If you'd prefer to watch the video, click here: Repositioning Cruises | 5 Reasons You Should Go!
Repositioning cruises are voyages that involve a ship moving from one area or home port to another. You might be familiar with a Transpacific or Transatlantic cruise, as these are two of the most widely sold repositioning cruises. Basically, cruise lines often need to move their ships from one market to another, and they sell those repositioning voyages as a cruise, and here are my top 5 reasons to get onboard!
THE ITINERARY
Cruising close to home is always fun, but repositioning cruises are a great opportunity to explore some far-flung destinations that you might otherwise not have a chance to get to. A great example of this is on a transpacific cruise. Transpacific cruises are usually voyages between north America and Australia. On the southbound journey, the cruise will usually start in Vancouver and make its way down under via stops in Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand. Exotic island culture, idyllic beaches and incredible sea life are all on offer with a Transpacific voyage. I’ve done it once and my highlight was without a doubt, Bora Bora. A breathtaking place I may not have otherwise had a chance to experience.
SHIP LIFE
Repositioning cruises are known for having lots of sea days built in to the itineraries. The ships are usually covering a large distance in their move from one home port to another. This gives you a great opportunity to become very familiar with the ship, as it itself becomes one of your destinations. With so much time to kick back and relax, you can choose to partake in as many shipboard actives as you like. There’s plenty on during the day and night to occupy the time, including live shows, guest lecturers, movies, cooking demonstrations, scavenger hunts and kids events for the younger members of your family. These are all normal cruise activities, but with so much time to enjoy them, you might find yourself getting more out of your days onboard.
For those of you that prefer a quieter day, there are plenty of places to relax with a good book, and enjoy nothing but the sound of the waves as the ship cuts through the deep blue ocean.
AFFORDABILITY
Repositioning cruises have increased in popularity over the past few years, and one of the reasons is that they are quite affordable considering how long they usually are. An 18 night Honolulu to Sydney cruise departing in October 2021 is currently priced at about $2500 per person, twin share for an interior stateroom onboard one of the most advanced ships at sea, Quantum of the Seas. Remembering that all of your onboard meals are included, as well as entertainment. If you’re flexible with your time, I recommend you keep an eye on repositioning cruises as the departure date approaches, as there are definitely deals to be found when there is still availability close to sailing.
LOYALTY TIERS
Loyalty memberships are a great asset for the avid cruiser. With enough status under your belt, you can find yourself enjoying extra perks like free drinks, priority boarding, invitations to special events, discounts onboard, free internet and more. I know that many of you work towards achieving higher status within various cruise line loyalty programs and a long cruise is one surefire way to get there quicker. So consider a repositioning cruise if you’re nearing the next tier in your program and need a bit of a boost.
FLY ONCE
One of the great aspects of cruising is that if you live near a cruise port or hub, you can generally avoid flying. But, one of the downsides particularly for places like Sydney, is that in general you’re fairly limited to the types of destinations you can explore on a cruise whilst staying close to home. Flying further afield is a sure fire way to position yourself to experience new places. Depending on where you live, you can take advantage of a repositioning cruise and fly in only one direction. My personal preference is to fly to the departure port and then enjoy a cruise home. I’ve only done this twice, once from Honolulu and the more recently from Bali, but I’d happily do it again.
Well I hope you've learned a little bit more about repositioning cruises! Contact me if you're interested in exploring some itineraries and booking yourself onto one of these incredible voyages!