Types of Cruises - Repositioning Cruises
REPOSITIONAGING CRUISES
Repositioning cruises are typically cruises that relocate the cruise ship after a season in one particular area in time for a new season in another region.
Panama cruises often help transit ships between the summer months in Alaska and the winter in the Caribbean. These repositioning cruises also include what is referred to as the Pacific Coast repositioning itineraries as the ships make their way between Seattle or Vancouver and the Panama Canal. North bound cruises take place in the spring as the cruise lines assemble their fleets for the Alaska season. South bound cruises take place in the fall at the end of the season.
Transatlantic cruises typically relocate cruise ships after a summer spell in Europe or a winter schedule in the Caribbean. East bound cruises take place in the spring, west bound cruises in the Fall.
Other repositioning cruises offer a variety of itineraries as ships locate around the globe. From Alaska to Asia, from Hawaii to Australia – the choices are endless.
These types of cruises offer more time at sea and consequently cruisers enjoy an entirely different atmosphere. The mood is more relaxed, and guests have more time to interact with each other. Entertainment is about relaxing at sea and educational highlights are not about the next port of call, or duty free shopping.
Passengers tend to be more seasoned travellers who enjoy the time spent at sea and who have either visited the other destinations already or have no interest in doing so.
One of the main advantages of a repositioning cruise is in the cost. They are invariably cheaper than cruises focussing on a particular destination. The drawback is that a repositioning cruise, because its departure and arrival ports are often radically different, necessarily demands more expensive air fares as cost saving round-trip airfares are not an option.
The length of these types of cruises also depends on the destinations involved and can be anything from less than a week to more than 3 weeks. Repositioning cruises can also be tailored to individual tastes by travelling only a section of the itinerary.
photo courtesy Windstar Cruises