Who the Funchal Catamaran Cruise Suits

The one published exclusion

The operator states that the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users, and it is worth taking that at face value rather than hoping. Boarding a boat in a marina means crossing a floating pontoon that moves and then stepping across a gap onto a deck at a slightly different height. At the swim stop, the only way into and out of the water is a ladder over the stern.

Neither of those has a step-free alternative on a boat of this size. That is a statement about small-boat design rather than about willingness, and it is much better to know it now than to arrive at Cais 8 and find out. Anyone with mobility limits short of that should think about the pontoon step specifically, and mention it at check-in so the crew can offer a hand.

Children

This is a good boat for children and better than most alternatives on the same coast. The deck is wide and level rather than narrow and heeling, there is plenty of room to move about, there are toilets on board, and there is shade when a small person has had enough sun. Three hours is also about the right length before restlessness sets in.

The trampoline nets are the part children remember. Lying on mesh with the sea going past underneath, watching dolphins ride the bow wave a couple of metres below, is a genuinely thrilling thing at any age and particularly at eight. Normal boat sense applies: the nets and the rails need an adult paying attention, and the swim stop is deep open water where a child needs to be a confident swimmer or stay aboard.

Older travellers

No upper age limit and no reason for one. The features that make this boat comfortable for children make it comfortable for anyone who does not want to be thrown about: a level deck, proper seating with backs to it in the cockpit and saloon, shade, and a bathroom.

The considerations are the pontoon step at the start and the ladder if you intend to swim. Someone who walks unaided and gets in and out of a car without difficulty will find the boarding straightforward. Someone who needs a stick on uneven ground should say so at check-in, where a hand across the gap is easily arranged.

Seasickness

If you are going to be on a small boat in the Atlantic, a catamaran is the one to be on. The stability comes from geometry rather than from luck: two hulls set well apart have to lift one clear of the water to roll, which takes far more force than rocking a single hull from side to side. People who are uneasy on boats are usually fine on this kind.

That said, there is usually some swell running off Madeira and no boat is immune. If you know you are susceptible, take something an hour before departure rather than at the first symptom, because remedies taken after the fact rarely help. Stay on deck rather than in the saloon, look at the horizon, and the odds are strongly in your favour.

Non-swimmers and nervous swimmers

The swim stop is entirely optional and should be treated that way. It is deep open water against a cliff with no shallow end and no bottom to stand on, and a snorkel mask does not make anybody a stronger swimmer. If you are not confident out of your depth, the right decision is to stay aboard, and it is a perfectly common one.

What you keep is most of the trip. You are anchored under one of the most extraordinary cliffs in the Atlantic for half an hour with a drink available and a view straight up 580 metres of rock. Several people on every trip watch rather than swim, and the day works fine that way.

Language

The cruise is run in Portuguese and English, and the crew's commentary on the wildlife and the coastline comes in those two. For most visitors that is fine, and guests consistently praise how much the crew explain and how approachable they are.

It is worth being straightforward about the limitation. One French-speaking guest recorded that the crew did not speak French and that the safety instructions came in English, which is a fair complaint if you booked expecting otherwise. If neither Portuguese nor English works for you, the scenery and the dolphins still do, but you will miss the commentary.

Group size and the feel of it

Small, and this comes up repeatedly in what guests say. One describes a group of twenty to twenty-five and explicitly contrasts it with boats carrying a hundred. Another mentions the catamaran being neither too big nor crowded as a reason the trip worked.

That has practical consequences rather than just atmosphere. Everyone who wants to see the dolphins can reach the rail. Nobody queues for the ladder at the swim stop. And the crew can answer your particular question rather than addressing a crowd, which is most of the difference between a boat trip and an excursion.

Before you book