Repositioning cruises are a great luxury style bargain. Most repositioning cruises involve spending a number of days at sea. That means no land in sight for many days on end. There are a significant number of travelers do not want to spend so much time on a ship as opposed to being ashore at a new destination each day. There is also a contingent of travelers who are a little sea- wary about not being able to see land for a long duration. Some think there won’t be enough to do on board. Rest assured, there are so many activities to explore onboard a luxury cruise during a long ocean crossing. You will be as busy as you care to be or just relax and nap. And the discounted price you pay for the luxury treatment you receive will make you smile too!

The reason for a significant price reduction on repositioning cruises is two-fold: 1) many travelers want to see more than just ocean/sea for the majority of vacation days – for the reasons mentioned above. So there are fewer cruisers than usual. For many, the destinations are what is most important, not the journey. 2) As there are fewer port fees incurred by the ship (and therefore not passed on to the traveler), the cost is less.

Here is an example of an incredibly luxurious cruise, spent on a transatlantic crossing in April 2007 on the Celebrity Constellation.

This was my 2nd sailing on the Constellation. In July 2006, I traveled with my mother on a Norwegian Fjords cruise on the Constellation, visiting Dover, Cork, Dublin, Le Havre, 3 stops through Norway, then Copenhagen and London. We loved the ship so much, that when it came time to book another cruise (I book a trip every year with my Mom as a Christmas present), I wanted to go back on the Constellation. Last time we had a Concierge level room, which was wonderful. But I went for the extra splurge this time was able to obtain a Royal Suite. It was such a treat to have a really large cabin. And the cost for the suite on the repositioning cruise was less expensive than the concierge level room on the previous cruise.

We stayed a few days prior to embarking in Ft. Lauderdale at the Sheraton Yankee Clipper, which is on the beach. It was a rather ordinary hotel , but I was just looking for a place to rest after a day of flights. It was perfect. The transfer from the hotel to the ship was uneventful, which is the best one can hope for. The port was just 15 minutes from the hotel. Embarkation was really easy as usual with Celebrity.

We were greeted with a glass of champagne, a signature Celebrity treat, and made our way to our cabin. The suite was a surprise to my mother. Once we arrived, she was overwhelmed with joy. She had expected a regular ocean-view room, not a suite. The suite was more than double the size of a regular cabin. The living room was twice the size of a bedroom and had a pull-out couch. The suite could have easily accommodated 4 people. The bedroom and living room areas were separated by a doorway. We had 2 plasma screen TVs so we could keep abreast of the ongoing ship activities for the day. It was nice to have the extra space as we did spend more time in our room on the sea days.

The suite came equipped with laptop and a CD player in the room. Internet access was painfully slow, but at least I could get online throughout cruise. 

We had the “pillow menu”, so we could select the types and sizes of the pillows for our stay. Our butler and steward were wonderful. We didn’t call on them for too much extra. When they would see us heading down the hall toward our room, they would rush to open the door for us. It was especially nice having the suite on the days at sea (7); we could leisurely get ready, have breakfast in our room, and plan our day.

We were treated to other amenities and special events for booking a Royal Suite: a bottle of champagne upon arrival, evening snacks, fresh fruit daily, fresh flowers, an invitation to high tea, and a tour of the bridge.

Also very helpful were the daily guides, called Celebrity Today, which detailed the times and locations for the days activities. Sunrise and sunset times were noted, in addition to time changes – which happened nearly every day through the Atlantic Crossing. The “best things in life are at sea” according to Celebrity Today, and I must concur.

There was so much to do on the sea days, but we stuck to the same activities most of the time. It was too cold/windy to sit out by the pool much, but there were some people braving it, covered in blankets. Also popular was the spa area with an indoor pool. A few days out to sea were a little rocky and the pools were closed, but the indoor hot tubs were always open. We watched the cruise band every afternoon. There were dance lessons, and a good contingent of line dancers (my Mom being one). We also played trivia every day, and bingo a few times. I hit the spa/hair salon twice. We also played in the casino, and amazingly won money on the slots. We stopped at the Martini bar a few nights. The bartender there was very skilled and provided a show, juggling glasses and flipping bottles, Cocktail- style.

We spent some time nearly every night at Michael’s Club as we just adore the piano player, Perry. He remembered us from our last cruise. He is really fun, and we enjoyed the old cabaret songs. The large production shows were somewhat disappointing. Last year most of the shows featured Cirque de Soleil performers, but they were not there this time around. The music in the other venues was good.

We attended the Captain’s Club Party one evening. We had sailed on Celebrity before, so we were automatically invited to this event. It was one of the best cocktail parties of any cruise we have taken. The captain and officers greeted us at the door of the theater. We were able to be seated. The waiters stopped by several times with cocktail and hors d’oeuvre offerings. The canapés were fresh and delicious. The ship’s orchestra entertained us prior to the Captain’s official greeting and introduction of the officer staff. On other cruises, the venue was too crowded with little seating and not enough wait staff. This was a nice exception.

In the evenings, we had dinner nearly every night in the San Marco room (main dining room) with our tablemates, who were a blast. We were able to request our table size when booking. I like to hear about others’ travel experiences and their activities for the day, so I chose the largest size table which accommodated eight. There are two seatings – early (6pm) and late (8:30pm). We chose the earlier seating, leaving us plenty of time to enjoy the shows and other night time events. The food selection and quality in the main dining room was good. The menu consisted of appetizers, soups, salads, entrees and desserts. We could order as much or as little as we wanted. There were 3-4 selections in each category. Typically entrees consisted of a meat, chicken, seafood, and pasta choices. There was a daily “healthy choice” selection as well. Most memorable was “surf and turf” night. The lobster and steak were cooked perfectly. Also memorable were a couple chicken dishes – an aromatic Thai Chicken dish and a decadent Chicken Supreme.

We dined twice in the specialty restaurant, Oceanliners, which was incredible. I am a major seafood fan, and they had a great lobster and scallop dish. The service was friendly, and not too overbearing. There were some special buffet events in the evening such as chocolate night – very decadent! Also available for breakfast, lunch and dinner was the buffet, the Aqua Spa (light spa fare) and room service. The last night we chose to eat dinner in our room as we packed to leave.

Suggested attire for the evenings was listed in the Celebrity Today: casual, dressy, and formal. The dress code in the dining room prohibited jeans, cutoffs, and tank tops. During sea days, most people dressed casually. Attire in port was dictated by whatever activity one participated in.

Once we landed on the other side of the Atlantic, we went on shore excursions in every port. We were looking forward to walking on land. In Cork, we went on the guided city walking tour, which was fine. Last year, we stayed in port and did the Titanic tour, which was fantastic. In Dublin, we went to a castle; the year before we went on a walking tour, which was more interesting. In Le Havre, we went on the Giverny and Roen tour, which was the highlight of the trip. We could have spent al day in Monet’s garden. A lunch was provided near Roen at a farmhouse/mill restaurant. The food was good and the wine plentiful. In Cornwall, we braved the rocky tenders and went on a tour to St. Michaels Mount – the climb a little treacherous on cobblestones, but well worth it.

Disembarking was a breeze. We were able to find our luggage quickly and were guided to our bus to take to the airport. We were sad it was over. We had a few hours at Heathrow, so spent it at an Irish Pub, writing notes about the trip and looking at our photos on the digital camera.

The cost of this cruise: $11,056 – included Royal Suite, taxes, port charges, airfare, 2 nights hotel accommodations, and ground transportation – for 2 people. $706 – 4 shore excursions each for 2 people $1585 – cabin charges which included beverages (wine, water, soda), 2 spa appointments, minimal on-board shopping, and staff gratuities – for 2 people TOTAL: $13, 347 for the 13 day cruise plus 2 land days Taking a repositioning cruise is a great bargain with lots of royal treatment and numerous activities on sea days. I highly recommend Celebrity and the Constellation. I would sail on a Celebrity ship again. Click here to go directly to Celebrity Constellation website.

This article was written by Cynthia Hammond freelance travel writer. You may contact Cynthia by email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it