Odyssey, Atlantic Memories & Canary Isles ex Bridgetown to Barcelona

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25 Night Cruise sailing from Bridgetown to Barcelona aboard Seabourn Odyssey.

25 Night Cruise sailing from Bridgetown to Barcelona aboard Seabourn Odyssey.

Seabourn Odyssey is the first in a new-class of ships for Seabourn that will accommodating just 450 guests in 225 luxury suites. Although, at 32,000 GRT, Seabourn Odyssey is more than triple the size of Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit and Seabourn Legend, she was the smallest new ship being built by any major cruise line, and her guest capacity is just twice that of the smaller sisters, creating the highest space-per-guest ratio in the industry.

Highlights of this cruise:

Bridgetown, Barbados
Barbados has retained many of the trappings of its British colonial heritage. Judges and barristers wear proper robes and wigs, police don helmets styled after London bobbies and cricket remains a national passion. Barbados also has all the sporting appeal of the rest of the Caribbean, with pristine beaches, powerful surf and crystal clear waters. Brightly colored homes and hibiscus flowers mingle with mahogany trees and English churches dating back to the 17th century. 

Funchal, Portugal
The Madeira Archipelago, consisting of the islands Madeira, Porto Santo and Desertas, is situated in the Atlantic, about 400 miles from the African coast and 560 miles from Lisbon. Discovered by the Portuguese in 1419, Madeira, the largest of the islands, became of great importance to Portugal for its sugar production and later on for the cultivation of wine. The unusually temperate oceanic climate and extraordinary scenery had Northern Europeans flocking to Madeira as early as the 18th century to spend the winter months. The winning combination of high, rocky peaks, steep green ravines and waterfalls in the interior, with the flowering charm of Funchal still attracts nearly half a million visitors each year.

Porto Santo, Porto Santo Island, Portugal
Located 27 miles northeast of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean, Porto Santo enjoys the same climate of eternal springtime. However, the small 9-mile by 5-mile island also boasts an extensive strand of wide, soft sand beach, which its larger neighbor lacks. The northern end of the island is tall and rugged, showing off the columnar basalt formations and tortured geological evidence of is volcanic origins. The southern end is flat and mostly low, ringed by the beach. The main town of Vila Baleira is centered around a triangular plaza, the Largo de Pelhourinho, shaded by date palms and Dragon Trees. Here you will find the Old Town Hall and the Nossa Senhora da Piedade church, rebuilt in the 17th century on the site of a 16th century original. The Via Cristovão Columbo leads to the small house where it is supposed Columbus lived for some years after his marriage. Back up north, the village of Camacha holds a small Cardina museum created by a local man who crafted small-scale models of many of the island’s water fountains (fresh water was always a scarcity) and gathered traditional farming implements and other historic artifacts. The Fonte de Areia is a geologic oddity, an endless cascade of sand resulting from erosion of the soft sandstone cliffs. For golfers, the island has a new 18-hole course designed by Spanish champion Seve Ballestreros.

Lisbon, Portugal
The great period of "the Discoveries" accounted for phenomenal wealth brought back from India, Africa and Brazil by the great Portuguese navigators. Gold, jewels, ivory, porcelain and spices helped finance grand new buildings and impressive monuments in Lisbon, the country's capital city. As you sail up the Tagus River, be on deck to admire Lisbon's panorama and see some of the great monuments lining the river. Lisbon is one of Europe's smallest capital cities but considered by many visitors to be one of the most likeable. Spread over a string of seven hills, the city offers a variety of faces, including a refreshing no-frills simplicity reflected in the people as they go unhurriedly through their day enjoying a hearty and delicious cuisine accompanied by the country's excellent wines. 

Santa Cruz (Tenerife), Canary Islands, Spain
Tenerife is the largest of the seven main islands, which comprise the Canaries. Beyond its quaint whitewashed villages, the Canary Islands' eternal spring keeps flowers, fruits and vegetables growing year-round. From Tenerife, you can travel up through pine forests to Mt. Teide, Spain's highest peak.The Iglesia del Salvador’s Islamic Mudéjar ceiling is one of the best in the islands, and La Palma’s odd, erosion caldera called La Cumbrecita is a UNESCO Biosphere Site.

Puerto De La Estaca, El Hierro, Canarias, Spain
The smallest and westernmost of the Canary Islands, Hierro is a rugged, windswept place believed in Columbus’s day to be the very western edge of the world. Its picturesque, whitewashed capital, Valverde, is unusually located high in the mountains some distance from the sea, and home to just 2,000 souls. The volcanic island was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2000, and photographers delight in dramatic sights like the Faro de Orchilla lighthouse, the great natural stone arch of the Roque de la Bonanza and the bizarre, wind-twisted juniper trees set against stony slopes. The Canarian artist Cesar Manrique created a spectacular viewpoint and restaurant overlooking the dramatic El Golfo valley atop kilometer-high cliffs.

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Las Palmas is a large Spanish city, which just happens to be on the island of Gran Canaria. That fact adds the exotic, slightly African and international flavor to the place. It played an important part in the early exploration and exploitation of Africa and the New World, some of which is recounted in the Casa de Colon Museum. Columbus may have slept there, but it was never his house. It was actually the mansion of early governors. Other museums of note are the Museo Canaria with a number of Cro Magnon skulls, and the fascinating Elder Museum of Science and Technology. For shopping, strolling and general local interest, head to La Vegueta, the oldest quarter and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the adjacent Triana high street shopping district. Most visitors are here for the beaches, and the municipal Playa de Las Canteras is a long, clean and safe option if that is your intention. The Canaria in the name of the islands refers to the indigenous Presa Canaria breed of dogs, which are large, strong and made quite an impression on the earliest Spanish visitors.

Puerto Del Rosario, Fuerteventura, Spain
Fuerteventura is the oldest of the Canary Islands, and the closest to Africa. UNESCO has declared the island a Biosphere Reserve for its unique blend of desert and semi-desert ecosystems and for its enlightened approach to sustainable tourism. The most imposing feature of the island is its beaches, the huge expanse of dunes at Corralejos renders beach lovers speechless. The old capital of Betancuria offers timeless glimpses of the island’s bucolic past, as does the Fishing Museum and lighthouses at El Cotillo. Windmills dot the orange-tinted hills inland where charming hamlets like Lajares still maintain a slower pace of life.

Casablanca, Morocco
Casablanca, located on the Atlantic coast, is with 4 million inhabitants Morocco's largest city, and at the same time the largest port in Africa. Built on the site of ancient Phoenician Anfa, it remained a small fishing village for many centuries until the French arrived in 1912. Since then Casablanca has become a vast modern city, ever on the increase since Morocco's independence from France in 1956. A successful blend of oriental-style, white cubic dwellings with modern Moroccan quarters gives the city an interesting flair. Lovely beaches and attractive hotels make for a popular year-round holiday resort. To help understand Moroccan culture a visit to the Medina, the quaint old Moorish quarter, is a must for all visitors.

Tangier, Morocco
Situated just across the narrow Strait of Gibraltar from Europe, Tangier has long comprised a hybrid culture that is nearly as European as it is African. Standing atop Cap Spartel, one can gaze down on the place where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean. The “Hollywood” district where the foreign embassies have traditionally been located reflects the European influence. But ascending the hill above the waterfront, one enters the narrow, winding alleys of the Kasbah, the city’s oldest, most Moroccan section. Down the coast, nearby Tetouan retains a nearly untouched walled medina, with sections originally occupied by Andalusian, Berber and Jewish populations. It is small enough that visitors can explore it without risking becoming lost, making it a perfect choice as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Malaga, Spain
Often little more than a gateway to the Costa del Sol for sun-seeking vacationers, Malaga is a most interesting city in its own right. First settled by the Phoenicians, Malaga was held by virtually every ruling power in the Mediterranean at one time or another. Two Moorish fortresses, the 11th-century Alcazaba and the 14th-century Castillo de Gibralfaro still stand sentry above the harbor. Malaga was the birthplace of Pablo Picasso as well as the Malaguena style of flamenco. During your time here, you may wish to sample some of the sweet Malaga wine and excellent tapas for which the city is noted.

Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is said to have been founded by the Phoenicians, and was once the rival of the powerful states of Venice and Genoa for control of the Mediterranean trade. Today, it is Spain's second largest city and has long rivaled, even surpassed Madrid in industry and commerce. The medieval atmosphere of the Gothic Quarter and the elegant boulevards combine to make the city one of Europe's most beautiful. Barcelona's active cultural life and heritage brought forth such greats as the architect Antonio Gaudi, the painter Joan Miro, and Pablo Picasso, who spent his formative years here. Other famous native Catalan artists include cellist Pau Casals, surrealist Salvador Dali, and opera singers Montserrat Caballe and Josep Carreras. Barcelona accomplished a long-cherished goal with the opportunity to host the Olympics in 1992. This big event prompted a massive building program and created a focal point of the world's attention.