PROS and CONS of a Repositioning Cruise | CELEBRITY APEX 

We had a great transatlantic repositioning cruise on the Celebrity APEX and wanted to share our thoughts. If you have experience with a repositioning cruise, please share them with us in the comments. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/

A few years ago, my husband and I did a transatlantic cruise to Europe in the spring. We loved the lack of jetlag and were not bothered by the hour adjustments each night. Also because the cost was cheaper than flying, we upgraded to a balcony. On sea days, we loved sitting on our balcony with a good book and a cup of coffee.

We never thought we’d be cruisers but did a short repositioning from our home port of Los Angeles to Vancouver, because as I like to say, “it was cheaper than staying home”. As you note, it is transportation, meals, and hotels and in our case, it cost less than a modest hotel room alone. We also wanted to drive back through Washington state, Oregon, and California and see the sights along the way. We were so impressed by the experience that we eventually took an Alaskan cruise as we didn’t see how else we would get there practically. We found none of the negatives: we did not eat all day, we ate at normal times and healthily. We did not feel like we were with thousands of people. We used the exercise room, and did not take one elevator; the stairways are open, not closed in or creepy. We sometimes asked for a table for two at dinner, no problem, and all of the people we met were conversant and very pleasant. In Alaska, we did every active option in every port. We hiked on a glacier, biked down a mountain, snorkeled, and more; no t-shirt shops for us. Bottom line, a cruise is what you make of it. We also use a consolidator and had excellent service from them along with discount prices. This video was so informative!

My wife and I did a repositioning cruise on the NCL Prima (12/1 to 12/15/23) from NYC to Galveston, TX. It started from somewhere in Europe, but we got on in NYC. It was amazing. We stopped in DR, Puerto Rico, curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba, Tortola, Jamaica, skipped Cayman Islands (due to weather, a tendered port) Cozumel, and finally TX. Now that I experienced one, I’ll definitely do it again. Btw some passengers mentioned that it was cheaper for them to get back to the USA rather than flying (they booked an inside room.)

We were on the that same ship with you after we did the 10 day APEX Mediterranean cruise. We found that the repositioning trip really allowed us to relax and enjoy the ship’s amenities more. It was really enjoyable to not have to pack up in Barcelona, rush to the airport to grab a very long flight home. We also met more people on the ship once you find your regular meeting place. Ours was at the midship Martini bar. Overall the 23 day experience was truly amazing and we highly recommend it. Cheers !

My girlfriend and I are well into the planning of our inaugural slow travel adventure after our planned retirements in 2024. Mar 2025 we are very close to confirming a trans Atlantic cruise aboard the Norwegian Epic. 15 days from NYC to Rome. Then 85 days in Italy, 30 days in Montenegro, 60 days in Albania, a skip over to Cyprus overnight for a flight to France for the remainder of the 90 days in Schengen the second time. We will play it by ear towards the end and decide if Scotland, Ireland (we did 2 weeks there last year), or England for a while longer. That would/could stretch us into a return re-positioning cruise from that location, back to the US. Thank you as always for your honest report, and we love seeing your videos each week as subscribers. BON VOYAGE!!

Great job, love the pro con format and the way you got to the point quickly and factually. Hope you have some good down time with friends and family.

We travel with a Scrubba bag and laundry detergent sheets for laundry. (2 to 3 minutes agitation is equivalent to a wash.) It's been a trip saver! Thanks for the info!

We have done one cruise a repositioning. Flew from Australia to Hawaii, spent a week in Hawaii then 18 day cruise Hawaii to Sydney on Celebrity Solstice. We loved it plenty of days to relax and great places visited in Tahiti and New Zealand.

Going on our second transatlantic cruise in November. So excited

A former coworker just booked side to side transatlantic cruises on Cunard between New York City and Southampton. He'll spend a week in London between cruises. Sounds fantastic except for the dressing up.

We had never really thought about The Azores but stopped on our last Transatlantic. Most beautiful place we have ever seen

The Azores are so beautiful!

This is new to me and I’m definitely looking into booking a repositioning cruise. You guys really bring the best variety of travel videos!

We’re doing one of these next April ending up in England where we’ll spend another 2 weeks in London, Wales and Ireland. We’re celebrating our 40th anniversary 3 years late because of Covid. We actually set sail on our anniversary (#43).

We are going on a repositioning cruise from Ft Lauderdale FL to Barcelona Spain with Celebrity come April 14th. We are spending a couple months traveling around Europe after the cruise. We are not big cruisers but I have a great tip that my sister in-law shared with me. She is a big time cruiser and what you can do is book your cruise but only do a deposit on it. Then keep checking back with customer service and if they have a price drop you can ask to have them check the price of the cruise and they will give you the lower fare as long as the cruise is not paid in full. She even pays it down to the last 17 dollars and keeps checking to get a cheaper price. I did this and it was amazing how different customer service people will find better deals for you. Like we had one, after several calls, say, Oh I see you don't have a senior discount, and that took more money off. Just ask for a price check and if it's lower then they will do it.

We have done 6 repositioning cruises -3 each way trans-Atlantic. You have covered this well. On our Lisboa-NYC Norwegian Jade trip that we just did in November we did land in Madeira and Bermuda but our 2 Azores ports were cancelled because of rough weather. This resulted in 6 sea days in a row. Deck weather was often cold and windy and there was lots of motion. There was no speaker program on our ship ( compared to other crossings we did) and we realized that this was important to us and in the future we would screen for this. In the past we found the Celebrity and Holland America speaker programs to be very good.

When we retire, I would love to spend some time in Europe and then cruise home. Really love this idea and appreciate your overview of the pros and cons. Excellent!

Fantastic! Never heard of this before...You both are so full of great ideas, I love your channel. Cheers! and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

Thanks for another great video. What a beautiful ship. I've done one repositioning cruise from Europe to the States on Princess and will be taking Celebrity from Fort Lauderdale to Portugal in April. I love the sea days. You can do as much or as little as you want on the ship. There are always so many options. Hope you are enjoying your stay at home and the holidays.

Did Princess from San Francisco (public transportation to port from our home) to Sydney 28 days shortly before pandemic. Absolutely fabulous. Loved everything about it. Free laundry for us due to Princess status, so that was great (the self serve laundry rooms were sometimes a bit busy). Spent 4 nights in Australia before heading back home. Itinerary was changed up a bit in New Zealand due to weather, but they substituted a port and went somewhere we had never been before. Also very much likd the cultural embassadors and other enrichment speakers. Really a wonderful time.

We love repositioning cruises. We took our first from FL to Barcelona in September and are about to get on our 2nd from Lisbon to FL next Tuesday. It has been a great 3 months in Europe. Already planning our next transatlantic cruise. Merry Christmas guys!

Princess also has laundry rooms with a minimal charge $3. Did a transpacific cruise right after Covid and it was fantastic

I live in Bermuda. Weather cancelations can happen in March/April, and October/ November. Glad you got in.

Wonderful summary of repositioning cruises. We fly to Europe - travel some; then jump on a cruise ship for a "back-to-back". Often visiting European ports before travelling on the transatlantic journey. Usually a 24-30 day journey. Merry Christmas. Love your family.

Thank you for sharing your great information, it’s much appreciated! New subscriber!

We've taken two repositioning cruises, one from Alaska to Houston and one from Miami to Seattle. They were 28 and 21 nights respectively. They were both with Norwegian and were great. We experienced places we probably wouldn't have gone to otherwise.

Love your videos ❤️ Last year we took a 14 day repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona on Royal Caribbean’s medium size ship. it was a wonderful adventure. Some people felt that the first eight days at sea were too much, but I enjoyed resting and exploring the ship. The food and service were great. I loved meeting so many people, because during the 14 days you begin to make relationships. There were such interesting people for example, a single young woman who travels year-round on cruises. A 70-year-old lady who explores the ship on her scooter. A man who is a full time Santa Claus and was heading to a Santa convention in Sweden. There was a couple with a dog. We met people who shared their travel adventures and opened our eyes to so many possibilities. I also enjoyed traveling to Europe on a ship because we got used to the time change slowly and didn’t have to take a 14 hour flight in a crowded plane. I hope to do it again.

We are on a repo cruise now. From California to South America. We love the relaxing sea days ❤

I enjoyed 2 repositioning cruises, one to Japan in February with 6 weeks there (on Princess), then a return to the States with another (on Holland America) in April. Both were delightful. True, there were rough seas, but there are patches for that! (Highly recommend them). Cruising Beats Jet Lag!!! That's why I did it that way, and it was a dream way to go. As for the wash, some ships have laundries, which are great. I wish they all did, but really, doing up a few things in the sink every night is not that big of a deal. Pack light and don't worry about your clothes. Basic black is very elegant, slimming, and can be dressed up and down. Put on some pearls (or a shirt and neck tie) and you are often good to go for most ship's dressy nights. One very glamorous lady we met designs her own costume jewelry when on land. She brought a few of her necklaces and changed up her basic black blouse and skirt. She had a totally different look each evening.

You guys provide such a lift to my week. I love seeing what you're up to and learning from your channel. Thank you and Merry Christmas!

We did a TA a few years ago and loved it. Went from NY to Rome. The thing I didn't like was losing an hour 5 times. And we had a lot of ports once we arrived in Europe, so while the trip over was relaxing, by the time we got home jet-lagged and exhausted we needed another vacation. That said, we're booked on Celebrity Ascent on their first TA with passengers, FLL-Barcelona. Can't wait.

I highly recommend spending time in the triangle islands of the Azores - Pico, Faial and St. George. After watching your channel, I feel you’d love it!

We're looking forward to our first repositioning cruise.

so excited to watch this! we've been wanting to do a "repose" cruise for a long time.

love cruising!!! not sure if would do the Apex but repositioning cruise sounds nice. always good to be taken care of for a while

super informative. Never heard of these before. $1,100 for a 13 day cruise with many sea days is a spectacular bargain! If you can couple this with free/discounted flights from credit card perks, it's a no brainer

We did a repositioning from the Canada / New England area to the Caribbean. It was a 15 day late fall trip. We stopped at some smaller Canadian Ports that didn't get many cruise ship stops. It was one of more favorite adventures. The pace was much slower.

I was so happy to see this video. This is something I ve been interested in for a long time. Thank you for sharing your experience. Happy Holidays!

Wow...didn't know this existed. I 've been leery of flying since my back issues erupted but really want to get to Europe. This may be my answer...thanks RT...and Happy Holidays! 🎄

Taking an NCL from Fl. to Rome in April. Great, great price. I love sea days so not a problem for me. I will be in Europe 2.5 months and then fly back. But, wanted the nice relaxation of the trip over. Ain't retired life great???!!!!

The beauty of a repositioning cruise, besides the reduced jet lag, is the cost. We're at the point in our lives where we will only fly across oceans in business class, which is obviously, very expensive. A repositioning cruise is a much better value. We took one from Florida to Europe pre-Covid, in an inside cabin and never felt bored. Having just returned from a month long trip to SE Asia that required three flights, two long-haul, to get there, we will be exploring repositioning cruises for our next far East trip. As retirees, the off-season isn't a problem for us. Safe travels.

Great video! My favorite cruise was a 23 day transatlantic from Miami to Venice Italy. We had calm seas the whole way (probably because it was early spring and not hurricane season). And yes, it was on Oceania. They also offered the cruise as a 16 day Miami to Rome but the upcharge to continue to Venice was minimal. We'd love to do a transpacific to New Zealand.

Very informative video. Thanks for sharing. We can’t wait to try one.

Happy holidays to you and your family!!

We have been on a quite a number of European cruises, but never thought about a repositioning cruise, so this video was very interesting. Sounds like this cruise was a perfect way to relax and catch-up before returning back to the states.

I second the mention of Princess for affordable laundry rooms on their ships.

I would agree with all of your points as I'm halfway through a re-positioning cruise on Princess. No rough seas for us since we are hugging the western coast of North, Central, and South America (Los Angeles to Santiago, Chile). BTW - the Sapphire Princess has laundry rooms on every passenger cabin deck.

Thank you for sharing. That looked to be a really nice time. I have read about repositioning cruises. I didn't realize they still offer the same entertainment and stop at various places in between. Enjoy your time with family! --M

Thanks for this. I have never done a big cruise. Just a small Galapagos eight day cruise, small yacht type thing, and a small expedition through some Philippine islands (highly recommend) but never a big ship. I’m quite fascinated with the idea of a repositioning cruise. So smart 😊

If you make it to Tanzania when you head to Africa, I highly recommend Zanzibar, an archipelago off the coast!

Interesting. I've never heard of this before. Thanks for sharing.

My friends and I did a repositioning cruise between Florida and Boston in 2013. It was two weeks of fun.

Very informative video!! Seems like a relaxing and fun way to cross the sea!

I highly recommend repositioning cruises. i've done two..spring and fall. i did spring on Viking and fall on Regent. I much preferred the Viking. Regent seemed to dummy down their service and offering. I do agree that the prices are VERY affordable. I do like sea days so this was perfect for me. I will definitely look at repositioning cruises in the future. Thank you for your informative vlog.

We love the transatlantic cruises. We have been on two. Galveston to Barcelona in 2019 and Rome to Ft. Lauderdale 2022. We have one planned from Ft. Lauderdale to Southampton with 10 days in Belgium and Germany. Unfortunately, we have to fly home. We would love the opportunity to cruise both ways instead of seasonal. We only travel with carry-on, so we have a magnetic clothes line and wash what makes sense. Difficult to wash goes in the laundry bag. Magnets are great for so many things because the cabin walls are metal. Happy Holidays with your family and friends.

Great video!! Thanks for sharing this information and review!

Thank yall so much for the video. This is something that I am going to do

We were on the Apex from Athens to Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale this year. Wish we had met you.

I'm planning on taking a first repositioning cruise this fall and I really can't wait 😊

Great information. Thank you.

We also booked a 16 day Panama canal repositioning from Los Angeles to Miami on Oceania Vista. We're really excited about that cruise.

I did this same crossing last year. Love the Apex. Repositioning cruises are my favorite. Just did the Carnival freedom this year. Both over the fall.

We're doing a trans-Atlantic from NYC to England at the end of April and we're really looking forward to this!

We cruise frequently but have never done a repositioning cruise. It seems like an affordable way to get either to or from Europe or the Mediterranean. If you aren't pressed for time this might be a good option for some people. I will add that older ships that don't have all the bells and whistles of newer, larger ships such as Apex tend to offer lower prices for transatlantic cruises. Because of the potential bad weather on these crossings, staterooms located midship on lower decks will experience much less motion.

Very interesting video!! Thank you for sharing!!

Your repositioning video popped up on RU-vid. I enjoyed it very much and subscribed. As a senior, I enjoyed being able to relate.

We took one from Vancouver to Hawaii 20 years ago for our honeymoon. It was 5 days at sea and 7 days around Hawaii. We had the best time!

Thank you!❤

If you liked Celebrity's TA cruise, try Oceania's cruise. They generally include both European and Caribbean stops! They also tend to be later in the autumn, think November/December. We prefer Oceania's TAs as they have stops on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. My other tips is to always sail from Europe as you gain an hour multiple nights rather and lose an hour. You will find the loosing an hour multiple nights catches up to you by the time you get to Europe, verses going to North America where you have multiple 25 hr days!

I’ve done a few. Al on seabourne. South Atlantic crossing was my fav.

Did you meet Mark and Linzi @SuiteNatured on YT? They were on that cruise too! The Apex looks like such a beautiful ship! We're taking a round trip from New York 30 day British Isles cruise on Queen Mary 2 next year. Watching your channel has helped us find courage to get going with travel now in our early retirement years. Thank you!

Thanks! for rememboring me. next year england to FLL

Yes, great info on repositioning cruises. It's a good way to travel. I, however, would never pick the Celebrity Edge, Apex, Beyond, Ascent or anything of that class. I'm a long-time Celebrity fan and truly like the product. I think when new ships are designed to a class there's a reason why you make them evolutionary. Long-time cruisers to a brand expect a certain style and spaces. The new management at Celebrity decided to make a revolutionary ship but IMO all they did was take the personality and a lot of the content out of Celebrity. Bad weather was mentioned on this ship. And when there is bad weather a lot of people tend to like to go to the forward observation lounge that's on an upper deck on the ship. Prior to this Edge class, that was always an option. But Celebrity's management decided to make this area the all-suite retreat and so Celebrity just deleted this space. To me, that's a big deal and a dealbreaker. But they also decided to change the exterior balconies into a big room with a seating area and a large window and call them infinite verandas. That's another dealbreaker for many people. Plus, no library, no card room, no smaller quiet areas. When there is a lot of activiity in the Martini Bar, that's relocated from older classes, it makes for not so peaceful atmospheres in the above specialty restaurants, something that just doesn't seem "premium" IMO. Yes, Eden is an option for interior sea views and seating but Eden feels vertical and is aft. There's a different sense of that space vs. the forward observation lounge. And I hear ships often called beautiful but are they characterful and evocative or do they really have a strong identity of a brand? That's what I'm most interested in. To me, the Apex and other Edge ships could be on any line. They follow the neutral and muted color palette and style of the trend today. So parts of the NCL Prima are very similar as are other ships. Go into the Solstice or Millennium ships and they immediately look/feel like Celebrity ships. There are just certain aspects of their ambiance that say Celebrity and no other line. That's sadly not the case with the Apex and her sisters. You can modernize and keep your character where little Celebrity character is maintained in this ship IMO. Then all of the public mix/mingle non-dining areas are open space here. I saw a brief clip of couples ballroom dancing. But they were dancing in Eden. That's not a great ambiance for ballroom dancing. There should at least be one romantic, nice and upscale feeling lounge for that type of activity. None exist on the Apex. So, sorry, I'm not enamored to the Edge, Apex, Beyond or AScent as they just don't measure up to what Celebrity has brought as a cruise product. Yest, they have tech and such but mostly, they're new. When the newness of them wears off, I think people will see that they do have some shortcomings. The Celebrity service and food product is good when they deliver. Hopefully if a repositioning cruise is chosen, the cruise line will deliver. And I'm not saying it is impossible to meet people and have a great time on an Edge ship. I'm just pointing out what's missing in them.

Your video was great! Informative and entertaining. You are such a likable couple. Thanks for sharing.

Enjoyed this! I mainly use vacations to go for great prices. I thought you said you were going to tell where to get the repositioning cruises? I have googled and checked ships website and found none really. Have fun with family and all the grandkids 🤩 Thanks, John

Just got in from our second repostioning cruise. We traveled on MSC and it was $80 a day for both of us.. We had several options but chose the 25 days option over the 16 day option. It is the best way for us to travel.

You guys aren't "seniors".... look at just how active and fun you two are- keep up the great videos, they are very enjoyed!

We have missed ports before, but we were fine because we get another relaxation day.

We were scheduled on a 2 week Israel Egypt tour, that we cancelled. We came to,the same conclusion you did. Ended up booking a Miami to Barcelona on Explorer of the seas, and then added Barcelona to Venice to follow with 3 nights in Venice before flying home. We are certainly hoping we like it, because we booked Odyssey of the Seas from NY to Rome, followed another 7 days RT from Rome. Thinking we may take a train up to Tuscany. Looking forward to it.

Our repositioning cruise was greatly cut back on entertainment. Maybe it was because it was an older ship by Royal Caribbean. We had always trusted them, but after being on the Navigator of the Seas November 12-26, we got very turned off on our past passion for cruising. We had been in Europe for a month before the cruise, and we used it for our way home as well. They piped in music, instead of live music. And word searches and construction paper Chinese take out box making are entertaining for you....then this would be a good fit. But we felt like we were in a retirement home.

Very nice job on this video. I haven’t seen your channel before but will look for other content based on the quality of this

We are doing a TA crossing from FLL to Barcelona next April on Ascent! Best value on this expensive ship

Love Oceania for all the included perks!

I'm doing an atlantic crossing next year, nice preview

We did our first repo cruise in April-May from Sydney to Honolulu - 18 days on RC Ovation of the Seas. Got to Sydney a few days early to sightsee there. Missed first stop in New Zealand due to rough seas so 3 sea days, then a day in Aukland, 5 sea days to Papeete/Moorea for 2.5 days, 5 sea days to Honolulu arriving the afternoon early before departure day. Lots of fun. Too many sea days for my wife, though. Fun crossing the Dateline and the Equator. Still have Atlantic crossing on my bucket list.

Nice! I've on Apex twice in May 2022 12Night British Isles and 12Night Israel in October 2022. I enjoyed the four main dining rooms. My fav starter is the grilled octopus in the Cyprus restaurant. I also experience Beyond twice in Europe. Recently completed Celebrity Ascent in the Caribbean. Done 1-Transatlantic with new Carnival Celebration and twice Transpacific 30-day and 24-day. I am solo traveler/cruiser. That's how I explain cruising to people interested. It's like a buffet. You like this one and you'll probably go back and may be one and done on the other. As for laundry, I have complimentary on other cruise lines. However, if I don't, I hand wash and let it dripped in the bathroom and use the blow dryer haha. Btw, was that at the Rock of Gibraltar Nature Reserve on your video? Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Rest and relax💛

Thank you for a great video regarding repositioning cruises. We've done 9 day repositioning cruise we haven't considered a 14 day repositioning cruise. After watching your cruise we are going to look for a repositioning cruise which will suit our needs. BTW we also subscribed. Bill

We are on the Apex for their TA in May. We’ve been on the ship a few times before (Europe, Scandinavia), and we love it! We cruise Celebrity almost exclusively. As recent retirees, we would never have had the opportunity to spend two weeks on a ship before. Although we are on the Celebrity Ascent this month, I’m looking forward to our TA in May. Now, we always tag a land trip on the front and/or back end of a cruise abroad.

Wow! I see you visited Admiralty House Park, right by my home in Bermuda - so sorry our weather wasn’t the best that day! Come visit again ! 🇧🇲

Just completed NCL Prima Barcelona to NYC 11 days , as Haven aft owners suite guests. Price was right no doubt. It was a fantastic trip.

Thank you for another great video. I feel a repositioning cruise wood be the best way to get from the States to Europe to walk a Camino. My only issue is being gluten intolerant I don't want to lose 10# right before I start a long walk. At least when you fly you will only be hungry for up to a day if you can not eat the food that is served on the plane. Lesson learned last spring don't assume wheat is not added to granola, ask before you consume it. Because I would be walking once I get to Europe I guess I could just pack a big bag of granola and some mixed nuts and seeds. It may be worth it to give it a try. Thank you for testing out this travel option and making a video about your experience.

Loved this video... Thank you for sparking my interest. I will look more into this for future trips. Safe travels to you guys!😊

Thanks for sharing this video!

Just came across your channel. It was an excellent subject! We are booked next October on the Apex to the Canary Islands and can’t wait. Their repositioning from Southampton to Ft. Lauderdale would be the next but one. I would LOVE to take that, but it wasn’t feasible (this time) to do that. I would probably have to do a repositioning cruise solo as my husband isn’t a great fan of sea days. Ship looks beautiful and cannot wait to sail on her.

I like repositioning cruise! I found good deals for bigger cabins. The Vancouver /LA repositioning is worth it too

Princess ships have self-laundry which is why we're going on our 1st TA in May on the Caribbean Princess.

I went on Celebrity from Ft. Lauderdale to LA through the Panama Canal. As a solo traveller it was my best bang for the buck.

Thanks!