Cruise On The Royal Princess From Just $549

Put in service in 2013 and one of the top ten largest cruise ships on the high seas, Royal Princess is the latest big thing in cruising and the new flag ship of the Princess Cruises fleet. Because of the novelty of the new ship and the big to-do that Kate Middleton christened her, pricing is set at a higher level than the rest of the Princess ships.

Typically, her Eastern Caribbean itinerary starts at anywhere from $699 to $1,200 per person. For a limited time, an interior stateroom can be had for as low as from $549 per person.

The Cruise

The Royal Princess embarks on this seven night Eastern Caribbean cruise from Port Everglades at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at 4pm on Sunday, January 5, 2014. Because of the size of the ship, the typical Princess Eastern Caribbean itinerary is reduced to three port calls from four. The ship is unable to dock at Grand Turk.

On Monday, January 6, 2014, Royal stops at Princess Cays from 9am to 5pm. Princess Cays is a private beach at the southern tip of the Bahamas island of Eleuthera. There is no pier for ships to dock at so they must moor a ways away from shore and tender guests to the island on board smaller boats.

Royal Princess then travels south overnight and the following day to reach Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Royal docks in St. Thomas harbour on Wednesday, January 8 from 8am to 6pm. The highlights of the island include shopping and a trip to other side of the island to visit the famous Magens Bay Beach. Have you seen ‘Weekend at Bernie’s 2’? If yes, you will recognize Magens Bay immediately.

Her final port call is at Philipsburg on the Dutch side of the island of Sint Maarten. Another shopping mecca, Sint Maarten is also home to Princess Juliana International Airport. The airport is famous for jumbo jets flying mere feet above the beach before landing.

The Price

Currently, Princess has a flash fare sale on this cruise with interior staterooms starting at $549 per person. This equates to $78.43 per person per night. Once she heads to Europe for the summer, the lowest price on Royal Princess starts at between $200 to $400 per person per night. One of her 10 to 11 night cruises on the other side of the Atlantic cannot be had for less the $2,300 per person before taxes are added.

With the $95 per person in government fees and taxes added, an interior stateroom for two can be had for $1,288 total. Normally, Eastern Caribbean cruises on Royal Princess start from $699 to $1,200 for the same interior stateroom. It should also be noted that the flash fare rate is available on all of Royal’s January cruises while still available.

The Ship

Royal Princess made her maiden voyage on June 16, 2013 after being christened by a pregnant Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. Royal is the first of two Royal Class ships in the Princess Cruises fleet. Regal Princess is coming sometime in 2014 and will be nearly identical.

Built by Fincantieri on the northern Adriatic shores of Italy, Royal Princess has a gross tonnage of 141,000, making her the ninth largest cruise ship by weight on the high seas today. She is 330 metres or 1,083 feet long, making her the 13^th longest cruise ship.

Passenger capacity on Royal is 3,560. There are 19 decks on the ship with 15 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.

Carnival Loves Canada On This 8 Night Bahamas Cruise From NYC!

*** I guess this was a popular deal - the cruise sold out shortly after this article was published ***

The Canadian dollar is down a bit against the Greenback. Carnival Cruise Lines has taken notice. Time is of the essence but there Carnival has added a Canadian Resident discount to their eight night Bahamas cruise out of New York City, embarking Wednesday, December 11, 2014 at 4pm. Folks from Canada can be on this cruise from as low as $299 per person.

The Cruise

 

Embarking from the New York City cruise port at 4pm on Wednesday, December 11, 2013, you won’t want to not be on deck for the view of the Manhattan skyline. The Carnival Splendor makes three port calls on this itinerary with four full days at sea.

Splendor makes her first port call on U.S. soil. On Saturday, December 14, she is docked at Port Canaveral in Florida from 7am until 6pm. Day trips to Disney World or Universal Studios in Orlando might be out of the question but Kennedy NASA Space Center at Cape Canaveral is a timeless wonder.

The following day, Splendor reaches Nassau, Bahamas at 11am and stays in port until 8pm. She doesn’t go far, reaching Freeport on Grand Bahama Island at 7am on the morning of December 16. Splendor leaves Freeport at 3:30 in the afternoon for a two day journey back to New York City.

Where is the New York City cruise port in Manhattan? It is easily located at the point where West 52^nd Street meets the Hudson River. Within walking distance is Central Park and Times Square.

The Pricing (note: all Carnival pricing is in USD)

Canadian Residents can pay as low as $299 per person for an interior stateroom, which equates to $37.38. This price is $40 per person lower than the Carnival Super Saver rate of $339. Added to the individual price is $109.15 per person in government taxes and fees. A couple can have an interior stateroom on this Bahamas cruise for a total, taxes included, price of $816.30.

The Canadian Residents sale price might beat out the Super Saver but present and former Military personnel from the United States and Canada still can have the best deal. The Carnival Military discount reduces the price of an interior stateroom to just $254 per person!

The Ship

Carnival Splendor, like most Carnival ships, was built by Fincantieri on the Adriatic in Italy. Her maiden voyage was on August 18, 2008 and she is the only Splendor Class ship in the Carnival fleet. Originally, she was designed as a Concordia Class ship for sister company Costa Cruises. Yes, she’s nearly identical in dimension to the Costa Concordia that sank off the coast of Italy.

Splendor is large with a gross tonnage of 113,323. She is 952 feet or 290 metres long and has 13 decks accessible to passengers. Guest capacity is 3,006 and there are 1,150 crew members on board.

Since a December cruise out of New York City may not see tropical weather until arriving in the Bahamas, or not at all, plan on spending a lot of time inside. Carnival Splendor has much to offer and guests would be hard-pressed to get bored.

The onboard casino is pretty much full service with card games, slots, roulette, craps and more, along with tournament play. There is a nightclub, sports bar, comedy club and many restaurants. Wellness facilities include a fitness centre and spa. Like most cruise ships, there is an art gallery. Kids are neglected as there are kids programs for toddlers, all the way up to teens. Of course, there is more than enough live entertainment.

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.

Norwegian Jade 10 Night Mediterranean From $349! (Overnight at Istanbul)

*** NCL has now dropped the lowest price of this cruise to $299! *** (update Dec. 6, 2013)

This isn’t a blistering hot and tropical Mediterranean journey when taken in January. The highlight of the ten night Mediterranean cruise onboard the Norwegian Jade, embarking January 8, 2014, is an overnight at Istanbul, Turkey. The average daytime high in Istanbul in January is around ten degrees celcius, with night time lows of around four degrees. Perhaps that is why this ten night classic Mediterranean cruise can be had for as low as $349 per person.

The Cruise

The ten night Mediterranean itinerary embarks from Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy at 5pm on Wednesday, January 8, 2014. Norwegian Jade doesn’t stop at Messina, Italy on the island of Sicily. However, she does squeak through the Strait of Messina on her way from Rome to her first stop at Katakolon, Greece. The Strait of Messina is just 3.1 kilometres or 1.9 miles wide at the narrowest point. If the day is clear, the volcano known as Mount Etna is visible from the ship, as is the town of Messina in Sicily.

Katakolon and Piraeus are Jade’s two stops in Greece. She stops for eight hours at Katakolon in Friday, January 10 and stays another eight hours at the dock in Piraeus the following day. The following day, Sunday, Jade makes her first of two stops in Turkey at Izmir (Smyrna). There’s a little more time at Izmir with a full ten hours at port.

Norwegian Jade pulls into the dock at Istanbul at 1pm on Monday, January, 13. After staying overnight, the ship departs the city located on two continents at 8pm on Tuesday. After two full days at sea, Jade makes her last stop at Naples in Italy. This is another ten hour port call.

The Pricing

Currently, an interior stateroom can be had for as low as $349 per person, based on double occupancy. The government taxes and fees are quite low at just $70.08 per person. This means a room for two can be yours for a total price, taxes included, of just $836.16. This amount would be due in full at the time of booking.

Pricing is decent for other levels of staterooms, as well. An ocean view room goes as low as $399 per person, a balcony from $479 per person and a mini-suite from $849 per person. Military personnel should note that they receive $30 per person off their booking, regardless of what stateroom they choose.

Got a few extra bucks kicking around? Why not try one of two three bedroom Garden Villa Suites on the Norwegian Jade? Dubbed ‘The Haven’, these suites are located on Deck 14 and have 4,719 square feet of living space. Each sleeps up to eight people. For a couple, this home away from home (or, if you’re like me, four homes away from home) is still available for this cruise at a total cost of $11,738.16!

The Ship

Norwegian Jade rolled off the line at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany in 2006 as the Pride of Hawaii. She was changed to the Norwegian Jade in 2008. Jade is one of four Norwegian Jewel Class ships in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet. Each is nearly identical and were built between 2005 and 2007. Her sisters are the Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Gem.

Jade has a gross tonnage of 93,558 and is 965 feet or 294 metres in length. She has 15 decks, of which 12 are accessible to passengers. The guest capacity is for 2,402 at double occupancy. On board, there are typically 1,078 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.