JAN. 18, 2025 - WINTER • MARCH 22, 2025 - SPRING

NEXT CRUISES - JOIN US ON BOTH!

UTOPIA FLYER

WEEK CHART - V1

Chicago Music Cruise Update November 9, 2024 - Utopia of the Seas - Nov 15, 2024

 

Hello Everyone

We are getting close to the cruise, are you starting to get excited?

We sail next week, for a fun weekend, onboard one of the newest,

and largest, ships in the World - The “Utopia of the Seas”!

 

Cruise

Make sure to log in to the Royal Caribbean website to look over the

Cruise planner.  You want to login to this now.

Create a login/password, if you have not done so already.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/account/signin

Download the Royal Caribbean App here

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/booked/royal-app

 

Check In

By now, you should have pre-checked in, filled out all your info,

chosen a boarding time window, print your luggage tags and printed your set sail tickets.

Do not put those cruise luggage tags on your bags, until we get to Florida.

Be on the ship no later than 3:00pm.

 

Passport

Make sure your passport is valid past June 2025.

If not, take care of that right now, and expedite it.

You can go down to the city to get this done in person.

Let us know if your passport is not valid until June 2025.

 

Hotels

If you need help getting a hotel, and/or have any questions; contact:

Mary Grivas - mary@ntdvacations.com

630-688-1725

 

Drink Packages, Shore Excursions, Specialty Dining and more.

Royal Caribbean is planning on releasing some early black Friday deals online,

starting Nov 8.  So log in that day to cruise planner and see what type of deal they might

be offering on that day.  If you already signed up for a deal, and this one is better, you can

cancel the other one, and re-book this one.  Be careful to do that with any specialty dining,
as the times might not be available once you cancel that. (It might get allocated to a waitlist).

 

Packing

Make sure you do not pack your passport, ID, medicines, cash or credit cards with a bag

that you check at the pier.  You will need those things when you check in.

 

Ship Time

Always make sure you stay on ship time.  As we sail thru the ocean,

your phone/watch might change to a different time zone;

so always make sure you stay on Florida time.

 

Turn off roaming on your phone

Make sure you turn off “roaming” on your phone once we leave the dock.

If you do not do this, your phone will ping various cell providers;

and they will charge you a lot of money to be on their networks.

 

Performance time

7th heaven will be performing Sat November 16 (Sea Day), 2pm - 4pm, in Music Hall.

Attached is the Week Chart.  This might change slightly, but it gives you an insight to the weekend.

 

Facebook Group Page

If you are on Facebook, please join this page and click yourself as “going”.

This will be a great way for people to interact with each other before we leave.

https://www.facebook.com/chicagomusiccruise/

We also added a Facebook group page that focuses on this sailing, so please join that.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1424115551533828

 

If any of you have questions, let us know - info@NTDVacations.com

 

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Icon of the Seas - Jan 18, 2025 Sailing
There is still some rooms available for this sailing.
We will send out some updates on this sailing in 2 weeks.
Look for deals over the holidays for drink packages and dinner packages.

Make sure your passports are valid thru July 2025

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Oasis of the Seas - March 22, 2025

This sailing is selling out, so please get your bookings in ASAP!

We will update you with a week chart sometime in late January, 2025.

Look for deals over the holidays for drink packages and dinner packages.

Make sure your passports are valid thru October 2025

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Chicago Music Cruise - Big Update August 10, 2024

 

Hello Everyone. :)

We have so much going on with the cruises, that we wanted to send out a big update on all the cruises we have going on right now.

We will start loosing these discounted group-rate rooms very soon, so if you like to join us, and save money on our discounted rooms, please book your room ASAP.  Many of these rooms only need a $500 ($250 pp) deposit to secure them, before they go back into

Royal Caribbean’s inventory (at a much higher rate).  Remember, you must book these cruises thru us (NTD Vacations), for us to be able to help you, have you in the group, and get all the perks of being in the group.

 

So let’s go thru these cruises, and update you on each of them.

 

November 15, 2024 - November 18, 2024

3 Nights - CocoCay

Royal Caribbean’s “Utopia of the Seas”
Brand New Ship (similar to “Wonder of the Seas”, with some updates)

This sailing is a quick weekend getaway.  It give people a chance to test the cruise experience.

Also allows people to go on a cruise without taking vacation days off work.

We sail on Friday and come back Monday morning.

You can even fly home on Monday morning and be back to work by lunch time (with a tan).

This quick trip is leaving Port Canaveral, Florida, going to Royal Caribbean’s private island “CocoCay”.

You could add a Disney / Universal experience to this cruise.  We can help you with that.

We have posted prevailing rates, which we update almost everyday (or when they change).

Our group rates are better than prevailing rates.

7th heaven is on this sailing.

We will loose these rooms in the next 2 weeks, so if you like to go with us, book this ASAP.

Learn more here:  http://www.chicagomusiccruise.com/utopia.html

Book Here: http://www.chicagomusiccruise.com/book-utopia.html

Video on the “Utopia of the Seas” - https://youtu.be/wAzfjtDYOes?si=8CJNoHFjyGwlkcdJ

 

January 18, 2025 - January 25, 2025

7 Nights - Western Caribbean

Royal Caribbean’s “Icon of the Seas”
New Ship - New Class of Ship

This ship is really amazing.  I have been on this ship twice, and it really is a special ship.  SO much to do on this ship,

so many great restaurants (many of them new).  Great entertainment.  Beautiful spaces.

This cruise leaves Miami, FL, and sails to Cozumel, Mexico • Costa Maya, Mexico • Roatan, Honduras • CoCoCay.

7th heaven is on this sailing.

We have discussed the possibility of adding “Tony Ocean” to this cruise.

We have great discounts on rooms, which we will loose in 3 weeks, so grab these rooms ASAP.

Learn more here: http://www.chicagomusiccruise.com/icon.html

Book Here: http://www.chicagomusiccruise.com/book-icon-cruise.html

Video on the “Icon of the Seas” - https://youtu.be/e8Sn705J0YY?si=nCZTDrx5pDZyds3w

 

March 22, 2025 - March 30, 2025

8 Nights - Southern Caribbean

Royal Caribbean’s “Oasis of the Seas”

One special thing about this cruise is, to travel to the Southern Caribbean from Florida (verses San Juan);

and have it on a Oasis class ship, is a special cruise.

This cruise sails from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and sails to Willemstad, Curacao • Oranjestad, Aruba • CocoCay.

We have added a TON of entertainment and personalities to this sailing, that it’s going to be a party at sea to remember.

• 7th heaven

• HillBilly Rockstarz

• Tony Ocean

• Moe Jo’s Jukebox

• Jersey Girls

• Simply Yacht Rock, featuring Mark O’Dette

• Frankie “Hollywood” Rodriguez

• Scott Childers

• The Britney Experience

• Marilyn Monroe Tribute

• JPM Photography with Jim and Becky Obos

 

Learn more here: http://www.chicagomusiccruise.com/spring-break.html

Book Here: http://www.chicagomusiccruise.com/book-oasis.html

Video on “Oasis of the Seas” - https://youtu.be/pyTgthdpUyA?si=BAcLuDkkNoK9Fzg4

 

We have amazing rates on this cruise.

 

For example:

Oceanview Balcony, for 2 people:

• Royal Caribbean’s Current Rate for 2 - Refundable Deposit - $11,487.74 for 2 people

• Royal Caribbean’s Current Rate for 2 - Non- Refundable Deposit - $10,004.74 for 2 people

• OUR GROUP RATE ROOM - $4,014.28 (4D category) & $4,354.28 (2D category) for 2 people

That is a savings of over $7,473.46 for the same room, from the prevailing rate Royal Caribbean is selling.

We even have Triples and Quads in Group Rate Room.

 

If you grabbed a Junior Suite:

• Prevailing - $12,603.74 for 2 people

• OUR GROUP RATE - $5,574.28 for 2 people - saving $7,029.46

 

You can get on this ship for $1,122.37, as of today (prevailing rate interior).

 

Price answers to questions we get asked:

 

• Prevailing Rate (Non Refundable Deposit)

This rate is usually cheapest on sailings on interior rooms.  The price changes everyday.

This is how they market the cruises to the public.  They are typically a GTY (guarantee room);

which means Royal Caribbean chooses your stateroom, as we get close to sailing.

The Non refundable deposit, means you loose your deposit if you cancel.

They do offer a $100 pp change ship/sail date, to keep some of your deposit.

 

• Prevailing Rate (Refundable Deposit)

The price changes everyday.

They are typically a GTY (guarantee room);

which means Royal Caribbean chooses your stateroom, as we get close to sailing.

The efundable deposit, means you get your deposit back if you cancel before penalty date (90 days prior).

 

• Group Rate

This is how we typically book our group, and save people a ton of money.

For each of these 3 sailings, our group rate update:

• Utopia - able to choose room, but loosing group inventory in 1-2 weeks

• Icon - almost sold out, so many of the rooms are in GTY status

• Oasis - lots of good inventory, but these rooms need to paid earlier than prevailing, as RC wants our inventory

back, to sell at a higher rate to others.  These rooms also have to have pre-paid gratuities to them.

We will be loosing some of our inventory soon, so grab these really good rate rooms.

Save thousands with our group rooms.

 

Once we loose our group rated rooms on all sailing, we will then book people in prevailing rate.

We can book you anytime before we sail, as long as the ship has rooms.

Icon and Oasis will likely be sold out.  Utopia has decent inventory left.

 

Please note that all cruises (the entire cruise industry) now must reflect the taxes, fees and port charges in the price.

We adjusted the prices to now reflect that in the price.  The price did not go up on group rate rooms, they just now reflect

the taxes and fees in the price.

 

CoCoCay, Bahamas

This private island has had numerous upgrades to it; and you really need to experience this awesome island.

Check out the updated PDF of all the amazing things this port has to offer, for only Royal Caribbean guests:

http://www.chicagomusiccruise.com/assets/perfect-day-at-cococay.pdf

Also - updated map - http://www.chicagomusiccruise.com/assets/perfect-day-at-cococay-wayfinding-maps.pdf

All 3 cruises are going to CoCoCay.

 

Passports

Remember to check that your passports are valid 6 months post cruise, per Royal Caribbean’s policy to sail.

 

Hotels

We are still securing space at various hotels, so wait to book that until we send out the next update.

 

Photos

Don’t forget, if you want to go thru a lot of photos from the past cruises, you can see them here, in different albums

https://www.facebook.com/chicagomusiccruise/photos

 

This will be the last email on all 3 cruises.  After this email, we will start sending out updates centric to each sailing, and those who are booked on the cruise.

We hope you join this amazing vacation with us.

 

If you like to speak with someone, please give Mary or Paulette a Call:

Mary - 630-688-1725

Paulette - 847-774-8677

 

You can also email us with any questions, as all 3 of us will see that email.

 

Hope you can join us!  :)
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We have been working hard on building three amazing cruises for you to join us on!
We are now booking all three of these cruises, so book them ASAP!

The Utopia weekend cruise gives people a chance to try a cruise, go on one without taking off for a week,

less cost and try a brand new ship.

The Icon is the newest ship at the moment, and our group rates will save you thousands of dollars,

but we have a limited amount of rooms at group rate.

 

The Oasis Spring Break 2025 cruise.

On the Oasis sailing, we have A LOT of allocated group rooms.

Our trajectory for this sailing is 500-1,000 people.

Click on each cruise below to go into all the details of each cruise.