From The Archives :: A Steal At Sea

[trip style = cruising + budget conscious]

{Editor's Note: This was originally posted in June of last year, but has been significantly updated for today. Sidebar: the day this was posted last June, our travel beauty editor recommended/shared Trip Styler on her company's Facebook page and Forest Whitaker's wife "Liked" this! Ok, back on track...

Repositioning cruises are one of the most cost effective ways to travel in the fall {and spring}. Next week, I'm taking advantage of one of the 13 cruises leaving from Vancouver for other ports and have booked a five-night itinerary with two stops, one in Astoria, OR and another in San Francisco, CA. It was the perfect vacation solution as I looked for an early-fall break. The price was right too starting at $199+taxes---a steal for five-nights.}

Repositioning Cruise:  when a cruise repositions from one route to another by switching ports of call. Many people see repositioning cruises as the cruise industry’s 50% off sale rack with uber-colourful shirts and ill-fitting pants, or a lesser excuse for cruise itinerary. Don't be fooled, these direct and/or sometimes creative journeys have become a big business. If a ship is going to reposition anyway, why not take advantage of its discounted price tag, unique itinerary and interesting ports---all while eating well and then working it off on the dance floor. Here are some pros and cons about repositioning cruieses to help you make a more informed decision about the trip style:

Repositioning Pros - fun alternative to flying - can be economical considering on-board amenities, food and destinations - visit places you might never plan to see {ie: for me, Astoria, OR!} - can take you off the beaten path - depending on the cruise line, child care for kids three and older is usually included {but make sure before booking}

Repositiong Cons - you’re not going on a round-trip, so you’ll need to book additional travel - sometimes the unique itineraries offer fewer or no ports of call - communication with the outside world is expensive and challenging for longer journeys

How To Book Repositioning Cruises My recommended repositioning resource is RepositioningCruise.com, also listed in TS Recommends. It's comprehensive, easy to use and simple to book. All you have to do is sign-up and then click on the "show me the deals" link. Once 'inside,' sort by the incoming and outgoing ports, dates, price, days at sea, etc...

Bon voyage!

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[photo by Jamez Flickr]

Reposition Me

[trip style = cruising]

I recently saw a repositioning cruise that made me salivate: a 43-day adventure from Vancouver to Sydney, stopping in the Hawaiian Islands, Fiji and New Zealand before ending up in Oz. What a way to get from Vancouver to Australia - a trip I'm planning on taking in the fall! But alas, I won't be booking because... a) the wireless charge for the month-and-a-half voyage would probably cost more than the cruise (and it would likely be slow), b) the Holland America ship doesn't have a flowrider - an on-board amenity that made me particularly fond of Royal Caribbean, and c) 43 days is a long time on a ship.

Repositioning Pluses & Minuses Many people see repositioning cruises as the cruise industry's 50% off sale rack with oversized shirts and ill-fitting pants, or a lesser excuse for cruise itinerary. But it's not, and it's become a big business. If a ship is going to reposition anyway, take advantage of its discounted price tag, unique voyage and interesting ports.

Pluses - an fun alternative to flying - can be economical considering on-board amenities, food and destinations - visit places you might never plan to see - can take you off the beaten path

Minuses - you're not going on a round-trip, so you'll need to book additional travel - sometimes the unique itineraries offer fewer to no ports of call - communication with the outside world is expensive and challenging for longer journeys

Repositining Cruise Booking Resources RepositioningCruise.com Owned by the vacationstogo.com - one of the largest cruise discounters on the web - repositioningcruise.com is the most comprehensive repositioning resource online, offering a long list of cruise options to and from interesting destinations. What I like about the website is the ability to sort its list based on ports, dates, cruise lines, etc. Here are a few neat repositioning itineraries I found (to access the list of cruises, you must join their website by clicking on "show me the deals"):

• Vancouver to LA: 4 days. Departs Sept 26. No stops. $249 (that's the same price as flying, and you get to eat 3 meals a day)
• Amsterdam to New York: 19 days. Departs Aug 19. Stops in Scotland, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland and Canada. $1,899.
• Anchorage to Beijing: 16 days. Departs Sept 18. Stops in Japan, Russia, South Korea and China. $1,299.
• Buenos Aires to Barcelona: 20 days. Departs Mar 15, 2011. Stops in Uruguay, Brazil, Cape Verde, Canary Islands and Spain. $2,299.

Go Direct Another way to reposition yourself at sea is by visiting your preferred cruise line's website and searching for repositioning cruises. Most cruise companies offer these special itineraries themselves, and one bonus of booking directly with the supplier is loyalty. If you're already part of their program, cha-ching, you'll just be adding another reason for them to appreciate your patronage.

Have you ever done a repositioning cruise?

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