So Many Repositioning Cruisers Get These 5 Things Wrong

Cruise lines charge less per day for repositioning cruises than ANY of their other cruises, making them some of the most inexpensive and appealing to many cruisers. But I’ve met so many people on them discovering too late that being inexpensive alone is not a good reason for doing them, as they’d been caught out or fallen into some traps. The same ones I see repeatedly.

For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron:
---------------------------------------------------

Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products:
---------------------------------------------------

My social media:
---------------------------------------------------

ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 101 cruises I have done to date.

#cruisetips #CruisingTips #cruisetipsandtricks
00:00 Start
00:40 What are repositioning cruises?
02:12 When can you do repositioning cruises?
02:58 How long are repositioning cruises?
04:42 Upsides of repositioning cruises?
07:58 Budget watch outs of repositioning cruises?

[craigo]

As a retired person, I did a repositioning cruise to Europe. I got a nice relaxing trip over, then spent 2 months in Europe and flew home. I wasn't tired when I arrived in Europe and enjoyed the land portion there from the start w/o having to recover from jet lag and all the stress of a flight. Perfect way to travel if you have the time.

[chuckpetterson]

I did the repositioning from Los Angeles to Sydney in 2022. After ten days in Australia I continued to Dubai and spent a few days there with my niece, then returned home. I traveled around the world in one shot, so to speak. The initial cost for an interior cabin was low and I was upgraded to what some might think an inferior balcony room, but the view was unobstructed, and the cabin suited my needs. The sea days were fine by me. The passenger load was about 2/3 capacity and most travelers were NOT Americans. I had a delightful time. Gary, I have been following your vblogs since early '22 and have found them accurate and helpful.

[EjeGustafsson]

One thing not mentioned in the video is that you'll generally see fewer kids on a repositioning cruise due to time of the year and the length of the cruise. Which can be a plus to many people. We have done our fair share of transatlantic and Panama cruises over the years and love those lazy relaxing cruises.

[Sushi]

I am a duck of a different color, and LOVE LOVE LOVE sea days! I can sit with a book and just watch the blue water go by. I’m not that social, so this sounds like a perfect adventure!
Yes, I understand you need to take a flight to get to where you’re leaving from, and another to return home. This sounds like the perfect time to use a Travel Cruse Agent. They can save you allot of money and smooth out all the small details. For me, the smaller and quieter the ship, the better. I don’t need planned activities all day long. I have no problem keeping myself amused ❤

[anakreyszig]

My husband and I love repositioning cruises. For my husband, who hates flying, it has become a less stressful way to travel to Europe by air (stressful for him, even in business class), spend a little time and see the things he wants to, then take a cruise back. We have even taken a repositioning cruise that was Mediterranean port-intensive (that was really wonderful). It minimizes jet lag and we explore the ship and get to know fellow passengers on our way home. In today's world it seems we are always rushing somewhere. A repositioning cruise is a wonderful way to slow down.

[katherinekeller]

My husband and I took our first ever cruise, a trans-atlantic crossing, on Viking, in Dec of 2023. It was the perfect opportunity to test the theory of "your ship as a destination". I had had a very stressful end to my semester, and was looking forward to 10+ days of unwinding including a nap every afternoon.

Viking did a superb job of making sure there was always an activity to go to on the ship as well as oodles of books to read. However, I will admit that after our last official port (Hamilton, Bermuda) was canceled due to rough seas, everybody was getting a bit tired of the ship, it being 8 days straight of sea. It made me appreciate what my ancestors had endured -- and they were certainly not on luxury liners, but had weeks at sea in 3rd class. Also, it makes me appreciate what crew go through. They are on ship for the next several months.

We did have an unscheduled stop in Nassau due to a sick passenger and I must say it was quite funny to watch everybody (including crew) cheer when it was announced, but then look abashed when we realized it was due to someone's missfortune.

Would I do it again? Yes. Later on down the line, when I need another long stretch to destress and "unplug" from the world.

Finally, another nice thing about a cruise like this is that we had an opportunity to better get to know several passenegers, and even made a new friend!

[wannabedal-adx]

As a former sailor of the US Navy, repositioning cruises seem like a good deal to me. I've crossed the Atlantic many times and sea days are not a big deal to me. I would love to have a low key cruise where I read a book, have a massage, drink a lot, and eat fine food all with less crowds and may be in a larger cabin! Sign me up!!!! Thanks Gary!

[andrewnewman]

I absolutely love sea days. Never bored. It’s so nice being out at sea. I marvel at the vastness of the open sea. Regards from Australia 🇦🇺

[mordecai]

A 14 hour flight to Auckland and 39 days across the Pacific back to Vancouver, a bucket-list indulgence with friends and family. Lots of sea days. We booked 18 months out, stretched to 30 with covid closures, and the early-bird price (or was it please-come-back?) with have-it-all was excellent. We loved it.

[Mrfrontrow]

We’ve got one of those planned for the end of this year. We are booked aboard the Royal Princess for 29 nights, leaving out of Los Angeles stopping in Hawaii, French Polynesia, American Samoa, and New Zealand. We end up in Sydney Australia.
Then up to Fiji for a week by plane and two or three other stops in Southeast Asia after that. Happy travels to you and all the best from San Diego California.

[GlennBrockett]

I am taking my second repositioning cruise next month. My wife and I really do enjoy them. This one is 20 nights, and only 11 ports. Most of the ports I have been to before and have plans only to walk ashore and maybe do a little shopping.
We go on these longer cruises for relaxation and know that everything will be taken care of for us. A little planning will take care of the laundry issues, and the airfare was planned out far in advance.
There are usually fewer children on board, and for the same size ship, fewer maximum capacity rooms. You have plenty of time to catch the shows, and sometimes the onboard entertainment will change partway through the cruise. (Not the big shows of course, but the comedy in particular.)

[betsy]

We did a Canadian fall colors cruise from Montreal on Holland America a few years ago. 7 days in new ports every day then three days repositioning to Florida. Three days of sea days relaxation at the end was wonderful.

[nrgpokemon]

My very first cruise was a repositioning cruise taking the northern route from Cork to Halifax and then NYC. I watched about 4 of your videos(I still remember you responded to me because I asked a question in the comments), did no other research and went. Best.Cruise.Ever.

We even had the pleasure of our-racing a hurricane into the Atlantic with our ship going full throttle. It was cold, choppy, and glorious. If it wasn’t for the time off work and killer costs of those flights, I’d do it every year!

[philambrez]

Thank you for mentioning how BORING multiple days AT SEA can be for many people. You are the ONLY ONE who mentioned this. Most reviews I've seen say something disingenuous like "When the cruise was over, nobody wanted it to end." There are always people on board who start going stir crazy on the 3rd day AT SEA. Thank you for being honest!

[hamptonblues]

I came at the repositioning thing a bit differently. We are spending the entire North American winter in New Zealand, taking a two month cruise down (LA-AK-Japan-Indonesia-etc.), then 4 months in NZ driving around, then a one month repositioning cruise back (Auckland-HI-LA). Having been on several river cruises and smaller expedition-like cruise ships, it will be our first on these larger ships. Your channel has given us an idea of what to expect and how to plan to get the most out of our new experiences, thanks.

[dvandkq]

We've done multiple repo cruises on Disney Cruise Line. We're sailing from Honolulu to Vancouver, B.C. next week. We've crossed the Panama Canal both ways, and in both canals. We've crossed the Atlantic. There are no drinks packages on DCL - everything non-alcoholic is free. Their ships have self-service laundry rooms. Their repo cruises also have far fewer children aboard.

[chuckmeadows]

Thanks Gary! Another great video. I did a repositioning cruise on Holland America Line in 2018. We sailed from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale. It was absolutely brilliant! Probably the most relaxing and stress free vacation I've ever had. I really enjoyed myself and would certainly consider a repositioning cruise again. With proper planning, these are great cruises!

[michaelseibold]

We love repositioning cruise! We typically use them either going or coming from our longer trips to Europe. For example, we did a Holland America cruise from Florida to Barcelona in 2022 and this year will use an Azamara repositioning cruise to come back from our three months in Europe. The great thing is arrive at your destination rested and already adjusted to the time changes for the most part. And it is actually cheaper than flying, particular business class.

[snuggamwogam]

Top tip for one way (long haul) flights is to check what price is with a return light that you will never used. BA once wanted to charge me over £2000 for a one way flight to Miami but adding a return flight (which I did not use) the price lowered to £600

[rosewood]

We used repositioning cruises to help us travel right around the world. Starting in Sydney. No planes at all. We did however travel by motorcycle train bus more motorcyles car boat from Singapore to Helsinki to Fort Lauderdale and home across the Pacific. 18 months of travel and we still ride our Indian. Extremes in travel style and adventure.