Norwegian Jade 10 Night Mediterranean From $349! (Overnight at Istanbul)

*** NCL has now dropped the lowest price of this cruise to $299! *** (update Dec. 6, 2013)

This isn’t a blistering hot and tropical Mediterranean journey when taken in January. The highlight of the ten night Mediterranean cruise onboard the Norwegian Jade, embarking January 8, 2014, is an overnight at Istanbul, Turkey. The average daytime high in Istanbul in January is around ten degrees celcius, with night time lows of around four degrees. Perhaps that is why this ten night classic Mediterranean cruise can be had for as low as $349 per person.

The Cruise

The ten night Mediterranean itinerary embarks from Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy at 5pm on Wednesday, January 8, 2014. Norwegian Jade doesn’t stop at Messina, Italy on the island of Sicily. However, she does squeak through the Strait of Messina on her way from Rome to her first stop at Katakolon, Greece. The Strait of Messina is just 3.1 kilometres or 1.9 miles wide at the narrowest point. If the day is clear, the volcano known as Mount Etna is visible from the ship, as is the town of Messina in Sicily.

Katakolon and Piraeus are Jade’s two stops in Greece. She stops for eight hours at Katakolon in Friday, January 10 and stays another eight hours at the dock in Piraeus the following day. The following day, Sunday, Jade makes her first of two stops in Turkey at Izmir (Smyrna). There’s a little more time at Izmir with a full ten hours at port.

Norwegian Jade pulls into the dock at Istanbul at 1pm on Monday, January, 13. After staying overnight, the ship departs the city located on two continents at 8pm on Tuesday. After two full days at sea, Jade makes her last stop at Naples in Italy. This is another ten hour port call.

The Pricing

Currently, an interior stateroom can be had for as low as $349 per person, based on double occupancy. The government taxes and fees are quite low at just $70.08 per person. This means a room for two can be yours for a total price, taxes included, of just $836.16. This amount would be due in full at the time of booking.

Pricing is decent for other levels of staterooms, as well. An ocean view room goes as low as $399 per person, a balcony from $479 per person and a mini-suite from $849 per person. Military personnel should note that they receive $30 per person off their booking, regardless of what stateroom they choose.

Got a few extra bucks kicking around? Why not try one of two three bedroom Garden Villa Suites on the Norwegian Jade? Dubbed ‘The Haven’, these suites are located on Deck 14 and have 4,719 square feet of living space. Each sleeps up to eight people. For a couple, this home away from home (or, if you’re like me, four homes away from home) is still available for this cruise at a total cost of $11,738.16!

The Ship

Norwegian Jade rolled off the line at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany in 2006 as the Pride of Hawaii. She was changed to the Norwegian Jade in 2008. Jade is one of four Norwegian Jewel Class ships in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet. Each is nearly identical and were built between 2005 and 2007. Her sisters are the Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Gem.

Jade has a gross tonnage of 93,558 and is 965 feet or 294 metres in length. She has 15 decks, of which 12 are accessible to passengers. The guest capacity is for 2,402 at double occupancy. On board, there are typically 1,078 crew members.

The Small Print

·Because of the nature of last minute deals, the pricing printed here is fleeting and could change at any time.

·Prices are in Canadian dollars.

·Most meals are included in a typical cruise price but DRINKS ARE NOT!

·Also not included are gratuities.

·Cruise pricing does not include air fare, ground transfers and hotel accommodations before and after the cruise.