Dear Friends and Customers,
Some sleepless
nights have given me the chance to create another web-gallery, this time with
the pictures of a three-hour visit on my beloved Portuguese passenger ship
Funchal.
Unfortunately, I have no idea how to integrate text into this gallery.
Therefore, here are some impressions and notes.
The ship is now owned by the
newly-formed Portuguese "Portuscale Cruises", who seemingly
understand that an old ship today is of some value for all real-ship-lovers.
But the first impression is a
negative one, as the fantastic Danish styled reception disappeared as well as the beautiful spiral staircase
close to it today being, for “security reasons”, walled in and wall-papered in
a horrible fashion.
The same goes for the carpet
and this fine old ship has now lost a lot of its character.
The interior was
definitely not one of the most striking points of the Funchal in more recent
times.
So the question must be asked,
are some of the newly-designed rooms really a step backwards?
Such as of the debatable
"Safari Bar", the forward lounge.
The dining room in contrast is
dominated by Bordeaux-red and although being very light, it feels extremely
cosy.
I found the new corridors very
stylish.
Some of the old
artwork is still in place, but most impressive is the fact that new pieces have
been added - and not only that - they theme the ship itself in a fashion that
bears a lot of likeness to Portugal, consisting of tiles as they do.
The best feature
today is that the outer deck-spaces have been largely renovated and improved.
Although her original
silhouette has only been spoiled a little, the passengers gain a lot more comfort
and space on the open deck at the stern of the ship.
Even some more
spiral-staircases have been installed framing the area there and creating a
hint of a Sagafjord amphitheatre.
The Funchal has
an open promenade on each side of the ship that are, as all essential decks
should be, properly planked with freshly sanded wood.
The handrails are freshly
sanded and covered with high-gloss varnish as well, the obvious sign of good
maintenance.
I was moved to see that the
old brass window frames at the forward part of the superstructure were sanded
and varnished as well, in a most careful way.
The upper parts
of the superstructure have not yet been properly renovated, so the funnel and
the masts still appear to have rust that has been painted over, but I am sure
that the crew will soon improve that to suit the general high level of overhaul.
The
re-introduction of the old colour-scheme is something to die for!!
Even the addition of the
scrolled P on the funnel, for some spectators felt to be elegant, for others absurd,
does not really spoil the classic look of the ship now with its dark hull
with white-red boot-topping.
By the way, the black of the
hull is a very, very dark blue.
We were only
given few hours on the Funchal and that was by coincidence.
I was so pleasantly surprised
by this opportunity that I forgot to take pictures of the reception or to ask
for access to some cabins.
I had no tripod with me,
either, and the strong midday sun was fine for outside pictures, but inside, it
spoiled the result with its harsh contrasts in light quality.
I think that the
Funchal is the most beautiful active cruise ship, something I have felt since I
first saw her in 1988.
For travellers like me, who
want to be sure that the most beautiful ship in port is the one to return to
after an excursion, she is the only choice for sure!
The interior is,
in my view, somewhat lacking in theme, very often not understandable and
it consists of some strengths and
weaknesses which do not evoke an emotion worthy of the beauty and uniqueness of
the vessel.
Therefore, on a
cold grey day in the North Atlantic, it might be more attractive to be inside
her running mate Azores. In the southern sun, Funchal’s open decks and
sheltered promenades must be a real pleasure.
Finally, I am
sure that her new owners do not think that the process of improving this fine
and unique ship is complete.
But more important, the
commercial success of the Funchal will be a criterion that can only be
guaranteed in one way, by booking a trip on this outstanding ship created in
the shadow of the Hamlet-castle on the north of Zealand in 1961, a ship that
has never changed its name.
Kind regards
Burkhard Schütt
