I booked three trips with Happy Tours, Go West, a Levada Walk and a whale watching boat trip. All three tickets looked very similar (attached is the one for the boat trip we missed). Each show our hotel, room number and pick up time. The first two worked out well, picked up on time and had enjoyable days’ out.
We expected to be picked up at our hotel (10.00 am) for the boat trip, but no pick up by 10.30am. When I managed to get to the Happy Tours office, was told that I should have gone to the harbour for the boat. However, if this was the case, this ticket should not have had out hotel name on, but the location of the wharf where the boat would be moored, and instead of “pick up" 10.00 am it should have read “embarkation time”. I had no idea where the boat would be located as I had no other documentation than the ticket, so my presumption, based on the previous two trips booked with Happy Tours, that we would be picked up by mini-bus at the hotel as before.
In fairness, the rep at Happy Tours did offer to re-book us, but as it was our last day in Madeira it was too late. No refund was offered, so I can only give a two-star review. Also, although their office should be open at 9.00 am, when I attempted to speak to them at 10.30 am on the day of the missed trip, the office was still closed, so only able to speak to them later in the day after we had made other arrangements to have a nice day in Funchal.
So please take care when you book with Happy Tours, ask when the ticket says "hotel" and "pick up time", that that is actually what is supposed to happen.