Royal Caribbean Repositioning Cruises

What Is a Royal Caribbean Repositioning Cruise?

Repositioning cruises happen when a ship moves between its seasonal home ports — typically crossing the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean as it repositions from one region to another. Because the ship is making a practical passage rather than a round trip, every sailing is one-way. That means you will need to arrange a flight home (or onward transport) from your disembarkation port. Cruise1st can book that return leg for you, along with any hotels and transfers, so nothing is left hanging. The upside is a longer voyage at a price that often undercuts an equivalent round-trip itinerary, with crossings typically running from 12 to 26 nights, with a median of 15 nights at sea.

Where Do Royal Caribbean Repositioning Cruises Go?

The two routes are the Transatlantic and the Transpacific, and they account for all the sailings available. The vast majority are Transatlantic crossings, making this the route to focus on first.

Transatlantic Crossings

These sailings move ships between Europe and the Americas, and they are where most of Royal Caribbean’s repositioning capacity sits. Embarkation ports on the European side include Barcelona, Rome (Civitavecchia) and Southampton. On the American side, ships arrive into Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Miami and Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey.

If you are sailing from Southampton, most of Britain can reach the port by road or rail — no flight required. Bear in mind that all these sailings are one-way, so a flight home from your US arrival port will be needed; we can book that alongside your cruise. Fort Lauderdale and Miami are about half an hour apart, so a Florida arrival can realistically use either — worth checking both for dates and prices on your chosen sailing.

The Transatlantic is a proper ocean passage: days at sea, long evenings, and the quiet satisfaction of watching a continent appear on the horizon. It suits travellers who want the crossing itself to be part of the experience, not just transit.

Transpacific Sailings

A smaller number of sailings cross the Pacific. These voyages connect ports on the west coast of North America with ports in the Pacific region. Seattle features among the disembarkation ports on the American side, while Yokohama (Tokyo) and Brisbane appear among the ports these ships call at. If you are flying out to join a Transpacific departure, or flying home from a distant arrival port, our team can build that into a Cruise1st Package — flights, hotels and transfers arranged as one booking.

Which Ports Can I Sail From?

Embarkation ports across all sailings are:

• Barcelona, Spain — the most active departure point for Transatlantic repositioning
• Southampton, England — the only UK departure port, reachable by road or rail
• Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida — for westbound or Transpacific departures
• Miami, Florida — half an hour from Fort Lauderdale, so worth checking both
• Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy — the port serving Rome, for Mediterranean departures
• Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey — serving the New York area on eastbound crossings

Southampton is the port most British travellers will plan around if they want to avoid a pre-cruise flight. 2027 sailings from Southampton span several lines and routes if you want to compare options alongside these repositioning departures.

Which Ships Operate These Repositioning Crossings?

Several ships from the Royal Caribbean fleet appear across these sailings. Here is what each one brings to a long ocean passage.

Freedom of the Seas

Freedom of the Seas carries the largest number of repositioning departures. On a 15-night crossing, the onboard offering matters — and this ship has a 3D cinema as well as an open-air cinema screen, so sea days have a proper evening option. The Tropics bar serves exotic cocktails, and the ice-skating rink means there is something genuinely different to do mid-ocean. If you are choosing your cabin, see the Freedom of the Seas cabin and deck plans for the full layout.

• Interior — Large Inside with Promenade View (1Q): 31.6 m², sleeps 6. More than twice the size of a standard inside cabin, with views onto the Royal Promenade rather than a porthole.
• Ocean View — Extra Spacious Ocean-View (1K): 27.2 m², sleeps 6. Around 10 m² larger than a standard sea-view cabin — notably more generous for longer voyages.
• Balcony — Balcony Cabin (1B): 19.2 m², sleeps 4. Private balcony with direct access to sea air and open views that inside and ocean-view guests do not have.
• Suite — Royal Suite (RS): 130.1 m², sleeps 4. The largest suite on board — more than twice the living space of the Owner’s Suite.

Odyssey of the Seas

Odyssey of the Seas brings a modern, well-appointed fleet to the Transatlantic run. The ship is known for its range of complimentary services, and an inside cabin here comes with the option of a virtual balcony — an HD screen showing a live feed of the sea outside, which is a practical comfort on a long crossing if you prefer not to pay for a real balcony. For the full choice of cabins and grades, the Odyssey of the Seas deck plans have everything laid out.

• Interior — Inside with Virtual Balcony (1U): 15.4 m², sleeps 2. HD screen displays a live sea view — an outside feel at an inside price.
• Ocean View — Large Ocean-View (3M): 19.9 m², sleeps 4. Around 3 m² larger than the standard ocean-view grade.
• Balcony — Balcony Cabin with Obstructed View (1E): 18.4 m², sleeps 4. Note that the balcony view is limited — obstructed in most cases by a lifeboat — so consider stepping up a grade if an unobstructed outlook matters to you.
• Suite — Royal Loft Suite (RL): 152.4 m², sleeps 6. A maisonette layout over two levels; the most spacious suite on board.

Explorer of the Seas

Explorer of the Seas was refurbished in 2025, adding a FlowRider surf simulator, The Perfect Storm dual waterslides, and the Royal Promenade boulevard — the ship’s indoor street of restaurants, bars and entertainment. An ice-skating rink with both professional shows and open passenger sessions is one of the features that sets this ship apart; very few cruise ships offer skating at sea. Dining runs across 10 venues, including Chops Grille steakhouse, Giovanni’s Table Italian, and Izumi Japanese. Check the Explorer of the Seas cabin and deck plans before you book.

Mariner of the Seas

Mariner of the Seas received its Royal Amplified refit in 2023, which brought a FlowRider surf simulator, The Perfect Storm waterslides and a laser tag arena. The Royal Promenade runs the full length of the ship and carries 11 dining venues, including Jamie’s Italian, Chops Grille and Izumi sushi. On a longer crossing, that variety of dining makes a real difference day to day. The Mariner of the Seas deck plans show how cabins are arranged across the ship.

Brilliance of the Seas

Brilliance of the Seas offers a slightly more intimate atmosphere. The glass lifts give sea views as you move between decks, the R Bar is styled after the 1960s, and a large outdoor cinema screen gives sea days an evening focus. For cabin grades and layouts, see the Brilliance of the Seas cabin and deck plans.

Also sailing repositioning itineraries: Independence of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas and Legend of the Seas.

What Do Royal Caribbean Repositioning Cruises Cost?

Prices start from £491 pp* for the sailings — a figure that reflects the genuine value repositioning voyages can offer compared with equivalent round-trip itineraries. Fares vary by ship, cabin grade, departure port and date, so the range across the page is wide. A small number of sailings carry discounts of up to 17% from the price previously listed for that cabin grade — though that maximum applies to a single departure, and most reduced sailings are closer to 6% off. Fare types such as early-saver and last-minute offers appear from time to time, so it is worth checking back if you have flexibility on dates.

If you want to explore cheaper repositioning cruise options across other lines, that page covers sailings priced up to £599 pp*. For repositioning sailings from other lines, P&O Repositioning Cruises 2027 and P&O Repositioning Cruises 2028 are worth a look.

Repositioning Cruises with Flights — How Does It Work?

Because every sailing is one-way, most passengers need a flight either to reach their embarkation port, home from their arrival port, or both. Around 85% of these sailings depart from ports in Spain, Italy, the United States or Australia — which means a flight to join the ship is part of the plan for most travellers. Cruise1st can arrange that flight alongside your cruise, plus hotels either side, transfers between airport and port, and any tours you want to add in. That is what a Royal Caribbean fly-cruise looks like when it is built properly — one booking, one point of contact, nothing left for you to piece together separately.

For the roughly 15% of sailings that depart from Southampton, no flight is needed to board. You can drive to the port or take the train, and we can add a hotel the night before if you want to arrive without any rush. A flight home from your US or European arrival port will still be needed on those one-way crossings, and we handle that too.

Is a Repositioning Cruise Right for You?

Repositioning crossings suit a particular kind of traveller. If you enjoy sea days as much as port days — time to read, to eat well, to watch the ocean — then a 12- to 26-night crossing with Royal Caribbean gives you that in generous measure. The ships all carry extensive onboard facilities precisely because passengers spend more time aboard than on a typical seven-night cruise. Entertainment, dining variety and deck space all matter more on a longer passage, and the fleet here is well equipped for it.

They are also a practical way to combine a cruise with a holiday at either end. Fly out to Barcelona a few days early, explore the city, then board your ship. Arrive in Florida and spend time around Miami or Fort Lauderdale before flying home. Our team can build that entire trip as a single package, which is where booking with a specialist rather than direct makes a tangible difference.

The Caribbean is a popular add-on destination for travellers arriving into Florida after a Transatlantic crossing, and Cruise1st can help you extend your trip there too.

Why Book with Cruise1st?

Cruise1st is one of the UK’s leading cruise specialists — not a general travel agent that also sells cruises. That means our team knows this fleet, these routes and the fare structures in detail, and can give you expert advice before you commit. We hold ABTA and ATOL protection, and we are rated 4.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 7,000 reviews.

We can put together a complete Cruise1st Package around any of these sailings: flights, hotels, transfers, tours and insurance, arranged as one holiday with one booking. You do not need to coordinate between a cruise line, an airline and a hotel separately — we do that. And if you want to talk through the difference between cabin grades or fare inclusions before you book, our cruise experts are on the phone to help.

Browse the full repositioning cruises range across all lines, or explore the broader Royal Caribbean cruise selection if you want to compare with round-trip itineraries. For sailings specifically from Southampton with Royal Caribbean, Royal Caribbean 2027 cruises from Southampton gives a focused view of what is available from the UK’s main departure port.

*Prices are per person based on 2 people sharing, and are subject to change. This price is not kept up to date and therefore does not reflect live pricing and availability. Prices and any discounts shown were checked on 14 October 2026.

Where a discount is shown, it is a reduction from the price previously listed for that cabin grade on that sailing, not a comparison between cabin grades or against a brochure rate. Discounts and prices shown are not kept up to date: the reduction available now may be smaller, or may have ended, and prices may have changed.