Repositioning Cruises - Your Experiences & Advice

[reader5]

Can someone give me some information on repositioning cruises with Celebrity? How was the experience? Where do the ships depart and end up? Are the cruise prices lower than other cruises (eg. Mediterranean?)

 

Just a novice though I have cruised many times. This May I am going to Europe on the Millennium (12 day cruise) leaving from Barcelona.

 

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[albertiger]

i did a repo on Galaxy last year from San Juan to Baltimore and will be leaving in 3 weeks on RCI Grandeur from Tampa to San Juan. Yes, prices can be significantly lower, usually very few children as the air arrangements necessary can make that expensive. The general onboard feeling is usually relaxed, a break from the norm for the crew and very low key. I find them very enjoyable, visiting ports not on the regular itinerary and a great value for solo cruisers!:D

[poetic license]

We have done four repositioning cruises, and enjoyed each one. The crew is usually upbeat, since they are headed to a new 'home' port, and as the previous poster mentioned, they are generally relaxing and quiet with few children on board. I think you would love your Mediterranean repo!

 

Cheers~

Nicki

[superjerryw]

Can someone give me some information on repositioning cruises with Celebrity?

 

How was the experience? Very good, the same as any other Celebrity cruise in terms of service, food, etc.

 

Where do the ships depart and end up? Depends on the cruise. There are repo cruises when ships move from the Caribbean to Alaska, from LA to Alaska, from the Caribbean to Europe, from New York to Europe, from the Caribbean to New York, or vice-versa for all of the foregoing, etc.

 

Are the cruise prices lower than other cruises (eg. Mediterranean?) Typically yes. It's not uncommon to see 14 repo cruises from Florida to Europe sell for under $1000. Repo cruises that include a transit of the Panama Canal will usually have little or no discount.

 

 

The best repo cruise is the one that ends up in a port near your home so you can just jump in a taxi and be home without having to fly anywhere.

[darrencantwait]

to the OP...I don't think most would qualify your cruise as a repositioning cruise. Barcelona to Venice is simply a one way Mediterranean cruise. A repositioning cruise is when they move the ship from one region to another (Caribbean to Mediterranean, or New England to Caribbean, etc).

 

This doesn't mean that you are not going to have a wonderful cruise. I'm looking to book something similar to your itinerary in 2007. However, it won't have the reduced cost, or relaxed atmosphere associated with a Repo.

[Druke I]

We've not done a repositioning with Celebrity, but have done them with Princess, Holland America, and the late great Royal Cruise Lines.

 

Often, the prices are good. They've got to move the ship, and pay the crew - and they do want to fill the cabins.

 

Some of the longer ones are great - with many sea days, etc. We did the last voyage of Sky Princess as a Princess ship, San Francisco to Sydney, 9-00, 27 nights, and loved it. That particular cruise was a WW2 Pacific Islands cruise, and very well done, with great excursions, guest lecturers, etc.

 

Isn't it wonderful we have so many choices?

[reader5]

Thanks to all for responding. I did not mean that my Med cruise was a repositioning cruise only that I was curious about doing a repo cruise sometime in the future. Yes, I sure will enjoy the Med cruise and am so looking forward to all the adventures I am sure to have.

[ali-ali-oh]

I have done this before and would do it again. That said, I think it important to think about what you want out of the cruise. For example, we would really have liked to see bears in Alaska and do the dog mushing but it was too late in the season and it had already finished. The other thing to bear in mind is that they are often at the beginning or end of a season so you might not get the best weather (especially in the med). On the up side, if you go at the end of the season, the shops are often having massive sales to get rid of stock before the winter which was the case on our Alaska cruise and we managed to get a few bargains.

So don't be put off just make sure you know what you want from the cruise.

[Irishwhiskey]

We do most of our cruising in the spring and the fall when most of the repo cruises occur.If you check out the bargain board you can see that some of the repo cruises include an air deal of sorts.We've taken advantage of some nice deals to Europe for $100 pp roundtrip and $50. each way to LA for our Hawaii trip.Aside from getting a great rate you can also end up with a nice upgrade depending on what type of cabin you book.These cruises are at the begining and at the end of the season and don't fill up fast,so the cruiselines run these deals.The other nice thing that we enjoy is it is off season and the weather is perfect.Most of the Museums in Europe are closed on Sunday and Monday's,but they are open in the spring and fall without the lines line of people.

[constantcruiser]

Repositioning cruises are my favorite. I like visiting ports that you wouldn't normally see, and always feel like I've actually been on a voyage -- instead of just a circle back to the same place I started. Several years ago we sailed on the Mercury from Anchorage to Acapulco...so there was a bit of a "wardrobe challenge" considering the different climates. But how many times do you see glaciers and cliff divers on the same trip?

[HurricaneSally]

We usually try to do the repo from the Northeast to the Caribbean in the fall. This year we are doing the Zenith in October from Bayonne to Tampa by way of the southern Caribbean. Got a great price of just about 900 per person for a 13 night cruise. Few kids, but may have to miss some ports due to weather, but we don't mind. The ship is our vacation, not the ports. This is our fourth repo cruise in four years and we love it.