Independence of the Seas Canaries - Canary Islands "Ports" Review by Paul&Kathy

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Home > Member Reviews > Paul&Kathy's Port Reviews of Vigo, Lisbon, Las Palmas, Tenerife, Madeira (Funchal)

Paul&Kathy's Port Reviews of Vigo, Lisbon, Las Palmas, Tenerife, Madeira (Funchal)
Independence of the Seas cruise in March 2012

Member Name:	Paul&Kathy
Cruise Date:	March 2012
Embarkation:	London (Southampton)
Destination:	Canary Islands
Member Review:	Paul&Kathy's Independence of the Seas Review

	Vigo Port Rating: Not the most exciting port and we had been there several times before so just wandered into town and had a look at the new shopping centre close to the port where there was free wifi. It is a steep hill up to the town so not good for wheelchairs/scooters.
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	Lisbon Port Rating: We know the city centre of Lisbon is very difficuly with a wheelchair or scooter so avoided it and walked/scooted along the river to Belem, which is about 2 miles each way. It's a flat and accessible path all the way but the surface varied from bumpy cobbles near the port to tarmac further along. We saw the Monument to the Discoveries and the pretty little Belem Tower but access to the monastery and other attractions is via a steps-only underpass unfortunately. There are several nice cafes along the path to stop for a drink and a rest on the way back.
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	Las Palmas Port Rating: As expected this was the best day of the cruise. Arriving on a Sunday a lot of the shops were closed but we found a huge Sunday market just outside the port which more than compensated for the lack of shops. From there it is an easy walk to the beach of Las Canterenas on the other side of the town. There is really no need to pay for a transfer to a beach resort in Gran Canaria as this lovely golden sand city beach has everything you could need. At regular intevals along the 3km promenade you find free toilets, showers and changing facilities and there are showers on the beach too. There was even a disabled access point with wooden decking on an area of beach - excellent ! Being the first hot weekend of the year, apparently,(27C) the beach and restaurants were packed and the whole place felt lively without being crowded. The sea was cold but clean and clear with lovely waves and the bottom was solid sand.
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	Tenerife Port Rating: We had been promised a free shuttle bus here and were pleasantly surprised to find an accessible van for wheelchairs and scooters as well as the standard bus. The driver was most helpful, dropping us on the other side of the port where there were lifts up to a footbridge across to the town centre. It was our first time in Santa Cruz and I would not be sorry if we never go again, there were a lot of shops but we did not find them terribly interesting but we enjoyed the sunshine, we also found the African Market, an orange building you can see off to the left about a third of the way up the main street, which was very attractive but go in the morning as by the time we arrived shortly after midday nearly all the shops were closed.
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	Madeira (Funchal) Port Rating: It's a shame we only had until 2.30pm in port as it meant that everybody left the ship and arrived back at about the same time making for long queues both ways. Having been to Funchal just a few months ago we passed on the $7 shuttle bus and walked the mile or so into town, wandered around the market and the lovely park and back again. It's a lovely port, though, don't miss the lovely gardens on the cliff overlooking the port - it's not the famous botanical gardens but they are lovely.
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