Huge Military Discounts For Western Caribbean Cruise On Vision Of The Seas

If you’re a former or present member of the armed forces in North America, pretty much every cruise line offers some sort of discount or bonus on pretty much every cruise, but it varies. For Royal Caribbean and their five night Western Caribbean itinerary onboard Vision of the Seas embarking September 20, the discount cuts really deep.

On a cruise when Joe Civilian will be paying no less than $347 per person, current and former military personnel can have an inside stateroom for as low as $222 per person. The same discount applies to members of the Police and Fire services. This price is based on double occupancy and is subject to an additional $117 per person in taxes.

The Cruise

 

Vision of the Seas embarks from Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at 4:30pm on Saturday, September 20, 2014. She arrives back at Ft. Lauderdale for 7am on Thursday, September 25. In between, Vision of the Seas makes two port calls.

After a short trip around the bottom of Florida, on Sunday, September 21 Vision of the Seas stops at Key West in the Florida Keys. The ship is in this fabulous port from 8am until 5pm. After a full day at sea, she arrives at her second port of call on Tuesday, September 23. The final port call is at Georgetown on Grand Cayman and Vision stays here also from 8am until 5pm. Both Monday and Wednesday are full days at sea as Vision of the Seas rounds the western end of Cuba.

The Price

As mentioned, the military, police and fire rate for an inside stateroom on this ship is just $222 per person, based on double occupancy. With the additional $117 per person in government fees and taxes tacked on, the total for two for an inside cabin can be had for as low as $678. Unlike many ‘flash’ or ‘super saver’ rates, the full amount is not due on the day of booking. $210 would be due by May 31, 2014 and the balance of $468 would not be due until July 22. It should also be noted that only one person per stateroom needs to be a qualified military member.

Folks that are 55 and over enjoy nearly as great a rate. Seniors pay as low as $233 per person for that same inside stateroom. Of course, these cabins are subject to the same $117 per person in government fees and taxes.

The Ship

Vision of the Seas has been in service since 1998 and is one of six Royal Caribbean Vision Class ships. Vision Class includes Legend of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas, all built between 1995 and 1998 by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France.

Vision is in the smaller range by today’s standards with a gross tonnage of 78,340. She is 279 metres or 915 feet in length and has eleven decks accessible to passengers. The ship has a capacity for 2,435 guests with 765 crew members on board.

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.

For Those Who Really, Really Love Disney

Let’s go in a different direction today. Instead of looking for the cheapest cubby hole to last out a week on a cruise ship, let’s take a look at one of the most expensive staterooms available over the next couple months. For a seven night cruise, there’s nothing more pricy than the March Break seven night Western Caribbean cruise on board the Disney Fantasy.

The Cruise

 

Disney Fantasy embarks from Port Canaveral, Florida at 3:45pm on Saturday, March 15, 2014 on a seven night Western Caribbean itinerary that really no different than any other seven night Western Caribbean cruise.

There are four ports of call on the journey with time on shore actually much less than any other major cruise line. But then, the boat is the destination, right? After a full day at sea, the first port call is at Georgetown, Grand Cayman on Monday, March 17. The stay is short, making planning ahead for the famous Stingray Bay that much more important. Fantasy is docked at Georgetown from just 11:30am to 4:45pm.

The following day, Disney Fantasy arrives at Costa Maya, Mexico at 1pm and leaves shortly after at 5:30pm. On Wednesday, she makes up for it with a full day at Cozumel, Mexico. Fantasy is at the Mexican Island Paradise from 8:30am to 5:30pm.

After another full day at sea travelling across the top of Cuba, Fantasy arrives at Castaway Cay on Friday, March 21. She stays at this private island from 9:30am until 4:30pm. Castaway Cay is located in the Bahamas and was previously known as Gorda Cay until Disney purchased a 99 year lease on the island in 1997. Unlike most private islands and beaches belonging to cruise lines, Castaway Cay actually has a dock so passengers can just walk off the ship instead of having to be tendered from a distance out at sea.

Disney Fantasy arrives back at Port Canaveral bright and early Saturday morning, March 22, 2014.

The Price

Nothing but the best for our March Break cruise. We’re looking at the still available Concierge Royal Suite on Deck 12, cabin number 12502. This is a 1,781 square foot living space, including the private veranda. There are two bathrooms with a whirlpool tub in each. There is a third whirlpool tub on the veranda.

The suite includes a living room, dining salon, wet bar and walk-in closets. To go along with the two 42” televisions, there is an extensive media library full of music CD’s and Blue-Ray movies. This stateroom can fit five guests but if more space is needed, the adjoining Concierge Family Ocean View Stateroom can also be purchased.

For the March 15, 2014 sailing, the Royal Suite can be had for the low, low price of $12,250 per person, based on double occupancy. That does not include government taxes and fees. That price is in U.S. Dollars. For additional guests, the price for the next three guests is $2,898 each. If the additional guests are children, the price is discounted to $2,548 each.

Want to take a closer look at this floating palatial suite that is larger than my house? Here’s the official Disney Fantasy website page: Concierge Royal Suite.

The Ship 

Disney Fantasy is one of two Dream Class ships and one of four cruise ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet. She made her maiden voyage on March 31, 2012 and is the newest Disney cruise ship. Her sister is the Disney Dream, a ship that began service the year before. The other two ships in the fleet are the Disney Magic – 1998, and the Disney Wonder – 1999.

Fantasy is a large ship with a gross tonnage of 129,690. Her length of 340 metres or 1,116 feet makes her fourth longest cruise ship on the high seas today. She is just five metres shorter than Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. There are 14 decks accessible to the capacity 2,500 guest. 1,450 crew members ensures one of the best crew to guest ratios on the market today.

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.

A Euro Experience in the Caribbean With MSC Divina From Just $451

Not a new player to the world of high seas cruising but a relative newcomer to the Caribbean, MSC Cruises offers a Euro style experience while cruising on this side of the Atlantic. Cruisers can experience a six night Western Caribbean journey on board the MSC Divina from a taxes included price of just $451.04 USD per person. This is an extreme hot deal and you have to act quick.

The Cruise

 

MSC Divina embarks from Miami,Florida at 7pm on Sunday, January 12, 2014 for a six night Western Caribbean cruise. She makes three port calls along the way before arriving back at Miami at 7am on Saturday, January 18, 2014.

The first port call is at Georgetown on Grand Cayman Island. The ship makes this stop on Tuesday, January 14 from 7am until 4pm. The following day, it’s off to Cozumel, Mexico where Divina will dock from 8am to 5pm.

The final stop is at Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. Great Stirrup Cay is a small island in the Berry Islands of the Bahamas. This is a private island that is owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines.

The Price (note: prices for MSC in American currency)

For as low as $451.04 per person, including taxes and fees, an interior stateroom can be had on this cruise, based on double occupancy. This means, a couple can be on board the MSC Divina for just over $900 USD.

This is a hot deal which is already mostly sold out. If the price tickles your fancy, you’ve got to act fast.

The Ship



MSC Divina is a new ship, making her maiden voyage on May 27, 2012. She was named in honour of Sophia Loren. Divina is one of four MSCCruises Fantasia Class ships, along with MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida and MSC Preziosa.

Divina is a large ship. With a gross tonnage of 139,072, she is the tenth heaviest cruise ship on the high seas today. Her length of 333 metres or 1,093 feet currently ranks her ninth in the world. The ship has 18 decks with 14 accessible to passengers. Divina has a capacity for 3,502 passengers with around 1,388 crew members also on board.

For 2014, Divina is the only one of the 12 ships belonging to MSC Cruises to be full-time in the Caribbean. MSC Musica is the only one of the 12 to spend at least some time in the Caribbean. MSC Cruises is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and was founded in 1987.

 

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.

$179 for 5 Night Western Caribbean Cruise on Brilliance of the Seas

Port Canaveral, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa. All are cruise ports within are relatively short drive via automobile at 70+ miles per hour. A different story when travelling at around 22 knots in a massive cruise ship. Each port of embarkation yields slightly different routes and itineraries under the shared name of ‘Western Caribbean’ cruise.

We’re just over a week away from a five night Western Caribbean cruise out of Tampa on board Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas. The last minute price for this cruise has dropped to as low as $179 per person for an interior stateroom or $35.80 per person per night.

The Cruise

This five night Western Caribbean itinerary embarks from Tampa, Florida at 4pm on Saturday, December 7, 2013. After spending Sunday at sea, rounding the western tip of Cuba, Brilliance of the Seas makes its first of two port calls at Georgetown, Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.

The ship stays docked in Georgetown from 7am to 3:30 in the afternoon. Grand Cayman is all about the water surrounding the island and not so much the land the island is made of. The thing to do is visit Stingray City Sandbar. This is an opportunity to swim up close and personal with stingrays in their environment. Although you can use U.S. dollars in Georgetown, the official currency is the Caymanian Dollar (KYD). One Canadian dollar is currently valued at .77 KYD.

The following morning, Brilliance of the Seas moves a little further west and docks at Cozumel, Mexico. The ship will remain at the Mexican island resort area from 10am to 7pm.

Wednesday is another full day at sea as the ship makes its way back across the Gulf of Mexico. Brilliance returns to Tampa on the morning of Thursday, December 12, 2013 at 7am.

The Pricing

As mentioned, an interior stateroom, based on double occupancy, can be had for as low as $179 per person. This price does not include the $65.76 per person in government taxes and fees. With all the taxes included, a couple could pay as low as $486 total to take the cruise. For just $20 more per person, the cruise can be upgraded to an Ocean View room.

The Ship

Brilliance of the Seas is one of four Radiance Class ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet. She made her maiden voyage in July, 2002 and is a medium-large sized ship by today’s standards. Brilliance has a gross tonnage of 90,000 and is 962 feet or 292 metres long. There are 12 decks accessible to the capacity 2,501 passengers. 848 crew members are on board to make everything run smooth.

Brilliance is the second oldest of the Radiance Class of ships. All four are nearly identical and the first was Radiance of the Seas, put in service in 2001. Brilliance was followed by Serenade of the Seas in 2003 and Jewel of the Seas in 2004.

 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.