Where To Find the Cheapest Repositioning Cruise Deals

Last Updated: September 2018 to Include Best Last-Minute Repositioning Cruise Deals for Fall 2018

Using cheap repositioning cruise deals to travel around the world can provide for an incredibly affordable way to get from one continent to another in complete luxury. We know this because we’ve now taken over ten different repositioning cruises all across the world’s oceans, sailing between North America, South America, Europe, and Asia!

It’s a wonderful travel experience to slowly voyage from one continent to another, stopping at far-flung ports along the way all with the easy, carefree living that cruise travel provides. We’ve found the cheap repositioning cruise deals can often be less expensive than flights between the same locations. Yet scoring a repositioning cruise deal provides so much more than a cramped seat on a redeye coach flight. We think repositioning cruises provide the best travel values out there.

The decadent four-course dinners, Broadway-style entertainment, traveling from island-to-island, and all while in a super comfy stateroom makes for an extravagant travel experience that we would otherwise never be able to afford.

Our love of these seasonal one-way cruises is so strong that we even used a series of repositioning cruise to travel entirely around the world without flights. You can see all the details on our strategy and our complete budget from that 300-day voyage in this separate post:

• How To Achieve the Impossible: A Cheap World Cruise

We’re now spilling our secrets of how we find these deals and have even picked out some of the cheapest repositioning cruise deals we’re seeing when we’ve last updated this post. But first, we just wanted to take a minute to explain a little bit how these one-way repositioning cruise deals work and the costs involved.

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So How Cheap Are Repositioning Cruise Deals Really?

Repositioning cruise deals can vary in cost, but they can regularly be found ranging in price from $400-$800 for a two-week oceanic crossing. That breaks down to about $30-$60 per night! We try to shoot for prices under $60 per night, but sometimes go beyond that for a great itinerary.

Transatlantic repositioning cruises tend to be the cheapest and the most common. We regularly see cheap repositioning cruise deals with transatlantic itineraries for $500, or even less. Usually, these are for 13-night trips, stopping at Carribean Islands along the way. As such, a nightly rate of $40 or less per person (before gratuities and port fees) is an easily achievable repositioning cruise deal to get across the Atlantic.

We once even spotted a transatlantic cruise deal for $159! The $12/night price even included the very rare feat of an open bar beverage package throughout the entire sailing.  It almost seemed too-good-to-be-true, so in 2016 we booked this insanely low-priced cruise to find out. If you’re curious to know what a $159 two-week cruise is like,

• You can read our: Pullmantur Monarch Review here.

Transpacific repositioning cruises are less common and are longer, hence the deals may not be quite as good. But we regularly see transpacific repositioning cruise deals for under $800, in the $50/night range. It can be quite an affordable and interesting way to travel between North America and Asia!

More exotic repositioning cruise routes tend to be less common and can be priced higher. Yet the repositioning cruise deals still abound! Many were surprised to learn the modest cost of our month and a half long journey from Asia to Europe, across the Indian Ocean and through the Suez Canal, using two different ships. It came out to a cost of only $49 per night! It was an incredible long voyage of Champagne living on a Budweiser budget, as we got to check out so many interesting places along the way.

So What’s The Catch of Repositioning Cruise Deals?

These cheap repositioning cruises may seem like they’re too good to be true, but they’re totally legit. There are no major catches, really.

It’s a common misnomer that these repositioning cruise deals are cheap because they’re boring and stripped down cruises. Not true!

It’s actually exactly the opposite, as cruise lines tend to ramp up activities, lectures, and entertainment during those extra days at sea. It’s a blast and we never get bored. Meanwhile, the more exotic ports that are visited along the way are the most appealing proposition to us.

Yet there are some aspects of repositioning cruises to bear in mind:

• Travel dates are very specific, not at all flexible, and often the deals are only at certain times each year
• These are lengthy journeys, so you’ll need the luxury of time (great for nomads, long-term travelers, or retirees)
• Some of the best deals are last-minute, making advanced planning complicated
• The cheapest staterooms are usually interior (no balcony or window), although balcony upgrades exist
• There tend to be many “sea days,” which are fun-filled & relaxing (we never get bored), but may not be for everyone
• Expenses onshore are at your own cost
• Wifi is very expensive and very slow, a major problem for anyone who needs to stay connected
• Repositioning cruise prices are usually based on double occupancy, so you’ll need a travel buddy
• Alcohol drinks onboard are usually not included and pricey, but there are ways around this
• Service gratuities will usually add $10-$15 per person, per night, to your daily cost
• You’ve got to know how to find these repositioning cruise deals, but we’re about to help with that!

Understand the Common Repositioning Cruise Routes & Timing

Repositioning cruises tend to be most active during the change in seasons: Spring and Fall.

This is because cruise lines are trying to “reposition” their fleets from one part of the world to another, as weather conditions and travel patterns changes. (Hence the etymology of a repositioning cruise.)

For example, since the Mediterranean Sea boasts warm weather and is high season for travel in the summer, cruise lines often move ships to the Med in the late Spring to take advantage of this. Meanwhile, the summer is actually the off-season for the Caribbean, so it’s only natural for cruise lines to move ships across the Atlantic around March-May. The reverse occurs in the Fall, as ships are moved from Europe across the Atlantic to Florida, among other North American locations, that are popular warm-weather destinations throughout the winter months.

These transatlantic cruises are the most common repositioning cruise routes. As such, transatlantic cruises tend to provide the cheapest repositioning cruise deals each year. In the Fall, you can find many affordable routes across the Atlantic from European locations such as London, Barcelona, Rome, and Copenhagen. While in the Spring loads of ships travel westbound from the US to ports throughout Europe.

But there are many other repositioning cruise routes to consider. Alaskan cruises can’t sail in the winter, so those ships need to go elsewhere, of course! As a result, transpacific cruises can provide interesting itineraries that tend to either voyage through Alaska or even the South Pacific Islands!

Europe-Asia repositioning cruises can provide for more port intensive journeys. And transiting from North to South America (or vice versa) can be an interesting voyage that often includes a Panama Canal Cruise.

Here are some repositioning cruise routes you can usually find during the spring months.

During Autumn, this is where cruise lines tend to reposition their cruise ships.

Note: the above maps are simply for example purposes to provide some general idea as to the timing of repositioning cruises. Exact routes are constantly changing and there are always exceptions. Often additional itineraries come about from odd world cruise segments or even brand new ships that are built in one place but need to be positioned somewhere. We’re always looking to see what repositioning cruise deals may be out there.

So where do we find these repositioning cruise deals? We’re getting to that!

Cheapest Fall 2018 Repositioning Cruise Deals You Can Book Right Now!

We’ll soon delve into our tactics for finding the best repositioning cruise deals. But here are a few deals we’ve found that you can book right now through our affiliate at CruiseDirect, which offers easy online booking, a low price guarantee, no booking fees, and they have some of the best deals & promos we’ve seen.

In fact, CruiseDirect is what we just used ourselves to book our last repositioning cruise deal when we crossed the Atlantic on the brand new Norwegian Bliss.

Repositioning cruise prices do regularly fluctuate, sometimes even daily. So be sure to follow the links we’ve left below to confirm the most up-to-date price quote. The prices we’ve listed are current at the time of last updating this post (September 2, 2018) and may have changed higher or lower since this last update.

Best Fall 2018 Transatlantic Repositioning Cruise Deals, Europe to the Americas

Right now there are some fantastic transatlantic repositioning cruise deals for anyone wanting to take a last-minute voyage from Europe to both North and South America. These are the up-to-date cheapest transatlantic deals being sold right now.

Below are some of the cheapest repositioning cruise deals we’ve spotted this autumn from Europe. Currently, the cheapest repositioning cruise from Europe to the US is the Norwegian Star from Rome to Miami. It has a fun itinerary too, stopping along the way in Barcelona, Azores, and St Maarten. It’s a sweet deal at what amounts to $36 per night!

We also like the Norwegian Breakaway‘s interesting northern itinerary, with stops in Sweeden, London, Ireland, and the Azores, while voyaging to NYC.

Meanwhile, the MSC Fantasia and the Celebrity Eclipse both present some very intriguing longer routes to get from Europe all the way to South America!

Ship	Departure	From	To	$/Night
Costa Magica	1-Dec-2018	Savona, Italy	Guadeloupe	$33
Norwegian Star	4-Nov-2018	Rome (Civitavecchia)	Miami	$36
Norwegian Epic	4-Nov-2018	Barcelona	Canaveral, FL	$41
Norwegian Breakaway	2-Oct-2018	Copenhagen	NYC	$46
MSC Fantasia	4-Nov-2018	Genoa, Italy	Brazil	$46
Costa Deliziosa	30-Nov-2018	Savona, Italy	Ft Lauderdale, FL	$51
Royal Princess	10-Sep-2018	London (Southampton)	NYC (Brooklyn)	$51
Celebrity Eclipse	23-Nov-2018	Barcelona	Buenos Aires	$52

Best Fall 2018 Transpacific Repositioning Cruise Deals, North America to Asia

Right now the cheapest repositioning cruise across the Pacific is this last-minute deal on Holland America Westerdam for a mere $506, or $36/night from Vancouver to Tokyo (Yokohama). It’s includes cruising through Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park, which we found to be a major cruising highlight.

While that’s a steal, we like this repositioning cruise deal even more: Vancouver to Japan on the Norwegian Jewel. It’s longer, more port intensive, and it comes out to only an extra $1/night more. With four stops in Alaska, plus Petropavlovsk, Russia (!), then four more ports in Japan – it’s really an attractive itinerary! And it’s all an absolutely amazing value at what amounts to only $37/night. It leaves very soon though, so pack your bags!

Yet perhaps the most interesting and exotic itinerary for this season is this 24-day route on HAL Noordam from Vancouver to Sydney, Australia. It breaks apart the transpacific voyage across the Equator and International Date Line with three stops in Hawaii, followed by six ports in exotic islands throughout the South Pacific. What an incredible way to get down under!

Ship	Departure	From	To	$/Night
HAL Westerdam	30-Sept-2018	Vancouver	Tokyo (Yokohama)	$36
Norwegian Jewel	17-Sept-2018	Vancouver	Tokyo (Yokohama)	$37
HAL Noordam	30-Sept-2018	Vancouver	Sydney	$53
Celebrity Millennium	14-Sept-2018	Vancouver	Tokyo (Yokohama)	$63
RC Explorer of Seas	5-Oct-2018	Seattle	Sydney	$82

Best Fall 2018 Panama Canal Repositioning Cruise Deals, Pacific to Atlantic

In addition to moving to Asia, cruise lines also repositioning their Alaska fleets to the warmer Caribbean waters. That makes for some attractive and cheap Panama Canal repositioning cruises. We’re even considering potentially taking one of these ourselves. Right now the cheapest repositioning cruise through the Panama Canal is this cruise on the HAL Volendam, from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale, at $53/night. That would make for a fun-yet-roundabout way for us to get from Mexico to my hometown, using the very same ship we crossed the Pacific with one year prior.

We’re also keeping an eye on some other Panama Canal repositioning cruises too, like these:

Ship	Departure	From	To	$/Night
HAL Volendam	3-Nov-2018	San Diego	Ft Lauderdale	$53
Norwegian Pearl	21-Oct-2018	San Diego	Tampa	$59
HAL New Amsterdam	3-Oct-2018	San Diego	Ft Lauderdale	$56
NCL Bliss	3-Nov-2018	Los Angeles	Miami	$71

Fall 2018 Repositioning Cruise Deals from Europe to Asia

The Europe-to-Asia repositioning cruise deals are rarer but do exist. Right now we’re finding the cheapest deal on the Costa NeoRiviera departing in November that goes from Venice to the Maldives or continues all the way to India, with prices around $62 per night, but we’ve seen it listed as low as $52/night, so keep an eye on it.

 

More: 2019 Repositioning Cruise Deals

We will update this post and add some 2019 repositioning cruise deals soon. There are currently some decent transatlantic deals already available, but the best ones are yet to come. Stand by!

Or start searching now yourself. The remainder of this post details our process of how we find some of the cheapest repositioning cruise deals. We’ve already noted the best deals that are departing for in the Fall, but if you want to start scouting out other potential itineraries later in the year or further, continue reading. Just know that prices will likely shift, sometimes dramatically, the further out you look. That’s exactly the topic we’ll explain next.

More Tips On How to Find the Best Repositioning Cruise Deals

There are so many cruise search sites out there and so many options to book a cruise, it can become a bit overwhelming and confusing to know where to find the cheapest repositioning cruise deals. It can take some time, sleuthing, price monitoring, and perhaps even a bit of gambling to nail them down. But these repositioning cruise deals are out there!

We do like booking with CruiseDirect as they’re simple, straightforward, no booking fees, and often have the lowest price. They also have a decent search functionality to help find these cheap repositioning cruises. Yet for more complicated routes, we actually begin searching elsewhere, then move on to sites like CruiseDirect to price compare when the timing seems right.

The following offers a step-by-step process on what we use to try to hunt down some of the best repositioning cruise deals.

 

Step 1) Know the Best Timing to Book a Repositioning Cruise Deal

Prices for repositioning cruises can fluctuate greatly. You might even do a search after reading this blog post and find the prices are nowhere near the costs we’ve mentioned. While planning our round the world trips, we meticulously stalk these repositioning cruise prices each year to understand exactly when is the best time to book.

Often with cruises, it’s a good idea to book as early as possible to score the best deal. But that is not necessarily the case with repositioning cruises, particularly for common routes like transatlantic repositioning cruises.

At about 45-90 days prior to embarkation is when cruise lines begin to understand what their exact cabin inventory since they can now do so because the cancellation period has ended. Once they have a finite occupancy count, the powers that be will usually discount remaining cabins greatly in attempts to fill the ship to capacity. So during the two-month period prior to the desired sail date, you can usually find very attractive prices if you have the nerves to hold out that long. (Note: you also run a risk of prices rising.)

Exactly when during that 45-90 day period the price dips will vary by cruise line depending on each cruise line’s specific cancelation policy. So if you really want to stalk a cruise’s price, do a little research to find out when the refundable cancelation period ends (which varies, based on the line and length of the cruise). Take a look at this page on CruiseCritic which details every line’s cancelation period. Then calculate the cancelation date based upon the particular cruise(s) you’re most interested in. To be absolutely certain about the cancelation date policy, it’s best to check directly with each cruise line, who may have updated their policies beyond what was reported on this third-party site. Once you know when the cancelation date is, be vigilant at checking the prices a few times per day during the days surrounding that date. Within a week, you should notice a price change.

A general rule of thumb is the following:

• Spring repositioning cruise sailings: Buy around February or March for an April sailing
• Fall repositioning cruise sailings: Buy around August or September for an October sailing

We’ve found that for an April embarkation across the Atlantic, February and March are often the best time of year to make your move. During this timeframe, you actually get a double whammy of good fortune. For one, this time of year is what the cruise industry calls “Wave Season,” a promotional period when cruise lines are offering deep discounts and generous perks such as onboard credit, drink packages, prepaid gratuities, wifi packages, and more.

For the Fall transatlantic crossings from Europe/Mediterranean to Florida/Caribbean, the best time to buy tends to be around August and into September, all depending on the exact cruises departure date and cancelation policy. We’ve encountered slightly better deals for the eastbound Spring repositioning cruises, but there are always plenty of Fall westbound deals that still remain under $500 per person and less than $50 per day.

While typically waiting a month or two before the cruise’s departure to buy can be a good bet, above all else, just buy when you see a great deal regardless of the time of year. There have been instances where we’ve found some great repositioning cruise deals in February (or earlier) but they went even lower in early March. Other times, we’ve waited for these early-March bargains, only to find prices rose! It’s a gamble depending on booking trends whether the price may rise or fall from there. And these repositioning cruises actually do sometimes sell out. So if you find a great price, don’t get greedy and wait for it to go lower. Just book it!

So What’s a Good Price for a Repositioning Cruise Deal?

That’s up to you and depends on a variety of factors such as the ship, itinerary, cabin, etc. But if we find inside cabins for under $500 per person for a two-week transatlantic cruise, we’re extremely happy with that. We’d even splurge an extra hundred bucks or so for a balcony or for a particularly interesting itinerary. But again, that’s all a personal call based upon your preferences and budget.

Also, if you’re looking for lots of great bonuses during your sailing, know that while the deals tend to be better waiting until the cancelation period, the perks tend to be much fewer during this last-minute time frame. So take that into consideration while waiting to book a repositioning cruise. That said, I still firmly believe that the deals you can get after the cancelation period tend to outweigh any extra bonuses offered prior to that timing. And sometimes you can be lucky enough to receive both an excellent deal and some fantastic benefits that include onboard credit, paid gratuities, or even a complimentary cruise drink package!

Really, our best advice on timing is this: if you don’t care much about what cruise line, ship, or itinerary you take, then definitely wait it out to the 45-90 cancelation period. You will most certainly get a bargain on a sailing, under $50 per night. But if there is a particular ship or itinerary that you definitely want to cruise on, then be careful, as prices may rise unexpectedly, leaving you heartbroken.

 

Step 2) Search Carefully for Repositioning Cruise Deals

Although we actually making our bookings with other sites, a first site we often use to uncover these repositioning cruise deals is VacationsToGo.com. They are a cruise travel agency but their site acts like a great meta search of all major cruise lines and each of their itineraries. Think of it as the Kayak.com of cruises.

We like searching VacationsToGo over other cruise searches primarily because we find this site to have the most advanced search criteria available. By using their “custom search,” you can filter by much more than the month, cruise line, and broad destination. You can really search with a fine-toothed comb by specifying price ranges, star-level, must-visit ports, ship size, cruise length, departure port, and so much more. It has extremely flexible functionality, while other cruise search engines tend to have only 5-6 broad search criteria to use.

Also, VacactionsToGo listings tend to be up-to-date and they tend to have very good pricing. Often we’ve found it to be the lowest price and if not, they are usually pretty close.

Despite our love for searching using VacationsToGo, once you find a bargain you like, it is best to continue on to the next steps to ensure you truly got the best price and perks, which can be different from one agency to another. Of our last 10 repositioning cruise purchases, VacationsToGo ended up providing the best (or equal) combination of pricing and perks 5 of those times and I could have skipped the remaining steps entirely. But in other instances, we did find better price and perk combinations by booking through other sites/agencies.

Usually, the differences were fairly minor, within $100 or so. But we find that additional value to be worth the time it takes to cross-check a few other sites like CruiseDirect, which has a low price guarantee and no booking fees. Plus you cannot book online using VacationsToGo and must instead coordinate a call with one of their travel agents, even if you just want to get a price quote that includes all the taxes or even to confirm availability. So once we find we a cruise we like, we often then go to CruiseDirect to seamlessly complete the transaction entirely online.

First, here’s some detail on how we recommend using VacationToGo’s great search functions.

 

2a) Give Up an Email Address

In order to search using VacationsToGo, you must provide them with your email address. They don’t spam you with tons of solicitations. I just get one email per week (usually on a Wednesday). You can easily opt out of the emails later if you want. But for now, just give them your email so you can continue with your search for a repositioning cruise deal.

2b) Perform a “Custom Search”

Next, go to “Custom Search.” It’s on the upper left side of the home page. It’s a little blue text link in the upper-left corner of the screen, just below the main search. Click the “Custom Search” text which will then take you to a form with lots of options.

2c) Filter Your Search Criteria

Under destination, select both “Transatlantic” and “Repositioning” to see listings categorized for each of these. Now use whatever other filters that may be important for you. You will certainly want to filter by dates to select the months and year.

Maybe you also would only consider a 4-star ship or higher. Or perhaps you want to look for repositioning cruise deals leaving only particular ports near wherever you live or where you are traveling. Maybe you prefer a smaller or larger ship, in which case you can filter by the number of passengers.

Those are all great search criteria to consider playing around with. However, for your first few searches, we recommend that you use less filters in order to yield more results. You can always go back and refine your filters later. To start, I’d recommend filtering only by “destination” and “dates.”

Also note that, on occasion, we have found repositioning cruises that were not listed as such. For example, we once took a repositioning cruise from Florida all the way down to Chile in South America. It went through the Panama Canal, so it was listed as a Panama Canal cruise and was not also categorized as repositioning cruise, even though it most definitely was. Therefore, it can sometimes be worthwhile to play around with these searches to uncover gems like that.

 

2d) Reveal the Cost Per Night

Before viewing the search results, we recommend tweaking one more thing on the results screen. When considering longer itineraries like repositioning cruises, it’s important to not overly focus on the total price. A more relevent figure is the “Price Per Night” cost of the cruise.

A $699 11-day cruise may seem like a great deal compared to $999 cruise. But if that $999 cruise is a 21-day sailing that lengthens the itinerary with some amazing ports, the $999 cruise would be a much better value than the $599 cruise, if you have the time. It’s the difference of taking a $63/night cruise or a $47/night.

You don’t need to do all this math on your own, as VacationsToGo allows you to normalize the results to show the price per night. This nightly price is not shown by default, but you can easily reveal it by selecting the “Price Per Night” button in the upper right hand corner.

Now that you have the price per night enabled, you can even re-sort your listings to sift through the best value cruises based upon the nightly price. We recommend that! See the screenshot below which includes nearly a dozen itineraries on some great ships all for less than $50 per person, per day. (You can also see just how good the repositioning cruise deals are in the Spring!)

2e) Go Find an Awesome Repositioning Cruise Deal!

Now peruse through all of the itineraries, ships, and prices to find the best repositioning cruise deal that suits you.

Step 3: Cross Reference Prices for the Cruise You Want

Once you find your perfect voyage using VacationsToGo, you now want to guarantee that you get the best possible price on that sailing. We recommend price comparing to ensure this. Often VacationsToGo indeed has the best (or equal) prices, but on other occasions, we’ve found their prices can be beaten.

When comparing prices, you must factor in more than just the cruise price alone. We recommend to also take into account the perks and bonuses each cruise agency may be offering. Some agencies may offer promotions such as onboard credit, prepaid gratuities (that adds up to hundreds of dollars!), free hotel stays, or even something simple like a bottle of champagne in your cabin.

Pay attention to the perks in addition to the pricing since this can ultimately be the difference of hundreds of dollars. For example, if Agency A offers your desired cabin for $499 with no perks while Agency B offers that same cabin for $599 yet includes a $300 onboard credit, it actually would make sense to book with Agency B even despite their higher price. (Note: you can turn that onboard credit into cash using one of these cruise hacks).

 

Compare Repositioning Cruise Prices

Whenever we have found an offer that beats VacationsToGo, it has been through one of our these two sites we’re that are also affiliates of ours: CruiseDirect or Priceline Cruise. So we find it very worthwhile to check another site or two to get a second opinion and to cross-check cruise prices. Sometimes the prices are all the same, sometimes one of them has a better price.

Another thing we like about booking through CruiseDirect is that it will let you see the entire cruise cost online. Most cruise booking sites only show you the price of the cruise before taxes and/or port fees. But when using CruiseDirect, once you get to the payment screen, they’ll show you the true price of the cruise including all the taxes and port charges. Meanwhile, for VacationsToGo (and other sites), you must call an agent over the phone in order to get the complete pricing that includes these taxes and port fees, wait on hold, give them your phone number, let them try to “sell” you, etc. We’d rather avoid all that and just book the repositioning cruise online.

CruiseDirect allows you to complete the entire transaction online, without having the hassle of dealing with an agent over the phone. Instead, your cruise is just a few clicks away and you can even visually select your cabin location. We personally like and use CruiseDirect. They have no booking fees, easy to book online with, and you can see their consistent track record of good reviews with their 5-star TrustPilot score.

So after completing these two price comparisons, you’ll now have prices from two or three competing agencies, which should give you the confidence to book the one with the best price or at least know they’re all the same. Likely, most price quotes will be very close to one another. But, again, look closely for those perks, promos, and bonuses!

 

(Optional) Continue to Compare Across Even More Agencies

Warning: the following steps can be tedious, time-consuming, and ultimately not prove worthwhile to pursue. Plan to spend at least 20-30 minutes completing them, if not longer. Usually, this results in time being squandered, as we don’t find any offers that beat what we’ve found by this point.

However, we always like to ensure that we’ve definitely found the best repositioning cruise deal, so performing these added steps helps us to sleep at night and book with confidence. If you are of a similar mindset, go ahead and proceed with these next few optional steps.

But if you value your time and you’re happy with the deal you’ve found by now, then perhaps just go ahead and book it.

Below are more popular online cruise travel agencies to consider searching. We’re affiliated with some, yet we don’t recommend any one of these over the other. If you have the time to compare, give ’em all a try. They’re all reputable sites, so go with whoever has the best price.

• Priceline Familiar & reliable travel site and you can book your cruise entirely online. Note: They have a $24.99 booking fee, but sometimes have perks, like $50 hotel vouchers, that outweighs the fee. We’ve had success with Priceline occasionally having the best repositioning cruise deal. TrustPilot score: 4-stars.
• CheapCruises.com Claims to be “the biggest.” Sometimes has interesting promos. Allows you to book online but also imposes a $24.99 processing fee.
• iCruise.com You can book online and no booking fee. TrustPilot score: 5-stars.
• Expedia Cruises Familiar and reliable travel site.
  • You can try Travelocity Cruises and Orbitz Cruises too but Expedia is their parent company, so you’ll likely wind up with the same results.
• Local Travel Agency – If you have a travel agent, give them a call and see if they can meet or beat the repositioning cruise prices & promos you’ve already found.
• Direct with Cruiseline – Agencies almost always tend to have a better deal compared to booking directly with the cruise line, but it doesn’t hurt to double-check.

 

Step 4: Buy! (Or at least place a courtesy hold)

If you’ve found a cabin on a sailing you want and your plans are flexible, keep an eye on it until a few months out to purchase. But if your plans aren’t flexible and you really like the repositioning cruise deal you see now, it’s probably best to strike while you can. Prices could go down, but you may be very disappointed if it turns the other way.

If you’re still not sure, you can at least place what is called a “courtesy hold.” This will lock in the price that’s been quoted, for 24 hours. No payment or credit card number is required, but courtesy holds can only be handled over the phone, not online.

Sometimes when we find a price we like, we place it on a courtesy hold. Then because I’m so persistent on getting the lowest price, I still do my due diligence on the steps mentioned above to see if I can come up with anything lower. If you successfully uncover a lower price, your courtesy hold will expire automatically and you don’t have to do anything. Otherwise be sure you call back within 24 hours to turn that courtesy hold into an actual paid reservation.

Step 5: Continue Monitoring the Fare for Price Drops

Even if you’ve purchased your cruise, it’s still very possible to get a lower fare. Most of the time cruise lines and agencies will honor the new pricing and will refund you the difference or at least provide onboard credit if the price drops before the cancelation period.

So it’s very worthwhile to continue monitoring prices, even if you’ve already booked your repositioning cruise and paid. Cruise lines and agencies will not notify you of these price drops that could result in free money back to you, so you must watch for this on your own to claim. Note that the price change must be for the exact same stateroom category, so watch for that.

If you booked your repositioning cruise deal after the cancelation mark, as recommended to get a very low price, you are likely no longer eligible to get a refund or onboard credit. But it doesn’t hurt to call and ask anyway. It may give you some leverage to swing a free cabin upgrade if one is available. (Note: See our post here about 10 Secrets to Getting a Free Balcony Upgrade on a Cruise).

Here are a few ways you can monitor the prices, which you’ll really want to do if you purchased before the cancelation period.

• Simply use online searches to occasionally keep tabs on the price. It’s cumbersome but effective. Bookmark the cruise’s fare page and check back regularly. That’s what we do. Takes 10-seconds each morning as I sip my coffee.
• Download the Shipmate app (Android or iPhone). One of the many functionalities of the app is providing fare alerts when prices drop. It uses Cruiseline.com to provide these alerts. We’d like to be able to recommend that you go directly to Cruiseline to get these free alerts, but their website seems to be a bit glitchy and often it’s impossible to select the sailing you’re looking for. So alternatively, downloading the Shipmate app, you can access the same fee alert service.
• Find your sailing in the “CruiseCritic roll call” message board for your particular cruise and check in often. Sometimes when’s there’s a price drop for your sailing, other cruise members will share this on the message board. This is also cumbersome but effective. It’s also a fun way to get social with your fellow future cruisers.
• Lastly, there are pay services that will monitor the prices and will email you an alert if and when the price for your exact stateroom room category for your sailing drops. The service starts at about $5 and can be a worthwhile way to effortlessly keep tabs on the fare. We’ve never used them since we almost always buy last minute, post-cancelation period, so we can’t personally recommend them. But you may want to consider looking into cruisefaremonitor.com and cruisefish.net if this service is of interest to you.

Good Luck and Bon Voyage!

So that’s it.

We hope you find a hugely discounted repositioning cruise deal! Happy hunting and bon voyage! 

For more ways to cruise happy, be sure to check out our big cruise master post about all of our cruise tips & tricks:

• Top 50 Cruise Hacks to Save You Money, WiFi, Hassle, and Weight Gain.

And to see how we used four different repositioning cruises to travel entirely around the world without flights, read our big fat post about:

• How To Achieve the Impossible: A Cheap World Cruise

The post Where To Find the Cheapest Repositioning Cruise Deals appeared first on Roaming Around the World.