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.

10 Nights On Cunard's Queen Elizabeth From Just $699

Normally, pricing for a cruise on the MS Queen Elizabeth of the Cunard Line starts at between $125 and over $300 per person per night. If you act fast, an interior stateroom on the Queen Elizabeth for a ten night Baltic / Scandinavia cruise can be had for as low as $69.90 per person per night.

The Cruise

 

This ten night cruise embarks from Southampton in the United Kingdom at 4:30pm on Friday, December 13, 2013. Elizabeth returns back to Southampton for 6am on Monday, December 23. Along the way, she makes just five port calls but the length of stay at each is nearly always longer than a typical cruise.

On Saturday, December 14, Elizabeth docks at Brussels, Belgium for a full day, arriving at 9am and departing at 6pm. The following day allows for a fair share of special brownies, stopping in Amsterdam in the Netherlands from 8am until 11pm.

Copenhagen, Denmark is the highlight of the cruise. Queen Elizabeth docks at 1pm on Tuesday, December 17 and doesn’t leave until the following day at 11pm.

For December, this is not tropical journey. The final two ports of call for the ship are in Sweden and Norway. On Thursday, Elizabeth stops in Gothenburg, Sweden from 10am to 10pm. The following day, she docks at Oslo, Norway from 9am to 8pm.

The Price

There are Flash Fare deals until the ship casts off. A Flash Fare with Cunard is fully non-refundable and must be paid in full at the time of booking. An inside stateroom can be had for as low as $699 per person. With added government fees and taxes coming to $93.98 per person, a couple can have a room on this cruise for a total of $1,585.96.

Other levels of staterooms are also available at sale pricing. An outside stateroom can be had for $799 per person. A balcony or ocean view room is just $899 per person. The same government taxes and fees apply.

The Ship

MS Queen Elizabeth is a Signature Class ship and is one of three vessels currently in the Cunard fleet. Queen Mary 2 is the flagship and came into service in 2004. The middle child is Queen Victoria which began service in 2007. Elizabeth is the baby, taking her maiden voyage on October 12, 2010. She was christened the day before by Queen Elizabeth II.

Elizabeth was built by Fincantieri in Italy. She has a gross tonnage of 90,901 and is 965 feet or 294 metres in length. There are 16 decks on the ship with 12 accessible to passengers. Capacity is for 2,092 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.

ms Zuiderdam Southern Caribbean: Premium Cruise at a Contemporary Price

It might be called a Southern Caribbean cruise but you get the bonus of the Panama Canal. It might be from $45.25 per person per night but it’s nearly half price. You have to act fast to take advantage of this amazing cruise, but it’ll be more than worth it.

The Cruise

 

Holland America Line is under the same corporate umbrella as Carnival Cruises and Costa Cruises but it is certainly a step above when it comes to quality and luxury. That’s why an 11 night Southern Caribbean cruise onboard the ms Zuiderdam from just $497.77 per person is such an amazing deal. Eleven nights of luxury cruising, topped off by six exotic ports of call and a transit of half the Panama Canal – truly the cruise of a lifetime.

However, this ship leaves Ft. Lauderdale’s Port Everglades on Monday, December 9, 2013 at 4pm. So, hopefully you can ditch work on short notice and grab a Westjet flight down to FLL.

The first port call is on Tuesday, December 10 at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. Half Moon Cay is otherwise known as Little San Salvador Island and is owned by Carnival group, functioning as the company’s ‘private island’.

After a day at sea, Zuiderdam then moves way down south, stopping first at Oranjestad, Aruba. She then makes her way west, stopping at Willemstad, Curacao on Friday the thirteenth and Cartegena, Colombia on Sunday, December 15.

On Monday, December 16, it’s time for the piece de resistance. Zuiderdam travels up the Panama Canal until the halfway point at Gatun Lake. She then spins around and heads back down, stopping at Colon, Panama for a visit before getting back out on the Caribbean.

Finally, Zuiderdam makes one more stop but equally exciting as the previous. A full nine and half hours at Puerto Limon, Costa Rica should be enough to enjoy this tropical rainforest environment. After two full days at sea, the ship reaches Ft. Lauderdale at 7am on Friday, December 20, 2013.

The Pricing

Holland America currently has flash special pricing on this cruise. This is similar to Carnival’s Super Saver rates, in that the stateroom is non-refundable, must be paid in full at time of booking and rooms are not assigned until the time of check-in at the ship.

For $497.77 per person, an interior stateroom can be had, based on double occupancy. This equates to $45.25 per night per person. Of course, with the slightest mention of the Panama Canal, government taxes and fees triple in price. Added to the per person rate is another $329.49 for The Man. For a couple taking advantage of this sale, the interior stateroom can be had for $1,654.52 with all taxes included. This is still cheaper than two weeks at a three star All-Inclusive in Cuba.

The Ship

 

One of four Vista Class ships in the Holland America Line fleet, ms Zuiderdam made her maiden voyage on December 14, 2002. She is the oldest of the four nearly identical ships that were built between 2002 and 2006. All were built by Fincantieri on the northern Adriatic coast of Italy, the same company that builds most ships for Carnival, Princess and Costa, among others. The other three ships are the ms Oosterdam (2003), ms Westerdam (2004) and ms Noordam (2006). Each name represents the four main compass points (east, west, north and south) in Dutch.

Zuiderdam is a medium to large ship with a gross tonnage of 82,305. She is 936 feet or 285 metres in length and has 15 decks, eleven accessible to passengers. Guest capacity on the ms Zuiderdam is 1,916 with 817 crew members on board to make the cruise run smooth.

 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.