The Secret Cruise Bargain Most People Don’t Know About

If you’ve ever chatted to someone who cruises often, you’ll notice their eyes light up when the conversation turns to bargains.

And often they’ll tell you that the best-kept secret for a great deal is repositioning cruises.

These often-overlooked sailings are one of the cruising world’s great delights: part adventure, part relaxation, part incredible-value getaway.

For some people though, the term still sounds like something obscure or even industrial, as though you’re hitching a ride on a technical sailing the public was never meant to see.

I’ve done several repositioning cruises, and I’ve paid as little as £99 per cruise for the privilege. In fact, I may even go as far as to say that these are my favourite itineraries.

Repositioning Cruises Explained

Despite the slightly clunky name, a repositioning cruise is simply a journey where a ship moves from one area to another to begin a new season, or to prep for another cruise.

Repositioning Itineraries I’ve sailed include:

• Bristol to Liverpool
• Liverpool to Southampton
• Southampton to Hamburg
• Barcelona to Rome
• Southampton to Fort Lauderdale

One of the most common repositioning cruises you’ll see is the transatlantic. In summer the Mediterranean is full of cruise ships, but come autumn, most of them sail across to the Caribbean for winter sun.

Alaska is a popular region in the summer, but you won’t find any cruise ships there in the winter. Instead, they follow the sun for warm-weather adventures in Asia or Mexico.

Even within the UK, there are cruise lines like Ambassador Cruise Line with ships that sail from regional ports. These may sail from Liverpool for a couple of months, then move to sailing from Bristol for a few more, then sailing from Tilbury.

The one-way sailings are very rarely empty. If the ship needs to move, the cruise line will usually sell that voyage to passengers.

Because these sailings don’t fit the traditional mould, the prices often fall in the “surely that can’t be right?” category.

That’s the joy of repositionings: they’re logistical necessities for the cruise line, but unexpected bargains for those of us who love an adventure at sea.

Not All Repositioning Cruises Are Trans-Oceanic

Many people automatically imagine two weeks at sea, crossing an ocean for days on end.

And yes, repositioning cruises can absolutely be epic voyages full of sea days and starry skies. But they can also be tiny little hops that last barely long enough for you to unpack your slippers.

I’ve done both ends of the spectrum. One of my favourites was a genuinely unbelievable £99 cruise on Cunard’s Queen Anne from Hamburg to Southampton. It was only a couple of nights long, but it felt like a little slice of luxury, like sneaking into the world of classic cruising without the classic price tag.

All I needed was a cheap flight to Hamburg. By the time I stepped aboard the Queen Anne, admiring her glossy style and that unmistakable Cunard elegance, I couldn’t believe this bargain had been hiding in plain sight.

Read more: How Much My £99 Cunard Cruise Actually Cost Me

I’ve taken similarly short repositionings around the UK too. Sailing from Liverpool to Southampton on Borealis was like nothing I’ve ever experienced.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Line’s three-month-long world cruise gave guests the option to start in Liverpool, or in Southampton two days later. As many of the guests opted for Southampton, that meant that there were spaces for the first two days of the epic journey – so I snapped one up for a bargain price.

Then there was the Bristol to Liverpool run with Ambassador, a friendly little jaunt that cost astonishingly little and yet felt like a full mini-holiday. Just book a cheap coach transfer to get you home and you’re sorted – so easy, so cheap, and a great break and a great price!

And of course, there are the longer repositionings, the ones that feel like stories in themselves.

Costa Smeralda – a huge, sunlit Italian resort of a ship – cost me around £30 per night on a repositioning itinerary for 5 nights. And that was for a balcony cabin as a solo traveller – both of which would normally mean paying significantly higher costs!

Read more: I Took A £30 Per Day Solo Cruise! Costa Cruises Review

And then there was my Disney transatlantic crossing, which remains one of my favourites.

Disney cruises are notoriously expensive. But given that repositioning cruises are so cheap, booking the transatlantic meant that we could enjoy a two-week cruise for less than the price of a one-week round trip!

Some of the best cruise deals I find are for repositioning cruises – make sure you’re signed up to get my emails if you want to get the best offers sent to you.

Consider How Much You Enjoy Sea Days

One of the defining aspects of many repositioning cruises is the sea-day rhythm.

Without a port every morning, you have time – proper, indulgent, do-whatever-you-like time. It’s a lovely feeling to wake up, open the curtains, and realise that your only real appointment is with the horizon.

If you’re someone who always feels a little torn on port-heavy itineraries – as if you should be doing something, seeing something, squeezing every minute dry – then a repositioning cruise can feel like bliss.

There’s no guilt, no sense of missing out, just the ship itself becoming your destination. You finally get to enjoy that leisurely breakfast you usually rush.

You discover corners of the ship you’ve never had time for before: a quiet reading nook, a suntrap on the promenade deck, a little café that becomes your personal sanctuary.

Cruise lines often lean into this unhurried pace with extra activities. There might be wine tastings, guest lectures, craft workshops, cookery demonstrations, dance classes, film screenings, or stargazing sessions.

Or you might simply sink into a deck chair with a book you’ve been meaning to read for three months and lose yourself for an afternoon.

Of course, some people find too many sea days a challenge, and that’s important to acknowledge.

If you’re happiest hopping from city to city, exploring somewhere new every day, a long repositioning might not match your travel style. But if the idea of a slow, serene crossing speaks to you, then you’re probably the target audience.

The Lesser-Visited Ports You Might Enjoy

Because repositioning itineraries are designed around geography rather than holiday-brochure patterns, the ports can be wonderfully unusual.

Ships tend to call wherever makes sense as they travel between regions, which means you often get destinations you’d rarely see on a standard weekly cruise.

It might be a day in Madeira, all sweeping viewpoints and cake shops. It could be the Azores, shrouded in mist and beautifully green. You might end up somewhere like Charleston or Halifax on a coastal repositioning, or sail through Hawaii on a huge Pacific arc.

Even within Europe, you can end up with charming one-off stops in places that don’t normally appear on mainstream itineraries. These ports feel like little treats, the kind you remember long after disembarking.

Quieter Ships, Calmer Atmospheres

Repositioning cruises usually sail outside the peak holiday rush, and they often attract travellers who choose them deliberately for the slower pace. The result is a ship that feels roomier, friendlier and often more personal.

Our transatlantic Disney cruise had barely any kids onboard. Most of the guests were retired couples, which was great because the ship was much quieter and there was never a queue for the waterslides!

You’ll find it easier to get a table in the buffet and a lounger by the pool. Crew members have time to chat. The entertainment feels more relaxed. You start recognising people as you wander, and the ship begins to feel like a floating neighbourhood rather than a busy hotel.

That slightly quieter atmosphere also gives the whole trip a sense of stepping away from the real world. It feels more like a retreat than a holiday.

Read more: How To Avoid The Crowds On A Cruise: My Quiet Sea Day Itinerary

The Real Value Of Repositioning

The main reason repositioning cruises are such astonishing bargains is simple: they’re harder to sell.

They don’t repeat every week, they’re one-way, they require a bit more planning, and they often have more sea days than the average cruiser expects. But that’s exactly what makes them such good value.

Because the cruise lines want to fill the cabins, the nightly cost can be dramatically lower than anything you’d normally find. Sometimes it’s much less than you’d pay for a half-decent hotel at home. Sometimes it’s less than you’d pay for your weekly food shop.

And because you’re still getting the full ship experience – all the amenities, entertainment, dining, pools, lounges and sunset views – the value becomes even more astonishing.

The only thing to plan carefully is travel. You’ll usually need to arrange your own flight to the starting point or back from the final port (or both), and prices can vary depending on where you go.

But with a bit of flexibility, or a well-timed check of flight deals, it’s easy to make the whole trip affordable. I’ve often found that even when flights are factored in, the entire adventure still comes out far cheaper than a standard cruise would have been.

Lots of Cruisers Love Them…

These voyages tend to attract a certain sort of traveller. If you love the ship as much as the destinations, you’ll probably be in heaven.

Retirees often adore them because there’s no rush, no crowds and plenty of time to unwind. Digital nomads appreciate the long stretches of peaceful days, especially now that many ships have much better WiFi than a few years ago.

And then there are the bargain hunters who simply can’t resist the idea of sailing on a premium line for the cost of a budget hotel. Hi!

They’re also wonderful for anyone who wants to ease into a new region. Imagine crossing to Europe, arriving refreshed, and starting a longer trip already adjusted to the new time zone. Or sailing from Alaska towards Japan and feeling the climate shift gently over days rather than hours.

That said, they’re not perfect for everyone. Some travellers get restless without regular port days. Others find the idea of organising flights a bit too fiddly. But cruising is wonderfully varied, and there’s a place for every travel style – repositionings included.

Some Practical Considerations

Like any trip, repositionings work best when you know what to expect. Because routes can stretch across different climates, packing layers is always sensible – a warm hoodie for breezy deck days, something summery for your ports, and perhaps a waterproof for good measure.

If you’re prone to seasickness, choosing a mid-ship cabin lower down tends to provide the smoothest ride, though modern ships are remarkably stable.

It’s also wise to keep an eye on visas, even if you’re only calling at a port for a day. And although cruise lines work hard to provide smooth sailing, captains may occasionally alter routes for weather, especially on autumn Atlantic crossings.

Think of it as part of the adventure: the sea makes the rules.

Final Word

A repositioning cruise feels less like a holiday and more like a journey – a chance to slow down, breathe a little deeper and watch the world unfurl at a gentler pace. You feel the distances. You feel the shift from one region to another. You wake to new horizons, not new alarms.

It’s that rare combination of tranquillity, value and adventure that keeps me coming back.

Whether it’s a £99 taste of Cunard luxury, a cheerful weekend hop up the UK coast, a sun-soaked Italian mega-ship for the price of a takeaway, or a mega-ship-fuelled Atlantic crossing filled with tons of activities, these are voyages that linger in the memory.

Repositioning cruises are the best-kept secret – and I will continue to hunt the best deals I can to enjoy these super-cheap cruises!

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