Thursday, February 26, 2009

Clelia II To Sail the Great Lakes in 2009.

Today I was very surprised when I went to my mailbox and received a flyer for Great Lakes Cruises on board the ultra luxury Clelia II. Travel Dynamics International of New York is sponsoring 22 7-day cruise starting on June 27th and running through September 12, 2009.

The voyages are one-way trips departing either Toronto, Canada or Duluth, Minnesota visiting Port Weller (Welland Canal / Niagara Falls/ Lake Erie), sailing through Lake Huron to Little Current (Manitoulin Island) Ontario, Mackinac Island, Michigan, Soo Locks, Sailing Lake Superior, Houghton (Keweenaw Peninsula) Michigan, and Thunder Bay (Old Fort William), Ontario Canada. The cruise can be extended for extra nights in Duluth or Toronto either pre or post cruise.

The Clelia II has traditionally spent the summers sailing the Mediterranean, probably due to the slow down in the economy and soft European bookings, Travel Dynamics International have found a unique and specialized itinerary for it's ship. The size of the Corithian II makes her ideal for passing though the narrow locks of the Great Lakes and visiting ports where other cruise lines cannot go.

Prior years, Hapag-Lloyd's Columbus, Clipper Cruise Line and the Great Lakes Cruise Company have placed larger sized ships on the lakes. But recently only American Canadian Caribbean Line (ACCL) has been operating.

This year the Clelia II will sail the lakes with the ACCL ships.

The Clelia will under go an extensive refurbishment, redecoration and other improvements before starting the Great Lakes cruising season. The all-suite Clelia II will offer the finest in small-ship cruise travel. This private yacht-like cruise ship accommodates only 100 guests in 50 suites, each of which affords ocean views, measures 215 square feet or more and is appointed with a sitting area or separate living room, two twin-size beds or one queen-size bed, spacious closets, VCR/DVD/CD player, color TV, mini-refrigerator, air conditioning and bathroom with marble vanity and teak floor. Public facilities include a restaurant that accommodates guests at a single, unassigned seating, two lounges, expansive library with Internet access, state-of-the-art gym/spa, beauty salon, boutique, Jacuzzi, hospital, and ample deck areas for relaxing and sunbathing. An elevator serves all decks. Clelia II complies with the latest international and U.S. Coast Guard safety regulations and is outfitted with the most current navigational and communications technology as well as with retractable fin stabilizers for smooth sailing, an ice-strengthened hull and a fleet of Zodiacs. Clelia II is staffed by 60 European officers and crew. Taken together with her limited guest capacity, excellence of design, craftsmanship and material, Clelia II's spaciousness and intimate ambiance combine to make her ideal for distinctive cultural and expedition voyages

The Clelia II, a smaller luxury cruise-ship, is 290 feet long, 50 feet wide and weighs 4,077 Gross Tons. Her draft is 12 feet and she flies the flag of Malta.

No comments:

Post a Comment