When I think of the romance of cruising, I think of Victorian-era ladies wearing their long woollen coats and wrapped in blankets on the wooden deck of a ship, looking out at the wide expanse of the ocean. It’s possible to get that same feeling (minus the Victorian-era dress) on a modern-day repositioning cruise.
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What Exactly Is a Repositioning Cruise?
A repositioning cruise is a one-way cruise. Cruise companies do that seasonally, when they move a ship from one home port to another. In my case, a repositioning, or trans-Atlantic cruise, aboard the Norwegian Breakaway, took us from Barcelona to New York City, where the ship will spend the winter months cruising from NYC to Bermuda and back.
Ships are repositioned around the globe. In addition to moving ships from Europe to the Caribbean, cruise lines move ships from Alaska to Los Angeles and from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere each fall, then back again in the spring.
How is a Repositioning Cruise Different from a Traditional Cruise?
Repositioning cruises are traditional cruises. You’ll choose a suite, balcony stateroom, ocean view cabin or inside cabin. You’ll have access to more food than anyone can reasonably eat. And there will be immensely talented singers and dancers to entertain you. All of that is included in the cost of the cruise.
Here’s where a repositioning cruise is different:
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- There will be more sea days. Our cruise started with port stops in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. The last five days we were at sea – no land in sight anywhere.
- The per-night cost will be less. Maybe significantly less.
- The cruises generally last 10 days or longer. Our cruise was 15 days, with eight port stops and seven blissful sea days.
- You might get to see rarely-visited ports. For example, our Atlantic crossing included a stop in the Azores islands off Portugal. A trans-Pacific repositioning cruise could include remote ports in Asia or the South Pacific.
What Is the Onboard Experience Like?
Laid-back is the only way to describe those back-to-back-to-back sea days. While the ship offers some entertainment every hour, there is no reason to feel pressured to do any of it.
Most of the passengers aboard the Breakaway whiled away the days soaking in one of the hot tubs, reading books, napping in a deck lounger, playing games at one of the poolside tables or in the ship’s library, or simply gazing out at the majestic Atlantic Ocean.
I had always heard that repositioning cruises are less well-attended, which means there’s plenty of space to spread out, no need to wait in line at the buffet or grouse about not being able to snag a sun lounger.
That certainly was my experience aboard the Breakaway. But when I asked a crew member how full the ship was, she told me that it was nearly full. Norwegian public relations people could not confirm that, citing rules against giving out those numbers.
SheBuysTravel Tip: If you’re easily bored, load up your Kindle with books and pack a deck of cards and some games that travel well so you always have something to keep you occupied.
Why Should I Take a Repositioning Cruise?
If you love cruise ships and really enjoy sea days, a repositioning cruise is right for you. If you only cruise to see a new port each day, then it likely is not right for you.
SheBuysTravel Tip: If you tend to get seasick, a trans-Atlantic cruise might not be right for you. However, high seas are not a given. The Atlantic was calm during our mid-November crossing..
Which Cruise Lines Offer Trans-Atlantic Cruises?
Most of them! The best collection of cruise options is at RepositioningCruise.com. Here’s a sampling of repositioning cruises planned for spring, 2026, with the lowest listed price for an inside cabin that I found when I searched on Nov. 20, 2025:
Norwegian Cruise Lines
- Norwegian Star: 13 days from Tampa to Lisbon, $929 per person
- Norwegian Pearl: 15 days from Miami to Barcelona, $1099 per person
- Norwegian Viva: 12 days from Miami to Barcelona, $1659 per person
Celebrity
- Celebrity Xcel: 15 days from Miami to Barcelona, $1942 per person
- Celebrity Apex: 13 days from Orlando (Port Canaveral) to Southampton, England, $1566 per person
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