World Cruises

There are many different cruise specials that surface throughout the year. From individual cruise line promotions, advertised sales to last-minute sell offs, all are considered cruise specials one way or another. In this article, I'd like to cover one of my favourite types of cruises referred to as... repositioning cruises.

Basically, a repositioning cruise leaves one port and arrives in another. That is, this type of cruise does not return to the port from which it departed. As the seasons change, so do the itineraries of the cruise lines. For example, in the Spring and Fall, ships cruising Alaska itineraries generally do so from May to Sept and will return to warmer climates or other areas of the world for the winter. So, like the birds, cruise ships relocate depending on the season or 'reposition' themselves. Instead of relocating the ships without passengers, the cruise lines offer great cruise deals called repositioning cruises and generally at deeply discounted prices. That brings us to perhaps the number one reason for grabbing repositioning cruise specials; Value!

The cost is usually much less than the average cruise and/or the individual cruise lines will offer tremendous incentives to customers in order to fill their ships to capacity. For instance, some repositioning cruise specials will include airfare, transfers and hotel accommodation on certain cruises.

Cruise ships dramatically reduce fares making them attractive to passengers who would normally prefer port-intensive cruises. Cruise lines also realize that most passengers will spend more money per day onboard. Places such as in the casinos, lounges and retail shops while at sea. More than they would normally do when the ships visit numerous ports as in a typical cruise. As a result, cruise specials are offered by the cruise lines and are willing to sail with discounted fares just to fill the cabins.

From the Pacific Coast, the Panama Canal, to crossing the Atlantic, repositioning cruises are to be found all across the globe. You should be aware that repositioning cruises tend to make much less stops at ports of call, since their main purpose is to relocate the ship to its final destination. This is good if you would like to spend a lot of time at sea, but if you want to see a variety of different places, than it is unlikely that you will find what you are looking for on a repositioning cruise.

There are some terrific 3 and 4 day cruise specials, to those lasting weeks. If you're looking to just get away for a few days and relax, or spend weeks sailing the high seas, these types of cruises are just the ticket! There's a cruise to match most every ones time - table and budget.

How do you find repositioning cruise specials? Well, you could watch the birds and see which way they're flying! If that is not working for you, however, you could check out some of these resources:

Look north to Alaska first. Any ship that spends the summer in Alaska will almost always feature a repositioning cruise in the spring or fall that will include time in Hawaii, the western coast of the Americas, and/or a transit through the Panama Canal. The second place to look for a repositioning cruise is northern Europe or the Mediterranean. Many ships sailing in Europe will cross the Atlantic to the United States or the Caribbean in the fall and return in the spring. Since South America and Asia are becoming more popular cruise destinations, you might also find repositioning cruises from the USA across the Caribbean to South America or across the Indian or Pacific Oceans.

When cruise planning, I strongly recommend dealing with reputable local travel agencies, especially those that specialize in cruises. Or visit a likewise highly regarded travel business online.

Happy travels!
Robert Tellier

Robert Tellier - A passion for travel and with over 35 years experience in the Travel Industry, I now enjoy sharing travel information, tips, destinations and much more, helping to make your family travel stress-free and enjoyable. Please visit: http://holidaysforfamily.com/all-inclusive-cruise-deals and receive our Free Travel Tips eBook just for dropping by!