A repositioning cruise is a lot of fun. Just the fact of starting and ending in different places leaves you with a sense of adventure. Repositioning cruises normally happen in the late spring and mid fall. In the late spring you have ships that move from North America to Europe and ships that move from South Pacific destinations to Alaska/Canada. Then in the fall, they do it all over again. I decided to put these tips together for taking a repositioning cruise sailing.
What are some things that you can do to best prepare yourself for this kind of a trip? I’ve got you covered on some of the most important things that you need to remember. These are the 5 Tips for Taking a Repositioning Cruise.
- Check Passport Requirements: More than likely, you will need a passport for one of these cruises since they are open loop (starts and ends in different places). Cruises that start and end in the US (closed loop), you can get away with a license and birth certificate.
- Bring Clothes for Different Temperatures: These cruises occur at temperamental times of the year. Starting in Barcelona in October to end in Miami is going to require cold weather clothes to start and bikinis to finish.
- Be flexible with Ship Activities: When a lot of people think of cruises, they think of pools and slides in the middle of the ocean. A lot of these features are not always available if it is too cold outside. There are usually indoor pool options like adult only closed in pools available at this time too. There are days when you are going to be better off finding something inside the ship to do instead.
- Be Prepared for Potential Inspection: If you are on a newer ship arriving to the US for the first time, be prepared for a delayed departure process. This happened to one of my friends who was on the Symphony of the Seas Transatlantic sailing. It had a port in Cape Canaveral the day before ending in Miami and the lines to get off the ship were obscenely long due to it being inspected for its first time in the US.
- Buy Travel Insurance: I purchase now for all my cruises in general because it really isn’t expensive but I would highly recommend this for a repositioning sailing. If something happens to you onboard, it is going to cost a lot of money. If the onboard physician can’t help, you will need to be airlifted or the ship may have to turn back to a foreign port. Piece of mind is worth the price.
I loved my repositioning cruise from Hawaii to Alaska and I’m planning on doing another one in Fall 2020. I hope that some of these tips were helpful and I’m here for any questions that you may have.
Check out a Celebrity Repositioning Cruise: https://www.celebritycruises.com/
