Europe for Visitors Blog

ABOVE: Corinthian would make a perfect megayacht for a billionaire, but don't tell Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg: We wouldn't want our readers to miss the chance for a Mediterranean cruise on a vessel that holds fewer passengers than most ships' lifeboats.

Travel Dynamics International is a New York-based cruise line that began life as Classical Cruises & Tours more than 35 years ago. The company specializes in cruises for adults with an educational and historical focus.

A typical TDI cruise has onboard lecturers (usually professors, journalists, or authors), and fares include shore excursions to cultural attractions that range from Byzantine monuments to Antarctic scenery. The company's three small ships carry only 34 to 100 passengers each, or fewer people than you might find at a Behemoth of the Seas bingo game.

Next year, Travel Dynamics will offer eight Mediterranean cruises on Corinthian, a 50-cabin ship that was refurbished in 2009. The ship has a crew of 60 to serve a maximum of 100 passengers.

TDI's 2013 Mediterranean season begins on April 30 with two 10-night cruises, "North Africa's Mediterranean Coast Through the Centuries." After that, the ship will cruise to Sicily, Malta, and the Aeolian islands, and then on to Sicily, Sardinia, and the Balearics.

In May, Corinthian will offer back-to-back "Treasures of Catalonia, Rousillon, Languedoc & Provence" cruises, followed by a cruise from Barcelona to Dubrovnik, a voyage in Croatia and Montenegro, a Black Sea round trip from Istanbul, a cruise in the Balkans, and two itineraries with Greek themes.

For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.traveldynamicsinternational.com.

(Note: As we're writing this post in early August, TDI has four Mediterranean cruises left in its 2012 season, with last-minute deals for three of the four voyages. Three cruises are on Corinthian's sister ship, Corinthian II; one is on 34-passenger Callisto.)

BELOW: Suite 604 on Corinthian.

Photos: Travel Dynamics International.