Ovation, Western European Harbors ex Lisbon to Copenhagen

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28 Night Cruise sailing from Lisbon to Copenhagen onboard Seabourn Ovation.

28 Night Cruise sailing from Lisbon to Copenhagen onboard Seabourn Ovation.

Re-Defining Ultra-Luxury Cruising...Again. As Seabourn celebrates 30 years of enriching and enhancing ultra-luxury cruising, we’re proud to introduce the next stage of our evolution. We welcome Seabourn Ovation, sister ship to the already renowned Seabourn Encore. Her arrival has crowned a fleet that is already the newest, most modern and most acclaimed at sea and will deliver a wealth of new concepts, a fresh design vision and a host of illuminating ideas to delight the world’s most discerning travelers.

As with Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation, Seabourn enlisted the participation of master designer Adam D. Tihany. Recognized as one of the preeminent designers in the world, Tihany specializes in developing elegantly individual spaces for the most highly rated restaurants, hotels, resorts and spas in the hospitality industry. He is also renowned for his unique ability to realize and embody the particular personalities of his clients and the preferences of their clientele in his designs.

Highlights of this cruise:

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.

Gijon, Spain
This ancient port city on the green Atlantic coast of Spain has a history of some 3,000 years. From its humble beginnings the city has grown to become an important port city in Spain. Its old historic fishing village Cimadevilla with its picturesque cobble stoned streets and old-world architecture remains today its main tourist attraction.

Bilbao, Spain
Straddling the banks of an estuary opening into the Bay of Biscay, Bilbao is the largest city in Spain’s northeastern Basque Country. Its earliest beginnings are preserved in the Casco Viejo, seven medieval streets that used to be guarded by walls. There visitors will find the city’s old churches, a large market, a public theater and the Academy of the Basque Language. Nearby sources of iron ore made Bilbao an important industrial and shipping center from the 14th century onward. The Spanish Civil War also started here. Today the city is being transformed by a growing service economy, and its prominence on the global traveler’s radar may be dated from the 1997 inauguration of the striking Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. In fact, the estuary town has become a veritable magnet for architects, boasting notable masterworks including Santiago Calatrava’s beautiful Zubizuri (“White Bridge” in Basque) and airport complex, the 541-foot Iberdrola Tower by the Argentine Cesar Pelli, a subway system by Norman Foster, the 1909 wine warehouse called Alhóndiga, converted a century later by designer Philippe Starck and the Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall by Federico Soriano and Dolores Palacios. The Zorrozuarre area is also being redeveloped, following a 2007 master plan by the Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. For views of all of this, take the funicular from the city center to the top of Mt. Artxanda, where a sports complex, restaurants and a balcony await you.

Hendaye (Biarritz), France
Smaller than its neighbors St-Jean-de-Luz or Biarritz, Hendaye forms the political border between France and Spain on the Cote Basque, where the Pyrenees come down to meet the Atlantic. Politics aside, the whole area is culturally Basque, and the Basque language and flag are frequently heard and seen. Biarritz benefitted from the presence of the Empress Eugenie of France, who built a palace on the beach there in 1854 that survives as the Hotel du Palais. That attracted Europe’s crowned heads and secured its reputation as a seaside resort.

Bordeaux, France
Bordeaux is the starting point for many exciting excursions into the surrounding wine country. The patricians of Bordeaux have always been merchants and shipbuilders. Under the Romans the city had a flourishing trade with Spain and Britain. In 1154, as a part of the dowry of Eleanor of Aquitaine, it became English and remained so until 1453. In the 18th century, Bordeaux prospered from the slave trade, and later in commerce with French colonies in Africa. Since Roman times the quality of the region's vines and wines has been zealously maintained.

Cherbourg (Normandy), France
The seaport and naval station of Cherbourg is situated along the English Channel northwest of Paris at the mouth of the Divette River. Believed to rest on the site of an ancient Roman station, Cherbourg has been occupied since ancient times and was frequently contested by the French and English in the Middle Ages because of its strategic location. Most recently passed to France in the late 18th century, the town was extensively fortified by Louis XVI. During WWII the Germans held Cherbourg until it was captured by the American forces shortly after the Normandy landings. Following a vast rehabilitation program that returned it to working condition, Cherbourg became an important Allied supply port. Today, Cherbourg is important for transatlantic shipping, shipbuilding, electronics and telephone equipment manufacturing, yachting and commercial fishing.

Zeebrugge (Brussels), Belgium
This coastal port is our portal to the fairytale charms of Bruges, and almost unbearably romantic medieval town laced with canals. The central square confronts the visitor with four solid walls of fretted towers, elaborate edifices and soaring spires. One of the best ways to enjoy the town is to ride the swan-dotted canals on a boat tour. Or sroll around and pop into any of the open buildings to absorb the confectionary decoration. Speaking of confections, the town is justly famous for its fine Belgian chocolate. They even have a museum dedicated the Flemish invention of thinly cut, crisply fried potatoes that earned the inaccurate misnomer “French Fries!”

Greenwich (London), England, United Kingdom
A clever floating mooring near the Greenwich Naval Observatory provides your Seabourn ship its proximity to London. One of the world's premier cities.

Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Rotterdam’s skyline includes some of the most eclectic and daring architecture in Europe, resulting from the fact that most of the city was destroyed during Allied bombing in World War II during its Nazi occupation. Today it is Europe’s largest port. Only three buildings in the city center survived, the Art Deco City Hall, the Great St. Laurence church from 1499, and the 10-storey, Art Nouveau style White House from 1898. Delfshaven is the oldest existing neighborhood of Rotterdam, dating mostly from the 17th century. The city is rich in museums, with the Boymans van Beuningen being the most extensive art collection, from the 14th century forward. The striking Kunsthal designed by architect Rem Koolhaas, is a work of art in itself. Rotterdam has only seven windmills remaining, but a short trip to nearby Kinderdijk takes you to the UNESCO World Heritage Site containing 19 classic Dutch windmills. Other options for excursions from Rotterdam include half- or full-day tours to Amsterdam or to the 17th century charms of Gouda.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The delightfully attractive city of Amsterdam is home to many of the world's great art treasures, and is a major center of the glamorous diamond trade as well. Unique architectural styles of the past blend with superb modern structures, and the web of curved and straight canals makes the city as easy to traverse by water as by land. The hospitality of the local people has been remarked upon by generations of travelers, and the Dutch's respect for and tolerance of the beliefs of others has attracted refugees from around the world for centuries.

Hamburg, Germany
The residents of Hamburg have retained the independent spirit which earned this autonomous commercial center its 'Free City' designation in the Middle Ages. One of Germany's principal ports, Hamburg is surrounded by enormous dock areas and the gaudy, licentious Reeperbahn (which translates loosely to 'Anchorage of Joy') is fully prepared to offer every form of entertainment to the world's sailors. The vaudeville acts at the Hansa-Theater are bright and clever (and language is no barrier). The Kunsthalle (art museum) boasts an outstanding collection of 16th- and 20th-century masterpieces, and the Renaissance Rathaus (city hall) sits atop some 4,000 piles driven into marshy ground proving that the engineers of Hamburg have been skilled and imaginative for centuries.

Bergen, Norway
Stunningly beautiful Bergen is the ideal combination of nature, culture and exciting urban life, and is also the gateway to Norway’s fjords. Since King Olav Kyrre founded the city in 1070, Bergen has attracted people from all over the world. The city's history has been marked by numerous great fires, and what remains of the Bryggen, its old inner harbor, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the colorful setting for one of Norway’s most popular postcard views.

Geiranger, Norway
Each of Norway's fjords has its own special attraction, but one of the most outstanding is without doubt the Geirangerfjord. Breathtaking waterfalls with names like 'The Seven Sisters' and 'The Suitor' course down steep, opposing cliffs which loom over the deep, narrow waterway. At the head of the fjord lies the charming village of Geiranger. Its inhabitants are mostly self-sustaining, building their own homes, furniture and boats, and spinning their wool during the long winter months when the area is cut off from the rest of the world. Geiranger is a popular starting point for spectacular mountain rides full of hairpin turns, stunning scenery and splendid views.

Flam, Norway
Situated in the innermost part of the Aurlandsfjord and surrounded by steep soaring mountains, deep valleys and majestic waterfalls, Flam occupies the sort of dramatic setting one envisions when imagining the natural beauty of Norway's fjords. In fact, the word Flam means "little place between steep mountains." It's a short walk from the port to a trip on the Flam Railway, widely known as one of the world's most incredible stretches of railroad. Take a hike through the woods, go fishing in the mountains, enjoy a leisurely bike ride, or just enjoy the local shops and culture, including Otternes Bygdetun, with 27 different buildings dating back to the 1600's.

Stavanger, Norway
The town of Stavanger is situated along the shores of the narrow and winding Lysefjord. The natural environment here is dramatic, including the white sands of Sola Beach with its gently rolling waves. A highlight of any visit to Norway is the awe-inspiring peak of the world famous Preikestolen, or ‘Pulpit Rock,’ looming 2,000’ (604 m) directly above and overlooking the fjord. A hike to the table-top summit of the peak is rewarded by spectacularly breathtaking views all round and is truly the experience of a lifetime.

Copenhagen, Denmark
Vibrant Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, sits on the coastal islands of Zealand and Amager. Originally a Viking fishing village established in the 10th century, Copenhagen today is one the world’s most liveable cities. Its open spaces and lively street life, along with city planning favoring cyclists and pedestrians, encourage inhabitants to enjoy a lifestyle with an emphasis on community, culture and cuisine.

Copenhagen is a highly cultured city, offering highlights including the National Gallery of Denmark, which holds 240,000 works of art, the Ny Carlsberg Museum with its spectacular collection of ancient sculptures from Egypt, Rome and Greece and Rosenborg Castle, where the Danish Crown Jewels are exhibited.