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 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.

Cross The Atlantic On Liberty Of The Seas From Just $509

What would entice someone to spend the first eight full days at sea on a 13 night cruise across the Atlantic Ocean? First, the cruise is onboard Liberty of the Seas from Royal Caribbean. This is one of the largest ships on the high seas and probably has more to do onboard than there is to do in your own town. Second, for this May 1, 2014 sailing, Royal Caribbean has dropped the price of an inside cabin as low as $509 per person! For military, police and fire, the deal is even sweeter.

The Cruise

 

Liberty of the Seas embarks from Port Everglades at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at 4:30pm on Thursday, May 1, 2014 on a 13 night journey across the Atlantic Ocean to Barcelona, Spain. She arrives at her final destination at 6am on Wednesday, May 14. Along the way, Liberty of the Seas makes three port calls, all on the eastern side of the Atlantic.

After eight full days at sea, Liberty of the Seas makes her first stop on Saturday, May 10 at Lisbon, Portugal. Typically, cruise ships repositioning from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean will stop either in the Azores or Canary Islands. Liberty motors right past these rest stops in the middle of the Atlantic to reach continental Europe. She is docked at the capital of Portugal from 7am until 5pm.

The following day, Liberty of the Seas stops at Sevilla, Spain, still on the Atlantic side of the country. She is in port at Sevilla from 9am until 6pm on Sunday, May 11.

After a full day at sea, meandering past Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean Sea, Liberty of the Seas finds her final port of call on Tuesday, May 13 at Palma de Mallorca. She is parked at the main city of Spain’s Balearic Islands from 8am until 5pm on Tuesday, May 13.

The Price

Right now, an inside stateroom onboard Liberty of the Seas starts at $509 per person, based on double occupancy. With the additional $86 per person in government fees and taxes tacked on, the total price for two for an inside cabin is $1,190.

Prices don’t go up too rapidly from there. Ocean view cabins start at $709 per person. With a balcony, staterooms start at $1,179 per person. A suite starts at $1,659 per person. Regardless of stateroom, each guest is subject to the $86 in government fees and taxes.

Royal Caribbean offers much more than free donuts and coffee to current and former members of the North American armed forces and those who work in the police and fire service. Those who qualify pay $450 each for that same lowest priced inside cabin. For an ocean view stateroom, prices start as low as $582 per person. A cabin with a balcony is a great savings, starting at $845 per person.

The Ship

Liberty of the Seas began service in May, 2007. She was renovated in 2011 with the DreamWorks Experience integrated. Liberty is one of three Freedom Class ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet with sisters Freedom of the Seas and Independence of the Seas being nearly identical.

At a gross tonnage of 154,407, all three Freedom Class ships tie as the fourth largest cruise ship currently on the high seas. Only Royal Caribbean’s twin Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas, along with the Norwegian Epic are larger. Liberty of the Seas is heavier but not quite as long as the Queen Mary 2 of the Cunard Line.

Liberty is 1,112 feet long or 339 metres in length. Using the old standard, she is the length of three NFL football fields. There are 15 decks accessible to the capacity 4,600 passengers. The crew numbers around 1,300.

As mentioned, the ship is a destination. Liberty of the Seas is fully integrated with the DreamWorks Experience, making it great for smaller children. Also included is FlowRider, a surf simulator. For added enjoyment, there are two hot tubs cantilevered over the edge of the boat, giving great views of the ocean around.

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.

Holland American ms Nieuw Amsterdam Tranatlantic Repositioning Cruise From $599!

There’s not a whole lot of space left on the ms Nieuw Amsterdam for its April 6, 2014 Transatlantic Repositioning cruise. What is left, Holland America wants to sell of quickly. That being said, inside staterooms can be had for as low as $599 per person for this 14 night journey across the Atlantic Ocean from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Barcelona, Spain.

The Cruise

 

MS Nieuw Amsterdam embarks from Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on her 14 night Transatlantic Repositioning cruise at 4pm on Sunday, April 6, 2014. She arrives at Barcelona, Spain at 7am on Sunday, April 20, 2014. Along the way, Nieuw Amsterdam stops at five ports of call, all on the eastern side of the Atlantic.

After six full days at sea, Nieuw Amsterdam stops at Horta on the island of Faial in the Azores. Typically, ships stop a little further east at Ponta Delgada on the Azores island of San Miguel. So, already this cruise is unique. She is in port at Horta on Sunday, April 13 from 8am until 4pm.

Settle in for two more full days at sea before stopping at Gibraltar on Wednesday, April 16. Gibraltar is a territory of the United Kingdom at the southern tip of Spain, at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. This port call is unique, as well, in that the ship arrives at 1pm and doesn’t leave until 11pm.

For the following day, Nieuw Amsterdam goes a relatively short distance up the Spanish Mediterranean coast to Motril in the province of Granada. She is docked at this location on Thursday, April 17 from 8am to 6pm.

For the final couple of days, the ship does little work with the final two port calls located quite close to the final destination. On Friday, April 18, Nieuw Amsterdam stops at Alicante, Spain on the Costa Blanca from 8am to 5pm.

Her last stop before reaching Barcelona is on the island of Majorca. Nieuw Amsterdam docks at Palma de Mallorca, Spain from 8am to 5pm on Saturday, April 19. Palma de Mallorca is the main city in Spain’s Balearic Islands.

The Price

While supplies last, an inside stateroom can be had for as low as $599.40 per person, based on double occupancy. Government fees and taxes result in an additional $99.48 per person being tacked on. The total for two for an inside cabin can be purchased for as low as $1,397.76, taxes included.

Other levels of stateroom still available are reasonably priced, as well. Ocean View rooms start at $699.96 per person. Add a balcony and cabins start at $700.40. A suite can be had from $1,701.80 per person.

The Ship 

MS Nieuw Amsterdam was built by Fincantieri on the Adriatic coast of Italy. She is a Signature Class ship that made her maiden voyage on July 4, 2010. For Holland American, this is a large ship. For the rest of the cruise world, it’s more of a medium sized vessel. With a gross tonnage of 86,700, Nieuw Amsterdam is 285 metres or 935 feet in length. There are eleven decks accessible to the capacity 2,106 passengers with an additional 929 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.