In search of a cruise the place you’ll be able to actually relax and benefit from onboard facilities with out getting caught up within the hustle and bustle of a unique port of name day by day? Take into account a repositioning cruise.
Repositioning cruises are the identify for one-way sailings that convey the ship to a brand new dwelling port or a unique a part of the world to kick-start a brand new cruise season. As a result of these sailings usually cross oceans, you may seemingly expertise ports in multiple cruise area — and have ample sea days to benefit from the spa, eating and leisure choices on board.
All the most important cruise strains provide the occasional repositioning cruises, usually on ships that often sail in locations with shorter seasons, similar to Alaska or the Mediterranean. Right here, we reply all of your questions on repositioning cruises.
Observe: Listed fares had been correct on the time of publication and are topic to alter with out discover.
For cruise information, critiques and suggestions, join TPG’s cruise newsletter.
What’s a repositioning cruise?
Cruise ships chase heat and sunny climates, so that they usually transfer, or “reposition,” from one a part of the world to a different when chilly climate units in. Cruise strains do not wish to sail a ghost ship, one carrying solely crew and no passengers, throughout the ocean as a result of it is losing a chance to earn cash. They’ve found out that by discounting charges, they will fill the cabins on these oddball itineraries.
Repositioning cruises are by no means round-trip sailings. Your origin and vacation spot cities — or, in cruise-speak, embarkation and disembarkation ports — won’t be the identical. You may sail out of Florida and arrive in Barcelona or Southampton, England, permitting you to discover two continents on one trip. Or, you may merely sail from Boston to Florida or from San Diego to Vancouver, British Columbia.
Repositioning cruises are recognized for having a greater-than-average variety of days spent at sea, nevertheless it’s not as for those who by no means get off the ship. On a transatlantic sailing, port stops could possibly be in Spain’s Canary Islands or Portugal’s Azores islands. A repositioning cruise from Southern California to Vancouver earlier than the Alaska cruise season may sail up the Pacific Coast and go to cities like San Francisco and Astoria, Oregon.
Associated: How to avoid seasickness on your next cruise
Day by day Publication
Reward your inbox with the TPG Day by day e-newsletter
Be part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s consultants
One other side that makes a repositioning cruise totally different from a typical crusing is that many of those itineraries are longer than per week. (That is by design. It takes longer to sail from Florida to Europe than it does to sail to and from the Caribbean.) Nonetheless, there may be quite a lot of flexibility, simply as with reserving any cruise. The shortest you may discover is 4 or 5 days (for instance, Southern California to Vancouver) and the longest is round 28 nights (sure, nearly a whole month, often between continents).
Are repositioning cruises one-way?
Sure, repositioning cruises are one-way voyages that begin in a single area and finish in one other. As a result of they occur when a cruise ship switches locations based mostly on seasonality, these sailings usually contain journey to a unique a part of the world, which can lead to many consecutive days at sea.
The place and what time of 12 months do cruise ships reposition?
The excellent news is you’ll be able to e book a repositioning cruise practically six months out of the 12 months, spanning mid-spring and mid-fall months, that are the cruise strains’ shoulder seasons.
As a result of repositioning cruises usually are not all tied to the identical vacation spot, this solely widens your choices when it comes to geography. To check the place these will sail and when, you should know a vacation spot’s cruise season.
Take Europe for example. The vast majority of Mediterranean and Baltic sailings happen within the spring by means of the early fall. Europe-based ships flee the area through the winter, spending November by means of March within the heat Caribbean. Due to this fact, a ship might want to journey from the Caribbean to Europe in spring and return to the Caribbean by fall. Search for transatlantic repositioning cruises throughout these changeover months.
Associated: From Alaska to the Panama Canal: Here are 9 of TPG’s favorite fall cruise itineraries
Some ships keep within the Caribbean year-round and solely reposition when the cruise line chooses to maneuver them to a unique dwelling port. Nevertheless, ships crusing brief seasons in Alaska, South America, Canada/New England and Europe will all the time be repositioned at the least twice a 12 months.
Because of elevated cruise itineraries within the Center East and Asia during the last decade, you may additionally discover a repositioning cruise departing or returning to both of these areas. For instance, MSC Cruises presents cruises from Dubai within the United Arab Emirates to Genoa, Italy, in April previous to crusing European itineraries within the spring and summer season. Simply be ready to be away from dwelling for a very long time. The aforementioned crusing lasts about three weeks — a protracted trek by means of the Suez Canal, connecting the Purple Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, by the use of Egypt.
Observe: Many cruise strains have canceled or altered their 2024 Center East itineraries as a result of unrest within the area.
What occurs on a repositioning cruise?
On many repositioning cruises, you’ll not get off the ship as usually as you may on a typical crusing as a result of there are not any ports in the course of the ocean you are crossing. These itineraries usually function a string of sea days, so be ready to spend extra money and time on board.
Some folks love port-intensive cruises to allow them to rapidly test off a listing of nations and solely unpack as soon as. However for those who want leisurely, lazy days, then a transoceanic repositioning cruise is perhaps your ticket to utopia. This enormous stretch of time is a good alternative to crack open books you have been that means to learn, launch right into a knitting mission or lastly have time for each day exercises.
Associated: 16 mistakes cruisers make on cruise ship sea days
Programming — similar to comedy nights, health courses, boutique procuring, artwork auctions, wine tastings and night reveals — are as a lot part of a repositioning cruise as some other crusing, solely you may be capable of soak up an entire lot greater than you usually would. Some cruise strains arrange themed sailings or invite visitor lecturers on board for further sea day actions.
You additionally may wish to think about springing for a cruise line’s all-inclusive beverage package on a repositioning cruise. You will get higher worth than common from the worth since you’ll be ordering most of your drinks on board as a result of fewer port stops.
One other worthwhile splurge is a balcony cabin. You will have easy accessibility to recent air with out the top-deck crowds and might benefit from the romance of gazing out on the seemingly infinite ocean. Simply make sure you pack a sweater or sweatshirt as a result of shoulder seasons in these climates usually are not essentially sunbathing climate.
What are the benefits and drawbacks of a repositioning cruise?
While you e book a repositioning cruise, you may seemingly be on board for at the least two weeks, permitting sufficient time for the ship to sail between the place it is at present based mostly and its new dwelling port. Generally the voyage might be even longer, and it is seemingly you will not have greater than 5 – 6 port stops throughout that point.
Which means a number of days on board, a lot of them consecutive. It is a bonus for anybody who enjoys stress-free at sea and does not thoughts exploring the ship for days at a time with out touching land; it is a drawback for anybody who sees cruises as merely transportation to discover new locations.
A bonus of repositionings is the worth, which is usually cheaper than what you’d pay for a round-trip crusing of the identical size or which has extra port days constructed into the schedule. Nevertheless, the price of the doubtless costly one-way or open-jaw flights wanted earlier than and after a repositioning cruise might eat up many of the cash you’d save by reserving that sort of voyage.
Do you want a passport for a repositioning cruise?
Sure. The one time you do not need a passport to cruise is for those who’re booked on a closed-loop crusing — a voyage that departs from and returns to the identical port inside the U.S. Since repositioning cruises do not go away from and return to the identical port, the exception will not apply, and you may want a passport to be able to board the ship.
Are repositioning cruises cheaper than different cruises?
It will depend on the sailings to which you are evaluating them, however repositioning cruises are sometimes comparatively inexpensive. Although repositioning sailings can usually be two to a few weeks in size, you may discover that they are cheaper than a daily weeklong voyage that begins and ends in the identical port of name. That is as a result of repositioning cruises provide principally sea days, throughout which you may be having fun with the ship as an alternative of lounging on the seashore or exploring museums.
Tips on how to rating repositioning cruise offers
Most of the time, a repositioning cruise is an effective deal as a result of it prices a lot much less per night time than a typical crusing. It is because the one-way, sea day-heavy itineraries are much less fascinating to nearly all of cruisers, and so they happen throughout slower journey seasons.
Associated: 6 ways to get a deal on a cruise
Vacationers who stay close to the embarkation or debarkation ports can save much more by solely having to purchase a one-way airplane ticket somewhat than a full spherical journey.
Repositioning cruises might be tough to seek out on reserving websites. They usually are known as repositioning cruises or transatlantic or transpacific cruises. When ships reposition between ports within the U.S. and Canada, the one-off one-way itineraries won’t be labeled something particular past Caribbean or Pacific Coast cruises.
Not all the cruise line or on-line journey company reserving pages have an choice to test a field and seek for repositioning cruises. If you cannot discover what you are searching for, do a web-based seek for the time period and the cruise line you want to sail. Even higher, name a journey agent or the cruise line’s reserving workers immediately, and so they will help you discover the repositioning cruise that is greatest for you.
What are the most effective 2024 repositioning cruises?
14-night transatlantic on Carnival Glory
This two-week repositioning voyage on Carnival Cruise Line‘s Carnival Glory departs Barcelona on April 18 and presents simply 4 port calls. The crusing will go to Valencia, Malaga and Las Palmas in Spain, in addition to Bermuda, earlier than reaching Port Canaveral, close to Orlando, which is the ship’s seasonal dwelling base in Florida.
Costs begin from $649 per particular person for an inside cabin.
15-night transatlantic on Rotterdam
On Oct. 12, Holland America‘s latest ship, Rotterdam, units sail on a transatlantic repositioning from Rotterdam within the Netherlands to Florida’s Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. These ports bookend calls on Bruges, Belgium; Le Havre and Brest, France; England’s Isle of Portland; Bermuda; and Half Moon Cay, the road’s personal island within the Bahamas.
Costs start at $2,074 per particular person for an inside cabin.
14-night transatlantic on Norwegian Escape
Norwegian Cruise Line‘s Norwegian Escape will relocate from the Mediterranean to Miami on Nov. 26, providing a repositioning cruise that begins in Barcelona. It calls on Cartagena and Malaga, Spain; Madeira, Portugal; Antigua; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and NCL’s private island, Nice Stirrup Cay, within the Bahamas alongside the way in which.
Fares begin at $829 per particular person for an inside cabin.
16-night Panama Canal transit on Seven Seas Grandeur
For a repositioning crusing that transits one of many world’s most spectacular trendy engineering marvels and presents a number of port stops, take a look at Regent Seven Seas‘ 16-night Panama Canal crossing on Seven Seas Grandeur. Departing from Miami on Dec. 13, passengers can take a look at Grand Cayman earlier than having fun with calls on Cartagena, Colombia; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Antigua; and Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, Mexico, earlier than reaching Los Angeles.
Costs for this voyage on Seven Seas Grandeur, which is an all-inclusive, all-suite vessel, begin at $10,499 per particular person.
What are the most effective 2025 repositioning cruises?
15-night transatlantic on Wind Spirit
Windstar Cruises‘ Wind Spirit, a masted crusing ship, is repositioning from Barbados to Lisbon, Portugal, on Feb. 22, 2025. Nevertheless, you may solely wish to e book this voyage for those who’re fascinated with crusing vessels otherwise you’re not simply bored. The ship is small, and there are not any port calls on the schedule.
Costs begin from $2,399 per particular person for a room with a window.
23-night Panama Canal on Coral Princess
For a prolonged voyage that may will let you sail from Fort Lauderdale by means of the Panama Canal to Mexico after which up the California coast earlier than arriving in Canada, take a look at Princess Cruises‘ Coral Princess. Starting April 10, 2025, the ship is that includes a cruise that is longer than three weeks because it repositions to Vancouver for a season of Alaska sailings.
Fares start at $1,593 per particular person for an inside cabin. For those who’re brief on time, you’ll be able to decide as an alternative for a shorter voyage of 16 nights that additionally begins on April 10 and ends in Los Angeles earlier than the ship strikes on to Canada. Fares for the shorter cruise begin from $1,048 per particular person for inside lodging.
17-night French Polynesia and Hawaii on Movie star Edge
Celebrity Cruises‘ Movie star Edge will relocate from its base in Sydney on April 14, 2025. Its final vacation spot is Vancouver, the place it will likely be stationed for a sequence of Alaska voyages. On its method, it should take passengers on a 17-night journey to expertise the great thing about French Polynesia earlier than concluding the crusing in Honolulu. Port calls embrace Paihia and Auckland in New Zealand and Raiatea, Papeete and Moorea in French Polynesia.
Charges begin at $1,574 per particular person for an inside cabin.
14-night transatlantic on Odyssey of the Seas
On April 27, 2025, Royal Caribbean‘s Odyssey of the Seas is repositioning from Bayonne’s Cape Liberty port in New Jersey to Rome. There are solely 5 port stops — Ponta Delgada, Portugal; Malaga, Cartagena and Valencia, Spain; and La Spezia, the port for Cinque Terre in Italy — combined in among the many sea days. Nevertheless, this Quantum Class vessel has lots to maintain cruisers busy on board. Facilities embrace browsing and skydiving simulators, bumper vehicles and a robotic arm that holds a glass-enclosed remark sphere for wonderful ocean views.
Fares start at $829 per particular person for an inside cabin.
Planning a cruise? Begin with these tales:
Trending Merchandise
