by Paul Motter

NCL Sale of the Decade

Talk about last minute bargains! This may be the biggest collection of last-minutes savings we have ever seen in one place. And it has the perfect name, the NCL "Sale of the Decade."

Throughout October, NCL will be booking its most popular cruise routes of 2009, and some 2010, at terrific savings. Trust me, you really want to check out the web site: www.ncl.com, on this sale. In case you missed my earlier newsletter, we are still in "value season," the best time of year to book a cruise lasting from the end of summer to the Christmas holidays. But this sale ends November 1st.

The line is offering three and four-night getaways on Norwegian Sky, the newest ship making short cruises to the Bahamas, now selling for as little as $159 per person. If you want a two-night getaway from Miami, you can sail November 13 for as little as $119 per person, with a third person for just $49.

7-day cruises to the Caribbean or Mexico are selling as low as $299 per person. You can get onboard the Norwegian Pearl, one of the newest and coolest NCL ships, for as little as $299. It sails to Samana, Dominican Republic; St Thomas, Tortola and to the NCL private island, Great Stirrip Cay. Norwegian Star sails from Los Angeles to Cabo, Mazatland and Puerto Vallarta, also $299 or $499 balcony.

5-day cruises to the Western Caribbean on Norwegian Dawn also start at $299; another new NCL ship with all the best Free-style features, it visits Grand Cayman and Cozumel. The prices for higher category cabins are the best value here; $349 for oceanview and $499 for balcony cabins. Suites, which are outstanding on NCL ships, start at just $599 per person.

Sail from New Orleans on Norwegian Spirit on a seven-day cruise to Costa Maya, Santo Tomas De Castilla, Belize City and Cozumel. This cruise starts at $399 per person, $699 balcony.

Bermuda has never been cheaper. $349 per person from New York City or Philadelphia for October dates. If you want to sail from Boston the price is now $649, but just a couple weeks ago it was $349. That just shows you how prices go up as ships sell out!

How about a European cruise STEAL? You can sail in Europe during the off-peak tourist season and see far more for far less money. I am looking at a 12-day Eastern Mediterranean cruise starting at just $699, with balcony cabins for just $999 per person. For a European cruise this is a jaw-dropping bargain.

The ship is Norwegian Jade, a newer ship, sailing from beautiful Barcelona to Rome, Athens, Ephesus, Alexandria (Egypt) and Valletta, Malta. This itinerary hits all of the major capitals of Europe for sightseeing! Imagine seeing the actual Colisseum of Rome, the Acropolis of Athens, the ancient city Ephesus founded by Alexander the Great, the pyramids of Egypt and crucial island of the crusades, Malta; all in one cruise at this incredible price. The sail dates include November 2009 through March 2010.

13-day Panama Canal cruises between Miami and Los Angeles (either way) start at just $699 per person, $1149 for balcony.

7-day Mexico cruises start at just $299 per person, and sorry but the balcony cabins are already sold out, which is why you want to grab the bargains now.

The extremely popular 7-day New England/Canada cruises are a steal this year; just $249 for inside, $299 oceanview and just $499 balcony cabins. Sail from Quebec to Boston, seeing the beautiful St Lawrence Seaway at the height of the fall folliage season. Sails Oct. 16.

These are just a sampling of the "Sale of the Decade" offers. Be sure to check them out - and remember, you can book directly with NCL or you can always call your travel agent to book these same great cruise values for you.

Kiplinger's Magazine
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