05 February 2008

Cheap cruises across the Atlantic

Now is the time to book a cheap cruise away from the over-used Caribbean, and save a lot of money. This is the season when cruise lines prepare to move their ships back from the Caribbean to either the Mediterranean or through the Panama Canal to Vancouver. All winter tens of cruise ships ply the warm still Caribbean waters on dull and over-touristed itineraries. But come spring the ships must 'reposition' for their summer schedules. This is the best opportunity to get an interesting cruise, often to Europe, for as little as $65 per day in an inside cabin. There are repositionings in the sping and autumn, and they go all over the world, so ask you agent for repositionings: you can even get to Asia from Canada.
March and April are the busiest repositioning months, and a review of sale prices reveals two week cruises from the USA to Italy and the UK for as little as $65 per day. Even if you do not like Carnival Cruise Line, you can sail from Miami USA to Rome Italy for $50 per day on a fourteen day repositioning cruise on 26 April. Costa does it for even less per day for the same repsoitioning taking 16 days, and stopping at some interesting ports along the way. You can take the Celebrity Century from the USA to London and Amsterdam in fourteen days for $79 per day.
You cannot buy a fancy dinner for these prices. You can hardly get a hotel room for this money, and not at all in London or New York!
The only problem people encounter with repositioning cruises is the ship does not return to the port of departure. But it allows you to try unconventional itineraries with the same great service and entertainment as on common scheduled services. It also allows you to try more expensive cruise lines which usually deeply discount their repositionings. Oceania Cruise Line regularly repositions their ships to and from Miami, and twelve days on the Regatta costs a mere $88 per day. The beds are perfect and the cuisine far above mass-market cruises.
You could even sail from Florida to Vancouver through the Panama Canal for 19 days on the HAL Volendam for $100 per day. Sail right back to Canada! Can you beat that, or the price?