L.A. to Vancouver on the Norwegian Pearl From Just $299

Sure, if you need to get from Los Angeles, California to Vancouver, British Columbia, you can fly and be to your destination in under three hours. However, if you have a few extra days and want to relax and see the Pacific Coast in luxury, why not hop on the Norwegian Pearl and take a five night cruise between the two cities? You can do it on May 3, 2014 from just $299 per person.

The Cruise

 

Norwegian Pearl of Norwegian Cruise Line embarks from Los Angeles, California on Saturday, May 3, 2014 at 5pm. The ship arrives in Vancouver on Thursday, May 8 at 8am. Along the way, she makes two excellent port calls.

After a full day at sea, Pearl docks at San Francisco, California on Monday, May 5. She is in port from 8am until 5pm. The fact that the cruise port is centrally located in the downtown area of San Francisco makes this a great chance to explore the city. World famous Alcatraz Island is just off shore.

After another day at sea, passing by the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington, Norwegian Pearl docks at Ogden Point Cruise Port in Victoria, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. This is another port where you simply need to walk off the ship to explore the historic downtown area of the provincial capital. The ship is docked in Victoria from 10am to 6pm on Wednesday, May 7.

The Price

This cruise is hot and the price is rising. A few days ago, an interior cabin was as low as $249 per person. The price has risen to a still great deal of $299 per person for the same inside stateroom. With an additional $149.91 in government fees and taxes, the price for two for an inside cabin, including taxes, starts at just $897.82. An outside stateroom on the Norwegian Pearl is not much more with a starting price of $349 per person.

So, what would it cost to fly between the same two cities and arrive in Vancouver on May 8? Direct flights via Delta Airlines or Alaska Airlines are as low as $131, including taxes. Direct via Westjet, a Canadian carrier, is slightly higher at $136. These flights all arrive at YVR very late in the day.

A true example of how expensive air travel within Canada is. The distance from Los Angeles to Vancouver is roughly 2,053 kilometres. A flight the same day via Westjet from Toronto, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec, just a distance of 542 kilometres, will cost from $224, including taxes.

The Ship

Norwegian Pearl is one of four Norwegian Cruise Line Jewel Class ships. The four ships are nearly identical and were all built between 2005 and 2007. The three sister ships are the Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Jade.

Pearl is a decent sized ship with a gross tonnage of 93,530. She is 294 metres or 965 feet in length with 12 decks accessible to passengers. The ship has a capacity for 2,394 guests based on double occupancy. There are 1,099 crew members onboard, making for a decent guest to crew ratio for a contemporary ship.

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.

7 Night Bermuda Cruise on Celebrity Summit From Just $559

Bermuda. The northern tip of an infamous triangle. Lonely island in the Atlantic, closer to Canada than the Caribbean. Why do people go there? Beaches. Peace. Quiet. Golf. Luxury. Plus, for those lacking will power to follow through with that health food diet, Bermuda has just one KFC, built before a law was passed banning all fast food chains and restaurants.

Surprisingly, a seven night Bermuda cruise out of Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey can be had for as low as $559 per person. This is a unique itinerary in that there is just one port of call but the ship is docked at Bermuda for two nights and nearly three full days. Your time at sea is spent in total luxury onboard the Celebrity Summit of Celebrity Cruises.

The Cruise

 

Celebrity Summit embarks from Cape Liberty Cruise Port at 4pm on Sunday, May 11, 2014. Cape Liberty is a relatively new cruise port opened in 2004 and located in Bayonne, New Jersey, across from the amazing skyline of Manhattan. A bonus for guests flying in, Cape Liberty is just 15 minutes from Newark Liberty International Airport. The cruise port is currently home to just four ships, the other three, Explorer of the Seas, Legend of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas, all belong the Royal Caribbean.

After two full days travelling out into the Atlantic Ocean, Celebrity Summit docks at King’s Wharf in Bermuda at 8:30am on Wednesday, May 14. King’s Wharf, aka Royal Naval Dockyard, was in use as a military base from 1795 to 1958. It is located on Ireland Island at the northwestern point of the Bermudas.

Summit then departs from King’s Wharf at 4:30pm on Friday, May 16. The ship hauls ass back to Cape Liberty, spending just one full day at sea on the return trip. Celebrity Summit arrives back at Bayonne, New Jersey at 7am on Sunday, May 18.

The Price

An inside stateroom on this particular cruise can be had for as low as $559 per person, based on double occupancy. Because of the three day stay in port, government fees and taxes are a bit high at $215 per person. This makes an interior stateroom for two go from $1,548, including taxes.

As the level of stateroom increases on this cruise, the price increases nearly exponentially. An Ocean View stateroom is still quite affordable at $899 per person. However, if you want a balcony, cabins start from $1,249 per person. A suite can be had from $1,919 per person.

The Ship 

Celebrity Summit is one of four Celebrity Cruises Millennium Class cruise ships. She was built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in St. Nazaire, France and entered service for Celebrity in November, 2001. The Millennium Class includes Celebrity Millennium, coming along in 2000, Celebrity Infinity, entering service in 2001 and the youngest is Celebrity Constellation, entering service in 2002.

Summit is a decent sized ship with a gross tonnage of 91,000. She is 294 metres or 965 feet in length. There are eleven decks accessible to a capacity of 2,158 passengers. Typically, there are 999 crew members onboard the ship.

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.

Colon, Panama to Ft. Lauderdale Via Vision of the Seas: Unique, Short and Cheap

On April 26, 2014, Vision of the Seas of Royal Caribbean embarks on a short, unique and very affordable cruise that, coupled with, say, a week at a Panama all-inclusive resort, makes for an awesome vacation. Vision leaves its winter home in Colon, Panama to head north to Ft. Lauderdale, a port she’ll call home until November.

The Cruise

 

Vision of the Seas embarks on a very short Repositioning Cruise from Colon, Panama at 3pm on Saturday, April 26, 2014. After two full days at sea, moving north across the Caribbean Sea then around the top of Cuba, she arrives at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Vision reaches her new home at 8am on Tuesday, April 29. There are no additional ports of call on the journey.

Currently, Vision of the Seas is running seven night Southern Caribbean itineraries out of Colon. These cruises are the most affordable way to see the Southern Caribbean with more ports of call in less days. Many ships use Colon as a port call before, or after, transiting the Panama Canal. Vision of the Seas is currently the only major cruise ship that uses the Panama city as a home port.

Once in Ft. Lauderdale, Vision of the Seas runs four and five night Western Caribbean cruises, with the odd ten night Bermuda cruise mixed in, until November. The ship does not return to Colon in 2014. Instead, she moves to the Gulf Coast of Florida to use Tampa as a home port for her seven night Western Caribbean cruises.

The Price

For this three night cruise, an inside stateroom can be had right now for as low as $136 per person, based on double occupancy. The additional government fees and taxes are extremely low at just $49 per person. This makes the price for two for an inside stateroom, including taxes, as low as $370.

The rest of the ship is quite affordable, as well. Ocean View staterooms start at $189 per person. A balcony cabin can be had from $189 per person. Even suites start from as low as $299 per person.

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.