Tuesday, March 4, 2014

10 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise From $399 Onboard Norwegian Sun


A few weeks ago, we featured an 11 night Southern Caribbean cruise onboard the Norwegian Sun and stated it may be the best deal on a Southern Caribbean itinerary out of Florida you’re going to see this year. Well, Norwegian Cruise Line has stepped it up a bit since then.

Same home port of Miami. Same ship. Slightly different cruise. On March 17, 2014, Norwegian Sun embarks on a 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise. We said the 11 night cruise on March 6 was a steal at $469 per person. Well, the 10 night on March 17 can be had for as low as $399 per person, based on double occupancy.

This is an awesome deal for two. However, if you have kids aged seventeen or under, you may want to wait for the April 7 sailing for the same itinerary. Norwegian has just announced a ‘Kids Sail Free’ campaign. The 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise on April 7 is about $25 per person higher but you can take your kids along for just the cost of the taxes ($117.90 per person for this cruise). Norwegian has applied this special to around 250 different cruises over the next year but you must book before March 31, 2014.

For more information, check out this article with a case study comparing the pricing with and without the deal: Norwegian Kids Sail Free

The Cruise

norwegian sun 10 nt southern caribbean cruise
 

Norwegian Sun embarks from Miami, Florida on a ten night Southern Caribbean cruise, leaving Monday March 17, 2014 at 4pm. She returns to Miami on Thursday, March 27 at 8am. Along the way, Sun makes five port calls. The five port days are consecutive with two full days at sea before and after.


Sun docks at Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday, March 20 from 8am to 5pm. The following day, she moves south to Roseau, Dominica. She is at Roseau from 9am until 5pm.

Bridgetown, Barbados is the third stop. Norwegian Sun is docked at Bridgetown on Saturday, March 22 from 8am until 5pm. She makes her last true Southern Caribbean port call the following day at Castries, St. Lucia from 8am until 5pm. The final stop is at Philipsburg, Sint Maarten on Monday, March 24. St. Maarten is a pivot point in the Caribbean and is included in Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean itineraries. She is docked at Philipsburg from 9am until 5pm.

When comparing to the 11 night Norwegian Sun Southern Caribbean itinerary, there are the same number of port calls with Bridgetown and St. Thomas showing up on both. On the 11 night, Sun also stops at Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao and Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe.

The Price


An inside stateroom can be had for as low as $399 per person, based on double occupancy. There is $117.90 per person in government fees and taxes tacked on, no matter the level of stateroom. The total for two for an inside cabin, including taxes, starts at $1,033.80.

Other levels of stateroom include ocean view starting at $799 per person, cabins with a balcony starting at $899 per person and suites starting at $1,849 per person. The military discount can be a real advantage on some cruises but on this itinerary, it results in just $30 off per person.

The Ship

Norwegian Sun is one of two Sun Class ships in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet. The other is Norwegian Sky, the older sister that was put in service in 1999. Sun was put in service in 2001 and was last refurbed in 2011.

This may have been a large ship in 2001 but is now closer to a medium sized boat. Norwegian Sun has a gross tonnage of 78,309 with a length of 258 metres or 848 feet. There are 13 decks accessible to passengers. The ship has a capacity for 2,002 guests, based on double occupancy. There are typically 968 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.

Friday, February 28, 2014

From Just $31 Per Night To Cruise New Orleans To Barcelona!


The deals just don’t get much better than this! Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas heads out of New Orleans, Louisiana on Saturday, April 26, 2014 for a 16 night cruise across the Atlantic Ocean to Barcelona, Spain. Serenade makes four great port calls along the way. An inside cabin on the ship can be had for as low as $31 per night per person before taxes. Don’t let the taxes scare you – it’s just $65 per person for the entire cruise.

The Cruise

royal caribbean serenade of the seas transatlantic repositioning
 

Serenade of the Seas embarks on her 16 night Transatlantic Repositioning cruise from New Orleans at 5pm on Saturday, April 26, 2014. She arrives at her summer home of Barcelona, Spain on the Mediterranean at 6am on Monday, May 12. Along the way, Serenade makes four amazing stops.

After four full days at sea, crossing the Gulf of Mexico and skimming across the top of Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, Serenade of the Seas makes her first port of call at Philipsburg on the island of Sint Maarten. She is docked on the Dutch side of the island shared with France from 7am until 5pm.

After six more full days at sea, next up is the island of Tenerife. This dot in the Atlantic Ocean belongs to Spain and is the largest of the seven Canary Islands. Serenade stops at Tenerife from 7am until 3pm on Thursday, May 8.

There’s one last full day at sea between Tenerife and Malaga on the mainland of Spain. Serenade of the Seas arrives at Malaga on Saturday, May 10. Malaga is a nice long stop with the ship docking at 10am and not leaving port until 8pm. In contrast, the final port of call is much shorter with the ship arriving at Cartegena, Spain at 7am on Sunday, May 11 and leaving in the early afternoon at 2pm.

The Price



Right now, an inside stateroom can be had for as low as $489, based on double occupancy. With the $65 in government fees and taxes tacked on, the total price for two is as low as $1,108 for the entire 16 night cruise.

The pricing on upgraded staterooms moves up pretty fast. An Ocean View cabin starts at $609 per person while a balcony will increase the price to $1,199 per person and an suite starts at $2,289 per person.

This special rate trumps all other discounts. It is so low that there is no added advantage for military, police and fire or seniors.

The Ship 

Serenade of the Seas is a Royal Caribbean Radiance Class ship built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. The ship made her maiden voyage in August, 2003 and is a decent sized vessel. Serenade has a gross tonnage of 90,090 and is 293 metres or 962 feet in length. There are 12 decks accessible to the capacity 2,490 guests. Typically, there are 891 crew members onboard.

Serenade is currently alternating between seven night Bahamas and seven night Western Caribbean itineraries out of her winter home port of New Orleans. Once in the Mediterranean, Serenade will mostly run 12 night cruises out of Barcelona over the summer months.


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, February 23, 2014

Celebrity Eclipse - Another Great Transatlantic Repositioning Cruise Deal


Transatlantic repositioning season is coming up fast and so are the deals. With Celebrity Eclipse, the 13 night cruise leaving Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on April 19 is an especially great deal for Military, Police and Fire, as well as seniors 55 and older.

The Cruise

celebrity eclipse transatlantic repositioning cruise
 

The 13 night transatlantic repositioning cruise onboard Celebrity Eclipse embarks from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at 4:30pm on Saturday, April 19, 2014. Eclipse arrives in Southampton in the United Kingdom at 5:30am on Friday, May 2. Along the way, she makes three port calls, one of which is an overnight stay.


On Sunday, April 20, Eclipse doesn’t go too far from her winter home port, stopping at Nassau in the Bahamas from 7am until 3pm. She follows that up by a full day at sea, moving northeast over the Atlantic Ocean.

Eclipse docks at King’s Wharf in Bermuda on Tuesday, April 22 at 1pm. She doesn’t leave port until the following day at 5pm. This allows guests plenty of time to move about on land before four full days at sea before the next port of call.

On Monday, April 28, Eclipse stops at Ponta Delgada, the largest city in the Azores Islands, belonging to Portugal. She is docked in the Azores from 7am until 5pm before heading out on the last leg of the trip before reaching Southampton.

The Price


For the regular Joe, the price for an inside stateroom starts at $689 per person, based on double occupancy. With $129 in government taxes and fees tacked on, the total price for an inside cabin for two can be had for as low as $1,636, including taxes.

Other levels of stateroom are reasonable with ocean view cabins starting at $849 per person, balcony staterooms starting at $959 per person and suites from $2,699 per person.

The discount for former and current members of the Canadian and American armed forces is deep. The same inside cabin that starts at $689 can be had for $542 per person if just one guest in the room qualifies as military. This same discount is also available for those employed as policemen or firefighters.

Seniors get not quite the same discount but it’s still pretty deep. If one guest in the stateroom is 55 or older, each guest pays $599 each. All discounted prices are still subject to the same $129 in government fees and taxes.

The Ship 

Celebrity Eclipse was built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany and made her maiden voyage for Celebrity Cruises on April 29, 2010. The Solstice Class ship is large with a gross tonnage of 121,878. The ship is 317 metres or 1,041 feet in length. There are 13 decks accessible to the capacity 2,850 passengers. Generally, there are 1,271 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.