Who knows anything about the QM2 repositioning schedule / ports transatlantic.

[Tracey/Thom]

We hope to take a USA-UK QM2 next year. Is there a repositioning cruise, or do we just have to get a one way transatlantic? Thanks!

[MylesS]

4 minutes ago, Tracey/Thom said:

We hope to take a USA-UK QM2 next year. Is there a repositioning cruise, or do we just have to get a one way transatlantic? Thanks!

If I'm understanding what you want correctly, yes, just a one way transatlantic.

QM2 isn't like other ships which do 1 or 2 crossings a year, she does 15-20 (sometimes more or less) throughout.

[Tracey/Thom]

7 minutes ago, MylesS said:

If I'm understanding what you want correctly, yes, just a one way transatlantic.

QM2 isn't like other ships which do 1 or 2 crossings a year, she does 15-20 (sometimes more or less) throughout.

Can't seem to find a website to find repositioning cruises that cross the Atlantic!

[D&N]

11 minutes ago, Tracey/Thom said:

Can't seem to find a website to find repositioning cruises that cross the Atlantic!

QM2 doesn't normally do repositioning cruises. She does Transatlantic Crossings.

You need to go to the Cunard US website and use the trip filters to select the ship QM2, the months of 2025 that you are interested in, and the type of cruise: Transatlantic. If you want an Eastbound only you can also filter the departure port as New York.

 

This link might get you to the site: https://www.cunard.com/en-us

It defaults to UK for me without using a VPN

Edited April 11 by D&N

[Tracey/Thom]

Yes, I've figured that out. Anybody know of a website that has the repositioning dates for the major cruiselines?

 

[D&N]

Unless it's something connected to Cruise Critic, we're not allowed to post links of that sort.

Besides I can't think why anyone would cross the Atlantic on anything other than QM2! 🙂

[Host Hattie]

If you're not interested in Queen Mary 2, you could try the Transatlantic, Trans-pacific, Repositioning Cruises board.

[bluemarble]

There's also the "Find a Cruise" functionality on this website which we can mention. If you select "Transatlantic" for the destination and all of 2025 for the date range, it currently lists 256 cruises on a variety of cruise lines including repositioning cruises across the Atlantic. You can further filter the results to US departure ports and UK ports of call to refine the results to just those cruises sailing from the US to the UK. Can't guarantee that will be an exhaustive list of all repositioning cruises from the US to the UK, but it's a start anyway.

[Pushpit]

53 minutes ago, Tracey/Thom said:

Yes, I've figured that out. Anybody know of a website that has the repositioning dates for the major cruiselines?

 

It may help if you give a few additional words as to exactly what you are trying to do here?

[Tracey/Thom]

2 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

There's also the "Find a Cruise" functionality on this website which we can mention. If you select "Transatlantic" for the destination and all of 2025 for the date range, it currently lists 256 cruises on a variety of cruise lines including repositioning cruises across the Atlantic. You can further filter the results to US departure ports and UK ports of call to refine the results to just those cruises sailing from the US to the UK. Can't guarantee that will be an exhaustive list of all repositioning cruises from the US to the UK, but it's a start anyway.

Thank you, so very helpful!

[Tracey/Thom]

1 minute ago, Pushpit said:

It may help if you give a few additional words as to exactly what you are trying to do here?

I should've been more specific! I want to go from USA to UK on the QM2, but couldn't seem to find a repositioning cruise. Seems like they don't do that, just the one way transatlantic, back and forth all year. Looks fine, but now I"m considering using another cruise line to take that journey as it looks like it'll be cheaper (repositioning) rather than a one-way transatlantic.  Got some great ideas already, thanks everyone for your input.

[Pushpit]

Cunard does sell some 14 day sailings which are NYC-UK-NYC, or you can simply buy one-way x 2. So far example:

 

3 January 2025, NYC-SOU-NYC = 15 nights as sold, but you can buy it as 2 x one-ways if you prefer. 

 

Then there are some oddities such as

 

9 January 2025 - Queen Anne - SOU-NYC, crawling over at 9 nights.

 

But other cruise lines also do trips across the Atlantic apart from Cunard, NCL springs to mind.

[Fairgarth]

1 hour ago, Tracey/Thom said:

I should've been more specific! I want to go from USA to UK on the QM2, but couldn't seem to find a repositioning cruise. Seems like they don't do that, just the one way transatlantic, back and forth all year. Looks fine, but now I"m considering using another cruise line to take that journey as it looks like it'll be cheaper (repositioning) rather than a one-way transatlantic.

 

Repositioning happens, for example, when ships move from the Caribbean to Europe in spring and then back again in the fall.  QM2 does not do repositioning - it's a trans-Atlantic 'crossing'.  Depends what you want.  QM2 takes seven days to cross the pond.  Everybody else takes 14 or so.  Is that cheaper?  Is your time limited?

[TheOldBear]

3 hours ago, Tracey/Thom said:

I should've been more specific! I want to go from USA to UK on the QM2, but couldn't seem to find a repositioning cruise. Seems like they don't do that, just the one way transatlantic, back and forth all year. Looks fine, but now I"m considering using another cruise line to take that journey as it looks like it'll be cheaper (repositioning) rather than a one-way transatlantic.  Got some great ideas already, thanks everyone for your input.

As stated in previous replies - the QM2 does not do 'repositioning' cruises. Instead the schedule is based on crossings, with side trip segments at either the North American or European ends. The crossings and most of the side trip segments may be booked as one 'voyage' or the individual crossings and cruises can be booked piece by piece.

 

An example from our sailings - this fall's eastbound crossing starts in Brooklyn, has port visits in Newport RI & Boston MA - the Eastbound Crossing starts from Boston. Arriving in Southampton, many passengers will disembark, and be replaced by passengers who have booked either a one way cruise to Hamburg, or a round trip stopping at Hamburg. In Hamburg some passengers will disembark - having started at either Brooklyn or Southhampton. Some new passengers will board, and may be planning on disembarking at Southampton, LeHavre or Brooklyn. Arriving at Southampton, some passengers will disembark and others will board. The next day, QM2 arrives in LeHavre and once again some passengers disembark while others board. Finally QM2 makes the westbound crossing and all passengers must either disembark or otherwise leave the ship to 'zero out' to allow boarding by US rules.

 

At each port stop [Southampton, Hamburg, Southampton again, LeHarve] the 'in transit' passengers have to option of going ashore or just staying onboard.

 

This long example is just one of a dozen or more crossings and side trips. There is also the option of taking one crossing, disembarking for a land vacation and then later rejoining for a crossing going the other way.

 

Some folks will plan on a combination of a land vacation, a QM2 crossing and another line's repositioning cruise - if that best fits their schedule and budget.

[Toffeegirl68]

As you have now worked out, QM2's transatlantic crossings are in themselves a 'destination cruise' - and people generally sail for the joy of being on board. As such, Cunard does not do transatlantic repositioning cruises. Other cruise lines need to move their ships between Europe and the USA at season cross-overs - and as such, the dates of such sailings are less frequent...

 

Hope you (i) find what you need (ii) discover the joy of a QM2 TA when budget permits!!! 

[MCC retired]

For us , the Transatlantic aboard the QM2 is the Destination.

Booked on the 8/23/24 Crossing NYC to Southampton , then jumping aboard a plane 

back home to Tampa. Crazy huh?

[Tracey/Thom]

4 hours ago, MCC retired said:

For us , the Transatlantic aboard the QM2 is the Destination.

Booked on the 8/23/24 Crossing NYC to Southampton , then jumping aboard a plane 

back home to Tampa. Crazy huh?

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me!

 

[NE John]

31 minutes ago, Tracey/Thom said:

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me!

 

At least you learned a great deal of Cunard lingo: Crossings vs repositioning and in the case of QM2: a real ocean liner vs a cruise ship.  We have used QM2 both ways across the Atlantic as a preferred method of transportation and flown back home or to the UK. One day I’d like to ditch the air travel altogether and use Cunard. 

The activities onboard QM2 are extensive while I understand repositioning cruises are kinda bare-bones activity wise. Plus, most repo cruise ships take the longer southern route (to get to/from the Caribbean) and would not attempt the rougher North Atlantic. If you want to leave from NYC, QM2 is specifically designed to take on the North Atlantic passage smoothly and in style.