Vince Cook, CEO of
Grand Circle Cruise Line, the leader in small ship and river cruising worldwide, announced today that the fleet has acquired the M/V
Corinthian, a 98-passenger, ocean faring vessel that currently operates in
Antarctica. Grand Circle Cruise Line had chartered the ship for the past year and will expand the
Corinthian's operations with the launch of three new small ship cruise itineraries in 2015.
The ship was acquired for an undisclosed price from
Travel Dynamics International, a leading operator of high-caliber educational programs aboard small cruise ships.
Travel Dynamics will continue to operate the
Corinthian throughout 2014, with Grand Circle Cruise Line assuming operational control when the ship returns to
Antarctica
in the fall. In addition, Grand Circle Cruise Line and Travel Dynamics
have entered into a long-term agreement through which Grand Circle
Cruise Line will provide small ship itineraries on the
Corinthian and its other small ships for Travel Dynamics' educational programs.
"Small
ship cruising is a rapidly-growing trend among baby boomers and seniors
who want the ease, comfort and affordability of small ship cruising
along with access to local communities, cultures, and experiences," said
Cook. "We are committed to expanding our small ship fleet and to
creating affordable, new small ship itineraries that provide travelers
with an intimate experience of a destination. Our travelers to
Antarctica have had an amazing experience on the
Corinthian, and we feel extremely proud that this spectacular ship has joined our growing fleet."
The
Corinthian is
an ice-strengthened vessel with the latest navigational,
communications, and safety equipment. The ship is 297 feet long and
carries 98 passengers in 49 outside-facing suites—each at least 225
square feet in area. All suites feature individual climate control,
mini-refrigerator, safe, telephone, TV, DVD/CD player, a sitting area,
and a private bath. An elevator serves all passenger decks. The ship's
well-appointed common areas include a restaurant, two lounges—including
one with panoramic windows—and a library with Internet access.
Grand Circle Cruise Line will launch three new itineraries for the
Corinthian in 2015, including an 8-night, roundtrip cruise (
Lisbon, Portugal; Portimao, Algarve;
Casablanca and Tangiers,
Morocco; and
Gibraltar and
Seville, Spain); a 12-night Baltics cruise (
Copenhagen and Ronne,
Denmark; Gdansk,
Poland; Visby and
Stockholm, Sweden;
Riga, Latvia;
Tallinn, Estonia;
St. Petersburg, Russia; and
Helsinki, Finland); and an 11-night UK cruise (
Edinburgh,
Aberdeen, the Outer Hebrides Islands, and Isle of Skye,
Scotland;
Dublin, Ireland; Holyhead,
Wales; and the Isle of Scilly,
England). Grand Circle Cruise Line also will offer several repositioning cruises.
Similar to every Grand Circle Cruise Line small ship, the
Corinthian
will be able to enter small ports that larger ships cannot, providing
travelers with access to small cities, towns, and villages and
opportunities to engage with local people and experience their culture
and way of life. For example, on the new
Lisbon itinerary, the
Corinthian will sail along an inland river right into the heart of
Seville, docking there, whereas larger ships, unable to sail this passage, must dock in the large port of Cadiz and bus travelers to
Seville for day trips.
Grand
Circle Cruise Line's small ships are known for their small group size,
for their outstanding local Program Directors (guides) and nautical and
hospitality crew, and for itineraries that connect travelers with locals
through activities such as visits to homes, schools, markets,
neighborhoods and beyond. "Our focus is not on having fancy bells and
whistles onboard our ships but to offer travelers authentic, firsthand
cultural experiences on shore," said Cook. Grand Circle Cruise Line's
small ships also are known for exceptional value—with per diem rates
typically
$50-$250 less than other small
ship cruise lines' and free single supplements for solo travelers. In
the past several years, Grand Circle's small ships have received myriad
awards for excellence by readers of
Conde Nast Traveler; most
recently, Grand Circle's three, 50-passenger small ships were rated the
#1 (Artemis), #2 (Arethusa) and among the top 5 (Athena) best small
ships in the world for 2014.
Established
in 1998 with a single river cruise ship, today Grand Circle Cruise Line
has dozens of small ships and river ships, including three, 4-star plus
50 passenger ships that operate in the Mediterranean (Athena, Artemis
and Arethusa), 15 privately-owned river ships, and exclusive charters.
More than 79,000 travelers have sailed with Grand Circle Cruise Line in
the past two years, including more than 19,000 solo travelers. Grand
Circle Cruise Line anticipates 40,000 travelers in 2014, including more
than 12,000 solo travelers attracted by Grand Circle's
comprehensive solo friendly policies and programs.
The acquisition of the
Corinthian closely follows on the acquisition of the
River Cloud II, now named the
Chanson, a 90-passenger river cruise ship that will operate in the
Bordeaux region of
France.
For more information, please visit Grand Circle Cruise Line or call 1-800-221-2610.
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