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Smarter Cruising Newsletter
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"Smarter Cruising" Newsletter
August 6, 2007 -- Issue #9
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In This Issue:
1) Time to Reposition for Fall?
2) Take Advantage of These Great Last-Minute Deals!
3) Smooth Sailing Tip: Your Job May Land You a Discount
4) Rough Seas Ahead?: Fall is Hurricane Season
5) Visit Clark's SMARTER CRUISING BLOG!
==================== FEATURE EDITORIAL ===========
1) Time to Reposition for Fall?
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In the March 2007 issue of the Smarter Cruising Newsletter,
we talked about the benefits of taking repositioning
cruises -- or "repo" cruises for short -- which occur when
ships move from one set of waters to others due to the
changing seasons.
For instance, ships leave Alaska in the fall to head for
Hawaii, Mexico, Florida, or the Caribbean (where they spend
the winter), and then head back to Alaska in late spring to
spend the summer.
Or they leave northern Europe or the Mediterranean in fall
and sail to warmer climes in the Caribbean or South
America, then return to Europe in the spring.
Because they often involve transatlantic crossings or
voyages through the Panama Canal, repo cruises tend to be
longer than most regular cruises -- while, at the same time,
generally offering more days at sea with fewer port stops.
Rather than sail empty when repositioning, cruise lines
naturally prefer to fill these one-way voyages with paying
passengers. One way to do that is to cut rates.
And so repositioning cruises can amount to some of the
greatest bargains in cruise travel -- voyages that can run
nine days, two weeks, even three, at rates often well under
$100 a day.
As a bonus, cruise lines are sweetening the pot by
adding more port stops to their repo cruises than in previous
years -- often at out-of-the-way islands or other ports of call
that more traditional itineraries seldom reach. You may find
free airfare included in the rates as well.
Cruise lines are also offering a few short repo cruises this
year -- mostly along the Pacific Coast from Vancouver to
California or vice versa, before or after the Alaska cruising
season.
Since we focused mostly on spring repo cruises in the March
Newsletter, several readers have asked for an update on repo
cruises coming up this fall.
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A selection of repositioning cruises for fall 2007
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Here are a sampling of some of the repo cruises you can consider
for this fall (with thanks to the folks at CLIA -- Cruise Lines
International Association -- for supplying much of this
information).
** Carnival: On October 28, the Carnival Freedom begins a
14-day repo cruise from Rome through the Mediterranean and
across the Atlantic to Miami. The voyage includes nine sea
days as well as stops in Italy, Spain, and Madeira.
Meanwhile, the Carnival Spirit wraps up its Alaska season by
departing Vancouver September 19 for Hawaii. The 12-day trip
includes four Hawaii stops before arriving in Honolulu.
** Celebrity: Four Celebrity ships reposition across the
Atlantic to the U.S. and Caribbean this fall, from mid-September
till early December. A highlight is the Galaxy's crossing
from Barcelona to San Juan, Puerto Rico departing December
8, with stops in North Africa, the Canary Islands, Barbados,
Antigua, and St. Maarten.
The Celebrity Summit, meanwhile, departs Vancouver on a
September 14 cruise to San Diego, including Alaska stops
in Ketchikan, Skagway, and the Hubbard Glacier, as well as
Victoria, BC, San Francisco, and Catalina Island along the way.
** Costa: Five ships leave Savona, Italy, this fall to
reposition in the Caribbean and South America for the winter.
The Costa Fortuna departs November 2 on a 15-night voyage to
the Dominican Republic; the Costa Victoria and Costa Magica
leave in late November on 18-night journeys to Brazil, with stops
in Europe and Cape Verde along the way; Costa Classica's 17-night
journey to Brazil departs December 3, with stops in Spain and
Portugal; and Costa Mediterranea leaves November 29 for a 16-night
crossing to The Bahamas via Spain, Morocco, Barbados, and
Antigua.
** Disney: This cruise line completes its first summer of
European cruises by repositioning the Disney Magic from Barcelona,
Spain, to Port Canaveral, Florida, on August 18. The ship will call
at Gibraltar, Cadiz, the Canary Islands, and Castaway Cay (Disney's
private isle) along the way.
** Holland America: HAL will reposition four of its ships from
Europe this fall with 15- to 21-day cruises. The Veendam departs
Copenhagen August 22 for New York; the Westerdam sails from Rome
(Civitavecchia) October 5 for Fort Lauderdale; the Rotterdam
leaves Lisbon for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 1; and the
Prinsendam journeys from Rome to Fort Lauderdale two days later.
After completing its Alaska season, Holland America will move
five ships -- the Zaandam, Volendam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, and
Ryndam -- down the Pacific Coast in three- to five-day trips
departing Vancouver from September 26 to October 7.
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We aren't done yet -- here are more fall repo cruises
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** MSC Cruises: MSC offers four transatlantic repo cruises this
fall, departing from Europe from early November to early December.
Highlights include two 18-day crossings: the MSC Opera leaves from
Italy for Brazil November 5, stopping in Tunisia and Spain, while
the MSC Armonia departs for Brazil via Croatia, Tunisia, Spain, and
Morocco. Other ships sail from Italy to Argentina and Florida via
ports in Spain, Portugal, Grenada, Martinique, Puerto Rico and
Brazil, depending on which itinerary you choose.
** Norwegian Cruise Line: NCL has a nine-day Barcelona to Boston
cruise leaving December 3 aboard the Norwegian Gem, calling in Madeira
along the way. You can score an inside cabin on it for as little as
$499 per passenger from NCL's website (www.ncl.com) or with
air from $799 at Destination Oceans (www.destinationoceans.com).
** Princess Cruises: The Emerald Princess departs Venice October
8 for Fort Lauderdale on a 17-day, eight-port cruise; The Sea
Princess embarks October 13 from London for a 14-day crossing to
Barbados; and the Royal Princess and Star Princess both leave Rome
for Fort Lauderdale, one on a 24-day cruise leaving November 28 and
the other on a 17-day, nine-port sailing embarking December 3.
Princess wraps up its 2007 Alaska season by offering a series
of two- to six-day "Coastal Sampler" voyages from Vancouver, BC,
to San Francisco or Los Angeles leaving between September 15 and 24.
Meanwhile, the Pacific Princess will depart from Vancouver
September 12 on a nine-day cruise to Honolulu, while the Sapphire
Princess sails from Anchorage to Beijing over 15 days, departing
September 15.
** Royal Caribbean: Seven RCI repositioning cruises this fall
include three from Alaska and four from Europe. In September, the
Radiance of the Seas departs Vancouver September 14 for a 14-night
cruise to Los Angeles; the Vision of the Seas makes a nine-night
journey between the same two cities starting September 21; and the
Serenade of the Seas sails to San Diego from Vancouver over 13 nights
departing September 22.
Royal Caribbean's European repo cruises include a 15-night
journey from Barcelona to the Dominican Republic sailing December 1;
a 15-night Barcelona to Miami cruise leaving December 2; a 14-night
trip from Lisbon to Santos, Brazil, leaving December 4; and a 15-night
voyage from Barcelona to Galveston, Texas, on December 8. The
December 1 voyage is being priced at $749 per passenger on the
Royal Caribbean website (www.royalcaribbean.com), about $50 per day.
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Assessing whether or not repo cruises are right for you
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As we noted in our March Newsletter, repo cruises aren't for
everyone.
If you only have limited time for your cruise vacation, or you get
bored by "sea days" on cruises and prefer a new port every day,
or you can't find a good airfare deal (since these are one-way
cruises and normal roundtrip airfare rates won't apply),
repositioning cruises may not be for you.
On the other hand, if you have extra time (but not extra money)
to spend, you welcome the relaxation of a long sea voyage, and
welcome the opportunity to stop at some out-of-the-way ports
along the way, you may be a good candidate.
If so, you'll find repo cruises to be among the best bargains in
today's cruise world.
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Do you have a question for Smarter Cruising?
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If you have a topic you'd like to see covered in an upcoming
newsletter, or just a cruising question you'd like answered,
drop me a line at clark@smartercruising.com.
I look forward to hearing from you!
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2) Take Advantage of These Great Last-Minute Deals!
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** CruCon Cruise Outlet is offering a week-long NCL cruise
through the Hawaiian Islands for $1,199 -- a price that
includes a balcony cabin and free air, roundtrip to
Honolulu. Dates are September 8 and 22, October 27, and
November 3. Call CruCon at 800-493-6609 and book by
August 8 at the latest.
** Costa is featuring a number of seven-night eastern
Mediterranean sailings this fall (and a few this month)
for prices starting at $699. Itineraries start in Italy
and include various Greek islands and ports in Turkey and
Croatia, depending on which cruise you choose. Call Costa
at 800-462-6782 or go to www.costacruises.com and ask for
Discount Code ES. The offer expires August 15.
** You can take a week-long Heart of the Amazon River
Cruise with free airfare from Miami and another week's stay
in first-class hotels in Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, Brazil,
at prices starting at $3,799 per person from Vantage Travel.
That's a savings of $400 per couple when you book by August
10. The cruise includes an outside balcony cabin on a deluxe
river ship. Departure date is October 7. Call 800-322-6677
and ask for promo code EM1321. (This offer is not available
on the Vantage Travel website; tell them Smarter Cruising
sent you.)
** VacationstoGo.com is offering a seven-day Caribbean
cruise from Carnival departing Miami November 11, at
prices starting from $429, nearly 75 percent off the
brochure price. Call 800-338-4962 and ask for Fast Deal
#21051.
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For insider tips on HOW TO BOOK THE BEST CRUISE DEAL
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Our new guide, "How to Book the Best Cruise Deal" is loaded
with insider tips and techniques -- all geared toward
saving you lots of money when you book your next cruise.
And for a short time you can get it for a very special price!
That's right -- an incredible deal on information that could
easily save you hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars
on your next cruise.
Here's what one of our satisfied customers had to say:
"If you have booked a cruise and have not read 'How to
Book the Best Cruise Deal' by Clark Norton cancel the
cruise immediately.
"Rebook the cruise only after you have read every word
and have memorized the 'Smooth Sailing Tips.'
"Not only will you save money and time, you will feel you
are in the know and that you are in charge and
control of your vacation.
"It will really be smooth sailing."
-- Louie Richmond, Seattle, Washington
I know that many of you are planning to book a cruise
for 2007 or 2008 in the next month or two.
Don't go into "battle" negotiating your fare
without being armed with all the money-saving secrets
contained in "How to Book the Best Cruise Deal!"
To learn more about "How to Book the Best Cruise Deal,"
check out:
http://www.smartercruising.com
And if you order right away, we'll even throw in FREE
bonus books on saving on airfare, and on how to avoid
airfare altogether!
Don't miss out! Visit:
http://www.smartercruising.com
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3) Smooth Sailing Tip: Your Job May Land You a Discount
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Depending on your job or profession, it may pay to ask
about an occupational discount before booking your cruise.
If you're a member of the military (or sometimes just
a past service member), are a police officer, a
firefighter, a teacher, or work in certain fields of
transportation such as for an airline, AMTRAK, or a
package delivery service, you may qualify for an
occupational discount.
Not all cruise lines offer them and those that do may
offer only some of them, but if you think you may
qualify, be sure to ask the cruise line or your travel
agent before making your final payment.
Some cruise lines even offer free cruises from time to
time to, say, soldiers returning to Iraq and their families.
Check my blog (http://smartercruising.blogspot.com)
for periodic reports on offers like these.
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For free subscriptions to this newsletter
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If you're reading this newsletter and haven't yet subscribed,
you can get your free monthly subscription by going to:
www.smartercruising.com
and signing up. That's all there is to it!
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4) Rough Seas Ahead?: Fall is Hurricane Season
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When booking a fall cruise in the Caribbean, keep in
mind that prime time for hurricanes is usually the
fall months (through November).
But while there are always risks, remember that
hurricanes usually form in the far eastern Atlantic and
offer several days warning before arriving in the
Caribbean, giving captains time to alter their ships'
itineraries if necessary.
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5) Visit Clark's SMARTER CRUISING BLOG!
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If you haven't had a chance yet to check out my
Smarter Cruising Blog, you can find it at
http://SmarterCruising.blogspot.com.
It's loaded with daily up-to-date tips for saving money
on cruises in a wide variety of ways.
Please come for a visit -- I've recently done postings on
special cruise deals from Majestic America Line,
General Tours, Carnival, Viking River Cruises, Orient
Lines, and Oceania Cruises.
And keep checking back often -- I often post items
that have a short window of opportunity,
such as special sales and discounts that cruise lines
offer for a short time only -- sometimes just one day!
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Do you have a comment you'd like to share with other
Smarter Cruisers?
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Leave a comment on my Smarter Cruising blog:
http://smartercruising.blogspot.com.
Let's keep the cruising conversation going!
Happy cruising,
Clark Norton
The Smarter Cruiser
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