So far several attempts to sell her have failed mostly because in the end there has been no money associated to the interested parties, both for cruising or static hotel duties.

This past July a MOU was signed by a Miami entrepreneur and so FUNCHAL is now committed to a new prospective owner until the end of November. All going well, she is set to be refitted again in Lisbon before the start of a new life cruising in the Caribbean in or around April 2017.

It all depends on Government authorization for another operation from Cuba. Meanwhile, FUNCHAL has been cared for by a permanent crew alongside the Matinha lay up pier on the river Tagus, on the upper reaches of the port of Lisbon.

Book value for the FUNCHAL has been reduced as time goes by and the enthusiasm for classic 55 year-old passenger ships seems to be at a particular low level. The price tag associated to FUNCHAL at this moment is about $7 million on a "as is where is" basis. Several more millions may be loaded on her before the next cruise.

The failure of Rui Alegre's Portuscale Cruises venture in 2015 put the fleet of four ships in receivership's at the hands of Banco Montepio, of Lisbon. LISBOA ex-PRINCESS DANAE was sold for scrap and broken up in Aliaga while FUNCHAL and PORTO have been on the sales list, the PORTO for as little as $2,5 million by now.

Fleet mate AZORES, on bareboat charter to Greek interests until October 2017, is also on the sales lists, for $12 million.