Grand Circle Cruise Line Announces 2016 Small Ship Itineraries Aboard Recently-Acquired M/V Clio for 2016

M/V Clio offers travelers a 4-star experience at a 3-star price -- Plus FREE or Low Cost Single 

Supplements for Solo Travelers

 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 LineEstablished 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. 

100 Days to Go To Commonwealth Games; The Perfect Opportunity To Explore Scotland From Beautiful Landscapes … To natural Wonders … To Historic Sites, Festivals And Cultural Events…

 

Today, Monday 14 April, marks exactly 100 days to go to the XX Commonwealth Games*.  To celebrate the occasion, VisitScotland, the national tourism body for Scotland, has unveiled a list of the 100 Brilliant Things to do in Scotland that everyone must experience whilst in the country during this amazing year.
With so much excitement building around the big event in Glasgow, the city offers the perfect gateway to exploring the rest of Scotland during 2014.  Whether it’s a relaxing afternoon spent walking on a deserted beach in the Highlands or one of Scotland’s Islands; an adventurous journey on a bike around the south of Scotland or by water-ski in Loch Lomond or Perthshire; a step back in time during a visit to one of Scotland’s many historic sites; or a visit to one of the many cultural events taking place during Homecoming Scotland 2014.  The world is your oyster! (Or should that be a fresh langoustine from Scotland’s Seafood Trail?!)

Brilliant Moments…
Brilliant moments are to be made whilst enjoying experiences that are exclusive to Scotland.  Visitors can find their own piece of the country whilst exploring the stunning Achamore Gardens on the Isle of Gigha, or the remote beach at Achemelvich in Sutherland.   There are also unique sights to behold such as Fingal’s Cave on the Isle of Staffa (said to have inspired  Mendelssohn's ‘Hebridean Overture’), not to mention the Aurora Borealis, better known as the Northern Lights.  The Caithness coast, Orkney Islands, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides are among the best places to see them.

Only in 2014…
Along with the Commonwealth Games, Scotland will welcome visitors to a variety of other once-in-a-lifetime events in 2014.  Gleneagles in Perthshire will see the world’s golfing elite take over the Hotel and Golf Resort during September 2014, not to mention hundreds of golfing fans.  There are more than 700 events in the Homecoming Scotland 2014 calendar including the World Sheepdog  Trials in Tain, and the slightly more toothy Coll of the Sharks Festival at the Isle of Coll.  For anyone who has ever wanted to know if it’s how high, how far or how straight the caber lands is important in a caber toss** there is the Highland Homecoming in Inverness.   There is also the chance to see the unique Kelpie sculptures, designed by Scottish sculptor Andy Scott, part of the John Muir Festival at the Helix Park in Falkirk.

Great landscapes and breathtaking views…
Scotland is home to some of the most amazing views and stunning scenery in the world, which have inspired artists and poets, as well as becoming the film sets for blockbuster films.  Visitors can travel to the Falls of Lora at the end of Loch Etive and be in good company:  filmmakers were so inspired by the views that the James Bond film Skyfall was filmed not far from away by Glen Etive.  Words cannot do justice to other views in Scotland; from the panoramic views around Castle Stuart Golf Links near Inverness, to the sights when driving up the Pass of the Castle (Bealach na Ba) to Applecross, not forgetting the view of the Old Man of Hoy when on a scenic tour around the Orkney Islands. 

Journey to the past…
From bustling cosmopolitan cities to fascinating historic locations - visitors to Scotland won’t have to travel far to come across a location with a fascinating past. For example, just a short drive from Edinburgh is Abbotsford House, the home of Sir Walter Scott, in the Scottish Borders.  Also not too far from Scotland’s capital city is Rosslyn Chapel, Midlothian.  Used as a location for the film The Da Vinci Code it is rumoured to be the final resting place of the Holy Grail. Go further afield to visit other historic sites, such as Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries & Galloway (one of Scotland’s greatest medieval fortresses and the UK’s only triangular shaped castle); follow Scotland’s Castle Trail in Aberdeenshire; visit Glamis Castle in Angus (rumoured to be one of the most haunted locations in Scotland); as well as take a trip to Orkney, which is home to the 5,000-year-old Skara Brae Prehistoric Village and the Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle.

A taste of Scotland…
It’s not just the sights and sounds that need to be experienced on a trip to Scotland, but also the unique tastes.  Scotland is renowned for its fresh produce, unique whisky and natural larder. From Michelin-starred restaurants such as those in Leith in Edinburgh, to enjoying fish & chips sitting at Crail Harbour in the East Neuk in Fife, each meal eaten in Scotland is unique and memorable. Visitors can also get a taste for the ‘water of life’ at one of Islay’s many distilleries on the world-famous Malt Whisky Trail through Speyside and perhaps combine it with haggis, neeps and tatties anytime during the year (not just on Burns Night!)
 
The full list of 100 things to do in Scotland is available to download at www.visitscotland.com 
For more information on visitor attractions and places to stay in Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com  
For full details on the programme of events for Homecoming Scotland 2014, visitwww.homecomingscotland.com