It might be just a four night cruise but it packs a punch.
On January 20, 2014, Norwegian Sky embarks from Miami, Florida for a four night
journey around the Bahamas. Over the short cruise, the ports of call are packed
in with three stops on the three full days between leaving and arriving back at
Miami. Pricing may still have room to drop but even just under a month out, the
rates are quite affordable.
The Cruise
This four night Bahamas cruise on board the Norwegian Sky
embarks from Miami, Florida at 5pm on Monday, January 20, 2014. She arrives
back in Miami at 7am on Friday, January 24. Sky crams in three port calls along
the way with no full days at sea.
On Tuesday, Norwegian Sky spends the day at Great Stirrup
Cay. The small island is located in the Berry Islands of the Bahamas and is
owned by Norwegian Cruise Line. She stays at this location from 8am to 5pm
before moving on.
Next up is Nassau, Bahamas on Wednesday. Sky is docked at
the largest city in the Bahamas from 8am until 6pm. Nassau has a population of
around 250,000 and accounts for a good portion of the overall population of the
Bahamas. January is a great time to visit Nassau with the average daytime high
around 26 Celsius or 80 Fahrenheit. January is the city’s driest month.
The final stop is at Freeport on Grand Bahama Island.
Norwegian Sky stops at the ‘second city’ of the Bahamas on Thursday from 8am to
5pm. Freeport is quite a bit smaller than Nassau with a population of around
60,000. Located a little further north, the average daytime high is three
degrees Celsius less than Nassau but still an enjoyable 23 or 74 Fahrenheit. As
with Nassau, January is one of Freeport’s driest months.
The Price
Currently, an inside stateroom on board Norwegian Sky can be
had for as low as $169 per person. That equates to $42.25 per person per night.
Added to that price is $101.07 in government taxes and fees. The total for two
in an interior stateroom starts from $540.14. This deal is eligible for a $15
on board credit per stateroom.
Claustrophobic? Ocean View staterooms start from $229 per
person. Balcony prices are decently priced from $349 per person.
The Ship
Norwegian Sky has had a bit of a broken life. She was
originally ordered in 1993 and was to be the Costa Olympia for Costa Cruises.
Construction on the ship was started by Bremer Vulkan in Germany. However, the
company went out of business in 1997. Bremer Vulkan had been around since 1893
in the ship building biz, mostly cargo ships with just a few passenger cruise
ships on the resume.
The ship that would become Norwegian Sky was then towed to
Lloyd Werft in Germany where it was completed in 1999. The ship never sailed
for Costa and was the Norwegian Sky from 1999 to 2004. She then became the
Pride of Hawaii, still under Norwegian Cruise Line. In 2008, she returned to
the Norwegian Sky name.
Back in September, 1999, on her inaugural cruise, Sky was at
the mouth of the Saguenay River at the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada
when she ran aground. The ship was evacuated as a precaution and there were no
injuries.
One of two Sky Class Norwegian Cruise Line ships, Norwegian
Sky is a smaller ship with a gross tonnage of 77,104. She is 260 metres or 853
feet in length and has nine decks accessible to passengers. Capacity on the
vessel is for 2,004 guests with 934 crew members.
The other Sky Class ship is the Norwegian Sun. Sun is
younger and slightly larger. She was put in service for NCL in 2001.
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.
