Repositioning cruises, explained properly

What is a repositioning cruise?

Twice a year, cruise lines move their ships. When the Caribbean season ends in spring, dozens of ships sail east to Europe for the summer. In autumn they sail back. The same happens in the Pacific, between Alaska and Australia, and between Europe and South America. Those one-way voyages are sold to passengers as repositioning cruises, and because the ship has to make the trip anyway, they are priced to fill cabins rather than to maximise fares.

The result is the best value in cruising: often half the nightly rate of a standard itinerary, on the same ship, with the same food and the same crew. What you trade is symmetry. You end up somewhere far from where you started, with more days at sea and fewer ports, and you book your own flight home.

Who they suit

Repositioning cruises reward people who like being at sea. If a string of quiet days with a book, a pool and a lecture programme sounds like the point of a cruise rather than the price of one, these voyages are the best deal afloat. If you measure a holiday in destinations ticked off, they are not for you: a transatlantic can run six or seven consecutive sea days.

They also suit anyone with time but not much money. Retirees, remote workers and students find that two weeks of full-board travel at repositioning prices undercuts staying home in an expensive city.

Start here

Browse by cruise line if you already have a favourite ship, or by destination if the route matters more. If you are new to this, the cost and route guides below cover what a crossing actually involves before you commit to a fortnight at sea.