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We recently went on our first repositioning cruise from Vancouver to Tokyo on the Celebrity Millennium. It was 15 days of pure bliss as we crossed the pacific ocean with stops in Alaska, Hakodate and Otaru, Japan. We fell in love with cruising last year and while on board our first cruise someone mentioned they had a “repositioning cruise” booked for an amazing deal. Soon as we heard the magic word “deal” we started looking into what repositioning cruises were and how we could score an affordable cruise!
What is a Repositioning Cruise?
A repositioning cruise is when a ship needs to relocate to a different part of the world due to weather seasons, servicing a new route or when a new ship is starting service. The embarkation port and disembarkation port are different. Most traditional cruises have the same pick up and drop off port.
Top 5 Reasons Why Repositioning Cruises Will Blow Your Mind!
1. Repositioning Cruises Are Cheaper
Nothing else puts a smile on our face more than knowing we got an amazing deal! Repositioning Cruises can go for half the price of regular cruises and sometimes even less! We were able to score a 15 Day Celebrity Cruise from Vancouver to Tokyo in a Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Veranda for only $999 US per person! That covered 15 nights of accommodations, food, beverages (non alcoholic), shows and port stops in three different cities plus our transportation to Asia. We were headed to Asia anyway and would have paid almost that amount just for our flights from Vancouver to Tokyo!
2. Repositioning Cruises Have Rare Itineraries and Port Stops
Respositioning Cruises have itineraries that are not as common and usually only happen once or twice a year. They are perfect if you are more of the adventurous type and want to see multiple far-flung destinations. We were able to see Japan and Alaska on one cruise which was the chance of a lifetime! Some repositioning cruises will literally take you to different ends of the world.
3. Repositioning Cruises Give the Opportunity to Cross an Ocean by Ship!
Anyone can fly over the ocean. It's done everyday by hundreds of thousands of people but not too many people can say they have crossed the ocean by ship! Many of the respositioning cruises are transatlantics but there are even some transpacific cruises that take you across the international date line. We got to do a transpacific cruise and it was everything we had hoped for. Being out in the middle of the ocean has a feeling of freedom I can't even describe.
4. Repositioning Cruises Are Longer and More Personal
Many repositioning cruises have longer itineraries. What we found great about a long cruise was the opportunity to get to know the crew and passengers more personally on board. We forged lifetime friendships that made the cruise even more memorable.
5. Repositioning Cruises Can be Used as Transportation
Next time you're booking your international flight, check if there is a repositioning cruise near you going to the same place! Instead of jet lag and a cramped seat you will be enjoying luxurious service and a private stateroom. When you arrive at your destination you might just realize it was the journey there that was the highlight of your trip!
Our repositioning cruise with Celebrity was so amazing that we are actually booked the same ship when it respositions back to Canada in the Spring of 2019! The ship is undergoing a 100 million dollar renovation and we are so excited to see it! If you happen to be on the same cruise make sure to stop us and say hi! Check out the Celebrity Millennium repositioning cruise from Tokyo to Vancouver
Happy Travels