Considering a Repositioning Cruise

[crewsgirl]

We are newly retired and considering a repositioning cruise. Which cruise line would you suggest and what has your experience been with a repositioning cruise? We are open to HAL, NCL, Princess or similar. Probably not going Carnival. We are available in spring, or fall and would prefer a southerly route. Interested in your thoughts and experiences. Thanks in advance.  

[shipgeeks]

We have done several transatlantics, a San Juan to Baltimore, and a Port Everglades to Montreal.  All were excellent cruises.  The only complication was the one-way air, or other mode of travel, arrangements at both ends.  Sometimes a benefit can be getting to ports that are not always on a standard itinerary.

Would you also consider Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, or MSC?

[Hlitner]

We love repo cruises and have often done two a year.   Keep in mind that most will have many sea days so you need to consider how you like to spend those lazy days when you choose a ship.  We have done repos on RCI, Celebrity, HAL, Seabourn and Princess. 

 

As to one way air, it is no problem when you use HAL, Seabourn or Princess, since they all use the same third party company/system to handle cruise air.  Those cruise lines do not charge any extra fees for their air (unlike Oceania) and you can get some terrific fares for all classes including Business/First.  One-way is not a problem.  

 

By the way, years ago when one-way fares were very expensive, we used to do two repos a year (between the USA and Europe).  We would buy round trip air and use it to cover both cruises.  These days that is no longer necessary.

 

Hank

[Cruise Kay]

I would do a repo cruise on a line you have confidence in, on a ship that has the features you enjoy. You will spend a LOT of sea days on board, so if a loud, huge, busy ship is not your style, you want to stay away from the mega Oasis class ships on Royal Caribbean. But they have smaller ships as well, and usually very affordable. I would definitely consider Royal as well as Holland America.

 

I did a Transatlantic on Disney and loved it as well.

[Fairgarth]

On 12/12/2022 at 11:34 AM, crewsgirl said:

We are open to HAL, NCL, Princess or similar. Probably not going Carnival. 

 

We have done trans-At on Seabourn, Azamara, Celebrity, Cunard and Royal Caribbean.  We have done eastbound and westbound.  Some years ago, Seabourn and Azamara had real deals on transatlantic but don't know if that is still true post-pandemic.  FWIW our best experiences have been on smaller ships.  In fact, the smaller the ship, the more we enjoyed it.

 

You might also want to think about departure and arrival ports.  Do you want to spend a few days there in advance or afterwards?  Barcelona?  Lisbon?  Rome?  Southampton?  Can you fly there?  Fly home?

[SPacificbound]

Our very first cruise was a repositioning TP on RCCL Rhapsody of the Seas Sydney to Honolulu. Then I was hooked. We have done many TAs since then, and really enjoy them. It is much better transportation than a plane. 

[Vs1023]

We did a repositioning cruise with RCCL on Adventure. It started in Florida and ended in NY. It was a great cruise and 12 days and we hit 5 ports. I'd definitely do another on Royal.

[LouCoop]

On 12/30/2022 at 12:16 PM, Cruise Kay said:

I would do a repo cruise on a line you have confidence in, on a ship that has the features you enjoy. You will spend a LOT of sea days on board, so if a loud, huge, busy ship is not your style, you want to stay away from the mega Oasis class ships on Royal Caribbean. But they have smaller ships as well, and usually very affordable. I would definitely consider Royal as well as Holland America.

 

I did a Transatlantic on Disney and loved it as well.

What type of passengers on Disney Transatlantic? Would guess less children than usual cruise but then maybe not.

[FlaMariner]

Go with the cruise line that you already enjoy......We are Holland America Line loyalists and w/their 150+ years of sailing experience, they have it down rather nicely, IMO. 

 

And a TA or repositioning is, as they say in Texas, "not their first rodeo". 

 

 

[Cruise Kay]

On 1/22/2023 at 4:46 PM, LouCoop said:

What type of passengers on Disney Transatlantic? Would guess less children than usual cruise but then maybe not.

Lots of kids and young families...but yes, generally, less kids than usual because of the length of the cruise and timing.

The passengers were the usual mix--lots of seniors, lots of families, several solo adults, childless adult couples of all ages--30's to 80's, a few newlyweds. I would guess the biggest percentage were families with teens, I'd say.

Edited January 24, 2023 by Cruise Kay

[Canuker]

 

1. Price. On a daily basis, repositioning type cruises can be among the best bargains out there. But, of course, they are very likely to be longer that the typical cookie-cutter 7-day cruise. Fewer ports also means lower port fees.

2. Airfare. You cannot buy your typical return air trip. You will need two one-way tickets. Airfare can often wind up costing more than the cruise.

3. Sea days. Lots of them. So choose your weather-route wisely.

4. Demographics.  Voyages over 7 or so days drive up the average age of the guests, as vacation from work time becomes a deciding factor. Outside school closures, children tend to be few and very young.

5. Cabin choice. The view from the balcony doesn't change much many days.

6. Activities. Lots more things to do on board. Lots. Got to keep the customers satisfied. High brow to belly flops.

7. Dining. Eateries that open only on sea days are open a lot more on repositioning cruises.

8. Facilities. Daily spa costs, for example, can be lower - and much more accessible.

9. Pace. Not nearly so much rushing about.

10. Purpose. People use them to get from A to B, without having to fly. They are also useful if you have lots of 'cargo' to transport.

 

   

Edited January 25, 2023 by Canuker

[Hlitner]

Just wanted to add some comments about air.  Internationaal airfares are generally handled on a one-way basis so there is little to no advantage to round trip air.  Also consider that certain cruise lines (Princess, Seabourn, HAL and Cunard quickly come to mind) offer some amazing air fares through their own air programs (most can now be accessed and booked online).  This is especially true for international Business/First Class which can sometimes be snagged for about 1/2 their normal prices.  We have an upcoming cruise that starts in Tokyo and we were able to snag an amazing Biz Class (with lay flat seats) that saved us thousands over booking directly with the airline.

 

In fact, we have sometimes saved so much on Business class fares that the savings paid for an entire cruise versus buying that airfare directly from the airline.  While this is not something we promote, we toss it out there is one more option for cruisers/travelers.

 

Hank

[perfectpete]

We are considering a TA on Arvia end of October from Southampton to Barbados via the canaries was wondering if anyone had done a similar crossing and what the weather was like , temperature rain wind etc 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

10 hours ago, perfectpete said:

We are considering a TA on Arvia end of October from Southampton to Barbados via the canaries was wondering if anyone had done a similar crossing and what the weather was like , temperature rain wind etc 

SoHton to Canaries could be a bit tricky but should be smooth after that.  

[hawk/hornfan]

We did a repo on X in 2015. It was Vancouver - Honolulu. 5 days at sea & 5 days around the islands. After there it was going to Aus. Was such fun. they do this twice a year in different directions.

We are booked on a 12 day repo to So Carib in Oct from FLL to Galveston.   

 

[plainsstormchaser]

We decided last week to take the plunge on a TA in fall of 2024. We're actually doing a back-to-back-to-back on NCL Getaway that will see us from Istanbul to Miami in 37 days, with stops in 9 countries. Considering we've never been outside of US/Canada/Mexico, that's a big chunk to bite off at once! We've not been on Getaway but really enjoyed her bigger cousin, Encore, last fall and will be on the Escape this fall, so the Breakaway/Breakaway Plus experience is familiar to us and we enjoy it.

[Meander Ingwa]

the possibility of a TA / TP reposition appeals to me as a way to get home from the point of origin.  I dont need all the bells and whistles.  I am in no hurry to return from a Europe or Asia land tour and actually I think it opens up a lot of fun vacation ideas.

[perfectpete]

On 2/26/2023 at 9:09 PM, CGTNORMANDIE said:

SoHton to Canaries could be a bit tricky but should be smooth after that.  

That’s not too bad then any idea of temperatures crossing the Atlantic ..ie relaxing round the pool type of thing 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

1 hour ago, perfectpete said:

That’s not too bad then any idea of temperatures crossing the Atlantic ..ie relaxing round the pool type of thing 

Temps in the Canaries in October are around high 70’s F.  Those temps should increase into the 80’s F as you get near Barbados.  Pretty nice pool weather for sure.

[perfectpete]

4 minutes ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Temps in the Canaries in October are around high 70’s F.  Those temps should increase into the 80’s F as you get near Barbados.  Pretty nice pool weather for sure.

That sounds perfect 👍 just didn’t want to be stuck inside for a week if it was cold on deck 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Just now, perfectpete said:

That sounds perfect 👍 just didn’t want to be stuck inside for a week if it was cold on deck 

No worries!😄

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

On 2/26/2023 at 2:13 AM, perfectpete said:

We are considering a TA on Arvia end of October from Southampton to Barbados via the canaries was wondering if anyone had done a similar crossing and what the weather was like , temperature rain wind etc 

Can't speak directly to that timeframe but we did the east bound from Barbados to France with one stop in Funchal in March and had great weather the entire way.  I would guess you would have good weather as they will head directly south from Southampton and not prime hurricane season.  BTW: if you plan to spend anytime in Barbados I highly suggest staying at the Crane on the east side of the island.  

[perfectpete]

8 hours ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

Can't speak directly to that timeframe but we did the east bound from Barbados to France with one stop in Funchal in March and had great weather the entire way.  I would guess you would have good weather as they will head directly south from Southampton and not prime hurricane season.  BTW: if you plan to spend anytime in Barbados I highly suggest staying at the Crane on the east side of the island.  

We’ve actually just booked the cruise on arvia before it goes TA but are looking at October 2024 now for a cruise and stay in Barbados so will check the crane out thanks for the recommendation 

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

7 hours ago, perfectpete said:

We’ve actually just booked the cruise on arvia before it goes TA but are looking at October 2024 now for a cruise and stay in Barbados so will check the crane out thanks for the recommendation 

It's on the east side of the island and not the foreign tourist west side.  We were told it's where the locals go to vacation to avoid the tourist.  It really does have a pink sand beach.  I thought it was photoshop until I saw it in person.  We stayed in the original hotel with three foot thick walls carved from solid coral.  

[saltshell]

When checking out Barbados accommodations I suggest Cobblers Cove for luxury and Round House for budget with remarkable views.