Just as holidaymakers chase the sunshine, so do cruise ships. When the weather turns chilly, repositioning voyages take vessels from one part of the world to another for the start of a new season. Typically this tends to be in autumn and spring, when ships often move between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
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Just like relocation car rentals, joining one of these strategic journeys can be a cost-effective way to travel as lines look to fill empty cabins. The cost of a “repo” sailing is significantly lower than that of your standard cruise holiday.
Itineraries are point-to-point rather than round-trip. They are typically transatlantic, although occasionally ships stay in one region and simply change their home port.
Since repositioning cruises often cross oceans, they tend to be longer than regular voyages and feature several sea days – giving a chance to read a book by the pool, spend a day in the spa, learn a new skill or attend on-board enrichment lectures.
If you’re looking for a relaxing escape that is also great value, here are eight to consider this autumn or next year.
Honolulu to Sydney
Sunshine beckons on Celebrity Cruises’ 17-night Tahitian Treasures voyage, on board the 2,850-passenger Celebrity Solstice. Departing from Honolulu – the home of sea, surf and Hawaiian shirts – the sailing features six more stops: Mo’orea, Papeete and Raiatea (French Polynesia); Auckland and the Bay Of Islands (New Zealand); and, of course, Sydney, with its iconic buildings and beaches.
In between, there will be plenty of time – 11 sea days – to play deck games or soak up the sun on the Lawn Club’s half-acre of fresh grass.
Departs 1 October. From £1,272pp excluding flights, celebritycruises.com
Lisbon to Miami
For a welcome burst of winter sun, savvy travellers can get a dose of vitamin D in a diverse range of locations on Azamara’s 12-night Onward to Florida Voyage.
Departing from Lisbon, the boutique cruise line’s ship will call at Horta – one of the jewels of the Azores – and the pink-beach island of Bermuda before disembarking in Miami, Florida. Three sea days ensure you can enjoy everything that the 684-passenger Onward, Azamara’s newest ship, has to offer.
Departs 13 November. From £1,129pp, excluding flights, azamara.com
Even ultra-luxury lines offer cheaper repositioning cruises: Seabourn has shaved about 50 per cent off the price of its 25-day Japan & Hawaiian Islands Pacific Crossing cruise. Fares start at £7,199pp for a veranda suite replete with a marble bathroom containing Molton Brown toiletries.
Fares include all entertainment, gratuities, dining and drinks – meaning you can sip champagne as you cross the international date line or savour caviar upon your return from a shore excursion in Kauai, Hawaii’s garden isle, without worrying about the bill.
Departs 16 March 2025. From £7,199pp, excluding flights, seabourn.com
Bridgetown to Southampton Read Next
A Caribbean cruise is always tempting, especially on a good deal – and P&O Cruises’ Transatlantic Caribbean adventure on board Britannia offers just that. Fares for the 13-night sailing start at £1,099pp, including a flight from London to Bridgetown, plus an on board spend of up to £800 per cabin.
Stops include St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua. Meanwhile, you can shop for souvenirs until you drop as there are no airport scales to contend with on return to Southampton.
Departs 21 March 2025. From £1,099 with ROL Cruise, including a flight from London to Bridgetown, rolcruise.co.uk
Florida to Dover
Setting sail from lively Fort Lauderdale, a two-week transatlantic Cultural Crossing cruise with Holland America calls at Bermuda, the English seaside towns of Falmouth and Weymouth, and Paris, before arriving on the Kent coast.
On board, there’s plenty of choice on how to fill long days at sea – from admiring the 2,666-passenger Nieuw Statendam’s £3m art collection to playing pickleball with new friends and enjoying classic soul and rock’n’roll in BB King’s Blues Club.
Departs 5 April 2025. From £2,219pp, excluding flights, but including a $200 (£150) on-board spend, plus the ‘Have It All’ package, which includes a drinks, speciality dining, complimentary shore excursions and WiFi access, hollandamerica.com
Newcastle to Valencia
It’s possible to start your holiday close to home by boarding Balmoral, Fred Olsen Cruise Line’s smallest ship, in Newcastle. On the 12-night Spanish Colours & Cultures cruise, you’ll sail to Spanish big hitters such as Barcelona, Ibiza and Valencia. This is a relatively port-intensive repositioning cruise featuring only four full sea days – although, if you’re new to cruises, that’s still enough to give you a proper sense of life at sea.
Departs 15 September 2025. From £1,699pp including a return flight to either Stansted or Manchester, fredolsencruises.com
Pick up an incredible bargain on a 14-night Carnival cruise from Barcelona to Orlando. Costing just £870pp – £62pp per day – it includes accommodation, theatre shows, children’s clubs, all meals on board (save for speciality dining) and soft drinks, as well as $50 to spend.
The cruise calls at Málaga, sun-soaked Seville, Tenerife and Celebration Key – Carnival’s new private island resort in the Bahamas, which is scheduled to welcome its first passengers in July.
Departs 16 October 2025. From £870pp, excluding flights, carnival.com
Buenos Aires to Barcelona
If you fancy learning how to tango in Buenos Aires or samba in Rio, then Princess’s South American Passage sailing might be just the ticket. Both of these sultry cities feature on the 18-day itinerary – as do two Canary Islands, along with Casablanca and Gibraltar.
There are 12 sea days, but Princess puts on a programme of activities – from cooking demonstrations to dance classes and trivia contests – to help fill the time on board Sapphire Princess.
Departs 11 February 2026. From £1,129pp, excluding flights, princess.com
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Publish date : 2024-08-30 17:59:00
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