Holland America Luxury Transatlantic Cruise From Just $700!

In April, 2014, the classic Holland America ship ms Ryndam crosses the Atlantic Ocean, switching from her winter home to her summer home. After calling Tampa, Florida her home port for the winter months, Ryndam moves east to spend most of the summer out of Dover in the U.K.

Ryndam’s Transatlantic Repositioning Cruise does not go from Tampa to Dover but from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Barcelona, Spain. Holland America Line has special pricing on this 15 night cruise right now with an inside stateroom going for as low as just $700 per person, or just under $47 per night per person before government taxes and fees.

The Cruise

 

Ryndam embarks from Port Everglades at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday, April 6, 2014 at 4pm sharp. She arrives at Barcelona on Monday, April 21, 2014 at 7am. Along the way, the does a bit of an island tour with three of her five ports of call located off the mainland. All port calls are either in Portugal or Spain.

After several days at sea, guests on ms Ryndam can get out and stretch their legs and minds at Ponta Delgado on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. The ship docks on Monday, April 14 and is in port from 10am to 6pm. Ponta Delgado is the capital of the Azores Islands and has a population somewhere around 70,000.

On Thursday, April 17, Ryndam makes a stop on the mainland of Spain. From 8am to 6pm, she will be docked at Malaga on the southern coast. This is a large tourist area on the Mediterranean and has a metro population over one million.

The following day, ms Ryndam moves east along the coast to Cartagena, Spain. She is docked from 8am to 5pm at this city with a population about a fifth that of Malaga.

The final two stops are out in the Mediterranean Sea. Ibiza is a small island with a population of around 135,000. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, belonging to Spain. Ryndam will be at Ibiza from 8am to 5pm on Saturday, April 19.

The final stop is Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the Balearic Islands region. Ryndam docks at Palma from 8am to 5pm on Sunday, April 20.

The Price

For the moment, Holland America Line has reduced some inside staterooms to as low as $700 per person. Typical of any flash sale, the choice of stateroom is limited and will be assigned at the time of check-in.

Additional government fees and taxes come to $115.24 per person. This means an inside stateroom for two can be had for as low as $1,630.48 with the fees and taxes added in.

Just to give an idea of what a great deal this is, let’s look at Ryndam’s return to Tampa from Barcelona in November, 2014. The lowest price for that cruise is currently $1,500 per person! The price for two, including government taxes and fees, would be $3,236.64. The itinerary is nearly identical, except the ship goes straight to Tampa, not stopping in Ft. Lauderdale.

The Ship

A Statendam Class (S Class) ship, ms Ryndam has been in service for Holland America since 1994. She is the third of the four Statendam Class ships. Statendam and ms Maasdam both came into service in 1993 and ms Veendam came along in 1996.

Ryndam is a smaller ship with a gross tonnage of 55,819. She is 220 metres or 720 feet in length and has ten decks accessible to the capacity 1,258 passengers. 602 crew members are also on board.

As mentioned, her home port in the winter is Tampa, Florida with her summer home mainly in Dover. She makes the return Transatlantic voyage from Barcelona to Tampa on November 1, 2014.

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.

That's Right! A Luxury Cruise Up The Amazon River

Think the Amazon can only be cruised by black smoke-sputtering, rusted out diesel ships with no air conditioning and pirates following close-by? Think again. In 2014, six different luxury cruise lines will make the journey from the Atlantic Ocean, up the Amazon River, to Manaus, Brazil, and back. These cruises are not cheap but Holland America Line is doing their best with a ‘Flash Rate’ on their cruise in March, 2014.

The Cruise

 

HAL’s ms Maasdam departs Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday, March 2 on a 26 night repositioning cruise to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Along the way, Maasdam makes several port calls along the Brazilian coast and in the Caribbean. As well, she takes seven days to travel up the Amazon and back. This is considered a repositioning cruise but the Amazon River cruise is definitely the highlight.

After stopping at Buzios, Salvador and Fortaleza up the Atlantic Coast, Maasdam enters the Amazon River on Thursday, March 13. Before reaching Manaus, nearly 1,500 kilometres up the river in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, the ship makes two stops along the way. Maasdam stops at Santarem and Boca da Valeria before an overnight at Manaus.

On her way back to the Atlantic, the ship makes port calls at Parintins and Alter do Chao, along the Amazon. Maasdam returns to the Atlantic Ocean on Thusday, March 20.

Before arriving at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Friday, March 28, the ship makes stops at Bridgetown, Barbados; Roseau, Dominica and Philipsburg, Sint Maarten.

The Price

Typically, a cruise that involves the Amazon starts in price from no less than $8,000 per person. For a limited time, an inside stateroom on the ms Maasdam can be had for as low as $3,493.89 per person. Keep in mind, this is a 26 night cruise. Additional government fees and taxes of $441.06 per person need to be added to total. All-in, a inside stateroom for two can be had for $7,869.90.

This is ‘Flash Rate’ sale pricing. This means that you don’t have a lot of choice on the location of your inside stateroom and that room is not assigned until the time of checkin. This also means that the full amount is due at the time of booking.

The Ship

Ms Maasdam of Holland America Line has been in service since 1993. She is an S Class ship built by Fincantieri on the north shores of the Adriatic Sea in Italy. Maasdam is a small ship with a gross tonnage of just 55,575. She is 220 metres or 722 feet long and has nine decks accessible to passengers. The Capacity on board is for 1,258 guest and 580 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.

Breakaway For A 12 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise From Just $749!

One of the newest cruise ships on the high seas. An amazing Southern Caribbean itinerary out of New York City. Now, an amazing price to go with it! Norwegian Breakaway embarks from the New York Passenger Ship Terminal in Manhattan on a 12 night journey with six port calls in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. Norwegian Cruise Lines has just come out with a hot deal with prices as low as $745 per person to be on this cruise.

The Cruise

 

Breakaway breaks away from New York City at 4pm on Sunday, January 5, 2014 at 4pm. Right off the bat, it will be worth braving the January cold to watch the Manhattan skyline shrink away as the ship makes her way down the Hudson River, past the Statue of Liberty and Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, into the Atlantic Ocean.

You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the features of this latest arrival in the Norwegian fleet with two days at sea before the first of six ports of call. The first stop isn’t until Wednesday, January 8 at San Juan, Puerto Rico from 3pm to 10pm.

The following day, Breakaway stops at Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas Harbour in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She will be docked at this shopping mecca from 8am until 6pm, giving plenty of time to cross the island and spend time at the famous Magens Bay Beach.

More shopping and tropical beaches are in store on Thursday, January 9 as Breakaway stops at Philipsburg on the island of Sint Maarten. She stays from 8am to 6pm before departing for an overnight journey to Castries, Saint Lucia. This is another ten hour stop from 9am to 7pm.

On Sunday, January 12, Breakaway drifts over to Bridgetown, Barbados for an eight hour stay from 8am to 4pm. Her final port call comes the next day at Basseterre, St. Kitts, a nine hour stop from 9am to 6pm. Then comes plenty of time to relax and enjoy the open seas on the three day journey back to New York City. Norwegian Breakaway arrives back in Manhattan at 8am on Friday, January 17, 2014.

The Price

Right now, Norwegian Cruise Line has a ‘Hot Deal’ rate on this cruise from $749 per person, based on double occupancy, for an inside stateroom. There is an additional $163.16 per person in government taxes and fees, bringing the total price for two to $1,824.32.

For an Ocean View stateroom, add $200 per person. For a balcony, the hot deal is $1,099 per person before fees and taxes.

Because this is a ‘Hot Deal’, the full fee is due at the time of booking. Rooms are not assigned until the time of check in. This cruise qualifies for NCL’s latest bonus of a coupon book per stateroom valued at $300 for onboard services.

The Ship

Built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, Norwegian Breakaway made her maiden voyage on April 30, 2013. She calls New York City her full-time home and is the first of four planned Breakaway Class ships for Norwegian.

Breakaway’s gross tonnage of 145,655 makes her the eighth largest cruise ship on the high seas. The vessel is 324 metres or 1,063 feet in length, nearly the length of three full NFL football fields. She has a passenger capacity for 3,969 with 1,651 crew members on board. There are 14 decks accessible to guests.

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.