Guide to Repositioning Cruises — and 5 to Book Now

As I stepped off the pier and onto my ship in Ushuaia, Argentina, it dawned on me that this was the last time I’d be on continental land for nearly three weeks. Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Explorer was about to ferry me across the South Atlantic, all the way to Cape Town. Now that is a cruise.

In fact, it was a very specific type of cruise known as a repositioning cruise, or a “repo.” Repositioning cruises do exactly what their name entails — they reposition a ship from one place to another. In the case of my sailing, National Geographic Explorer had just wrapped up a season in Antarctica and was scheduled for a stint in Africa. So, the ship sailed a repositioning cruise to get from one region to the other, bringing along a handful of intrepid travelers.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about repositioning cruises.

What is a repositioning cruise?

Repositioning cruises reposition cruise ships — it’s as simple as that. But to understand why cruise ships need to be repositioned, you have to look at how most cruise lines operate their vessels.

Generally speaking, cruise ships don’t just crisscross the world on a series of one-way trips, sailing from A to B, then B to C, then C to D, and so on. Most ships spend months at a time “homeported” at a specific cruise port, such as Miami or New Orleans, or sometimes in a general region, like the Mediterranean. Then for the duration of a season, they’ll sail either an identical itinerary or perhaps a few similar itineraries. Take, for instance, a cruise that’s homeported in Miami for the winter. That ship might sail Eastern or Western Caribbean itineraries for a few months, but not necessarily the entire year.

“Due to weather and seasonality, most cruise ships don’t stay in the same geographic area for an entire year. They therefore must reposition from one region to another — and those cruises are referred to as repositioning cruises,” Travel + Leisure A-List Advisor Rob Clabbers, president of Q Cruise + Travel, tells T+L. “For example, a ship that sails summers in Alaska may spend the winter in the Caribbean; and therefore will reposition in the fall to go from Alaska via the West Coast and the Panama Canal to the Caribbean, then back in the spring.”

Depending on the route, cruise lines might choose to reposition ships without guests onboard. In that case, the crew might spend the time deep cleaning and performing maintenance on the vessel. But repositioning cruises still use a lot of expensive fuel, so many cruise lines opt to open them up to guests to help offset that cost — or even turn a profit, if they’re lucky. From the guest perspective, you get to sail a non-traditional itinerary, which could take you to less-visited destinations. In my case, we ventured to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the extremely remote Tristan da Cunha, a tiny volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic that’s only accessible by ship.

Where do repositioning cruises go, and how long are they?

Clabbers shares some common repositioning routes below, but repositioning cruises can happen pretty much anywhere in the world. There is one rule for all repositioning cruises: They must be one-way.

• Between Mediterranean and South Asia: Traditionally via the Suez Canal, but more recently around the tip of South Africa.
• Between Antarctic and Arctic polar regions: Via the coasts of the Americas (might include an expedition onto the Amazon); or in some cases via the coast of Africa and Europe.
• Between Alaska and Japan: Via the North Pacific.
• Between North America and Australia/South Pacific: Via Hawaii and French Polynesia to Australia and New Zealand.
• Between Europe and North America: Via the Atlantic, which may also mean from the British Isles via Iceland and Greenland to Canada for the Canada/New England season in the late summer/fall.
• Between Alaska and the Caribbean: Via the West Coast and the Panama Canal.

As for how long repositioning cruises are, that varies. “Repositioning cruises, such as transatlantic sailings, are generally longer than a ‘standard’ seven-night itinerary and will include more sea days, as they have to cross a larger distance,” says Clabbers.

But some repositioning cruises might be broken up into shorter segments. In the instance of a ship repositioning from Alaska to the Caribbean, there may be a West Coast sailing followed by a Central America sailing that transits the Panama Canal. While you could stack the two journeys to create one long cruise, you could also book it in shorter segments.

What happens on a repositioning cruise?

It all depends on where you’re sailing. “Depending on the part of the world, the ships stop at fewer ports of call and/or stop in ports that are somewhat unusual because of their location,” T+L A-List Advisor Olga Placeres, president of Preferred Travel & Co, tells T+L. She points to transatlantic cruises as an example — they have numerous sea days, but they also might stop in remote places like the Azores.

If you’re repositioning on a mega ship, you’ll likely get to fully immerse yourself in all the amenities that the ship has to offer. My transatlantic repositioning cruise was on a tiny expedition ship, which meant that the focus of our programming was education and adventure, so our sea days were filled with lectures and wildlife spotting — and plenty of time for contemplation.

When do repositioning cruises happen?

Repositioning cruises can happen at any time of year, but most occur in the spring and fall, which are traditionally shoulder seasons for cruises. Some cruises use seasonality to their advantage. For example, when ships are repositioning from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean in the fall, they’ll take advantage of fall foliage in the Northeast U.S. and Canada.

Are repositioning cruises cheaper?

The short answer: It depends on demand. And demand depends on the itinerary and the size of the ship. “More unique itineraries — through the Panama Canal, or along some of the more unusual/off-the-beaten-path islands in the South Pacific — can be very high in demand, which is reflected in the fares,” says Clabbers.

But not all repositioning itineraries appeal to the mass market, and cruise lines may struggle to fill the ship. “Fewer travelers enjoy a crossing with many sea days. Most guests wish to see ports, not only the ocean,” says Placeres. “Weather is another factor — crossings can be rough, and you need to be a good sailor to enjoy a bumpy voyage.” In those cases, demand can be low, and therefore prices (when broken down per day) can also be comparatively low.

Generally speaking, however, many repositioning cruises are, in fact, cheaper than more traditional week-long sailings. “There are many ships that sail from the Caribbean to Europe in the spring, including some of the larger contemporary cruise ships. That means there is quite a bit of capacity at a wide range of attractive fares each year for those that would like to travel between the continents,” says Clabbers. “These cruises can be quite affordable, especially when looking at it from a per-day perspective. In addition, with fewer ports of call, the taxes and port charges may be lower, too.”

5 Repositioning Cruises to Book Now

Celebrity Cruises

17-night Fiji Transpacific on Celebrity Solstice

Departs April 9, 2025

Sail across the South Pacific on a grand adventure from Sydney to Honolulu. While there are nine days at sea, there are quite a few special ports of call on this itinerary, including Loyalty Island in New Caledonia, Mystery Island in Vanuatu, two Fijian islands, Apia in Samoa, Pago Pago in American Samoa, and Kailua-Kona in Hawaii.

Royal Caribbean

16-night Tokyo to Los Angeles on Ovation of the Seas

Departs May 15, 2025

Get your sea legs ready. Though this cruise does call at a few ports in Japan, plus an extra day in Los Angeles, it’ll spend most of its time at sea. Fortunately, the massive ship has plenty onboard to keep you entertained, from a skydiving simulator to a spa to more than two dozen restaurants.

Holland America

18-day Voyage of the Vikings on Zuiderdam

Departs Aug. 5, 2025

If you’re looking to take a repositioning cruise that doesn’t have too many days at sea, this itinerary connecting Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Boston is for you. There are only six sea days, with the bulk of the itinerary including ports across Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada.

Viking

22-day Southern Atlantic Crossing on Viking Jupiter

Departs Nov. 8, 2025

Can you brave three weeks at sea? Viking’s sailing from Barcelona to Buenos Aires includes a brief stint in the Mediterranean and a call in Casablanca, Morocco, before taking to the Atlantic. To break up the week-long transatlantic portion of the voyage, Viking Jupiter will visit São Vicente Island (Mindelo), Cape Verde. And it’ll wrap up with a week sailing the coast of South America.

Virgin Voyages

16-night Panama Canal and Pacific Wonders on Brilliant Lady

Departs March 21, 2026

Sail through the iconic Panama Canal on this journey from Miami to Los Angeles on this well-paced voyage. There are never more than three sea days in a row, with ports like Cartagena, Colombia; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico breaking up the journey.