BOSTON, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Alan E. Lewis, Chairman of Grand Circle Cruise
Line, the leader in small ship cruising worldwide, today announced
that the 89-passenger M/V Clio will begin cruising this
summer following a $5M refit
beginning in May. The M/V Clio will operate four
European itineraries, including two new itineraries: a Small Ship
Cruise Tour along the west coast of England, Wales, and Scotland, and the east coast of Ireland—and
later, an itinerary from Lisbon,
Portugal to Barcelona,
Spain. Grand Circle acquired the small ship, formerly
called the M/V Tera Moana,
from Paul Gauguin Cruises last year for an undisclosed price.
"American boomers and seniors are increasingly interested in
traveling by small ships—and in even smaller groups," said
Lewis. "We define small ships as those with 150 or fewer
passengers, and the trend we're seeing is very different from the
industry's move to bigger and bigger ships. To create
even smaller groups of travelers, we assign our local Program
Directors to no more than 25 travelers, which creates a more
intimate experience and more easily fosters engagement with local
people, cultures and their ways of life. We are proud to
introduce the M/V Clio—a 4-star experience at a 3-star price
and the best value in the industry."
The M/V Clio will operate the following new
itineraries:
Coastal Charms of England, Wales, Ireland &
Scotland
Ports of Call: England: London, Poole, Falmouth; Wales: Fishguard, Holyhead; Ireland: Dublin; Isle of
Man; Scotland: Islay, Oban,
Arran, Glasgow, and Edinburgh
15 days from $7195 ($480/day), including international air from
JFK
FREE or Low Cost Single Supplements
Departures: August-September
2016
Optional Trip Extensions:
London, England: 3 nights from $895
Edinburgh, Scotland: 3 nights from
$895
On this journey to the island nations of England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland and the Isles of Man, travelers will
discover the windswept landscapes and delightful cultures of this
magnificent region. Highlights include a visit to the Eden
Project, a massive, climate-controlled biome in Cornwall (hamlet of Bedelva)—a region known
for innovation—as well as exclusive Discovery Series events
designed to enrich travelers' understanding of local culture.
Among these events are lunch with Welsh community members on Holy
Island and a slate-splitting demonstration and conversation about
the history of this industry in the region. Travelers will also
transfer by Zodiac craft to the Island of Islay, home to 3,000
residents, to visit one of the island's whiskey distilleries and
learn about the history of distilling and its importance to the
island.
Grand Circle's Coastal Charms itinerary includes 11
exclusive tours—all with personal headsets—of London, the
Eden Project, Fishguard, Caernarfon Castle, Dublin, Isle of
Man, Isle of Islay, Oban, Isle of Arran, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.
What's Included: Accommodations: 2
nights in London , 10 nights
aboard the Clio, and 1 night in Edinburgh; 36 meals, including Captain's
Welcome and Farewell receptions and dinners, and
beverages—including beer, wine, and soft drinks—during all onboard
lunches and dinners); Grand Circle's expert, local Program
Directors—1 assigned to a maximum of 25 travelers; 11
exclusive tours with personal headsets; Exclusive Discovery
Series events; Airport transfers; All port charges;
Gratuities for local guides and motorcoach drivers on your
main trip; Baggage handling for 1 piece of luggage per person,
including tips; 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward one's next Grand
Circle trip—an average of $449.
Voyage to Iberia: Lisbon to Barcelona
Ports of Call:
Portugal: Lisbon, Portimao; Spain: Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, Cartagena, Valencia, Mallorca, Menorca, and Barcelona
14 days from $7395, including
roundtrip international air from 5 U.S. cities (Boston, Miami, New
York, Newark, and
Orlando)
FREE or Low Cost Single Supplements
Departures: October-December
2016
Optional Trip Extensions:
Lisbon, Portugal: 3 nights from
$695
Barcelona, Spain: 3 nights from
$745
On this new Small Ship Cruise Tour, travelers will journey to
the cultural capitals of Portugal
and Spain. Included in the
itinerary are Grand Circle's exclusive Discovery series and other
activities designed to connect travelers with local people and
cultures. Travelers will learn some basic Portuguese during
an included Portuguese language lesson, explore Triana Market, a lively, indoor market in
Seville, and share dinner at a
family's home in Malaga. They will also visit a working bull
ranch owned by an Andalusian torero (bullfighter), where
they'll learn about Spain's
bullfighting tradition and enjoy a typical ranch lunch.
Travelers will also visit the island of Menorca, where they'll
lunch in a fishing village and visit an albarcas factory to see how
traditional Menorcan shoes are made.
Tours include Lisbon, Sagres,
Lagos, Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, an Andalusian bull ranch, Ronda,
Cartagena, Valencia, Mallorca,
Menorca, and Barcelona.
What's Included: Accommodations: 1 night in
Lisbon and 11 nights aboard the
M/V Clio; 35 meals, including Captain's Welcome and
Farewell receptions and dinners, and including beverages—including
beer, wine, and soft drinks—during all onboard lunches and dinners;
Grand Circle's expert, local Program Directors (one Program
Director assigned to a maximum of 25 travelers); 13 exclusive
tours with personal headsets; Airport transfers; All port charges;
Gratuities for local guides and motorcoach drivers on one's
main trip; Baggage handling for 1 piece of luggage per person,
including tips; and 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward one's next
Grand Circle trip—an average of $449.
In addition to the two new itineraries, the M/V Clio will
operate several recently-added departures of two previously
sold-out itineraries that employ Grand Circle's 98-passenger M/V
Corinthian: the 15-day Maritime Jewels of the
British Isles & Ireland,
and the18-day Spain's Northern
Coast and the Bay of Biscay.
About the M/V Clio
The ocean-cruising M/V Clio is 328 ft. long and
carries 89 passengers in 45 outside-facing cabins. The cabins range
in size from between 194 sq. ft. and 205 sq. ft., with a single
cabin measuring 161 sq. ft. While the majority of cabins include a
window, nine also feature a sliding glass door and balcony. The
cabins also have a queen-size bed that can be converted into two
twins, closet, flat-screen satellite TV, DVD/CD player,
telephone, mini-refrigerator, safe, and a private bathroom
with shower. An elevator serves all passenger decks. Common
areas include a dining room, lounge and bar area, indoor/outdoor
veranda, Sun Deck, Sky Deck with whirlpool, library, and shop.
Additionally, complimentary wireless Internet is available
throughout the ship—as it is on all GCCL owned river and ocean
ships.
Grand Circle Cruise Line will assume operations of the M/V
Clio in May and will begin a $5.0M refit to refurbish the ship to its unique
style of small ship cruising designed for American travelers.
Grand Circle will operate the ship with its own multi-national
nautical and hospitality crews—as it does on all of the ships it
owns.
In addition to the M/V Clio and M/V Corinthian,
Grand Circle Cruise Line small ships include the M/V Artemis,
Arethusa and Athena. These three, 4-star-plus,
50-passenger sister ships operate in the Adriatic and Mediterranean
and in 2014 were named, respectively, the #1 , #2 and #5 World's
Best Small Ships in Condé Nast Traveler's Cruise Poll.
For more information, please visit Grand Circle Cruise Line or
call 1-800-221-2610.
About Grand Circle Cruise Line
Established in 1998,
Grand Circle Cruise Line offers 16 River Cruises and Cruise Tours
throughout Europe as well as 16
Small Ship Cruise Tours to Antarctica, Panama, Europe, the Dalmatian Coast, Greece and the Greek Islands, the Aegean,
Adriatic and beyond. The cruise line is a division of Grand
Circle Corporation, which also is comprised of Overseas Adventure
Travel (est. 1978) and Grand Circle Travel (est. 1958). Grand
Circle has more than 30 offices worldwide and approximately 3,500
associates, guides, and crew serving more than 110,000 travelers
per year. In 1992, owners Alan and
Harriet Lewis established the nonprofit Grand Circle
Foundation to support communities in which Grand Circle works and
travels, including some 300 humanitarian, cultural, and educational
endeavors worldwide—among them, 100 schools, in 50 countries.
The Foundation is an entity of the Lewis Family Foundation, which
has pledged or donated more than $141
million since 1981.
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