The departure of the cruise ships Britannia and AIDALuna this afternoon, from the Port of Funchal, just a few minutes apart, was a reason for attraction.
Tourists and Madeirans, who circulated between the city’s wharf and Praça CR7, stopped to watch the moment when the two ships said goodbye to Madeira, after more than 10 hours of visit.
The Britannia was supposed to leave at 5:30 pm and the AIDALuna half an hour later, but they ended up leaving almost at the same time, the first bound for the Caribbean Sea, Antigua, and the second for Bridgetown. The five-masted Royal Clipper sailboat, which was also expected to leave at 6 pm, was kept in port.
As they proceeded to march, with different destinations, the ships echoed the usual farewell whistles, while people ashore took the opportunity to record the moment in photographs and videos, as well as JM.
The three ships move, between passengers and crew, 4421 people, as previously reported by JM Online.
The departure of AIDALuna from Pier 6 coincided with the inauguration of the new platform, by Miguel Albuquerque. The hotel captain and director, among other elements of the crew, congratulated the official entities and presented the president of the Regional Government with three replicas of the ship. Albuquerque shared the offer with the Regional Secretary for the Economy, Rui Barreto, and the Mayor of Funchal, Pedro Calado.
A few photos below from when I was in Funchal earlier this afternoon.
