Grand Circle Cruise Line Named "World's Best River Cruise Line" in Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards for 3rd Year

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Oct 21, 2014, 09:38 ET

BOSTON, Oct. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Grand Circle Cruise Line, the leader in small ship and river cruising worldwide, has been named the #1 "World's Best River Cruise Line" in Condé Nast Traveler's 2014 Readers' Choice Awards. This is the third year in a row that Grand Circle Cruise Line has taken the top spot and the 10^th consecutive year it has been included as a top cruise line. This year, Grand Circle Cruise Line received an overall excellence rating of 91.851, the highest score of any cruise line in all categories. Condé Nast Traveler's 2014 Readers' Choice Awards were announced on line this week and will be featured in the magazine's November issue, on newsstands October 28th.

Established in 1998 with a single river cruise ship, Grand Circle Cruise Line's fleet today includes dozens of river ships and small ships that operate throughout Europe and beyond. Itineraries connect travelers with local people and their ways of life so that a traveler might share coffee and cake at the home of an Austrian family, visit with students at their school in Slovakia, or sample wines following a vineyard tour in France.

"We are delighted to be named the world's best river cruise line for the third year and to be among the top cruise lines for 10 years in a row," said Grand Circle Cruise Line CEO Michael Dowd. "We strive to help change people's lives by offering authentic, memorable travel experiences at an incredible value to both couples and solo travelers. Our ships are not fancy, but they offer something that clearly appeals: expert, local guides, stellar nautical and hospitality crews, and onshore itineraries that engage travelers with local people, communities, and cultures. We are honored to be recognized by Condé Nast Traveler and deeply appreciate our travelers for sharing their experiences of us."

Established in 1998 with a single river cruise ship, Grand Circle Cruise Line's fleet now includes dozens of river ships and small ships, including 15 privately-owned river ships, three, 4-star plus 50-passenger ships that operate in the Mediterranean (Athena, Artemis and Arethusa), the 98-passenger Corinthian, and exclusive charters. Grand Circle Cruise Line offers more than two dozen cruise itineraries throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, Burma, Antarctica, Panama, and beyond.

More than 640,000 travelers have sailed with Grand Circle Cruise Line since its beginnings, including 195,000 solo travelers. This year, 40,000 people will travel with Grand Circle Cruise Line, including more than 12,000 solo travelers, who are attracted by Grand Circle's comprehensive solo-friendly programs, which include free or reduced single supplements, free single supplements on all pre-and post-trip extension options, a free roommate matching service, a complimentary online travel companion program, and best price and lowest price guarantees.

Results of Condé Nast Traveler's 2014 Readers' Choice Awards are derived from a survey of the magazine's subscribers, who are asked to rate the world's best cruise lines, cities, islands, hotels, resorts, and more. In the river ship category, readers rated their experiences based on the ships' activities/facilities, cabins, crew/service, design/layout, food/dining, itineraries/schedule, and shore excursions. This year, close to 77,000 readers completed the survey.

For more information about Grand Circle Cruise Line, please visit Grand Circle Cruise Line or view our video.

About Grand Circle Cruise Line
Grand Circle Cruise Line is part of Grand Circle Corporation, the leader in international travel, adventure and discovery for Americans aged 50+. Through its brands Grand Circle Cruise Line (est. 1998), Overseas Adventure Travel (est. 1978) and Grand Circle Travel (est. 1958), the company has served more than two million Americans. Grand Circle Cruise Line owns or charters dozens of river cruise ships and small ships ranging from 50-216 passengers. The company's charitable arm, Grand Circle Foundation, has donated or pledged $97M to more than 300 humanitarian, cultural, and educational organizations worldwide since 1992, including 100 schools in 50 countries.

Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/FX-MM42250-20141021-1.mp4

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SOURCE Grand Circle Cruise Line