The Ultimate Relaxing Vacation: A Repositioning Cruise

Photo Courtesy: Peter Hansen, Unsplash

Are you tired of the hustle and stress of super busy vacations—the trips that make you feel like you need a vacation after your vacation to actually rest and relax? Does the thought of standing in endless lines, sweating in the sun at theme parks or ultra-crowded tourist destinations make you want to say, “forget it” and simply stay home?

Before you decide to use your time off work to curl up on your couch, I want to tell you about the most relaxing, chilled out vacation you can take this year. This amazingly restful and peaceful trip is a cruise—but not just any cruise.

This is a Repositioning Cruise where the vacation is actually in the journey instead of the destination. More cost-effective than a staycation, a Repositioning Cruise is all about slowing down for a week (or more) either solo or with a partner or family. In this post, I cover all the reasons to quit the hustle and take a relaxing Repositioning Cruise this year. 

Related: Cruise Splurges that are Worth It,

Hacks to Save Money on Cruise Upgrades,

and How I Saved $1000 on My Cruise

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means that if you purchase a product, I make a commission at no cost to you. Please see my disclosure policy for details. 

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

What Makes a Repositioning Cruise Relaxing?

A Repositioning Cruise is the journey to transfer the cruise ship from one location to another when the ship finishes a season. There are a variety of repositioning cruises: from the U.S. to Europe, from the West Coast to Alaska, from Hawaii to Asia, and more.

I took a Repositioning Cruise from Vancouver, Canada, to Hawaii when the ship finished its Alaska season and was headed to Australia and New Zealand. These cruises differ from a traditional “closed-loop” cruise because the ship does not return to the original embark location.

These cruises have very few ports and multiple sea days to allow the ship to travel long distances. 

On my balcony sailing to Hawaii

The sea days are where the relaxation begins! Whether you want to sleep in extra late or get up to watch the sunrise over the ocean with your cup of coffee, the choice is yours on a Repositioning Cruise!

There’s no rush to run off the ship in port to get to an excursion or the guilt that you missed something while you were catching up on sleep.

I love sea days because they allow you to connect with the ocean, explore and enjoy the ship, and simply relax. Sea days are all about slowing down in life!

Sunrise view leaving Canada sailing to Hawaii

Destinations

Repositioning Cruises offer not only a unique itinerary, but they also transfer you to a new destination where you can spend time after the cruise ends. It was such a relief to spend more relaxation time in Hawaii after my cruise from Vancouver rather than rush to the airport to go home.

My bucket list cruise is to sail from Hawaii through Tahiti and end up in Australia. I know it would be a much more relaxing journey than flying the long haul to Australia!

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Cost

Repositioning Cruises can actually be cheaper than traditional closed-loop cruises for several reasons. I was shocked when I realized my 8-day Repositioning Cruise was cheaper than a 4-day cruise to Mexico.

Learn all the ways I saved $1000 on my Repositioning Cruise here.

The limited number of ports decrease the amount of money guests have to pay in port fees and taxes. Repositioning Cruises also sail during the “shoulder” seasons which are off peak cruise times.

They are less expensive because they don’t sail in the most expensive cruise seasons of the winter holidays and the summer.

My flights were actually less expensive as well because I booked one-way flights to Vancouver and from Honolulu.

There are a few things to consider before you book a Repositioning Cruise, so I will share a few cruise tips:

Cabin Fever

As I mentioned before, Repositioning Cruises do not have many ports to get off the ship. If the thought of sailing the ocean for days with no land in sight makes you feel “lost at sea” or claustrophobic, you might reconsider taking a Repositioning Cruise.

Of course, staying in a balcony stateroom can decrease or eliminate the claustrophobic feelings that can arise in an inside stateroom.

Read about my Top 5 Recommended Cruise Splurges here.

Personally, I love constantly seeing the ocean, and never experience “cabin fever”. (I lived on a cruise ship for 5 years after all)

Packing for Different Seasons

Sailing on a Repositioning Cruise usually means packing for two seasons which is going to mean bringing a lot of clothes. Vancouver was drizzly and cold (for me, coming from Arizona!) when we boarded our cruise. The first four days or so of the cruise were also overcast and required long pants and sweaters. As we sailed closer to Hawaii, the sun came out, and it was hot.  

Crowds

During the sea days, the popular venues and events on the ship may seem crowded because there’s nowhere else to go. I prefer the variety of breakfast in the buffet, and the Windjammer was considerably crowded every sea day.

Keep in mind, larger ships have many venues for meals, so you don’t have to worry about going hungry! Events like Bingo, the stage productions, and some of the more popular themed trivias ran out of seats and places to stand. 

The Windjammer buffet at breakfast on a sea day

Trip Planning

Repositioning Cruises are offered only a few times a year which may not work with your schedule. There are definitely a few tempting Repositioning itineraries offered in April, but I don’t want my daughter to miss that much school before the end of the year.

We were lucky that we were able to travel during her fall break in October for our Repositioning Cruise. 

Cruising with Toddlers

I admit I loved cruising with toddlers during those years.

Check out my Ultimate Guide to Toddler Cruising. However, I would not recommend a Repositioning Cruise for young toddlers unless the ship has many venues and activities to keep little ones entertained.

The Royal Caribbean Oasis class ships were ideal when I sailed with toddlers. My Repositioning Cruise was on a Royal Caribbean Quantum Class ship which was not especially toddler-friendly. On the windy, chilly sea days, the pool area is probably not an option, so keeping the toddlers happy might require some creativity on a Repositioning Cruise. 

Repositioning Cruises are the ultimate vacation if you’re looking to unwind, slow down, and relax. I definitely left the stress of work and life at home when I took my Repositioning Cruise and returned home feeling renewed. If you want to avoid the hustle and noise of packed vacations this year, then a Repositioning Cruise is the way to go!