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.

Military Need Not Stress Over Last Minute Deals From Carnival Cruise Lines

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.