This one’s for the military. If you are, or were, active in
the U.S. or Canadian military, you don’t need to bother with the stress of
holding out for a last minute deal. At least, you don’t have to with Carnival
Cruise Lines. To prove it, we’re going to look at a four night Western
Caribbean cruise that is nearly two months away.
The Cruise
We’ve looked at this itinerary before but with a different
Carnival ship. The Carnival Ecstasy embarks from Miami, Florida on January 27,
2014 at 4pm on a four night journey across the Western Caribbean. Earlier, we
looked at the same cruise on board the Carnival Imagination which embarks on
December 7, 2014.
Ecstasy stops at Key West, Florida on the Tuesday for a
short 6 hour port call. The following day, she visits Cozumel, Mexico,
remaining in port from 1:30pm to 10pm. After a full day at sea, the ship
returns to Miami at 8am on Friday, January 31, 2014.
The Pricing
***note*** prices for this cruise are given in U.S. dollars.
For this cruise, the normal rate for an interior stateroom
starts at $259 per person. This equates to $64.75 per person. With the $81.51
per person in government fees and taxes included, a couple can have this room
for 671.30. As opposed to Carnival’s Super Saver rates, with this rate, you
have some choice as to where your stateroom is located.
However, if you qualify as a current or former member of the
U.S. or Canadian military (see details below), this price changes quite
drastically. Keep in mind, this cruise is still nearly two months away so this
is by no means last minute pricing.
For an interior stateroom (with some choice, as opposed to
Super Saver pricing), the price drops to as low as $142 per person. This
equates to just $35.50 per person per night and a room for two can be had for
$437, all taxes and fees included.
As for the Super Saver rate, an interior stateroom starts at
$189 or $47.25 per person per night. This translates to $531.30 for a room for
two. However, as mentioned, with the Super Saver rate, there are some serious
restrictions. You have no choice over what stateroom you end up in. All you
know before checking in at the ship is that you have an interior room.
The Ship
Carnival Ecstasy is the second oldest active ship in the
Carnival Cruise Lines fleet. She entered service in 1991 and is the second of
eight Fantasy Class ships. All eight ships were built between 1990 and 1998.
All eight were built by Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Helsinki, Finland (now part of
STX Europe). All eight are still active and include Carnival Fantasy, Carnival
Sensation, Carnival Fascination, Carnival Imagination, Carnival Elation and
Carnival Paradise.
All ships, including Ecstasy, are relatively small by today’s
mass market standards with a gross tonnage of 70,367. Ecstasy is 855 feet or
261 metres in length and has 12 decks, ten accessible to passengers. The ship
has a capacity for 2,056 guests and 920 crew members.
Military Small Print
Available to the
following members of the United States
Military: active personnel, reserve personnel, active cadets, U.S. Coast
Guard personnel, active member of the National Guard, Uniformed members of the
USPHS (U.S. Public Health Services), retired personnel.
Also available to
the following members of Canadian National
Defense: active personnel, reserve personnel, retired personnel. Military
member can book only one stateroom at this rate and must sail in that stateroom.
Verification documents must be submitted for confirmed reservations within 72 hours
for cruises outside one week prior to sailing and 24 hours for cruises within
one week prior to sailing. Subsequent upgrades in lieu of price protection will
no longer be offered.
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.
