What are repositioning cruises?

We are just about getting out of the Summer season now and some of the regular cruisers are looking to the change in seasons, were autumn and spring mean more than just transitioning wardrobes. These seasons are actually the prime times of year for repositioning cruises.

So, what are repositioning cruises?


There are a small number of ships that spend spend 365 days a year sailing the same itineraries or sticking to the same regions, like for example Oasis or Allure of the Seas staying in the Caribbean. However many others relocate a couple of times a year to fit in with a season in another hemisphere, for example some P&O ships, Azura and Ventura have made the trip to the Caribbean in the winter to search for the sun when a Med cruise may be cold.

Rather than sail from one continent to another empty, the cruise lines sell these as specific voyages, usually at usually at a discount. MSC have some great bargains here, with the exodus of ships to Brazil and back each year, there are usually some good prices on these unusual voyages.

You have to accept that these ships start and end in different ports, and maybe in a different time zone but with the relative ease of finding flights they do give the traveller a great chance to see something different.

So here is one that will be a first, why not look at Celebrity Solstice from Barcelona in October 2012 as the ship repositions to Australia for the winter and spring of 2013. The voyage is split into 3 parts, all can be bought separately but the first 16 nights to Dubai is only £200 more expensive for a Balcony cabin than the previous 12 night Med cruise!

These are just a couple of examples, there are lots of others.

Come on give it a go!