Odyssey, Atlantic Memories ex Bridgetown to Lisbon

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11 Night cruise sailing from Bridgetown to Lisbon onboard Seabourn Odyssey.

11 Night cruise sailing from Bridgetown to Lisbon onboard Seabourn Odyssey.

Seabourn Odyssey was built by the Italian company T. Mariotti S.p.A., located in Genoa, Italy and named in Venice in June of 2009. On that occasion, the guests on board for the maiden voyage were all honored as the ship’s godparents, and a plaque with their names was permanently mounted on a wall inside the ship. Seabourn Odyssey was designed by the same architectural team, Petr Yran and Bjorn Storbraaten, who designed the original Seabourn ships. Seabourn Odyssey’s 229 ocean-view suites are divided into 13 categories, with interior measurements from 295 to over 1,200 square feet. Ninety percent have private verandas, which add from 65 to over 350 square feet of additional private living space.

Highlights in accommodations are the exceptional Wintergarden Suites, which have a private glassed-in Solarium with a soaking tub and a lounging bed. This suite also features a veranda that is bowed out, giving wonderful views along the side of the ship. The Signature Suites, located all the way forward on Deck 7, have over 900 square feet of inside space and a spectacular wrap-around veranda of 353 square feet. In addition to more larger suites, Seabourn Odyssey’s additional size is utilized to create more open deck space, and a variety of public rooms and dining venues.

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 (MADEIRA), 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.

Relax in Vila Baleira’s triangular Largo de Pelhourinho plaza, travel north to the pioneer Cardina Museum and rugged volcanic peaks, or bask on Port Santo’s golden sand beach.

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.