Grand Circle In Top Five Of Condé Nast Traveler's 2005 Readers’ Choice Awards

BOSTON—Grand Circle, the leader in international travel, adventure and discovery for Americans aged 50-plus, for the first time was selected one of the top five small ship cruise lines in the world in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2005 Readers’ Choice Awards, the company announced today. 

Grand Circle’s fleet was rated by the following criteria: activities/facilities, cabins, crew/service, design/layout, food/dining, and itineraries. The Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards survey was made available to almost 400,000 of the magazine’s subscribers.

“We are thankful to Condé Nast Traveler and to its readers for recognizing us for our small ship vacations,” said Alan E. Lewis, Grand Circle’s chairman and CEO. “In the past eight years, we have expanded rapidly into the small ship market because we knew there was high demand among older Americans for international travel that combines the ease and intimacy of a small ship experience with opportunities to connect with local people and customs in the cities and towns we explore on our itineraries around the world. In addition, we are keenly aware that value plays a major role in the decision making process of our travelers and are pleased to note that we offer our small ship vacations at prices that generally cost half of what other operators charge.”

Having sold out its chartered small ship vacations in Europe in 1996, Grand Circle began building and acquiring its own fleet of small ships in 1997 to serve its two travel brands, both of which are geared, paced and priced for Americans over 50: Grand Circle Travel and Overseas Adventure Travel. The company now operates a fleet of 45 ships ranging from custom-built river ships to rustic barges and gulet-style yachts to the small ocean ship the M/S Paul Gauguin. In 2004, Grand Circle purchased Continental Waterways, the pioneer in European barging; the 320-passenger M/S Paul Gauguin, considered one of the world’s best small ships; and two Russian river ships. In 2005, Grand Circle chartered additional ships in Egypt to keep up with demand among Americans over 50.