GRAND Circle Cruise Line

GRAND Circle Cruise Line

Grand Circle Cruise Line is an arm of Grand Circle Travel, founded in 1958 as a tour operator for senior adults. In addition, another subsidiary is Overseas Adventure Travel catering to the over 50 for land and sea trips, overlapping with the cruise line for adventure cruise programs.

The firm concentrates on European river cruising with its wholly-owned fleet of small ships, and otherwise both owned and chartered vessels cruising throughout Northern and Southern (Mediterranean) Europe, plus Egypt, Panama, and Antarctica. Add-on land packages are also a big draw.

Their specialty is not only seniors, but solo travelers as well, offering singles low or no single supplements.

Ships, Years Delivered & Number of Passengers

The sizeable fleet is divided between small riverboats and ocean-going ships, either owned or privately-chartered by Grand Circle.

The privately-owned European river fleet numbers eleven: BIZET (built 2002 & 120 passengers) for the Seine; PROVENCE (b. 2000 & 46 p) for the Rhone & Soane; RIVER ARIA (b. 2001 & 162 p), RIVER ADAGIO (b. 2003 &162 p), RIVER CONCERTO, RIVER HARMONY & RIVER MELODY (b. 2000 & 140 p), and RIVER RHAPSODY (b. 1999 & 140 p) for the Rhine, Mosel, Main & Danube; RIVER ALLEGRO (b. 1991/remodeled 2011 & 90 p) for the Elbe; NEFERTITI (b. 2000, 75p) for the Nile.

Bizet passes Andelys, France. * Photo: Grand Circle

The privately-owned ocean-going fleet numbers four: CORINTHIAN (b. 1990 & 98 p) for Europe, Morocco, South America and Antarctica. ARTEMIS, ATHENA & ARETHUSA (b. 2007 & 50 p) with lots of itineraries in the Eastern and Western Mediterranean. Newly-added is the 89-passenger CLIO (formerly Tere Moana and built in 1988 as Le Levant) that began cruising in June 2016 in Northern Europe, Iberia and the Mediterranean.

Privately-chartered ships: DISCOVERY, a catamaran (b. 204 & 24 p) for 12-day cruise tour to Panama and the Panama Canal (on board 3 nights). NEFERTITI, a Nile riverboat (b. 2000, refurbished 2008, 75 p). 5 decks, no elevator.

Passenger Profile: Grand Circle caters to Americans of the 50 years and up set, including many solo travelers, 3 in 10 according to the line.

Passenger Decks: River fleet (46-162 passengers except where noted): RIVER ADAGIO & RIVER ARIA, RIVER RHAPSOY & RIVER HARMONY (4 decks & elevator between 2 cabin decks); BIZET (3 decks & elevator between cabin decks); PROVENCE (46 p) & RIVER ALLEGRO (90 p) and both 3 decks & no elevator);  CORINTHIAN (5 decks & elevator to all decks); ARTEMIS, ATHENA & ARETHUSA (4 decks & no elevator); catamaran DISCOVERY (3 decks & no elevator).

Cruising Germany’s Moselle River vineyards in the autumn. * Photo: Ted Scull

Price: $$ Moderate. For solo travelers, go to www.gct.com/solo

Included features: All cruises of many differing lengths: international airfare, excursions ashore and listed events aboard & ashore; beer, wine and soft drinks at lunch & dinner; Internet (limited to dedicated public areas and certain river stretches); port charges; and gratuities to drivers & local guides but not ship personnel. 5% frequent traveler credit is applied to your next booking. River cruise tour groups are limited to 47; while small oceangoing ships are limited to 25 when ashore.

Itineraries: European river cruises and many pre- and post cruise tours including land travel and hotel stays (9 to 28 days)  take in Belgian & Dutch waterways; Rhine & Mosel; Main and Danube; Elbe; Seine; Rhone & Saone; La Rochelle, Bordeaux and cruise the Gironde, Garonne & Dordogne rivers; Myanmar (Burma) river cruise tour along the Irrawaddy. Small ship ocean-going cruises and cruise tours to North Europe, Iberia and Morocco & Antarctica with the CORINTHIAN; Mediterranean cruise-tours with ARTEMIS, ATHENA & ARETHUSA; Panama and the canal cruise tours with DISCOVERY. CLIO cruises North Europe, Iberia and the Mediterranean. In winter, CLIO offers 11-night cruise tours to Cuba, sailing from Miami for a 7-night cruise calling at six ports, then a 3-night hotel stay in Havana and flight back to Miami. Alternate trips will start with a flight from Miami to Havana for 3 nights, and a 7-night cruise that returns to Miami. Rates include ship and air transportation, all tours, gratuities and visa. China land tour and Yangtze River cruise operate March to May, July, September and October using the 218 passenger VICTORIA SELINA, VICTORIA LIANNA or similar riverboat. Most recently, 15-night Egyptian cruise tours spend seven nights aboard the chartered 75-passenger riverboat NEFERTITI from February to the end of May and again August through December. Passenger go on tour in groups of no more than 25.  Israel/Jordan extensions add another week.

A medieval hill town in Bulgaria is a destination on a lower Danube River cruise. * Photo: Ted Scull

Why Go? Every region that Grand Circle covers has its own attractions. River cruises are an ideal way to see the cities, towns, castles, palaces, landscapes, cultural sites and river life without packing and unpacking. Small ship cruises allow calls to both popular and less frequented ports, and inshore cruising where big ships cannot go.

When to Go? In Europe, the peak summer months will see the most tourists and some land destinations may be crowded, while before June and after September, the numbers fall off. The earliest and latest dates will be chilly and may have more rain. Bundle up for the Christmas markets on river cruises, a different sort of experience.

Cabins: Riverboats have many shared features: mostly all outside cabins with picture windows, though windows on the lowest deck will not open as there are positioned just above the waterline. Cabins are most often about 160 sq. ft., and some have narrow step out balconies. TVs with CNN and radio are common features. Beds are usually fixed twins with some convertible to sofas during the day. Many cabins are equipped with emergency call buttons.

Adriatic coastal cruise to Croatian and Montenegro ports. * Photo: Grand Circle

The three Mediterranean small ships have Upper Deck double cabins with balconies, Main Deck cabins with portholes that open and measure 150 to 170 sq. ft. Two singles on the crew deck are 140 sq.ft., with fixed portholes. The CORINTHIAN offers what are referred to as suites, measuring from 215 to 285 sq. ft. that in effect means a separate sitting area with sofa, occasional chair and coffee table. Beds are arranged as twins or queens. The top two decks of suites have small balconies and all features windows, apart from seven on the lowest deck with portholes. Cabins amenities are TV, DVD/CD player, mini-refrigerator and telephone. The catamaran DISCOVERY has small windowed cabins with twin or queen beds. CLIO’s cabins range from 194 to 205 sq.ft. and some have balconies. Very attractive open and covered aft veranda for dining.

The 98-passenger Corinthian cruises European waters and Antarctica. * Photo: Grand Circle

Single supplements are often the lowest of any river cruise line and in some cases are waived completely. The line offers pick a travel companion on a site where interested passengers share profiles.

Public Rooms: The riverboats share in common a forward observation lounge with bar here or adjacent to the aft situated dining room, and most have a small library. The Sun Decks will have open and covered lounge spaces. The Mediterranean ships have adjacent lounges and restaurants (with bar) and Sun Deck with bar and grill. The CORINTHIAN’S public spaces are all stacked aft with the dining room on the portholed lowest deck, and lounge and library above that. An outdoor café serves breakfast and light lunches. The top deck offers a Jacuzzi, and massage room is located on the deck below. The DISCOVERY’S single space serves as viewing lounge, bar, library and dining room. Covered deck space is aft on two decks. CLIO has two dining areas, two bars, library, and whirlpool.

Dining: All vessels operate with one open sitting, and the small ships have a reputation for more creative food than the riverboats, aided by the smaller number of passengers and higher per diem fares. Food caters to American tastes with some regional specialties.

Activities & Entertainment: Shared activities ashore are limited to groups of 25 passengers on the small ships and 47 on the river fleet. Well trained program directors, native or local residents of the region, shepherd the groups. Activities aboard the riverboats may include classes on painting or cooking, language lessons, glassblowing and talks on such topics as river commerce, politics and the European Union. Shore excursions may be on foot or use a bus to see the sights and make visits to schools, farms, a private home or porcelain factory. The small ships offer both talks geared to the region, and included sightseeing forays in port are often on foot when the ship docks close to the center, with buses for more distances destinations. The DISCOVERY offers outdoor activities to islands, national parks, small villages and water sports in addition to the cruise tour’s Panama land portion.

Special Notes: Grand Circle often offers some of the lowest fares for its river cruise program. WHAT TO EXPECT outlines physical requirements such as the amount of walking, accessibility for travelers with mobility restrictions, types of terrain, transportation used and climate information. Grand Circle Travel operates world-wide land tours, and China tours include a 4-night Victoria Cruises’ river vessel along the Yangtze.

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Along the Same Lines: Other river operators and Viking’s new ocean-going fleet, though with a much larger capacity.

Contact: Grand Circle Cruise Line, 347 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210; www.gct.com; 800-221=2610

— TWS