Seatrade Cruise News is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

In Focus: River Cruising

Portuguese design and décor for Tauck’s Andorinha

Tauck_Andorinha_Atrium.jpg
Atrium onboard Andorinha
Tauck’s new river cruise ship Andorinha, debuting this spring, will feature décor and design details influenced heavily by elements of Portuguese culture, befitting a ship that's been purpose-built to sail exclusively along the Douro River.

Andorinha is a truly beautiful vessel,’ said Tauck CEO Dan Mahar, ‘and I love the fact that – while she's distinctly different from every other ship in our fleet – she'll still be instantly recognizable as a Tauck riverboat to guests who've sailed with us before.’

Traditional ceramic tiles

A recurring design theme on Andorinha is the traditional painted ceramic tiles, or azulejos, which were brought to the Iberian Peninsula by the Moors and gained widespread popularity in Portugal during the 1500s.

Azulejo tiles (Arabic for ‘polished stone’) adorn several areas of Andorinha, including its main Compass Rose restaurant and Arthur's, an alternative dining venue on the ship's Sun Deck.

Fabric facsimiles of the tiles accent one wall of each cabin, with the cabin's throw pillows and carpeting continuing the theme.

Within the ship's soaring atrium, railings, carpeting and lamps suspended from the ceiling all boast curving patterns reminiscent of azulejo designs.

The azulejos are perhaps most dramatically presented, however, in a hand-painted tile mosaic map depicting the Iberian Peninsula and its surrounding oceans. Located in Andorinha's reception area and reminiscent of early navigational charts, the three-foot mosaic pays tribute to Portugal's rich maritime heritage of the 15th and 16th centuries.

Grapes and unique ceiling light

A second recurring theme aboard are grapevines, reflecting both Portugal's 2,500 years of winemaking traditions and the continued influence of viniculture on Portuguese society today.

Cabins and suites all feature wall lamps with decorative metalwork suggestive of grapevines, and each lamp is backed by accenting wallpaper panels that also echo the theme.

More prominently, Andorinha's reception area features a large, circular, domed ceiling light seemingly entwined in grapevines. Some four feet across, the fixture was crafted exclusively for the Andorinha with brass ‘branches’ that were custom-cast from actual grapevines.

Throughout, numerous furnishings have been sourced from Portuguese suppliers, ranging from some of the ship's lighting fixtures and furniture to the luxury Portus Cale toiletries provided in each cabin. Finally, and along with the Andorinha's decor and furnishings, the ship's name is also rooted in local culture. Andorinhas are a species of small migratory swallow that travel to Africa every winter and return to Portugal each spring.

Naming on March 31

Andorinha will accommodate 84 guest and is set to sail on its first cruises along the Douro in April, following its christening in Porto on March 31.

The 42 cabins, include 12 300-square-foot suites on the upper Diamond Deck, and 20 225-square-foot staterooms primarily on the vessel's Ruby or mid-level deck. The remaining accommodations (six 200-square-foot cabins and four 150-square-foot cabins) will be on the lower or Emerald Deck.

Tauck is offering three Douro River itineraries aboard Andorinha in 2020; a 12-day journey that bookends a seven-night Douro cruise with two-night hotel stays in Lisbon and Madrid, an eight-day ‘cruise-only’ itinerary along the river, and an eight-day Tauck Bridges cruise designed specifically for families.