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Repositioning cruises can take you places you probably never considered going, like Takoradi, Ghana or Russia's wild Kamchatka Peninsula. The Norwegian Breakaway takes cruisers on a 14-night journey from Copenhagen to New York in October, with stops in Iceland and the Azores (from $900). Regent Seven Seas's itinerary on the Explorer from Lisbon to Cape Town in November makes 12 stops along the West African coast over the course of 24 nights (from $17,300).
Timing Your Voyage
Repositioning cruises appeal to a wide range of travelers, offering value for money, an extended time at sea, and the chance to explore unique and off-the-beaten-path destinations. So, whether you’re a budget-conscious traveler seeking a great deal or an adventure seeker looking to discover new horizons, a repositioning cruise can be the perfect choice for your next travel adventure. When booking a repositioning cruise, it’s important to consider factors such as itinerary, cabin selection, and budget to ensure the best possible experience. Researching multiple cruise lines, being flexible with dates, and planning for long flights are essential.
Browse Repositioning Cruise Itineraries
This social dimension adds a layer of richness to the journey, often leading to lifelong friendships and memorable connections. Repositioning cruises are designed for travellers who cherish the journey as much as they do the destination. As these cruises generally have more days at sea than standard cruises, passengers have more time to fully enjoy the range of amenities and facilities onboard the cruise ship.
Virgin Voyages Alters Spring Repositioning Cruise in the Middle East for Reslient Lady - TravelPulse
Virgin Voyages Alters Spring Repositioning Cruise in the Middle East for Reslient Lady.
Posted: Thu, 08 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Europe to Florida
Instead, these cruises were composed of closed-circuit itineraries with amenities and activities that appealed to a wide audience, just as most cruises still are today. We embarked on the sparkling brand-new ship in Europe and took it on a transatlantic voyage to New York City. During April, seasonal repositioning cruises are usually headed to Europe – not away from Europe. So this was an unusual circumstance that provided us with a great opportunity to be among the first passengers to experience this brand-new 5-star ship. Repositioning cruises are known for having a greater-than-average number of days spent at sea, but it's not as if you never get off the ship.
Other Repositioning Itineraries
Two weeks aboard a ship, with seven days or more at sea, is a big commitment unless you already know you enjoy the cruising lifestyle. For example, you can find transatlantic repositioning cruises that sail from a variety of destinations in the Mediterranean to Florida or the Caribbean, sometimes stopping by the Canary Islands or the Azores. Some ships may also reposition from Southern Europe to countries in South America, such as Brazil or Argentina. Yes, repositioning cruises are often more affordable compared to standard sailings. The key reason lies in their unique nature – with more sea days and specific characteristics that might not appeal to everyone. The length of a repositioning cruise is notably longer due to the vast distances covered.
For example, Alaska’s cruise season runs from May to September, which means that during the off-season months, the ship will be sailing around another region of the world. Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Edge will relocate from its base in Sydney on April 14, 2025. Its ultimate destination is Vancouver, where it will be stationed for a series of Alaska voyages. On its way, it will take passengers on a 17-night trip to experience the beauty of French Polynesia before concluding the sailing in Honolulu. Port calls include Paihia and Auckland in New Zealand and Raiatea, Papeete and Moorea in French Polynesia.
Navigating the Sea of Cruise Travel
Repositioning cruises range in length, potentially lasting a week, a month, or even longer, depending on the specific route. Despite the variety in duration, they all offer a unique and extended sea journey often at a lower cost than traditional cruises. While repositioning cruises offer a unique travel experience, it’s important to note that they may not be suitable for all travelers. If you are someone who enjoys frequent port stops and exploring different destinations on a short timeframe, a repositioning cruise may not be the ideal choice for you.
You shouldn’t commit to two weeks aboard a ship unless you already know you enjoy the cruising lifestyle. For a transatlantic repositioning cruise, you could be at sea for seven days or more. The main reason cruise aficionados love repositioning cruises is because they’re cheap. Fares may be half the cost of a typical cruise because cruise lines just want to offset the cost of moving the ship from port to port.1 There are less tangible benefits, too. The crew is often beginning their season at sea, so they’ll be refreshed and even friendlier than usual. And if your idea of heaven is a gleaming, pristine ship, you may be able to find a repositioning cruise in which a brand-new vessel is making the journey from the shipyard to its home port.
On most cruise lines there will be extra activities happening onboard during sea days to keep guests entertained. When sailing a repositioning cruise, cruise ships will often be sailing at less than full capacity. Repositioning itineraries usually come with extra costs – such as public transport or flights – which makes repositioning cruises less desirable and therefore cheaper. The most common repositioning cruises happen in Spring and Autumn/Fall. Almost all cruise lines and ships will reposition their ships to make the best of the weather.
Now, when packing for a 7-day cruise, consider the variety of activities and climates you’ll encounter, ensuring your wardrobe is as adaptable as your itinerary. One of the most compelling aspects of repositioning cruises is the unparalleled value they offer. Cruise lines need to relocate their ships regardless of whether they're filled with passengers, providing a strong incentive to offer these trips at discounted prices. This makes repositioning cruises an exceptional option for budget-conscious travellers or those seeking to maximize the value of their vacation dollars.
This is because the one-way, sea day-heavy itineraries are less desirable to the majority of cruisers, and they take place during slower travel seasons. When you book a repositioning cruise, you'll likely be on board for at least two weeks, allowing enough time for the ship to sail between where it's currently based and its new home port. Sometimes the voyage can be even longer, and it's likely you won't have more than five or six port stops during that time. Due to increased cruise itineraries in the Middle East and Asia over the last decade, you might also find a repositioning cruise departing or returning to either of those regions.
"I've had clients use seasonal, five-day Hawaii to Vancouver repositioning cruises in the spring to avoid taking a red-eye back to the U.S.," she says. Repositioning cruises do usually have more sea days than a regular cruise itinerary. But repositioning cruises also usually make many stops throughout the voyage, for passengers to get off the ship and explore. Repositioning cruises are typically offered at a discounted rate and can be an affordable way to travel between different regions or continents.
If you like to explore, ensure to do research on your ports before you embark on your repositioning cruise. Or download travel articles and ebooks about the destinations to read during sea days. The average transatlantic repositioning cruise takes about two weeks, while transpacific cruises and other routes can take three weeks or even longer. The longest repositioning cruise we’ve taken was 30 days, from Italy to South Africa. Depending on the route, you may also cross the Equator, hence immediately going from fall to spring or vice versa. Or you can cross the International Dateline, in which you lose or gain an entire day.
And if that all isn’t enough, there are even more social activities organized by passengers on sites such as CruiseCritic. During one of our first repositioning cruises, we participated in a multi-day Amazing Race-style competition organized by fellow passengers, which turned out to be a highlight of that two-week voyage. If needing to travel long distances between continents, repositioning cruises can be a great alternative to air travel. Repositioning cruises are often priced about the same as, sometimes even less than, a coach ticket on a cramped redeye flight between the same locations. Yet to trace the origins of modern repositioning cruises, we need to go back to the 1960s. This is when regular long-distance commercial flights became more commonplace, and demand for ocean travel decreased.
Though some ships spend the entire year sailing the same itineraries, many relocate to follow the sun. Likewise, in spring many ships, having spent winter in the Caribbean and South America, head back to Britain via the Azores, Canary Islands and Iberian Peninsula. In either case, Royal Caribbean offers these sailings to guests as an opportunity to experience a cruise ship with a very unique itinerary. Most repositioning cruises are done when a ship moves from one region of the world to another, such as North America to Australia, or Europe to North America.
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