Have you ever taken a repositioning cruise?

[melissa@cruisecritic]

We been researching some of the coolest repositioning cruises on offer for 2006 and 2007 (http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=313), and I'm curious to know how many of you have actually tried a repositioning cruise in the past. If so, please post about your experience!

[Bramcruiser]

We only did a 4 day repo cruise on the Canada/US west coast but since it does qualify I thought I'd write about it and start by mentioning that it was only the second time we took a cruise after 11 years. While we enjoyed the first cruise we never felt the rush to immediately book a second cruise and thus many years went by doing land vacations. Well, I can tell you that after our repositioning cruise in 2005 we became hooked and I caught that infamous PCD (Post-cruise depression).

 

We did the Oosterdam (HAL) repo from Vancouver to San Diego in the fall of 2005 with a one day stopover in Victoria and the rest of the journey at sea. Victoria is my favourite city in Canada but have done it many, many times. Thus I was not sure if so much time at sea would make or break the experience for us. Needless to say I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the at-sea experience more so than any land excursion I have had. I came away never feeling so relaxed in all my life and got to know the ship fairly well. My favourite experience was simply walking around the Promenade deck seeing the ocean go by.

 

I must admit a repositioning cruise is not for everyone and people should be aware that you do not start and finish the cruise in the same city. If you prefer port intensive iteniary versus loads of days at sea you might have to think twice. In addition, I live in the east and a four day cruise on the west coast sounds ridiculous. However, we combined it with a visit with relatives in British Columbia and a few days in San Diego to make the voyage worthwhile. With a one day visit to Mexico we ended up calling our trip "The North America Free Trade Vacation". It turned out to be one of the best vacations we ever had.

 

For the record, we did find a cure for the PCD. We booked a full week Caribbean cruise in December 2006 and a European cruise in August 2007. All because this unassuming 4 day repo turned us on so much.

 

David

[mncruise]

In April of 2006 we sailed Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas from Galveston, Texas to Lisbon, Portugal and in October we will sail the same ship from Venice, Italy back to Galveston. There were plenty of activities and the ship had good entertainment and food. We had never been to Bermuda or the Azores and so we got to see them. I loved the Azores and would consider going there again. This trip will take us to the Canary Islands, Sicily and Alicante, Spain which are new destinations for us. I look forward to seeing Dubrovnik again as we saw it before the war. I think there are about 67 registered on the Cruise Criitc Meet and Mingle. For people who love sea days this is the way to travel as far as I am concerned.

Leona

Minnesota

[txflyer]

In May of 2006 we sailed Dawn Princess from San Francisco to Vancouver with one day at sea and a stop in Victoria. The price was super cheap and it was like a quick weekend getaway. Looking forward to doing another repo cruise sometime.

[momofmeg]

we did Alaska northbound so it was like a repositioning cruise as we flew into Seattle out of Anchorage.

Next year we will do a repositioning transatlantic.

[NJ Gal]

We were on the Brilliance this spring when it left Miami. We loved every minute & would do another transatlantic in a heartbeat. The next one would be east to west so we would have 25 hour days instead of 23 as we did several days. The sea days were so relaxing. Mornings were filled with activities like aerobics, walks on deck, trivia, etc. After lunch was relaxing time to read and nap. At 4:00, we joined the mile walk on deck and other activities. This life is not for everyone, but it worked well for us. Because of a thread on cruise critic, we met alot of people as we were sailing when we had 50 + people at a pre M/M. The official M/M allowed us to meet more of the chatty people we had met over the months prior to the cruise.

 

Since there were only 4 ports prior to reaching Barcelona, we really did have time to enjoy the ship. When we got to port, we were well rested and ready to enjoy the sites. Our cuise critic friends had given us hints especially for Barcelona where we stayed 2 extra days. I hope this info is helpful. Repositioning is a great deal !

 

NJ Gal

[huntedbear]

We're booked on our first repositioning cruise next week on the Vision of the Seas.

 

We liked the fact that we were able to see Alaska again and have a few more days at sea as an extra :D

 

Can't Wait!!!!!!!

[dawcruiser]

We have done two.

 

1st was the Princess Golden. 14 day from Southampton to NYC. First 7 days were visiting Zeeburge, Brussels, LeHarve, Dublin, Norhern Ireland and Glasglow, Scotland then we did a 7 day transatlantic. Simply loved the cruise didn't like Princess as much as we thought we would.

 

2nd on was from Tampa to Southampton on RCL Legend of the Seas. This time 13 days. We stoped at Key West, Bermuda, Azores and Vigo Spain. Like this one also. Stops were not as nice as Princess. Really found we like RCL better than we do Princess ships.

 

Next one possible will be from Rome to USA doing stops in Med.

 

 

Don

[Parrot Mom]

Did the RCL BOS from Harwich to Boston without stops...had a bad experience on the ship. Last year did Celebrity Century from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale with Malaga, Rome (Tuscany), Villafanche, Porta Delardo and Nassau and absolutely will almsost cruise anyother way ... well almost..lol. Looking into one cruise for 2007 that goes to Morocco,, Tangiers, Canary Island, etc.. Best of all these cruises happen when Europe is almost empty of tourists...it was just a wonderful, wonderful experience.. can't wait to do it every year..

[PaulnKarl]

We sailed the repo cruise last year (2005) from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale on RCCL Enchantment of the Sea. The ship had just undergone "the stretch" and the price was a steal. I had always wanted to visit QC (Florida is home). We flew up several days early for an amazing time both on and off ship.

 

Best "on shore" experience was Cornerbrook NF, one of those rarely visited ports. This small community was the most friendly place I have been to on a cruise. The locals were genuinely pleased to have us visit.

 

Paul

[glgolfer]

We did B2B on the Vision in 2000 from Acapulco to Hawaii, stayed on the ship and ended in Vancouver. Great repositioning cruises.

Also did Lisbon to Galveston in 2003 on the Splendour.

 

We are booked on the Splendour again for 2007 from Lisbon to South America. A really cheap rate for a JS.

 

We like the repo cruises as they go to new and different ports. We also like the sea days on transatlantic cruises.

[Bette And Bill]

We are soing our first repositioning cruise next month on the Radiance of the Seas from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale. I am looking forward to the cruise and meeting all the other CC members. I am also looking into a transatlantic repositioning for sometime in 2008.

[jad7984]

What is a repositioning cruise? Excuse my stupidity:(

[Bramcruiser]

What is a repositioning cruise? Excuse my stupidity:(

 

Essentially this is a once a season cruise where a ship is being moved after finishing a season somewhere and off to begin a new season elsewhere. For instance once a ship is finished in Europe in the summer months it may be moved to fulfill a winter season of Caribbean cruises. At the time the ship is being "repositioned" the cruise line will sell it as a special cruise instead of just moving an empty ship around. The most common repo cruises are usually in April/May and Sept/Oct/Nov when there is movement between northern locations and the sunny south. These can be transoceanic or coastal or Panama canal cruises.

[House_Atreides]

What a ride!!!

17 days of fun fun fun.

Relaxing sea days.

Great ports! Curacao, Aruba, Costa Rica, Panama Canal, Costa Rica (Pacific side), Huatulco, Mexico (a pleasant surprise, I'd never heard of it), Acapulco, Mexico and Cabo San Lucas.

Would I do it again??? You betcha!!!!!

I would strongly recommend a larger room for a cruise this long unless you spend hardly any time in your cabin! We had 9076 an AC suite. What a balcony; what a room!!

[sjutton]

We are living in Romania for two years and are looking at a RCCL transatlantic to get home at the end of next year for the final trip. We will have our then 8 year old with us. Is the Adventure Ocean still open on these long trips. Are any of the services cut out or limited.

 

Thanks, Dana

[martinimadam]

I've actually been on 5 and booked for my 6th in November. The first 3 were on HAL's old Noordam. What a neat little ship she was! The last 2 were on Crystal...what a great experience they were. All were to or from Florida/to or from Lisbon or Barcelona. Crystal has quite a wonderful program for sea days. Almost too much to do! Kept thinking I'd get to the book I hauled along with me...never even got the cover open til I was on the plane going home!

[bimmerlil]

Not only was it a great price for a 8 night cruise but it was during a holiday week. We had a group of friends and family which made it all the better. We had only 2 stops in Labadee and in Aruba. We loved all of the sea days.

[elsje]

MIL and I did our first 16-day Trans Atlantic repo cruise last spring on the Celebrity's Galaxy from Galveston to rome. We loved it, especially the sea days and of course the various European ports. It was so-o- relaxing and we had wonderful weather.

 

Next week we are taking the 17-day Panama Canal repo cruise on the sun Princess from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale. To us the repo cruises are the best for the price and we LOVE to cruise ~ Els

[POOHISME2]

We have done the Golden Princess repositioning last year and this year. San Juan to NY. It was a wonderful experience and a great price. I hope to do the Crown Princess Repo next year?

[Happy ks]

We did the repo from LA to Vancouver this year and loved it.

 

It was on NCL Star and far more casual than we ever expected. Many families from the Vancouver area had done a few days at Disney and then cruised the ship home, so there were many more children than we ever thought! But, since our kids weren't along, we just made sure we went to adult places to hang out :)

 

The great thing about this cruise was, because it was so short, we took advantage of the specialty restaurants every night.

 

We love Vancouver and would do this type of cruise again in a heartbeat. We're thinking of perhaps the reverse next time.

[davispigeon]

We did a quick repo cruise for our 1st wedding anniversary: Vancouver to L.A. I loved it since I'm all about the cruise ship...DH was a bit bored, he likes to get off and do things. We did get to spend a few days in Victoria before boarding the ship (NCL Sky, I think) and that was GREAT.

[cruisenfreak]

We've done several repositioning cruises and have really enjoyed every one. Since we like long (over 2 weeks at a time) cruises I often look at the last cruise of a given itinerary and then add the repositioning cruise or do the repositioning cruise first and stay on board for the first cruise of a new itinerary. Usually these long cruises are very affordable when done this way.

 

Usually ports are very limited since the whole point is getting to the new homeport. So if you enjoy life on board, you'll love this; but if you like a port a day, this is not for you.

 

We've done Boston to Charleston, Boston to Miami, Tranatlantic, New Orleans to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Vancouver, etc. Flights can be expensive - we've sometimes used frequent flier miles and other times have booked air through the cruiseline. Repositioning is definitely worth trying.

 

Mary Jane

[KAYEF]

Oh, BOY!!!

They're my favorite.

Sept/Oct. of 2004 we boarded in Seattle, went north to Vancouver and then down the Pacific Coast.............on to the Mexican Riviera, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica........through the Panama Canal and all over the Caribbean before "exiting" in Fort Lauderdale. It was 23 (24?) days of sheer bliss.

My Mom (95) and I were wondering if my hubby would "last" such a long cruise but when we were packing for disembarkation and he asked me if they decided to reposition again, would I stay on..........I knew he'd loved it! I said I'd have to think about it and he said not him.............he'd STAY.;)

Nov. 1 we board in Barcelona for a repo back to the U.S. We will stop in ports in France, Italy and Portugal and then we'll enjoy all those Sea Days. I love the repo in this direction because ports of call are done at the beginning and then, it's rest and more rest on those wonderful days at sea...........AND, we don't have to even think of a long flight home; it's behind us.:)

They always have many activities planned, you don't have a chance to be bored unless you choose to be bored............

Someone on one of these threads will be on this cruise as a way to get home from several weeks in Europe.............said that a suite (I think) was less than flying back business class............

Yes, repositioning cruises are wonderful................AND, they're often excellent bargains.

This on we're on in Nov. just went down to $905. Oceanview!

[familycruzer]

We did the 8 night reposition cruise on the Voyager last year and loved it mainly because we were able to afford an aft JS which would never have happened on a regular sailing. It also took place over a holiday which was a wonderful break from the usual cooking and cleaning.