It seems that many of you are also interested in Repositioning Cruises based on the feedback and questions, so thank you.
In Oct 2023 Kat and I cruised from Honolulu to Sydney, with stops in three islands in French Polynesia and two in New Zealand. Here’s a link to Part I if you missed it. They were only one day stops, but it was long enough to give us a feel for them and to contemplate returning. The result was that we loved them all and would definitely like to return.
In Part I (One) I didn’t get into specifics about prices, so now I will.
Prior to leaving we did a lot of research on the where on the ship to stay since seasickness was a concern. We were told to stay “mid-ship, lower cabin,” but our second deck room was too rocky and it was WEIRD looking out our porthole and seeing the waves crashing up against it!! We spoke with a lot of fellow passengers, most of them with more experience than we had, and our conclusion was that mid-ship right under the SHOPS is where you want to be if you want stability. It makes sense since they want you to shop “in comfort.” You probably won’t get a porthole looking out, but I think that’s a good trade off.
We paid $2200 each and the only upgrade we did was a “coupon” for daily Starbucks visits and on-board wifi, which was actually quite good. I suspect they use some type of Starlink network for data, and I wouldn’t do a Zoom call, but I did have several good video calls on WhatsApp. Many of the people we met were frequent Royal Caribbean customers, so they got killer deals, but some people booked last minute and got in for less than $1000. Now THAT’S a great price. It pays to be open to your room location, but even so, that would bring down the daily cost to about $55. Our cost per day totaled about $122 and that included three (or more) very good meals, programs, and entertainment.
The trip I’m contemplating going from Tokyo (actually Yokohama) to Los Angeles is 17 days next May with four stops within Japan, but nothing else along the way, so that would entail 12 solid days at sea. I think I can handle that. The price for that RIGHT NOW: $1009, which is down from what it was the last two times I checked ($1200 and $1300), so LUCK and timing matter. A price of $1009 for 17 days comes out to about $60 per day. Try finding just a room in a decent city for that price!!
For those that were concerned about seasickness I suggest Sea-bands, which are simple bands with a ball on it that applies pressure to the underside of your wrist. They seem to work and are more organic than meds if they work for you.
This voyage would get me to Southern California for as long as I need, then I would fly back to probably Vietnam, since I’m not quite sure where I will base myself next May.
I got a Chase Sapphire Preferred card last year which included a 60,000 miles bonus, and that was a great place to start. Now I’m over 110K miles and that would easily get me a ROUND TRIP ticket from Asia to Los Angeles, but since I’m only going one way, I can do it for half that. Compare that to what plane tickets are retailing for these days! Over the past few months I’ve been learning the best ways to USE these points, and my conclusion is to partner with an airline that is going where you want to fly. In my case that means Virgin Air, Air Canada, and United (I’m partnering with Air Canada), and what’s cool is that I can transfer points from Chase to those carriers in a few minutes.
You may use reward cards already and maybe even have a few in your wallet, but Chase keeps encouraging me to share their Sapphire card with YOU, and in exchange you get 100,000 miles, rather than the 60,000 I got. The card is $99 a year, but if you got a round trip ticket from the US to Europe or Asia, that is one hell of a deal! Here’s the link, and you’d be helping me out, too, since I’d get 15,000 miles as a thank you from them. So thank YOU very much! (Earn 100,000 bonus points with Sapphire Reserve® or 100,000 bonus with points with Sapphire Preferred®.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19x/B89PXJ4EJ0
And if you need help figuring out how to partner with any of those carriers, let me know and I’ll walk you through it.
The Affordability Question: Why are these cruises so cheap? Well, there are several reasons:
Supply and Demand
The one-way nature of these cruises automatically shrinks the pool of potential buyers since the Time at Sea is so long. Most vacationers only have a week off work (especially Yanks!) and would generally fly somewhere on a round-trip flight. A 15-night crossing from Barcelona to Miami requires a massive chunk of time off but only one return flight. To convince travelers to take the logistical plunge, cruise lines slice ticket prices to the bone.
Lower Port Fees
A massive chunk of your standard cruise ticket actually goes toward port taxes and passenger fees charged by each island or city the ship visits. Less time at port = lower (or no) port fees. Like in my case, I would have only a few within Japan. Those savings are passed directly onto you.
The “Captive Audience” Factor
Cruise lines are sophisticated businesses, and they know that if you are on a ship for XX days at sea, you are going to spend money. Even if your entry ticket is cheap, you will likely buy an espresso at the cafe, book a treatment at the spa, play a few hands of blackjack in the casino, or upgrade to a specialty steakhouse dinner. I know on our first crossing there was a LOT of money spent at the bar by those Aussies!!
I’m not much of a drinker, but Kat did buy some items in their gift shops which were surprisingly well priced. We didn’t do any excursions with the carrier, but we did get some directly with a tour company on land.
Why Their Popularity Keeps Growing
In recent years, Repositioning Cruises have transitioned from a travel industry secret to a booming travel trend. They are no longer just filling seats; they are catering to a rapidly changing demographic.
The increase of “digital nomads” who don’t care WHERE they work as long as they have good wifi.
More and more people—especially older ones—are willing to take longer vacations and the value proposition for a one way cruise and one return ticket makes sense for them.
Cruise companies are pretty smart when it comes to keeping people “entertained,” so it’s not just nighttime entertainment, it’s also daytime programs which can be very interesting and educational. Many times they have high-recognition speakers and can offer workshops as well.
By the way: If you want to travel with your DOG, most cruise lines have kennels along with areas to play with your four-legged friends.
Is a “Right” for You?
Who knows?? Prior to the Hawaii> Sydney cruise, my only experience was a Los Angeles to Mexico three day deal which did NOT excite me. And if something like that has been your only experience, you might really enjoy an ADVENTURE! Try it out, and let me know what you think.
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