definitelydubai.com. Photos included taken from the Tourist Information Centre at Dubai last month
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"ORIANA" in Lisbon

December 19, 2013, 1:09 pm
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Seen here at Lisbon is the magnificent ORIANA, photos 11.12.2013
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MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR to all the followers of my Blog

December 21, 2013, 12:44 pm
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thank you to Maritime Historian Fred Claessen for sending me this memorable and Historic photo of the fabulous S.S. ROTTERDAM of 1959 in New York, I can't resist to publish it and wish all the regular followers of this Blog a very merry HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a wonderful 2014, thank you for your continued support.
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M.V. "SAGA RUBY" Farewell departure from Funchal

January 2, 2014, 4:36 am
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HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone. Seen here departing Funchal on New Year's day is the very handsome classic passenger ship "SAGA RUBY", the ship was the last passenger ship order to be received by SWAN HUNTER and started service as the VISTAFJORD in 1973, not the last one to be built in Britain as commonly stated, the last one was the "ODESSA" also finished by Swan Hunter in 1974. This could very well be her last call to Madeira, the ship is due back in Southampton on the 7.1.2014, the end of her very last cruise with SAGA CRUISES, she has been reported to be withdrawn from service after that and with tougher rules coming into place all the time, affecting mainly classic passenger ships, it is unlikely that she will be sailing again on regular cruising services, I sincerely hope not. Photo taken by Peter Goncalves, 1.1.2014
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One Cruise Ship every three days at the Normandy Port of LE HAVRE in 2014

January 5, 2014, 7:56 am
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"MSC MAGNIFICA" entering Lisbon on a hot summer's day

January 9, 2014, 1:52 pm
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Magnificent reminder of "MSC MAGNIFICA" entering Lisbon on a gorgeous sunny summer day, photos captured 22.9.2013, this great passenger ship was built at Saint-Nazaire and entered service in 2010, she weights 95.187 G.T., unbeatable Lisbon light, nothing like a hot summer's day to photograph ships
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"QUEEN MARY 2", THE SHIP BEAUTIFUL OF THE XXI CENTURY

January 12, 2014, 5:54 am
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The name SHIP BEAUTIFUL has been associated to the CUNARD passenger liner AQUITANIA built in 1914, as History progressed the Liners by the end of last century seemed destined to Museums, History Programs and books, apart from wonderful memories from ships enthusiasts, Maritime Historians and of course passengers and crew that sailed for decades on these wonderful forms of art. With the Cruising Industry's boom also at the end of last century it seemed impossible that another specifically designed liner would be built after the QE2 in 1969, this remarkable liner was many times described as the last true ocean liner to be built. Everything changed when CARNIVAL bought CUNARD and announced that a new liner, the largest, grandest ever, would be built in 2002, the news came a pleasant shock to the maritime world, how would that be possible, would it be viable and economically profitable, after all to build a new liner would be a lot more expensive and a difficult task for any designated shipyard, ten years on, QM2 is here as a unique ship, born a legend and the only true passenger liner still in service on the North Atlantic route. QM2 was designed and conceived by liner lover enthusiasts, she would be beautiful by design, which it would be a difficult task taking into consideration her gross tonnage of 151.000 and over 1132 feet in lenght, QM2 would be the latest addition to a long line of legendary ships, the transatlantic liners, the word transatlantic evokes distant lands and a vision of a boundless ocean, QM2 was built in a age of Universal air travel, the regaining of possession of time would once again take place for the passengers travelling on QM2. The new liner was built in France by the prestigious CHANTIERS DE L'ATLANTIQUE, the same shipyard responsible for the construction of the NORMANDIE in 1935 and the FRANCE in 1962, the building of the new liner would be an historical continuity to these former amazing liners, she was strongly built with her hull entirely of steel, in fact 40% more steel than on any cruise ships, with reinforced plates, the passengers would once again be able to travel the full length of the ship on deck number 7, a design greatly inspired on the ROTTERDAM of 1959, her magnificent bridge and streamlined lines and funnel a modern follow up of her predecessor the QE2, it took just under two years to build this wonderful new liner, I went several times to Saint-Nazaire to follow her construction, every one a moment I will treasure for the rest of my life, couldn't believe my luck to be once again able to admire such a delightful passenger ship, a new true CUNARDER, in 2006 I have done the Transatlantic crossing from New York to Southampton and ranks to this day as my most memorable sea voyage. Ten years ago today QM2 embarked on her maiden voyage from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale, the first leg of her three months trip, later in April she took over from QE2 on the regular Transatlantic crossings which she has been alternating with cruising to this day. This is a tribute and a salute to a unique ship now ten years old, she was built to last at least forty years, so long live the "QUEEN MARY 2".
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"FUNCHAL" of 1961 departing LA CORUNA, photos 18.9.2013

January 13, 2014, 1:38 pm
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Cruise Ships in Barcelona

February 11, 2014, 1:09 pm
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Two cruise ships in Barcelona today, "NORWEGIAN SPIRIT" and "MSC FANTASIA", photos 11.2.2014



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