The Canadian dollar has dipped to levels against the
greenback not seen in several years. Should this deter you from heading south
for your winter vacation? Carnival Cruise Lines doesn’t think so. Carnival is
looking out for Canadian residents with special rates on certain itineraries this
winter. One of those deals is coming up soon on a five night Eastern Caribbean
journey out of Miami, Florida. Canadian residents can be on the ship for as low
as $209 each (USD).
The Cruise
Carnival Victory embarks from Miami, Florida on Monday,
January 20 at 4pm on a five night Eastern Caribbean cruise. The first full day,
Tuesday, is spent at sea as Victory powers her way south to her furthest port
of call before meandering back home.
On Wednesday, January 22, Carnival Victory docks at Grand
Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos. She remains in port from 7am until 2:30pm.
A short stay, yes but plenty of time to spend on the beachfront, right next to
the ship and to sip margaritas at the adjacent Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville.
Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas is the port call for Thursday, January 23. Formerly known as Little San Salvador Island, Victory is anchored offshore from 9:30 to 5:30. The environmentally sensitive island does not have docking facilities and passengers must be tendered via small boat from ship to shore. Half Moon Cay was purchased by Holland America Line (under the Carnival umbrella) in 1996 from Norwegian Cruise Line.
Have a Kindle? If you're heading to Half Moon Cay, you should check out the ebook by uber-cruise expert Bob Haefliger advertised below. Haefliger's guidebooks are highly rated and specialized. At 112 pages long, this is needless to say, a very detailed guide that is up to date. The best part about 'CruisePortInsider Guide to Half Moon Cay' is that at a price of just $4.99, it's about half the price of just one beer at a Toronto Maple Leafs game!
For her last port of call, Carnival Victory travels
overnight the great distance of 100 miles to the northwest and docks at Nassau,
Bahamas. On Friday, January 24, she hangs out at the largest city in the
Bahamas from 7am until 5pm.
Victory returns to Miami on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at
8am.
The Price (note – Carnival prices are all in U.S. Dollars)
Carnival does the best of any cruise line in the Caribbean
to take care of Canadian residents and the Military of both the U.S. and
Canada. The Canadian Resident rate for this cruise puts an inside stateroom as
low as $209 per person. Government fees and taxes are an additional $94.55 per
person. This means that an interior stateroom for two can be had for as low as
607.10, including taxes.
The Military rate is slightly more at from $212 per person,
based on double occupancy. However, this rate includes a $25 onboard credit per
stateroom. Any current or past members of the American or Canadian military
qualify for this rate.
Just to compare how great this deal is, the Super Saver rate
for the same stateroom is $249. The Super Saver is Carnival’s ultra low rate
and usually there is nothing less expensive.
The Ship
Victory is the newest of the three Triumph Class ships.
Carnival Sunshine was the first, in service in 1996. Sunshine was known as
Carnival Destiny until a major overhaul and name change in 2013. The other ship
is the class is the Carnival Triumph, in service since 1999. Triumph is, of
course, the ill-fated ship that was stuck at sea in February, 2014. After four
months of repairs, Triumph was back on the high seas and is now operating
flawlessly.
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.
