The Port of Funchal will be the scene of a great deal of maritime activity this weekend, with the arrival of five cruise ships bringing more than 14,517 people, including 10,051 passengers. One of the highlights is the Celebrity Equinox, which is making a transatlantic voyage.

Heavy traffic today

According to APRAM, the ships ‘Mein Schiff 5’, ‘Celebrity Equinox’, and ‘Amera’ will be at the port this Saturday. The ‘Celebrity Equinox’, which arrived from Lisbon, brought 2,693 passengers and 1,189 crew. The ship will remain in Madeira for 10 hours before departing at 5pm for Tenerife. It will go directly to Bermuda to end its 12-night voyage in Florida on December 3rd.

The ‘Mein Schiff 5’ makes a 16-hour stopover in Madeira, part of a seven-night cruise that began in Tenerife on November 21. With 2,504 passengers and 920 crew, the ship then heads to La Gomera, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, and returns to Tenerife, its final destination.

The ‘Amera’, from La Palma, will remain in Funchal for 31 hours, with 676 passengers and 402 crew on board. The ship continues its journey on Sunday at 6 p.m. to Lisbon, Porto, Le Havre, and Bremerhaven, concluding a 20-night cruise that began in Savona, Italy.

Sunday, with three ships in port

On Sunday, in addition to the ‘Amera’, the port of Funchal will welcome the ‘Norwegian Star’ and the ‘Queen Victoria’. The ‘Norwegian Star,’ which arrives at dawn, carries 2,250 passengers and 1,000 crew. This 13-night cruise started in Lisbon on November 22, passing through Spain, Morocco, Portugal, and Gibraltar, with stops in four Canary Islands and a scheduled return to Lisbon on December 5.

The ‘Queen Victoria’, which docks on Sunday morning, carries 1,907 passengers and 967 crew. The ship is making an 11-hour stopover in Madeira as part of a cruise that began in Southampton on November 19. After the stopover in Funchal, it heads to Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and Lanzarote, returning to its port of origin on December 1st.

In Diário de Notícias da Madeira