Summer’s coming and the cruise ships have all gone to
Europe. A bit pricier than the Caribbean, there are still deals to be found.
Take for instance, Norwegian Jade is running a seven night cruise out of
Venice, Italy on Saturday, May 17 and you can be onboard from just $590 per
person for an inside stateroom, based on double occupancy.
The Cruise
Norwegian Jade leaves my favourite city in the world,
Venice, Italy, on Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 6pm. Over the next seven nights,
Jade basically does an out and back to Kusadasi, Turkey, arriving back in
Venice on Saturday, may 24 at 8am. Along the way, the ship stops of four exotic
ports of call.
First up is Dubrovnik, Croatia, just down the coast of the
Adriatic Sea from Venice. Norwegian Jade stops at this port of call on Sunday,
May 18 from 2pm until 9pm.
After a full day at sea, Jade arrives at Piraeus, Greece on
Tuesday, May 20 at 7am and stays in port until 5pm. Piraeus is adjacent to
Athens and the city centre is just a short distance away. Ten hours is not
nearly enough time to explore this world famous and historic city so plan well
to take advantage of your time in port.
Jade reaches Kusadasi, Turkey on Wednesday, May 21 at 8am.
This is her furthest point from home before turning back towards Venice. After
a full day at sea, Norwegian Jade makes her final port call at Split, Croatia
on Friday, May 23 from 11am until 6pm.
The Price
Right now, an inside stateroom on this itinerary can be had
for as low as $590 per person, based on double occupancy. With the additional
$126.69 in government fees and taxes added on, reasonable for a European
cruise, the total for two for an inside cabin is as low as $1,434.02. There is
a bonus $26.88 onboard credit per inside stateroom. That credit goes up as the
level of stateroom goes up.
Moving up in stateroom level, ocean view rooms start at $698
per person. Add a balcony and the fare starts at $1,504 per person. A suite can
be had for as low as $1,558 per person.
However, if you want to explore this region in style, you
might want to fork for the Haven Deluxe Owner’s Suite with Large Balcony. This is
a 1,200 square foot stateroom that currently has a taxes included price of
$9,713.58 for two for this cruise. A $322.58 onboard credit comes with this
room. This is not the largest stateroom onboard, however. The Haven Garden
Villa is an unimaginable 4,700 square feet but is already taken for this
cruise.
Also, if the buffet is not for you, Norwegian Cruise Line
has an offer for unlimited specialty dining. For $119 per person, you can eat
at a specialty restaurant every night.
The Ship
Norwegian Jade was built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg,
Germany and was originally named the Pride of Hawaii. In service as the Pride
of Hawaii from 2006 to 2008, the ship took on the name Norwegian Jade in 2008.
Jade is one of four Jewel Class ships in the NCL fleet, all
put in service between 2005 and 2007 and all basically identical in dimension.
The ship has a gross tonnage of 93,558 and is 294 metres or 965 feet in length.
There are 12 decks accessible to the capacity 2,224 passengers with 1,100 crew
members onboard, as well.
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.
