Repositioning Cruises to Japan and Asia: The North Pacific Crossing

Repositioning cruises to Japan are the fall crossings that move ships from the Alaska season to Asia. They leave Seattle or Vancouver in September and October, follow the Alaska coast and the Aleutian Islands across the northern Pacific, and arrive in Hokkaido and then Tokyo or Yokohama about 14 to 16 nights later. In April and May, ships come back the same way to start the next Alaska season.

These are among the most interesting repositioning voyages anywhere: two destinations that rarely share an itinerary, a stretch of ocean few people cross by ship, and a calendar day that disappears on the way. They are also colder, grayer and more exposed than the Hawaii or South Pacific routes, which suits some travelers far better than others.

When the Japan and Asia crossings sail

The timing follows the same seasonal logic as every other repositioning route. Alaska cruises end in September. Japan’s cruise season is strongest in spring and fall, and many ships spend the northern winter in Southeast Asia or Australia. That creates two windows:

• September and October, westbound: Seattle or Vancouver to Tokyo, Yokohama or occasionally Busan, Shanghai or Hong Kong. Ships often go on to fall cruises around Japan or continue to Southeast Asia and Australia.
• April and May, eastbound: Tokyo or Yokohama to Vancouver, Seattle or sometimes Seward and Anchorage for the start of the Alaska season.

A smaller number of voyages cross farther south, via Hawaii. They are longer and warmer and are covered in our guide to Hawaii repositioning cruises. For the full picture of Pacific ship movements, including Australia, see transpacific repositioning cruises.

The northern Pacific route, port by port

Ships follow the great circle, the shortest line between two points on a globe. From Seattle to Tokyo that line bends north along the Alaska coast and the Aleutian chain, which is why a cruise to Japan starts with glaciers. A typical westbound itinerary looks like this:

The open-ocean leg from Dutch Harbor to Hokkaido is roughly 2,000 nautical miles, which at normal cruising speed means four to five days without land. Itineraries that skip Dutch Harbor add another sea day or two.

Luxury lines take longer. Viking’s North Pacific Passage, for example, runs 23 days from Tokyo to Vancouver with Otaru, Kodiak, Homer, Seward, Valdez, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Sitka and Ketchikan, and was listed from $7,299 per person for 2027. That is a very different price and pace from a 14-night mainstream crossing, but it covers much more of Alaska.

Crossing the international date line

Somewhere in the North Pacific, usually a day or two past the Aleutians, the ship crosses the international date line. NOAA describes the line as roughly following 180 degrees longitude and zigzagging around the Aleutians and eastern Russia so that island groups keep one date.

• Westbound (to Japan): the calendar jumps forward a day. Go to bed on a Tuesday and wake up on Thursday. The ship’s program simply has no Wednesday.
• Eastbound (from Japan): the calendar repeats a day. You live the same date twice, and ships often make a small event of the “second” day.

On top of the date change, the ship shifts its clocks by an hour at a time. Seattle to Tokyo is a 16-hour time difference, which on a westbound crossing works out to around eight nights where the clock goes back an hour, plus the skipped date. That is the easy direction for the body. Eastbound, the clocks go forward on most nights, which is harder. Our guide to cruise time changes explains how ships handle it.

Weather on the North Pacific route

This is not a sunshine route, and it helps to know that before booking.

• Temperature: in September and October, expect air temperatures in the 40s and 50s °F in the Aleutians and on the open crossing, warming as you approach Tokyo. April and May sailings are similar or colder at the Alaska end.
• Fog and cloud: common in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Scenic cruising can be spectacular or can be a wall of gray.
• Sea state: fall storms near the Aleutians send long swells across the route. Most days are manageable on a large ship, but a rough day or two is normal. See are transatlantic cruises rough for how ships handle weather and how to reduce seasickness; the same advice applies here.
• Typhoons: late summer and early fall is typhoon season around Japan. A storm can shift or cancel a Japanese port call, and captains will reroute to avoid one.

Pack layers, a warm waterproof jacket, a hat and gloves for the outer decks, and something lighter for Tokyo.

Spring crossings from Asia to North America

The eastbound sailings in April and May are the mirror image, but they feel different. The ship leaves Japan in spring, when the cherry blossom season is over in Tokyo but may still be running in Hokkaido, and it arrives in Alaska at the very start of the season, when the mountains still carry heavy snow and the ports are quiet before the summer crowds.

There are practical differences too:

• More Alaska at the end. Because the ship is arriving for a summer of Alaska cruises, eastbound itineraries often add Seward, Homer, Valdez, Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier before finishing in Vancouver or Seattle.
• Harder clock changes. The clocks go forward on most nights, so the 23-hour days come in a run. Ships that change clocks at midday or in the afternoon make this easier.
• A repeated date. You gain a calendar day at the date line, which some passengers enjoy as a free extra day at sea.
• Start ports beyond Japan. Some spring voyages begin farther south, in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore or Busan, and add several days before reaching Japan. These are the longest repositioning cruises from Asia to North America and can run close to a month.

Flying out to Asia for a spring crossing is usually easier to price than flying home from it, because you can book a one-way ticket to Tokyo well in advance and arrive a few days early to recover from jet lag before the ship sails.

Which lines sail between Alaska and Japan

The lines that run these crossings are the ones with ships in both Alaska and Asia. Patterns that recur from year to year:

• Princess has a strong Japan program and runs North Pacific crossings in both directions, often 14 to 16 nights.
• Royal Caribbean moves Quantum-class ships between Seattle or Alaska and Asia, typically on about 14 nights.
• Holland America sails Tokyo to Vancouver in spring and the reverse in fall on its mid-size ships, often with more Alaska ports.
• Norwegian, Celebrity, Oceania, Silversea and Viking offer versions on some years, from about 16 nights to more than three weeks.

What a repositioning cruise to Japan costs

As of 2026, mainstream North Pacific crossings commonly sell at roughly $70 to $140 per person per night for an inside or ocean-view cabin. The lower end is typical on large ships with many cabins to fill; balconies and smaller ships cost more. Luxury versions run around $300 per night and up. The per-night rate is low because the route has many sea days and cold weather, and because a one-way ticket from Tokyo has to be added.

That flight is the biggest variable. A one-way economy ticket from Tokyo to the West Coast can be reasonable when booked months ahead and expensive close in. Princess’s port guidelines suggest a flight no earlier than 5 hours after the ship arrives for Haneda and 6 hours for Narita, which usually means an afternoon or evening departure. See flights home after a repositioning cruise for how to book it.

Planning tips for the Japan crossing

• Documents: a passport valid for your whole trip. US citizens can currently visit Japan for short tourist stays without a visa; the cruise line will tell you about any forms Japan requires. Starting in Vancouver adds a Canadian entry, which is simple for US citizens but needs an eTA for some other nationalities who fly in.
• Jet lag works in your favor westbound. Eight small clock changes spread over two weeks mean you arrive in Tokyo already adjusted. The CDC notes the body adapts about 1.5 hours a day westward and only about 1 hour a day eastward, so the spring direction takes more effort.
• Add time in Japan. Many passengers stay a few days in Tokyo after a fall crossing, when the weather is mild. The flight home is then a normal booking, not a same-day scramble.
• Start points: for sailings from the Pacific Northwest, see repositioning cruises from Seattle and repositioning cruises from Vancouver.

If you are choosing between directions, the fall westbound crossing is usually the better first trip: the clocks go the easy way, Alaska comes first while you are fresh, and Japan is at its most comfortable when you arrive.