Carnival Still Looking Out For Canadians On This 5 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise

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 

Carnival Victory is one of three Triumph Class ships in the Carnival Cruise Lines fleet. Built by Fincantieri in Italy, Victory made her maiden voyage on October 15, 2000. She is a fairly large ship with a gross tonnage of 101,509 and a length of 272 metres or 896 feet. There are 13 decks accessible to the capacity 2,754 passengers. 1,100 crew members can be found onboard.

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.

ms Zuiderdam Southern Caribbean: Premium Cruise at a Contemporary Price

It might be called a Southern Caribbean cruise but you get the bonus of the Panama Canal. It might be from $45.25 per person per night but it’s nearly half price. You have to act fast to take advantage of this amazing cruise, but it’ll be more than worth it.

The Cruise

 

Holland America Line is under the same corporate umbrella as Carnival Cruises and Costa Cruises but it is certainly a step above when it comes to quality and luxury. That’s why an 11 night Southern Caribbean cruise onboard the ms Zuiderdam from just $497.77 per person is such an amazing deal. Eleven nights of luxury cruising, topped off by six exotic ports of call and a transit of half the Panama Canal – truly the cruise of a lifetime.

However, this ship leaves Ft. Lauderdale’s Port Everglades on Monday, December 9, 2013 at 4pm. So, hopefully you can ditch work on short notice and grab a Westjet flight down to FLL.

The first port call is on Tuesday, December 10 at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. Half Moon Cay is otherwise known as Little San Salvador Island and is owned by Carnival group, functioning as the company’s ‘private island’.

After a day at sea, Zuiderdam then moves way down south, stopping first at Oranjestad, Aruba. She then makes her way west, stopping at Willemstad, Curacao on Friday the thirteenth and Cartegena, Colombia on Sunday, December 15.

On Monday, December 16, it’s time for the piece de resistance. Zuiderdam travels up the Panama Canal until the halfway point at Gatun Lake. She then spins around and heads back down, stopping at Colon, Panama for a visit before getting back out on the Caribbean.

Finally, Zuiderdam makes one more stop but equally exciting as the previous. A full nine and half hours at Puerto Limon, Costa Rica should be enough to enjoy this tropical rainforest environment. After two full days at sea, the ship reaches Ft. Lauderdale at 7am on Friday, December 20, 2013.

The Pricing

Holland America currently has flash special pricing on this cruise. This is similar to Carnival’s Super Saver rates, in that the stateroom is non-refundable, must be paid in full at time of booking and rooms are not assigned until the time of check-in at the ship.

For $497.77 per person, an interior stateroom can be had, based on double occupancy. This equates to $45.25 per night per person. Of course, with the slightest mention of the Panama Canal, government taxes and fees triple in price. Added to the per person rate is another $329.49 for The Man. For a couple taking advantage of this sale, the interior stateroom can be had for $1,654.52 with all taxes included. This is still cheaper than two weeks at a three star All-Inclusive in Cuba.

The Ship

 

One of four Vista Class ships in the Holland America Line fleet, ms Zuiderdam made her maiden voyage on December 14, 2002. She is the oldest of the four nearly identical ships that were built between 2002 and 2006. All were built by Fincantieri on the northern Adriatic coast of Italy, the same company that builds most ships for Carnival, Princess and Costa, among others. The other three ships are the ms Oosterdam (2003), ms Westerdam (2004) and ms Noordam (2006). Each name represents the four main compass points (east, west, north and south) in Dutch.

Zuiderdam is a medium to large ship with a gross tonnage of 82,305. She is 936 feet or 285 metres in length and has 15 decks, eleven accessible to passengers. Guest capacity on the ms Zuiderdam is 1,916 with 817 crew members on board to make the cruise run smooth.

 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.