Upcoming cruise bargains that nobody is talking about

Looking for a cruise bargain that includes long, wonderful days at sea, with only a few ports of call and a unique itinerary? Most cruise ships follow the sun and sail the waters during the peak season of travel within that region. So that means at certain times of the year the cruise lines need to reposition their fleets. Hence we have what is termed a “repositioning.”

When the weather changes in the spring and the fall, many cruise ships join the whales and other seagoing creatures and migrate either north in the summer or south for the winter. Cruise lines must reposition their ships from Alaska to the warmer waters of the Caribbean in the fall, and then move them back to Alaska in the late spring. Some cruise lines that spend their summers in Europe will cross the Atlantic in the late fall to winter in the Caribbean and then reverse the process the next spring. Rather than sail the ships without passengers, cruise lines discount these "repositioning" cruises.

These are special one time sailings that are often not listed in the lines flashy brochures nor posted on their web sites. Why? The marketing costs are too great to promote these departures to the general public and so the lines rely on travel agents and value oriented savvy travelers to promote and fill the cabins on these unique voyages.

Why are repositioning cruises so popular? As expected, price is one of the major factors. The per day cruising cost (referred to as per diem costs) price is often much less than for cruises that embark and disembark in the same port. Next, these cruises are usually longer than a week and include more sea days, which give passengers a relaxing cruise vacation, unencumbered by frantic days in port. However even on these sailing the features and amenities of the cruise product remains the same. Wonderful pampering service, outstanding entertaining and excellent dining!

What are some the negative aspects of repositioning cruises? One downside of repositioning cruises is that many cruisers who love those frantic days in port have to spend a few days of precious vacation time onboard the cruise ship enjoying the daily activity schedule. However you do get to spend a day in port here and there, often off the beaten cruise path. In addition, embarking and disembarking from different ports, often thousands of miles apart, can make airfare more expensive but the cruise lines offer some remarkable bargains. Finally, many working cruise vacationers can't afford to take 9 to 18 days off from work at one long stretch, but if you can then you are embarking on some unique and value priced vacations.

For many the positives outweigh the negatives. Repositioning cruises are a way to stretch the vacation dollar and they offer many unique and remarkable itineraries. To discover more about these sailings contact your favorite local travel agent or the cruise line web site.