From $169 For 3 Port Calls In The Bahamas Aboard Norwegian Sky

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.

14 Night Panama Canal Cruise from $799

Once again, we’re looking at a cruise that’s above our $40 per night arbitrary threshold but, once again, this one is worth mentioning. Transiting the Panama Canal on a ship is not only a common bucket list item for cruisers but for travellers in general. Typically, a Panama Canal cruise starts at around $100 per night per person and goes nowhere but up, regardless of the cruise line. With Norwegian Cruise Lines at the start of January, 2014, this cruise can be had for as low as $57 per person per night.

The Cruise

Some Panama Canal cruises just go halfway, turning around at Gatun Lake and heading back home. This 14 night cruise on board the Norwegian Star does the whole deal from Panama City at the Pacific Ocean to Colon at the Caribbean/Atlantic side.

The ship embarks from Los Angeles, California at 4pm on Sunday, January 5, 2014 and reaches Miami, by way of the Canal, at 8am on Sunday, January 19, 2014. Along the way, she makes six port calls other than the Panama Canal, five on the Pacific coast and one in the Caribbean. Included are: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Huatulco, Mexico; Puerto Chiapas, Mexico; Puntarenas, Costa Rica and Cartagena, Colombia. All are full days on shore, ranging from 7 to 9 hours.

The Pricing

An interior stateroom on board the Norwegian Star can be had for as low as $799 per person. This equals around $57 per person per night. Unfortunately, any Panama Canal cruise, no matter the length or cruise line, costs dearly in government taxes and fees, in this case to the tune of $362 per person. Right now, with a $25 on board credit included, a couple can do this cruise for an all-in $2,322.

For other categories, the pricing goes as low as $1,249 per person for an Ocean View stateroom, $2,399 per person for a balcony and $2,499 per person for a suite.

If money is not an issue, you might want to try out the Garden Villa Suite. 6,694 square feet of living space on the 14^th deck, at the back of the ship. Yes, I had to check that two or three times. 6,694 square feet of living space! This includes all inside and outside space. You have your own private garden, hot tub and room for eight people. There are three bedrooms with nothing less than a queen sized bed. Butler and concierge service comes included. The total price for two people? $27,722 or just under $14,000 per person!

 

 

The Ship

Norwegian Star is barely within Panamax sized limits when it comes to width. Meaning, it just squeaks into the locks of the Panama Canal. Back in 2000, this ship was intended to be dubbed SuperStar Libra in the Star Cruises fleet. Instead, she made her maiden voyage on November 19, 2001 as Norwegian Star.

She is a NCL Dawn Class ship with just one younger sister. Norwegian Dawn came into service in 2002. Star has a gross tonnage of 91,740 and is 294 metres or 965 feet in length. There are 15 decks on board, eleven accessible to passengers. Guest capacity is 2,348 with a staff of 1,083 crew members.

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.

NCL 7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise From $249

There are a few advantages to taking a Western Caribbean cruise out of New Orleans, Louisiana. First, you get to more ports of call than embarking out of Florida. Second, you get to spend time before and/or after your cruise in New Orleans!

The Norwegian Jewel is currently based out of New Orleans until April and is running seven night Western Caribbean itineraries. Right now, these cruises can be had for very little money. You can be on the Jewel when it embarks on December 8, 2013 for as low as $35.57 per person, per night.

The Cruise

 

This seven night Western Caribbean cruise embarks from New Orleans on Sunday, December 8, 2013 at 4pm. Norwegian Jewel arrives back in the historical U.S. city at 8am on Sunday, December 15, making four port calls along the way.

The ship spends two full days at seas, on the Monday at the start at Saturday at the end. First stop is at Cozumel, Mexico on Tuesday. On Wednesday, it’s down the coast to Belize City, Belize. Thursday marks the third country in three days with a stop at Coxen Hole, Honduras. On Friday, Jewel returns to Mexico but this time it’s on the mainland at Costa Maya.

The Pricing

Using Norwegian Cruise Line’s BestFare rate, an interior stateroom can currently be had for as low as $249 per person. This equals $35.57 per person per night. This price does not include $99.38 in government taxes and fees. Everything included, a couple can have this cruise for the total price of $696.76 which is less than what one person usually pays for a seven night Caribbean cruise.

Rates are decent across the board for this cruise. An Ocean View can be had as low as $399. A balcony room is priced as low as $649. A suite can be had for under a $1,000 at $849. These are per person rates based on double occupancy and are subject to the same $99.38 in government taxes and fees.

The Ship

 

Norwegian Jewel has been in service since 2005 and is the oldest of four Jewel Class ships in the Norwegian fleet. A medium sized ship with a gross tonnage of 93,502, Jewel is 965 feet or 294 metres long. She has 15 decks, 12 that are accessible to passengers. Capacity is for 2,376 passengers and 1,100 crew members.

Other ships in NCL’s Jewel Class include the Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Jade. All four ships are nearly identical. The Pearl was put in service in 2006. The Gem came next in 2007 and the Jade joined the fleet in 2008. However, the Jade started life as the Pride of Hawaii and was put in service in 2006.

 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.

9 Night Western Europe Cruise for Just $249!

It involves making travel plans to Europe in a bit of a hurry but this last mean cruise deal is well worth it. Nine nights on board the Norwegian Spirit on a Western Europe cruise out of Barcelona, Spain can now be had for as low as $28 per night. Spirit embarks from Barcelona at 7pm on Sunday, December 1, 2013. If that’s too rushed, the same itinerary embarking on December 10 starts from just $50 more.

The Cruise

This nine night Western Europe cruise embarks from Barcelona, Spain on December 1, 2013, leaving the Mediterranean and heading to the Atlantic Ocean to visit Morocco and the Canary Islands off the African coast.

The Norwegian Spirit stops on Tuesday, December 3 at Casablanca, Morocco. Visitors will get plenty of time to explore this historic African city with the boat docked from 8am to 11pm.

After a day at sea, the ship then visits Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands. Tenerife is the largest of this group of islands. The following day, she moves to Lanzarote, the easternmost island of the Canaries.

On the return trip to Barcelona, Norwegian Spirit makes one Mediterranean port call at Malaga on the southern coast of Spain. After one more day at sea, Spirit arrives back at Barcelona at 5am on Tuesday, December 10, 2013.

Pricing

Pricing for this cruise currently starts at just $249 per person for an interior stateroom. An Ocean View stateroom is well worth the additional $20 per person at $269. A suite on board the Norwegian Spirit is still a little pricy at $1,249. An additional $116 per person is tagged on in the form of government fees and taxes.

The Ship

The Norwegian Spirit was launched as the SuperStar Leo of Star Cruises in 1998. NCL and Star are under the same parent company. The ship was then acquired by Norwegian in 2004 and has been in the fleet since.

This is a Leo Class ship and the only one with Norwegian Cruise Lines. The only other Leo Class vessel is the SuperStar Virgo in the Star Cruises fleet. The Virgin is identical to the Spirit and has been in service since 1999.

Spirit is medium sized ship at best with a gross tonnage of 75,388. She is 879 feet or 268 metres long. Passenger capacity is around 1,996 with 965 crew members needed to make the ship run smooth. There are ten decks accessible to passengers.

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.