Looks like one of Christopher Columbus's ships, parrots and all. The crew were great, and we even saw a pod of dolphins. More

We were on a dolphin watching tour with another company on the 30th of December. A pod of bottle nose dolphins were identified and the 3 boats in the area (ours and 2 catamarans) respectfully cut the engines, maintained the respectable distance and guidelines set forth by the Whale Museum. THEN! The Santa Maria came flying in all "guns a... More

Very reliant on the weather, but worth a trip if the timing is right. - A modern ´replica' of a typical Portuguese/Spanish sailing boat of the 16th-17th Century. - OK it's powered by a modern day Perkins diesel engine (how sad am I to know that?)' but catch it right, and the cruise will allow you to dolphin and whale... More

Spend 3 hours under canvas enjoying the island coastline - a more memorable time than on a typical catamaran. Chance to see Dolphins and swim too.... But, the crew were clearly used to the two trips a day and it really should have been a bit more special if they had tried to act as hosts as well as crew.... More

Before our recent visit to Madeira I had read some of the reviews of the Santa Maria which turned out to be completely mixed. I then asked some of the regulars on the Madeira travel forum if they had been on the ship - again, a fairly mixed response. However, having promised our 6 year old that she could go... More

I had a wonderful time travelling on the Santa Maria. The ship is a beautiful replica of Columbus' vessel. I enjoyed every detail of it. Great fun is the little dog Colombo, who is a real character hiding treats in wooden buckets on board. The two parrots are hilarious and create a certain atmosphere. Out on the ocean we were... More

We signed up for an outing on 18th October in the Santa Maria, a replica of Christopher Columbus's ship. Our main interest in taking the trip was to get some feel of what t it must have been like to sail to the New World in 1492. Just before we started out a laminated information sheet was distributed. I thought,... More

Joint the journey with the Santa Maria on October 11 2009. It was great ! Normal price for such an experience. The ship is a true replica of the real one. Crew is dressed as in the old day's. The journey took about 3 hours to sail (on motor power !) from Funchal harbour to the cliff's of Cabo Girão,... More

I must start by saying that the cost of this trips is at par with other "boat" tours ... but all similarities to other "boats" ends there ... The ship is a replica of Christopher Columbus' Santa Maria - not a 'pirate ship' - however that being said it does evoke the image of pirates of years gone by. The... More