20 Night Cruise sailing from Philipsburg to Barcelona aboard Seabourn Spirit.

The second of Seabourn's intimate, all-suite vessels was launched in November, 1989. Built at the Schichau Seebeckwerft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany, Seabourn Spirit was christened by Aagot Brynestad, the mother of Seabourn founder Atle Brynestad.

Seabourn Spirit's 104 ocean-view suites quickly filled with eager travelers, attracted by the unique combination of features that had garnered praises for its sister-ship Seabourn Pride.

A variety of lounges and bars, scaled for relaxed sociability, invite guests to get to know each other. Complimentary service of fine wines and spirits contributes to a convivial, club-like atmosphere both here and on the open teak decks, where guests find plenty of comfortable seating both in the sun and shade, and ever-attentive service including full bar service, fresh fruit smoothies and sherbets, mineral water spritzes, frozen towels and even sun lotion and sunglass cleaning. A pair of large whirlpool spas grace the sun deck, and a third one is set all the way forward on Deck 5, perfect for watching the world go by.

On certain days in warm water destinations, the captain will anchor off an inviting stretch of beach and deploy the ship's unique fold-out watersports Marina, creating a private island resort where guests can water-ski, sail, swim or snorkel right from the ship. Each Seabourn sister has a main show lounge capable of seating all guests, and an observation lounge with panoramic views on Deck 8 above the navigation bridge. The Club is a popular location for dancing before and after dinner, and into the night.

Public rooms on Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit were extensively refurbished in 2010 with a fresh, contemporary flair that keeps them at the top of the rankings in the luxury cruise category.

Highlights of this cruise:

Philipsburg
St. Maarten is one of the most rewarding stops for a cruise-ship passenger. The island is divided between French St. Martin in the north and Dutch St. Maarten in the south. Each side manages to retain its own distinct flavor. The Dutch side (Sint Maarten) is a lively destination of white sand beaches, casinos, historical sites, shopping venues and lot of nightlife. Most ships dock in Philipsburg, the capital of Dutch St. Maarten.

Philipsburg fills a narrow stretch of land between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond. Two main roads cut across the length of Philipsburg--Front Street and Back Street. Front Street, the main thoroughfare, is lined with duty-free shops offering everything from Italian leather goods and Japanese cameras to native crafts. Narrow alleyways lead in either direction to arcades and courtyards filled with flowers. Visitors will also find examples of traditional West Indian architecture, including characteristic pastel-colored houses with second-story verandas looking out over the street. Front Street's most prominent landmark is the Courthouse, built in 1793. A grand white wooden structure topped with a cupola, it now serves as St. Maarten's courthouse. Also on Front Street is the Simartin Museum, which gives visitors an excellent introduction to local history.

Gustavia
Tiny St. Barts, as it is commonly called, lies 125 miles northwest of the French island of Guadeloupe, of which it is a dependency. Its geographic features include steep, green, once-active volcano hills, deep valleys, and beautiful beaches. Founded by the French, ceded to Sweden then returned to France, the toy-scaled capital of Gustavia is built around the harbor on the island's southwest coast. Many of the island's inhabitants are descendants of settlers from Brittany, Normandy and Sweden. Today they operate small inns, cafes, restaurants and boutiques that are housed in old buildings of Swedish colonial and French Creole architecture. Too small for most cruise ships, Gustavia's harbor is a favorite layover for sailing yachts, and with prices well beyond the means of the masses, visits are mostly limited to a few hours of day-trippers from nearby St. Martin/St. Maarten. The majority of visitors staying on the island still come from among the privileged who treasure the laid-back atmosphere and small-gem perfection of St. Barts.

Basseterre
"The Beautiful Sisters," St. Kitts and Nevis are separated by a two-mile-wide strait but joined together as an independent island nation. Known and loved for their sleepy pace, these islands are awakening to become an "in" place among well traveled North Americans and Europeans.

A small, green volcanic speck in the blue Caribbean, St. Kitts offers quiet beaches, remnants of the old British plantocracy, and dreamy days under silk-cotton trees, soothed by the scents of flamboyants and frangipani. The native Arawak and Carib Indians called St. Kitts the fertile isle, and until as recently as 2005, the island was still dependent upon sugar for a large segment of its economy.

Funchal
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.

Barcelona
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.