Take Advantage of These Repositioning Cruises

Every fall and spring, travelers have a chance to book short getaway sailings at low prices aboard what are called “positioning cruises,” which occur when a cruise line moves its ships because of the change of seasons.

For instance, the onset of winter in Alaska means cruise lines relocate their vessels in the Caribbean, but first they have to get them there, and that’s when the savings can be had. Next spring, the ships will reverse the pattern, once again heading to Alaska for the summer season.

We checked out an Acapulco-to-Los Angeles sailing last spring. Five days were only $600 per person, double occupancy. This was for an outside standard cabin aboard Holland America Line’s Westerdam. A deluxe double on the same itinerary cost $775 per person, while an inside double cabin cost only $475 per person.

The autumn version, at the same prices, is scheduled to depart Oct. 4 from Los Angeles. You’ll have to add $40 port charges per person, plus the one-way air fare from Acapulco back to Los Angeles.

Traveling south from Los Angeles, with the first day spent at sea, passengers have the chance to get acquainted with the 1,494-passenger ship, the biggest in Holland America’s fleet at 798 feet.

The Westerdam’s veranda pool area is covered with a sliding glass dome that can be opened or closed according to the weather, so passengers can sit comfortably in a lounge chair, loll in the Jacuzzi or swim in the heated pool.

On this same deck are a grill for cooked-to-order hot dogs and hamburgers, as well as a separate pasta counter/taco bar.

Just inside is an elegant full-service restaurant serving a buffet at lunchtime and a make-your-own ice cream sundae bar. A duplicate buffet restaurant and deck grill is two decks below.

A new fitness program offers stamps for each designated activity class attended. At the end of the cruise, passengers can turn in the stamps for logo T-shirts and visors or windbreakers.

On the second day, the ship makes a half-day call at Cabo San Lucas. Passengers can go ashore for shopping or sightseeing, or even take a jaunt aboard a local fishing boat to see the pelicans and sea lions along the rocky crags of Los Arcos.

A full-day stop in Puerto Vallarta allows time for a morning sightseeing tour that highlights the town square and church, Elizabeth Taylor’s hillside house and the decaying remains of the sets for the film “Night of the Iguana.”

On the fourth day, the ship anchors in the bay of Zihuatanejo in early afternoon, when an optional excursion to the beach resort of Ixtapa is offered. Next morning the Westerdam arrives in Acapulco, where disembarking passengers can choose to stay a few days or return directly home.

Another repositioning bargain this fall is the three-day coastal cruise from Vancouver to Los Angeles aboard Holland America’s Rotterdam, which leaves Vancouver Oct. 14 and arrives in Los Angeles Oct. 17.

The voyage costs $510 per person, double occupancy, for an outside deluxe double, $405 for a standard outside and $330 per person for an inside double, plus $34 port charges and the air fare to Vancouver.

One of the most popular repositioning sailings along the coast is Regency Cruises’ fifth-annual jazz festival aboard the Regent Sea, departing Vancouver Sept. 16 and arriving in Los Angeles Sept. 21.

Fares for the five-day sailing are $645 to $1,695 per person, double occupancy, including air fare to Vancouver from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle or Portland.

Windstar Sail Cruises’ four-masted computerized ship, the Wind Spirit, will cruise from Prince Rupert to Los Angeles on Sept. 15, calling en route at Victoria, British Columbia. The price is $1,395 per person, double occupancy, for the eight-day sailing.

If a warm-weather sailing is more appealing, travelers can take the Wind Spirit from Los Angeles to Acapulco, departing Sept. 23. It’s a nine-day cruise for $1,595 per person, double occupancy.