How crowded (or not) are repositioning cruises?

[BamaVol]

Our last cruise was sold out.  A full complement of passengers on a mega ship made the cruise much less enjoyable.  I'd love to get on a ship that was half full.  I know there are folks out there that just love sea days and you can count me among them.  But are there enough of us to fill every transatlantic repositioning cruise?  Am I chasing rainbows here?

[Hlitner]

It is very unlikely that you will find a ship that is half full or even 3/4s full.  Repo cruises have been discovered and grown in popularity, especially among those of us who are retired.  For the past 15 years, DW and I have taken 2 or 3 repo cruises every year (on multiple cruise lines) and most have been full or near-full.   If a cruise is not selling well, the cruise lines will adjust their marketing which can include offering terrific last minute deals (we have done many of these), actively marketing on Interline sites (this is for airline, cruise, hotel employees, etc).  A cruise that many have many empty cabins only a few weeks before embarkation are often sold out by the big day.

 

So here is a suggestion.  You talked about being on a crowded "mega ship."  Many experienced cruisers (we fall into that group) avoid mega ships in favor of small to medium size vessels.  Our next cruise is on a ship that holds 450 and even that is too large for some folks.  

 

Hank

[c-boy]

depends on the time of year, itinerary ....  we like repo cruises and will be on the enchanted Princess Spanish crossing and it's mostly booked. The last crossing we were in a similar situation, never felt crowded until theater shows and bingo. 

[marco]

A repo cruise between say, Fla and a European port are usually priced at a VERY good per diem rate and everyone we've ever taken are pretty much "full".  Once, we took a NY to San Juan (ended there) and it was just as full as any other cruise we've ever taken.  So in my opinion and the experience we've had, no....repo cruises are not any less full than any other cruise.

[ATC cruiser]

You’ll probably have less kids onboard so it may seem less full

[Kartgv]

As others said, there's very little likelihood that even a repositioning cruise will sail with a substantial number of unfilled cabins.    How cramped/crowded a ship feels has more to do with the ratio of passengers to space/facilities/ship design.    You might be happier on a smaller ship or one of the more upscale cruise lines which have a lower number of passengers.    Personally, we avoid mega-ships completely because we don't like to deal with the crowds and often long wait periods for many activities.   Check reviews, specifically looking for mentions of how crowded the ship feels.    

[peanutter]

12 minutes ago, ATC cruiser said:

You’ll probably have less kids onboard so it may seem less full

 

Exactly what I was thinking.  Big difference between a "full" mega ship doing a 7-day school break type cruise with lots of families versus a "sold out" longer repositioning cruise with more couples or even singles per cabin.   

 

Like the OP, I think I would love to be on a less than full ship.  But without as many passengers aboard, they have to try to make their money somewhere.  The aggressive selling of "stuff" might make me a bit crazy!

[crzndeb]

Yup, Repo’s, TA’s and TP’s are usually some of the most popular cruises. I am on a 24 night cruise on the Carnival Splendor, and it has 18 sea days. And it’s still a full ship. Some of these cruises include unique destinations and will draw more people.

[navybankerteacher]

We’ve done a number of repositioning sailings - a great way of coming home from land travel in Europe.  Yes, the price per day still seems a bit lower than on other type itineraries - that is precisely how the lines make sure that they do not sail with many (or any) empty bunks.

 

The lines know their business.

[Greg4502]

Anytime sailing on the ship with no ports visited, will be cheaper than ones with ports. Parking the ship at port, they have to feed the parking meter, which they pass on to the passengers.

 

Mega ships for me : NO

Sea Days : Love them..

[evandbob]

We just did a TA repo on the NCL Epic, which holds over 4,000 pax.  We heard some complaints about crowding and lines for diner or shows, but didn't experience any ourselves.

 

We found we could reserve dining times (8PM) for any time dining, and reserve theater shows as well, so we bypassed several lines.  We don't try to get loungers on the deck around the main pools, which did seem congested as we walked through them.

 

And if I did have to wait 5 minutes on a line for something, so what?  Where else could I have been in a rush to get to?????  I like to relax on vacation.

[Zach1213]

I did a repositioning cruise last may, Ft. Lauderdale to San Juan. I heard the ship was pretty much full, but it certainly didn't feel like it. The lack of kids (repositioning cruise in early May) probably helped.

[dogs4fun]

We have been on three repositioning cruises and all three were sold out.

[Hlitner]

Just had a few more thoughts.  Keep in mind we are talking about Transatlantic Repositioning cruises (we have taken dozens).  When DW and I retired in 2005 there were amazing bargains on TA Repo cruises and the ships were often not full.  But these cruises were soon discovered by legions of retirees who found they served a wonderful multi purpose.  Not only could you book a nice cruise at price that was less then the cost of Business Class air (to or from Europe), but you could use that cruise as the means to get to or from Europe for some land time.  In fact, we have done several trips where we used cruise ships both to and from Europe (with weeks between) as an alternative to air.    The result is that prices have edged-up and, although there are still some bargains, one has to shop around more then in past years.  Also be aware that many lines will limit certain some booking perks such as drink packages (folks drink more on sea days).

 

There is another trick on repos to/from Europe.  You can buy a single round trip airfare to between North America and Europe and use that ticket for TWO repo cruises.  For example, a single round trip ticket can get you home from Europe after taking a spring cruise to Europe, and then you can use the other half of that ticket to fly back to Europe in the fall and grab another repo cruise back home :).

 

Hank

[Zach1213]

6 hours ago, Greg4502 said:

Anytime sailing on the ship with no ports visited, will be cheaper than ones with ports. Parking the ship at port, they have to feed the parking meter, which they pass on to the passengers.

 

Mega ships for me : NO

Sea Days : Love them..

 

Not all repositioning cruises lack ports. The one I was on was six nights with three ports in between Ft. Lauderdale and San Juan. It was a really good mix of sea and port days. Even with this, it was pretty cheap.

Edited July 12, 2019 by Zach1213

[BamaVol]

1 hour ago, Zach1213 said:

 

Not all repositioning cruises lack ports. The one I was on was six nights with three ports in between Ft. Lauderdale and San Juan. It was a really good mix of sea and port days. Even with this, it was pretty cheap.

 

The ones I have been looking at all seem to stop in the Azores or Bermuda then as few as 2 and as many as 5 or 6 European ports. But 6-9 sea days as well.

[Zach1213]

18 minutes ago, BamaVol said:

 

The ones I have been looking at all seem to stop in the Azores or Bermuda then as few as 2 and as many as 5 or 6 European ports. But 6-9 sea days as well.

 

I guess you're solely focusing on transatlantic, and I get that you're probably right there, but "repositioning" as a whole is not limited to trans-oceaninc...just for the sake of others tuning in with general curiosity about repositioning cruises as a whole.

 

But, I mean, there are huge swaths of ocean between North America and Continental Europe...not too many places to stop, and lots of days to get between what's out there.

[Capt_BJ]

When we did a crossing on QM2 I was surprised to learn how many people  were on board not for a 'cruise' but because it was 'transportation' ... they will not fly.

 

Some of the folks who won't fly, don't want to pay CUNARD prices or put up with their rules (dress code) so 're positioning' becomes an alternative.  They just need to plan around the times these happen . . .

 

{btw, some will pay the CUNARD price just can they can take their dog and it will not be subjected to airline handling}

 

*********************

Since the cruise lines want to fill every bed, finding a large ship 1/2 full is unlikely.  Cruise lines will drop the room price knowing they can make money once you are on board: casino, bar, spa ....

 

You can be assured  of 'no crowd' when you sail a ship that's never crowded <as previously mentioned>.  For example, the VIKING OCEAN ships regularly do crossings/re positionings and have a pass' capacity under 1000. When we sailed 'em .... lines and crowds was a non-issue.

Edited July 12, 2019 by Capt_BJ

[Harley52]

Depends on the cruise line, the route and the time of year, it all varies. It's cyclical from year to year.

[geoherb]

We took our first transatlantic last year on the Royal Princess. We're booked for our second on the Crown Princess in September. The ship last year was full but didn't feel crowded. Our upcoming cruise still has just a few cabins showing up as available. There's no way to tell how many are sold to people like us with guarantees. The ocean view cabins and suites are sold out, just insides and balconies left.

[calliopecruiser]

On 7/11/2019 at 4:43 PM, peanutter said:

Like the OP, I think I would love to be on a less than full ship.  But without as many passengers aboard, they have to try to make their money somewhere.  The aggressive selling of "stuff" might make me a bit crazy!

 

So try a different cruise line, and a less crowded ship -- less crowded because it's designed that way, not because it's less full.  And to avoid the aggressive selling that could drive you crazy, consider an "all-inclusive cruise" - there's no need for them to sell you stuff, and even the stuff that isn't included (like bingo or extra-exclusive wines) is only sold to you if you go to them to ask for it (not them approaching you to buy it). 

I've done 4 "repositioning" cruises on Crystal (1 transatlantic, 2 transpacifics, and a Panama Canal trip) and they are my favourite -- especially the transpacifics.  I've got one coming up in 5 months, and another a year after that. 

[calliopecruiser]

18 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

Not all repositioning cruises lack ports.

Not all, just the best ones 😄

[Heidi13]

Highly doubt you will ever find a cruise ship 1/2 full. Our last TA had lots of availability 6 weeks before departure, but with prices dropping, the ship was full at departure.

 

If you want a more spacious ship, you will need to consider some of the premium/luxury lines that in addition to having lower passenger counts, also have superior space per passenger than mainstream line ships.

[flamomo]

I've done TAs to or from Europe on both large and small ships, and much prefer traveling on a small ship, Even when they are fully booked, as they seem to always be these days, there's still WAY fewer passengers.

My #1 favorite ship for TAs is the Pacific Princess, which only hold about 670 passengers. Just the right size, IMHO!

[navybankerteacher]

The only time I recall being on ships which were partially empty was in early and mid 2002 (shortly after the 9/11 attacks) when many people were afraid or reluctant to travel.  In normal times (if any times nowadays can be thought of as “normal”) the lines are pretty good at pricing to meet demand - while making sure that any significant number of bunks wind up valueless by sailing empty.