What Is a Repositioning Cruise? Find One on Chart Cruises

A repositioning cruise is a one-way voyage where a cruise ship relocates between seasonal homeports. Instead of a round-trip loop, you board in one city and disembark in another — often on a different continent. Cruise lines sell these voyages at steep discounts because the ship has to make the trip regardless.

Repositioning cruises typically run during seasonal transitions: March through May (Caribbean to Europe/Alaska) and September through November (Europe back to the Caribbean). They offer 30-50% lower per-night costs than comparable round-trips, with more sea days and a unique ocean-crossing experience.

How to Find Repositioning Cruises on Chart Cruises

Chart Cruises maps every one-way and repositioning cruise on an interactive globe. Here's how to use it to find the right voyage:

1. Filter to one-way voyages. On the Chart Cruises globe, click the "One-Way" button in the filter bar at the bottom. This hides round-trip itineraries so you only see repositioning routes — the lines on the globe will thin out to show just the one-way crossings.
2. Set your travel dates. Use the date slider to narrow the range to peak repositioning seasons. Drag the left handle to March and the right to May for spring crossings, or September to November for fall. The globe updates in real time as you adjust.
3. Browse by destination. If you know which ocean you want to cross, jump directly to a destination:
   - Transatlantic cruises — the most popular, with routes between Europe and the US East Coast
   - Transpacific cruises — longer voyages between Asia-Pacific and North America
4. Filter by departure port. Use the "+ Filter by port" button in the top-left panel to search for your preferred departure city. You can set a port as your origin, destination, or stopover to narrow results further.
5. Explore a route. Click any route line on the globe to see all cruises sailing that leg. Click a specific cruise to view the full itinerary, ship details, and a link to check current pricing on Cruisebound.

Popular Repositioning Routes

The busiest repositioning corridors you'll find on Chart Cruises:

1. Transatlantic crossings — Barcelona, Southampton, or Lisbon to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or New York. Typically 10-16 nights. The highest volume and most competitive pricing.
2. Transpacific crossings — Sydney or Singapore to Hawaii or Vancouver. Longer voyages at 14-21 nights, less common but highly sought after.
3. Panama Canal transits — Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco or Los Angeles, passing through the canal. Filter by departure port to find these: try Fort Lauderdale.