Guides
Canary Islands + Madeira cruise from Southampton or Lisbon: Funchal, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote without the airport
Written by PerkJolt's AI desk from official sources; facts checked on the dates shown. We may earn a commission from links; it never changes what we recommend.
Representative itinerary. The day-by-day plan in this guide is a representative 12-night sailing, not a published itinerary. Port order and calls vary by date; confirm on https://www.pocruises.com/cruise-destinations/canary-islands (that page lists "Madeira and the Canary Islands" as a theme and 12–18 night Southampton sailings, but no day-by-day order) (checked Oct 13, 2026).
The promise
Four islands in the Atlantic sun, a winter or spring escape, and no flight with a suitcase: you sail out of Southampton (or join in Lisbon), wake up in a new place most mornings, and the ship is your hotel. Best months: October through April for mild weather; the islands are often described as "eternal spring". Lines' own pages show which months they sail.
At a glance
- Embarkation: Southampton (UK) for the long loop; Lisbon for the shorter variant. US readers fly into London Heathrow (LHR) or Lisbon (LIS).
- Length: P&O lists 12–18 night Southampton sailings to the Canary Islands (checked Oct 13, 2026). MSC and Celebrity pages were not confirmed as of 2026-10-13; check them for Lisbon or Southampton departures.
- Ports in the representative plan: Funchal, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Arrecife, Lisbon (or a Spanish Atlantic port).
- Book ahead: Timanfaya is online-only with a date and time (checked Oct 13, 2026).
- Biggest mistake: leaving ship-tour money on the table and then missing the all-aboard because you went too far inland. Pick ONE big thing per island.
- Six of the 13 days are at sea on this representative route (the Bay of Biscay crossings are the rough part).
When to go
Autumn to spring. Summer is hotter and busier on beaches; the Bay of Biscay is usually calmer in summer but islands are warm any time. Check the line's sailing calendar for your month.
The route in brief
Sea, sea, Funchal, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, sea, Lisbon (or Vigo/La Coruña), sea, Southampton. Lisbon-embarkation variant: join in Lisbon, skip the Biscay days, and do the islands in a shorter loop.
Where to stay the night before (Southampton)
- Southampton city centre: walkable to the Waterloo train and close to the terminals; busy at night. Check the hotel chain's own map for the area.
- Ocean Village: marina feel, short taxi to the docks; fewer budget rooms.
- Heathrow area: best if your flight lands early; add a rail or coach leg to Southampton the next morning.
- Central London: the trip to Southampton is by train from Waterloo (journey time and fares: confirm on https://www.southwesternrailway.com/; not shown there as of 2026-10-13).
Rough cost three ways (fill the blanks)
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Plan your budget
Your trip budget worksheet
Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.
Your trip budget worksheet Item Your amount Cash: cruise fare £ (enter from the line's booking page for your date) + flights $ night-before hotel £ excursions € gratuities/drinks £ - Points: flights via transfer partners per our transfer chart, checked 2026-10-08: Flying Blue is 1:1 from Amex, Chase, Capital One, Citi and Bilt; British Airways is 1:1 from Amex, Chase and Capital One; Virgin Atlantic is 1:1 from Amex, Chase and Citi. The cruise fare stays cash.
- Hybrid: points for the flight, cash for the ship, DIY ports.
Entry rules pointer
UK electronic travel authorisation and the EU's EES/ETIAS rules change often. Check the official gov.uk ETA page and https://travel-europe.europa.eu before you book. Advisories as of 2026-10-13: United Kingdom Level 2, issued September 9, 2026 (checked Oct 13, 2026); Spain Level 2, issued August 1, 2026 (checked Oct 13, 2026); Portugal Level 1, issued December 23, 2025 (checked Oct 13, 2026).
Why this route works for a points-and-miles traveler
The expensive part of a Canary Islands holiday is usually the flight and the resort. This route turns that around. You fly once, to London, which is one of the easiest long-haul award destinations to find because several airline programs fly there. After that, the cruise covers your bed, your meals and the transport between four islands. That makes it a good way to spend a modest pile of miles on a flight and let the ship do the rest, rather than paying for four separate hotels and four separate inter-island flights.
The honest trade-off: this is a long cruise, and two of its days are spent crossing the Bay of Biscay. If you want maximum island time, the Lisbon-embarkation variant skips most of that crossing. If you want maximum value per night, the 12-night Southampton loop is the better bet. Either way, confirm the exact itinerary for your date on the line's own page, because the order of ports and the number of sea days change from sailing to sailing.
How the three lines differ (by character)
- P&O Cruises: British in feel, sailing from Southampton, with 12–18 night Canary Islands trips on its official page (checked Oct 13, 2026). That page also shows fly-cruises on Azura starting in Tenerife (7–27 nights) and names Britannia, Arcadia, Aurora, Azura, Iona and Ventura across its destination pages. Expect a UK-oriented crowd and prices in pounds.
- MSC Cruises: typically an international crowd and sailings from Lisbon or Southampton at certain times of year. Its Canary Islands page was not confirmed as of 2026-10-13; check https://www.msccruises.co.uk/our-cruises/canary-islands.
- Celebrity Cruises: typically a more upscale, adult-leaning feel with seasonal Southampton or Lisbon departures. Not confirmed as of 2026-10-13; check https://www.celebritycruises.com/destinations/canary-islands-cruises.
What to do before you book
Open the line's page, choose your month, then filter by departure port and length. Enter two adults sharing and note the cruise-only fare. Do not rely on any price you saw in a search result; fares change daily. Then price the flight separately, and add a pre-night hotel. If the total beats a land holiday for the same number of nights, book.
Three free things (with a photo subject)
- Funchal's old town and harbour walk. Photo subject: the Mercado dos Lavradores flower stalls.
- La Laguna's old streets in Tenerife by public bus (fares on https://www.titsa.com/). Photo subject: colonial doorways and balconies.
- Las Canteras beach in Las Palmas. Photo subject: the long curved beach and promenade at low sun.
This is the free lite guide. The full day-by-day guide, with maps, photo stops, rain plans and the points playbook, is part of PerkJolt All-Access.
Good to know before you go
We checked the facts below on 2026-10-13. Confirm hours, fees, port calls, tender status and schedules on the official page (and the line's app or your booking) before you book or sail.