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Canary Island Cruise Season Guide »

All you Need to Know

by Travel Journalist Tony Peisley

It was midnight on a balmy April evening and more than 1,000 passengers were standing out on the open decks of our ship as it moved slowly through the Bay of Funchal.

We were all waiting patiently for the magnificent fireworks display promised to mark the ship's maiden voyage and inaugural call at Madeira. Eventually, there was one large explosion, a blaze of colour in the sky and then.....nothing (apart – litererally – from a damp squib).

Apparently - we discovered much later - there had been a problem with the first firework detonation and "elf and safety" had stepped in to spoil our fun.

It was a rare anti-climax for cruise passengers who have long enjoyed a colourful welcome (including successful Easter and Christmas fireworks displays in Funchal) in Madeira and the neighbouring Canary Islands.

The Canaries stretch across 300 miles of the Atlantic to within 60 miles of the West Coast of Africa. They are also on much the same latitude as Florida and the sun-kissed Bahamas but it only takes half as long to cruise there from the UK.

No wonder, then, that we Brits have been cruising there for more winters than most of us care to remember. In fact, we cruise there in the summer, too, because they have a lot more to offer than simply winter sunshine.

Cruise ships call mostly at five Canary islands: Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Furteventura and La Palma.

There is just the occasional visit to sleepy La Gomera, which is right off the tourist track and a genuine lure for nature-lovers and history buffs (it was the last stop for Christopher Columbus on his way to discovering the New World in 1492.

In contrast, Tenerife shows all the signs of its status as a major holiday resort island - at least it does near where the ships dock in Santa Cruz. If you venture north - which you can do independently or on tour - everything is greener, quieter, more relaxed and dominated by Spain's tallest peak - Mount Teide.

Gran Canaria and La Palma also have split personalities. The north of La Palma is all lush vegetation and forest and banana plantations while the south is arid and volcanic.

Gran Canaria has an eerie vista of sand dunes at Maspalomas and its own dramatic volcanic scenery contrasting with the commercialisation of its main beach resort, Playa del Ingles at Las Palmas.

Beaches are the key to the appeal of the sunniest of the Canaries: Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Lanzarote offers a choice of white, black and even red sand while there are more than 100 beaches on Fuerteventura.

The Portuguese island of Madeira is rightly known as the Garden Isle as its sub-tropical climate promotes a colourful range of aromatic flowers and other plantlife in and around its picturesque fishing villages.

DOS and DON'TS of Canaries and Madeira Cruising

DO try a walk along one of Madeira's levadas - scenic routes along the traditional irrigation system.

DON'T miss the tour to Tenerife's Loro Parque - Parrot Park. It has more than 2,000 exotic parrots, some on display and the rest busy breeding.

DO try the local food in the Canaries. They use fresh fish, fruits and vegetables in dishes which have a mixture of Spanish, African and South American influences.

DON'T bother with the toboggan tour in Funchal – it’s more uncomfortable than exciting and something of a rip-off, too.

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