The best-kept secret in cruising for great value voyages

There is a little-known way to sail aboard the top cruise liners at a fraction of the cost

Twice a year, as surely as the swallows migrate, the world’s cruise ships pick up anchor and set off on journeys of their own. From Alaska to the Caribbean, the Med to the Americas, Asia to Australia, as one season ends and another beckons, thousands of tonnes of gleaming steel glide across the seas in search of warmer waters and new passengers.

These are repositioning cruises: long, one-way voyages that ferry ships between regions at the start of a new cruise season and on which passengers can often sail for a fraction of the price of a regular cruise. They can be a bargain for some. For others, a bore. The question is: are they worth it?

What exactly is a repositioning cruise?

Similarly, you won’t find too many passengers queuing up for a Caribbean cruise just as they’re naming a new hurricane in the Atlantic.

Most cruise destinations are terrific, but only in season. When the Mediterranean cools in autumn, ships head for warmer waters – often the Caribbean, though increasingly lines are adding winter itineraries in the Med itself. Come spring, many vessels make the journey back to Europe. Ships that summer in Alaska will often reposition to Asia, Australia or the tropics for the northern winter.

These journeys – necessary for the ship, optional for you – are sold as passenger cruises, often at bargain basement rates.

You can popular destinations such as Lisbon off season on a repositioning cruise - Jean Brooks/Alamy

Are repositioning cruises cheaper than other cruises?

As a rule, repositioning cruises are more affordable than regular cruises. That’s because they tend to take the most direct route between two destinations – there’s no meandering.

This can be music to some people’s ears: no more dreaded port stops and expensive shore excursions, just the ocean as it was supposed to be experienced: vast and empty.

Sea days become the point of the cruise: a chance to enjoy the ship itself without the nagging worry that you’re missing out if you don’t do absolutely everything on the cruise itinerary.

Repositioning cruises can also be longer than a regular cruise, a two- to three-week journey from one ocean to another is common – but with per-day fares that can undercut a package holiday in Torremolinos.

Case in point? Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has a 14-day repositioning cruise departing on November 1, 2026 from Barcelona and sailing to Orlando (Port Canaveral) via Seville, Casablanca, La Palma, the US Virgin Islands and the Bahamas from just £831pp for an inside cabin. Transatlantic economy flights can cost far more.

Cruise lines discount heavily because these voyages are harder to sell. They’re one-way, so they often involve flights at either end. But if getting away for you means leaving land behind completely, then the value of these cruises can be considerable.

The rhythm of sea days

This is where the ground fissures, steam rises and cruisers divide. A repositioning cruise might have as few as three ports across a fortnight. The rest? Pure unbridled ocean.

Repositioning cruise-goers need to be comfortable with plenty of sea days - Don Wilson

For some, this is bliss: time to read the Booker shortlist, make a dent in the spa menu, or simply watch the ocean glide by. Lines like Holland America and Princess Cruises expand their enrichment programmes for repositioning cruises, so you can expect more guest lectures, wine tastings and cooking demos than usual.

But if you’re someone who starts to fidget 15 minutes after plonking yourself by the pool, then the endless blue might send you bonkers. On sea-day-heavy itineraries, the ship is the destination. And if you don’t love the ship, then it can rapidly feel like a prison vessel.

Flights, visas and logistics

Another factor to keep in mind is the increased complexity of travel. Unlike a round-trip cruise, repositioning voyages are one-way, so you’ll need to arrange flights – often long-haul – at either end. A Rome-Miami crossing, for example, might end with a pricey flight back to Europe.

Savvy travellers use repositioning cruises as part of a longer trip: fly to Tokyo and discover Japan before sailing to Vancouver with Royal Caribbean (a 15-night cruise costs £1,240pp; around £80 a night), then rail across Canada before flying back from Toronto.

Visas can also add cost and hassle. Sailing from Seattle to Tokyo with Holland America Line may require you to pick up an ESTA for the US and an eTA for Canada, so it’s important to check the visa situation before you book the cruise.

Who are these cruises best for?

Repositioning cruises suit a certain type of traveller. Retirees with flexible schedules often love them, as do digital nomads who can work from anywhere (though be aware of the cost of Wi-Fi – on many mainstream lines, daily internet packages still run to £20-30).

They’re also popular with value-seekers who care less about ports and more about the cruise experience itself.

Exploring the top cruise routes for less means less port stops - Image Professionals/Alamy

Conversely, if your idea of a perfect holiday is waking up in a different city every morning, repositioning cruises are not for you: port collectors should stick to itineraries with more stops.

Can you reposition in relative luxury?

Not all repositioning cruises are basement bargains. Luxury lines like Silversea and Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC) use them as opportunities to showcase their all-inclusive offer. A 13-day Lisbon–Miami sailing with Silversea includes unlimited drinks, fine dining and butler service but costs £3,395pp. However, per-night rates still drastically undercut the line’s standard cruises.

How to find the best repositioning cruise deals

The key to finding a good deal on a repositioning cruise is to remain flexible – on dates, routes, and even destinations.

Some of the best offers often appear only six months before departure and prices can rapidly tumble in the weeks before the cruise, as lines try to fill empty cabins. Aggregator sites such as VacationsToGo, CruiseMapper, and Cruise Web are useful for comparing routes and prices across lines, while Cruise Critic often lists editor-curated bargains. In short: booking late can pay off handsomely – as long as you’re not wedded to a specific cabin or sailing date.

Are repositioning cruises worth it?

The value of a repositioning cruise comes down to temperament and timing. If you’re a restless sightseer, a two-week repositioning crossing will give you cabin fever on the high seas. However, if you relish the idea of slowing down, switching off and indulging on board while watching the sea slip by, then they can be an extraordinary value.

When you do finally pull into port and are emptied into the bustle of Barcelona or the mayhem of Miami, you’ll realise you have taken part in one of sailing’s greatest rituals: an ocean crossing. And that, surely, is worth it.

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About our expert

Murray Garrard

Murray got his sea legs young, when he took a topper off a beach in South Devon and charted a course for the south Atlantic, only to capsize yards from the shore. Not put off, since then he’s spent as much time on – and indeed in – the sea as possible, sailing on every ocean and every type of ship.

Telegraph Travel’s cruise expert, Murray Gerrard

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