Transatlantic Repositioning Cruises

[cruisincorgi]

My wife and I would like to take a Transatlantic Repositioning cruise in Fall, 2020 ( September-December). Although we’ve taken many cruises, we’ve never ventured into these itineraries. Any general advice on these cruises would be appreciated. We are thinking particularly of a repo cruise leaving Barcelona or Southampton. My biggest question is: What is the best time to book this type of cruise? Thank you much. 

[LHT28]

Book when you  see a price you can live with

Not that many bargins out there by waiting  & TA's are becoming popular 

 

[Heidi13]

Our booking strategy is consistent regardless of the itinerary. When we find a cruise we want, if a cabin is available in a location we want and at a price we find acceptable - we book.

 

Others booking later may get a better price, but generally get less choice on cabins.

 

Also depends on the cruise line, as our preferred cruise line frequently sells out a year in advance, so prices may increase rather than decreasing.

[cruisincorgi]

Thank you for your responses. I didn’t realize TA cruises were that popular. Sounds like it’s best to book early - which is what I’m going to do.

[LHT28]

Be sure to take into consideration  the timing  of the cruise & hurricane season

 

[cruisincorgi]

We are looking pretty closely at an early December cruise out of Barcelona. I don’t think hurricanes would be an issue, but I do worry about rough seas on the Atlantic then....

[geoherb]

We took our first transatlantic last year and are leaving for our second this month. I booked last year's cruise five months before sailing when there was a special offering free gratuities. I booked this year's transatlantic after the final payment date. We received a better rate but missed out on the free gratuities. Overall, it's a wash from a quote I received a few weeks before that did have free gratuities included but a higher price.

 

Last year, we missed three ports and got two substitute ports due to Hurricane Florence. The ports we missed were Bergen, Belfast, and St. John's. We went to Vigo and Ponta Delgada instead. 

 

Transatlantics are popular with experienced cruisers. Last year there were over 900 of the top tier passengers out of 3,200. In contrast, my Alaskan cruises this summer had fewer than 50.

[whogo]

The only December 2020 transatlantic from Barcelona that I find is the 14 day Norwegian Getaway sailing with cabin prices starting at $785. Book now.

 

 

 

[cruisincorgi]

That’s the one! I booked it last night. Thanks again for your input. 

[Markanddonna]

We found that booking when a sailing is first announced often yields the best price. Our most recent on has been reduced four times and NCL honored each reduction. Our price is still above the current price with just two months before we sail. 

 

There are a lot of things to consider: if you want a very special cabin, it needs to be booked very early. For those who travel in lower priced cabins, you can often get a great last minute price but then the airfare is often higher.  

[Camelia-]

I like to book as early as possible with a refundable deposit of course and I don’t pay attention to the price when I book because I know that over the course of a year there will be many promotions that I refare with. I just saved $1100 off the price just yesterday. The key is vigilance about checking the prices daily! Sometimes they change hourly!