Repositioning, the pros and cons

If you subscribe to a travel newsletter or magazine, you probably see recommendations about cut-rate repositioning . This means a journey made by a cruise liner that’s being relocated from one popular destination to another - many ships spend the summer in the Mediterranean before being transferred to the Caribbean for the winter sailing programme.

Any cruise line will want to try and recoup some of the costs of this relocations by selling their cabin space.

Pros These are heavily discounted holidays, which often include inducements like free classes to make up for the days at sea. Often the service is excellent because there are fewer passengers and you get vouchers to try out new offers and shipboard services.

Cons They often take place during the months when rough weather is common, making the journey a bumpy one! In addition, they can spend many more days at sea than ‘real’ cruises and will not visit the many ports that will be part of their conventional cruise itinerary.