Travel Dynamics & Corinthian

[Fletcher]

TRAVEL DYNAMICS & CORINTHIAN - A FEW THOUGHTS

 

Corinthian is a sister ship to the Island Sky and Caledonian Sky. That is to say, it is basically the same ship with subtly different configuration. It was once called Clelia II and spent a lot of time in the Antarctic. If you go on YouTube you can see the ship stricken with engine failure in high seas. About 18 months ago Clelia II was chartered by the high-end Australian company, Orion, and renamed Orion II. The Orion company refitted the ship with upgrades to all the cabins yet it seems that Orion’s core Aussie customer base didn’t like the ship that much so they let it go several years before the charter expired.

 

Orion II was then chartered by the New York-based Travel Dynamics who renamed the ship Corinthian. It is cruising the Mediterranean and the British Isles this summer and Noble Caledonia (UK) are offering a limited number of cabins on several cruises at knock-down prices. I was on the ship last week and sailed from Barcelona to Dubrovnik. There were 8 Noble Cal Brits aboard along with 70-odd Americans. Hostilities did not break out. We had a lovely time and the American cruise team of John Frick, Brian Goyette and Paige Harris, who ran the show, were outstanding. The whole thing was brilliantly organised.

 

Anyway, this is what I thought about the ship. It differs significantly from the Island Sky in that there are two decks which people can walk around. These are Decks 3 and 4 and I think these should be avoided if possible. If you are on Deck 3 or 4 you will have people walking past your window so you will probably keep your curtains permanently drawn. Also, these cabins are smaller than most because they must allow for the promenade deck space.

 

We actually had one of the cheapest cabins - 246 - and really lucked out. It was spacious, with a large sitting area and an enormous walk-in closet. We also saw cabin 252 which we think is the best cabin on the ship - even bigger than ours - and by far the best value. On Deck 5 cabins 505 and 506 are bigger still but face forwards and have people clustering by your windows. Other Deck 5 cabins have narrow balconies while the four cabins on Deck 6, the most expensive category, are indeed lovely with wide balconies and might be desirable if you want a lot of privacy and fresh air. However, these cabins are not as spacious as their equivalents on the Island Sky. I might also say that our cabin had good aircon, the bathroom always worked and it was silent except for some gentle, sleep-inducing lapping of the exceptionally calm sea.

 

The mainly Filipino crew were outstanding, as always, and they served up excellent food - only the original Orion was better. Corinthian’s food was certainly a notch or two up from the Island Sky and on this cruise all bar drinks as well as wines were included. The restaurant itself could be very noisy (American do tend to shout at each other) and we were surprised by the relaxed attitude towards hygiene - on most ships you have staff ordering you to use hand gels but no one on the Corinthian bothered.

 

The bar was pleasant, libraries were well stocked, the internet was acceptably quick and fairly priced (US$20 per hour), and the Deck 3 lounge doubled as a lecture theatre with a far better seating arrangement than the Island Sky.

 

Unlike Noble Cal trips, gratuities are not included because Americans love to tip. It’s part of their culture. They want to tip their pilot, the man who X-rays their luggage. We were instructed by cruise director John Frick that a tip of US$320 per couple for a 9-night cruise was the normal rate, plus anything you wanted to give privately to any individual, like your cabin stewardess. One of the British contingent reckoned this meant the passengers were actually paying the hotel staff rather than Travel Dynamics.

 

Finally, our main criticism of this ship. We experienced hot and sunny weather and the ship gave us nowhere to sit in the shade. Nowhere. Unlike the Island Sky and Caledonian Sky this ship does not have a permanent awning over the outdoor restaurant area and sun shades were seldom used. At times this seemed perverse: as soon as lunch finished the shades and the seat cushions were removed. At times the sunshades were regarded as dangerously unstable so people were forced to sit and eat under the fierce sun in temperatures way into the 30C/90Fs. The ship needs a canopy or awning right away. Like now!