Places to go where to stay without a car
See this post
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/portugal/madiera-without-a-car
I listed some of the things I did in Oct 2022 without a car.
I have stopped there on cruise several times and always found the bus system outside Funchal rather impenetrable. Not being one for cruise excursions that was a bit limiting.
However it seems that in Summer 2024 that changed with a new simpler integrated bus system being introduced.
See here- https://www.madeira-web.com/en/madeira/travel-info/transport/buses.html