Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Norwegian Jade Mediterranean Cruise Out Of Venice, Italy From $590


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 mediterranean cruise venice
 

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 ncl cruise 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.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Norwegian Dawn Western Caribbean Cruise From Just $268!


You have to act fast to take advantage of this great deal. Norwegian Dawn leaves Tampa, Florida on Sunday, April 20 for a seven night Western Caribbean cruise and you can be onboard from just $268 per person.

The Cruise

norwegian dawn western caribbean cruise itinerary
 

Norwegian Dawn embarks Tampa, Florida at 4pm on Sunday, April 20, 2014 for a seven night Western Caribbean cruise. Dawn arrives back at Tampa on Sunday, April 27 at 8am. Along the way, she makes four great stops at ports of call along the coast of Central America and Mexico. The four stops are sandwiched between single full days at sea when guest really get to enjoy all this ship has to offer.

The first stop is at Coxen Hole on Tuesday, April 22 from 9am until 5pm. Coxen Hole is also known as Roatan Town and is the largest urban centre on the island of Roatan, belonging to Honduras.

Belize City, Belize is next up. Norwegian Dawn stops at the coastal city on Wednesday, April 23 and stays in port from 8am until 5pm.

The final two stops are in Mexico. First is Costa Maya on Thursday, April 24 from 8am until 5pm. The final port of call on the itinerary is Cozumel, the tropical island just off the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

The Price


An inside stateroom is priced to sell, starting at $268 per person, based on double occupancy. There is an additional $126.96 per person in government fees and taxes added on. The total for two for an inside cabin can be as low as 789.40, including taxes. This cabin comes with a $26.88 onboard credit (for the stateroom and not per person).

If the buffet is not your thing, Norwegian Cruise Line offers a deal for unlimited specialty restaurant dining. For $119 per person, you can eat in style as much as you want.

The Ship 

norwegian dawn norwegian cruise line
Norwegian Dawn was built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany and was originally meant to be the SuperStar Scorpio. When Star Cruises ceased to exist, NCL took over the ship. Dawn’s maiden voyage was on December 7, 2002 and she is a Libra Class ship.

Dawn is a decent sized ship with a gross tonnage of 92,250. She is 292 metres or 958 feet in length and has 11 decks accessible to passengers. Capacity is for 2,340 guests and 1,032 crew members. For a cruise line that offers rock bottom pricing, this is a great ratio of passengers to crew.

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.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Cruise From Quebec City To Boston From Just $398.44!


The summer cruising season is getting underway and what better than to tour from Quebec City to Boston on a luxury liner like Holland America’s MS Veendam? Pricing for the May 10 sailing is nearly half what it’ll be a month later. You can save even more if you make it a 14 night round trip.

The Cruise

holland america ms veendam canada new england cruise
 

MS Veendam officially embarks from Quebec City, Quebec on Saturday, May 10, 2014 but actually leaves port at 4pm on Sunday, May 11. This means you can park you luggage on the ship and enjoy all this historic Canadian city has to offer. Veendam arrives at Boston, Massachusetts at 7am on Saturday, May 17. Along the way, she makes four port calls.


After cruising up the St. Lawrence, the first stop is in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and more specifically on the Northumberland Strait at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. MS Veendam is docked at the PEI capital from 8am until 5pm on Tuesday, May 13.

The following day, Veendam stops at another island. This time, it’s Sydney, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island. She is docked here on Wednesday, May 14 from 8am until 4pm. Next up is Halifax, Nova Scotia on Thursday, May 15 from 8am until 5pm. The final port of call is Bar Harbor, Maine on Friday, May 16 from 8am until 5pm.

If you opt for the 14 night return trip, MS Veendam turns around and leaves Boston at 4pm on Saturday, May 17 and arrives back in Quebec City on Friday, May 23. The return follows the same itinerary, just in reverse and with slightly different times at port.

The Price


Right now, Holland America is offering Canadian residents a special fare for this cruise, although it’s only about a dollar less than the already spectacular flash special rate. An inside stateroom can be had for as low as $398.44 per person, based on double occupancy. There is an additional $212 in government fees and taxes added per person. This makes the total for two for an inside stateroom as low as $1,220.88.

From there, the rates go up with the level of stateroom. An ocean view cabin starts at $498.28 per person. A room with a balcony goes for as low as $1,099 and a suite can be had for as low as $1,148.44 per person. The same taxes and fees apply regardless of the level of stateroom.

For the 14 night itinerary, an inside stateroom goes for as low as $748.70 per person. This equates to $2,203.74 for two when the $353.17 in taxes and fees are added in. An ocean view cabin starts at $918.10 per person while a balcony stateroom starts at $2,148.60 per person and a suite starts at $2,198.50 per person.

The Ship 

ms veendam holland america line
MS Veendam was built by Fincantieri in Italy and has been in service for Holland America Line since 1996. This is a small ship with a gross tonnage of 57,093. Veendam is 219 metres or 719 feet in length and has ten decks accessible to passengers. Capacity onboard is for 1,350 guests and 580 crew members.

On July 12, 2014, MS Veendam will leave Boston to cross the Altantic Ocean. However, she will not stay long. Veendam returns to Boston to restart the Quebec/New England cruises on August 16.

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.