Monday, March 24, 2014

Cross The Atlantic In Style Onboard Celebrity Equinox From Just $699!


If you’re going to spend the first six days of a 13 night Transatlantic Repositioning cruise at sea, why not sail in luxury? If you can do it at the price of a lower quality cruise ship then it’s even better. Celebrity Equinox crosses the Atlantic Ocean on a 14 night journey in mid-April, 2014. You can be onboard for as low as $699 per person. If you’re 55 or older, take $50 per person off that price. If you qualify as military, fire or police, the savings on an inside stateroom run as high as $115 per person!

The Cruise

celebrity equinox transatlantic repositioning cruise itinerary
 

Celebrity Equinox embarks from Port Everglades at Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Monday, April 14, 2014 at 5pm for a 13 night crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Equinox arrives at her final destination of Malaga, Spain at 6am on Sunday, April 27. Along the way, the ship makes three port calls, along with a full day transit of the Strait of Gibraltar.


After six full days at sea, Celebrity Equinox arrives at Ponta Delgada in the Azores Islands on Monday, April 21 for her first port of call. Equinox is in port from 9am until 6pm at what is the largest urban centre in Portugal’s Azores.

After two more full days at sea, Equinox reaches the mainland of Portugal. On Thursday, April 24, the ship docks at Lisbon and remains in port from 7am until 5pm. Upon leaving Lisbon, the ship moves down the coast to Sevilla, Spain. Equinox is docked at this Spanish port on Friday, April 25 from 10am to 8pm.

Upon leaving Sevilla, Celebrity Equinox enters the Strait of Gibraltar for a full day of scenic cruising on Saturday, April 26.

The Price


An inside stateroom can be had for as low as $699 per person, based on double occupancy. With the additional $81 per person in government fees and taxes tacked on, the price for two for an inside cabin starts as low as $1,560. Other levels of stateroom still available include ocean view from $959 per person and balcony cabins from $1,079 per person.

Seniors 55 years or older can have that same inside cabin for as low as $649 per person. Folks who work in the armed forces, fire or police services get a great discount and can have that same room from $584 per person. Remember, just one person per stateroom needs to qualify in order to get the discount.

It should also be noted that an inside stateroom on Celebrity Equinox is not like the same category on other cruise ships. On Equinox, the inside cabins are generally 200 square feet and designed to have a double bed and a sofa. Compare this to 128 square feet for an inside stateroom on the Norwegian Epic and 182 square feet on the Ruby Princess.

The Ship 

celebrity equinox cruise ship
Celebrity Equinox is a Solstice Class ship that was built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. Equinox is a new ship, making her maiden voyage on July 31, 2009. She is also a large ship with a gross tonnage of 121,878 and a length of 317 metres or 1,041 feet. There are 13 decks accessible to passengers.

However, Celebrity Cruises is a luxury line and the size doesn’t mean massive amounts of guests crammed in like sardines. The capacity is for 2,850 guests, based on double occupancy. The passenger to crew ratio reflects a premium cruise ship with 1,250 crew members onboard.

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.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Staterooms Remain For Regal Princess Maiden Voyage On May 20!


Princess Cruises introduces their latest ship to the world in May and there are still limited staterooms available for the maiden voyage! What’s even better is that Princess has a flash sale on right now for that May 20, 2014 inaugural sailing of the Regal Princess with inside cabins as low as $1,299 per person. There are just inside and balcony staterooms left for this seven night Mediterranean voyage.

The Cruise

regal princess maiden voyage itinerary
 

Regal Princess embarks on her maiden voyage, a seven night Mediterranean cruise, from Venice, Italy at 11pm on Tuesday, May 20, 2014. The late departure time must be due to launch ceremonies beforehand. Regal arrives at Piraeus, Greece at 6am on Tuesday, May 27. Along the way, she makes three port calls, including an overnighter in Istanbul. By the way, Piraeus is part of the Athens metro area and is 12km from the Greek capital’s centre.


After a full day at sea, cruising down the Adriatic Sea from Venice, Regal Princess reaches her first port of call at 7am on Thursday, May 22 at Corfu, Greece. She remains in port until 5pm. Corfu is one of the Ionian Islands and is directly off the coast of Albania.

After another full day at sea, Regal makes her way around to Istanbul, Turkey, arriving at 9am on Saturday, May 24 and not leaving until the following day at 2pm. She then makes her final stop at Mykonos, Greece on Monday, May 26 from 9am until 7pm. Mykonos is an island in the Cyclades, east of Athens on the Aegean Sea.

The Price


Currently, an inside stateroom can be had on this maiden voyage of the Regal Princess for $1,299 per person, based on double occupancy. There is an additional $104 per person in government fees and taxes tacked on which makes the total price for a room for two as low as $2,806, including taxes.

A stateroom with a balcony starts at $1,599 and would be well worth the additional cost. For veterans and current members of the armed forces in the U.S. and Canada, there is no discount off the total price but Princess offers a $100 onboard credit per stateroom. For those who qualify, a form must be submitted to Princess no later than 14 days before sailing in order to receive this credit.

The Ship 

Regal Princess is for the most part a twin of Royal Princess. She was built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy, not far from Venice on the Adriatic Sea. This is a large ship with a gross tonnage of 141,000, the largest in the Princess fleet. Regal is 329 metres or 1,079 feet in length. She has capacity for 3,600 passengers, based on double occupancy. A small town’s worth of crew members are onboard, typically around 2,000. There are 15 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.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Norwegian Epic Western Caribbean Cruise From Just $329 (Military and AARP even less!)


Here’s your chance to be part of something epic. The world’s third largest cruise ship embarks from Miami, Florida on a seven night Western Caribbean cruise on April 6, 2014 and you can be onboard for as low as $329 per person. Norwegian Epic is a behemoth with just Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas of the Royal Caribbean fleet being larger. Take note: If you’re a member of AARP or a current or former member of the military, the price is even better.

The Cruise

norwegian epic western caribbean cruise
 

Norwegian Epic embarks from Miami, Florida on Sunday, April 6, 2014 at 4pm for a seven night Western Caribbean itinerary. Epic arrives back at Miami on Sunday, April 13 at 8am. Along the way, she makes three port calls.


After a full day at sea, Epic arrives at Ocho Rios, Jamaica on Tuesday, April 8 and stays from 9am until 5pm. Guests can easily visit nearby Dunn’s River Falls from this location on the north central coast of Jamaica. James Bond fans will revel in the fact that this is the location of Dr. No, the first ever Bond film, released in 1962. This also featured the first bond girl, the amazing Ursula Andress as Honey Rider – the girl who never really put much more than a bikini on.

After another full day at sea, Epic arrives at Costa Maya on the Caribbean Coast of Mexico. The ship is docked here from 8am until 5pm on Thursday, April 10. Costa Maya is on the mainland of Mexico and close to the Belize border. This port was shut down for over a year after Hurricane Dean devastated the area in August, 2007.

On Friday, April 11, Norwegian Epic makes her final stop at the tropical paradise island of Cozumel, Mexico. She is in port from 8am until 5pm on Friday, April 11 before heading back across the Gulf of Mexico to her home port.

The Price


An inside stateroom onboard this cruise can be had for as low as $329 per person, based on double occupancy. With the additional $114.51 per person in government fees and taxes added on, the total for two for an inside cabin is as low as $887.02.

If you are a member of the AARP, the same cabin can be had from $279 person. To be a member, you must be 50 or older and registered with the organization. For Canadians, the annual fee is just $17 per person.

For military, there is a discount but it doesn’t cut too deep. Former and present members of the armed forces in Canada and the United States would get the same inside stateroom for $309 per person, plus taxes.

This cruise is not applicable for Norwegian’s current promotion where the third and fourth in a stateroom sail for free. However, they do offer one coupon book per stateroom that is valued at $300 in onboard savings. NCL also has a $119 per person Ultimate Dining Package that allows unlimited dining at the onboard specialty restaurants.
 

The Ship

Norwegian Epic is part of the ‘Big 3’ that includes Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas from Royal Caribbean. Built by Chantiers de L’Atlantique in St. Nazaire, France, Epic has been in service for Norwegian Cruise Line since 2010.

A very large ship with a gross tonnage of 155,873, Epic is 329 metres or 1,081 long. There are 15 decks accessible to the capacity 4,100 passengers. Typically, there are 1,753 crew members onboard.

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.