Sweet Eastern Caribbean Cruise

SWEET EASTERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE (LARGE GROUP ON A MAINSTREAM CRUISE)

As fall turns to winter, warm your bones and your heart with a Sweet week exploring the Eastern Caribbean aboard NCL’s stunning new ship the Epic, November 3-10, 2012.

From long days playing games in the sunshine by the pool to donning parkas for a trip to the Ice Bar, Sweet takes the Eastern Caribbean by storm. We’ll enjoy performances by the legendary Blue Man Group as well as Sweet’s signature community service projects.

It’s a week of sunshine, laughter and friendship that you’ll never forget.

We’re traveling aboard the Norwegian EPIC, the crown jewel of the NCL family. Our ship is the BOMB! It’s brand spanking new. There’s an ice bar, made of ice. Literally, you put on a parka and sit on a block of ice. “Hello, Eskimo.” From studios for solos to suites for families, the EPIC has swank accommodations for everyone. From traditional fine dining to endless buffets with custom-order action stations, there are a host of delicious options included in your cruise fare. And for a cover charge, you’ll also have access to a world of possibilities including gourmet French, Japanese Teppanyaki, a traditional steakhouse and more!

GROUP TRAVEL PERKS
• Special Sweet cocktail parties with an open bar and hors d’oeuvres
• Sweet karaoke
• Sweet dining area for dinner
• Sweet community service projects
• Sweet parties in Miami and outings in our ports
• And more surprises to come!

WHAT’S A SWEET GROUP CRUISE LIKE?
“We had a wonderful time. We loved that we had our own designated gathering spots on the ship for dinners and parties and our own private beach area, too.”
— Michelle Szatkowski

“We’ve been recommending Sweet to all our friends since the day we got back from our cruise. We find ourselves mostly talking about the people – the Sweet staff and our fellow travelers. We loved that we really got to know a number of the other women on the cruise; that’s not something we’ve really ever experienced on any other lesbian vacation.”
— Kristi Woodworth

“Our favorite memory from the cruise was the first day of the trip. My wife and I didn’t know any of the previous Sweet travelers, but they went out of their way to interact with us, including us in their conversations and making us feel like family.”
— Melody Pinkney-Sode

“I felt like I was on a lesbian cruise, which is funny since we were on a mainstream cruise with lots of straight people. Honestly, one of the best memories from the trip was the night of the ship-wide White Party. When we arrived, the Sweeties took it over and showed the straight people how to have fun. I think it’s great for people who don’t get a chance to interact with ‘us’ every day to see what we’re really about.”
— Gina Marra

PRE-CRUISE HOTEL : LIMITED AVAILABILITY : BOOK NOW
Lords South Beach
1120 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33139

Lords South Beach is a gay-owned property. It’s colorful, stylish with a pool and cabana bar. It’s only two blocks from the beach. It’s walking distance to our bon voyage party, too. Enjoy $3.99 egg breakfast, too.

• PRICES START AT $149 per room plus 13 percent tax on Thursday, Nov. 1, and Sunday, Nov. 11
• PRICES START AT $169 per room plus 13 percent tax on Friday, Nov. 2, and Saturday, Nov. 10
(Pricing guaranteed until May 7, 2012, but when the rooms are gone, they’re gone.)

CALL 305-672-5858 and select option 2 at the prompt. MENTION “SWEET” TO GET THIS SPECIAL RATE.

overview | ports | pricing | ship

Tags: 2012, Sweet Eastern Caribbean Cruise

Posted in: Blog

3232 Comments

32 Comments

Jodi
08/26/11
4:14 pm

The $200 off per person if PIF?

Sweet
08/29/11
11:43 am

Hi Jodi,
The paid in full discount is only for our resorts. Sorry.

Dani6767
09/06/11
5:58 pm

If I am already booked on board the ship but not through Sweet is there a way to gain access to the Sweet events on board…

Sweet
09/07/11
12:09 pm

Dani,
Yes! Call us and we’ll explain how you can participate in our events.

Whoo hoo!

Emily
01/09/12
3:10 pm

Hello,
I hope this isn’t a silly question, but is the $250 per person deposit in addition to your room and other charges or is it subtracted from your total?
Thanks so much!
Emily

Sweet
01/11/12
2:02 am

Hi Emily,
It’s not silly. The deposit is subtracted from your total.

We hope to see you soon.

Happy new year,
Sweet

Anonymous
02/14/12
8:03 pm

is this cruise for sweets only or other people going to be on the ship with us

Sweet
02/14/12
9:45 pm

We’ll have a large group on a mainstream cruise with a lot of private activities.

Deb
03/14/12
7:38 am

So the cruise will be a mix of sweets and other cruisers.

Sweet
03/15/12
12:31 pm

Hi Deb,
Yes, Sweet is hosting a large group on a mainstream cruise. We host exclusive events, excursions and meals throughout the week. Frankly, we hardly notice anyone else exists. We run around in a Sweet bubble and takeover whatever venue we’re in. It’s a lot of fun and very affordable.

I hope to see you on an upcoming cruise.

Stay Sweet,
Shannon

Mandie
03/16/12
5:55 pm

Is there a way to find out how much the excursions are? so I know what would have to be added to the cruise amount?

Sweet
04/09/12
6:22 am

Yes, you can look on the Norwegian website at NCL.com for our particular sailing. Excursions range wildly depending on what you want to do, from $30 to thousands (like if you take a helicopter ride). Sweet is going to recommend a few excursions for each port in the $50-$150 range, including our own community service project excursions. Details coming soon. Our director of programming is on board now figuring it all out.

crystal phears
04/24/12
7:45 pm

IM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous
05/05/12
8:05 am

52 year-old travelling solo from Virginia for East Caribbean cruise, looking for travel buddy and cruise port information so I know when to book pre- and post- cruise hotel at Lords Miami. Want to get the hotel discount rate before it expires on Monday…can someone help me out? Thanks!!

Candy
05/05/12
3:09 pm

Hey “Anonymous” – I know you!

I can fill ya in based on my experience on the Short ‘n’ Sweet cruise back in February as it looks like the departure/arrival times are the same.

First, I would highly recommend flying down to FL on Friday, so ya don’t have to worry about flight delays on Saturday (the day the ship departs). I’m sure Sweet will have a dinner/event of some sort that Friday night in South Beach (where Lords is) for anyone who’s there on Friday evening. (That’s what they did in February.)

Since you’re staying at Lords (which I loved, BTW), Babs Daitch will be there to “corral” you and get you where you need to go – to the dinner Friday night and into a shuttle van to get to the Miami port on Saturday morning.)

Once at the port, you’ll just check in on the ship and you’ll be free to wander about. Be sure to get the cell #’s (your phone will still work in port ’til the ship actually sets sail) and/or room #’s of people you meet at dinner Friday so you can find them Saturday on the ship for lunch or whatever. After that, it’ll be easy to keep up with people ’cause Sweet will have events/activities/get-togethers planned for each day.

You should know that NCL takes your luggage and delivers it to your room, a process that can take a few hours, so if there’s something you HAVE to have when y ou first get on the ship, take a backpack or something and keep it with you.

As for arriving back in port after the amazing adventure with Sweet, you’ll disembark in groups, based on your floor number and will kinda be on your own at that point (and probably very tired). For my trip in February, I actually flew into/out of Ft. Lauderdale, as the fares were cheaper, and used a shuttle van service which picked me up at Ft. Lauderdale airport, dropped me at Lords Hotel in South Beach, then picked me up at the dock once the ship arrived, and took me to Ft. Lauderdale airport again.

Unless you’re planning on kicking around in Miami for some extra time after the cruise, I’d recommend just booking a late afternoon/early evening flight back home. In February, there were a few folks who hung around for some extra time, though that trip was only 3 days. I’d not expect as much of that on a week-long cruise, but who knows?

I’d say there’s ~ a 70% chance I’ll be on this trip, too, so if that ends up being the case, have no fear – I’ll make sure ya meet everyone I know – and many I don’t. Have a blast!

(And now Shannon or Babs can correct me if I mis-informed you in any form or fashion.)

Candy
05/05/12
3:17 pm

I forgot to mention that Sweet will give you a schedule for the entire trip so you know what’s going on and where each day on the cruise. No worries – you’ll have plenty of folks to hang out with!

I remember when I walked onto the ship in February, I felt like I’d be lost and never find anyone, but Sweet made it super easy. I only knew a few folks from my prior trip and met up with one for lunch (cell # number was key at that point, as I mentioned before), but after that, it was just planned event after planned event…with spontaneous hanging out with new friends in between.

Anonymous
06/25/12
5:51 pm

we are going to be on this cruise, how do we participate in some of your activities?

Thanks

Sheila

Sweet
06/26/12
3:52 pm

Call Julie at 877.793.3830. She will give you the scoop.

Cathrina
07/17/12
4:59 pm

Hello,

My partnermand I have already booked this trip a long time ago

Can we still be involved in the group activities?

Sweet
07/17/12
5:37 pm

Hooray! The more, the merrier. If you’d like to buy a pass to our events, call Julie at 877.793.3830. We’d love to see you.

Summer
07/19/12
2:03 pm

What service projects will be available on this cruise? How can I sign up to participate?

Sweet
07/22/12
12:26 am

Hi Summer,
We’ll send out the information about projects in late September – early October. You’ll sign up online. We are working on options for you now. What would you like to do?

I’m looking forward to seeing you.

Stay Sweet,
Shannon

~TA
07/22/12
6:21 am

Only 103 more days! Who is excited?!

ashlee
07/24/12
12:40 pm

Is this cruise sold out?

Sweet
07/24/12
10:49 pm

No, we have plenty of room. Call Julie at 877.793.3830.

Linda
09/15/12
5:15 pm

I’m traveling solo and looking to share a room on the cruise if anyone is interested!

Anonymous
10/06/12
10:46 am

Is a passport required?

Sweet
10/06/12
4:42 pm

A passport is strongly recommended, though you can get by with a driver’s license and the original copy of your birth certificate.

Anonymous
10/10/12
5:07 pm

How much would a pass be if you’ve already booked a trip through NCL directly?

Sweet
10/11/12
8:39 am

Please call Julie asap at 877.793.3830.

Anonymous
10/14/12
2:17 pm

Are there any rooms still available for a single??

Sweet
10/14/12
9:06 pm

Yes! Call Julie now, 877.793.3830.

Sweet reserves the right to restrict comments that do not contribute constructively to the conversation at hand, contain profanity, personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.