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When cruise lines reposition their ships across the Atlantic each spring and fall, they typically offer some of the lowest fares in the industry. In fact, prices for trans-Atlantic cruises between Europe and the Americas this fall are currently selling for as little as C$39 per day.

The reason for these incredibly low fares is that most trans-Atlantic repos are a tough sell. After all, most people believe trans-Atlantic cruises include few if any ports of call, that ships only sail between New York and Southampton, and that it’s much more expensive to cross the ocean by ship than by plane.

However, the reality is that most trans-Atlantic repos now include interesting ports of call in places like the Mediterranean, Europe, and Iceland; that ships sail to and from a variety of destinations including Miami, Sao Paulo, Venice and Barcelona; and that some sailings cost no more than a few nights in a hotel or the price of an economy-class air ticket.

For example:

Bargains from C$39  

- On November 27, Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas will depart Barcelona for a 15-night voyage to Seville, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Tenerife, Canary Islands; and Salvador de Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and Santos, Brazil. Once savvy travelers find out that fares for this cruise start at just C$579 ($39 a night) for an inside cabin, and only C$1,089 for a balcony cabin ($72 per night), this voyage is going to sell out fast.

- The MSC Poesia is set to leave Kiel, Germany on September 4 for New York with calls at Copenhagen, Denmark; Le Havre, France; Vigo, Spain; Lisbon; Ponta Delgada, The Azores; and Kings Wharf, Bermuda. And starting fares for this 18-night voyage? Just US$1,259 or $70 per night.

- And on October 31, the Celebrity Eclipse will sail from Southampton for a 13-night voyage to Le Harve; Cherbourg, France; Vigo, Spain; Ponta Delgada; and Miami, Florida. With fares starting at just C$1,029 ($79 per night), this is an incredibly good value for a gorgeous, new ship sailing in its maiden season.

Mickey Mouse on sale

- Most families gladly pay a premium to sail with the floating version of the Magic Kingdom, which is why a 14-night trans-Atlantic voyage with Disney Cruise Lines for just US$1,108 ($71 per night) is such a huge bargain. Yes, most kids will be back in school when the Disney Magic departs Barcelona on September 18 for Port Canaveral, Florida, but with ports like Gibraltar, UK; Madeira, Portugal; St Maarten, West Indies; and Tortola, BVI on the itinerary, there’s nothing Mickey Mouse about this cruise.

Land of fire & ice

How many ships travel to the Faroe Islands, Ireland, Norway, Iceland and Greenland as part of a trans-Atlantic crossing? Not many, but this type of incredible itinerary is beginning to attract a loyal following among savvy cruisers who know a good value when they see it.

- For example, the Grand Princess will depart Southampton for a 16-day voyage to Ft. Lauderdale on September 25 with calls at Bergen, Norway; Lerwick, Great Britain; Torshavn, Faroe Islands; Akureyri, Iceland; Reykjavik, Iceland; and Sydney, Nova Scotia with fares starting at C$1,648 ($103 per night).

- And the Crown Princess is set to sail from Southampton on September 3 for a 14-night voyage to New York with stops in Falmouth, Great Britain; Dublin, Ireland; Belfast, Ireland; Reykajavik; Qaqortoq, Greenland; and St. John’s, Newfoundland. Fares for this unusual itinerary start at C$1,648 ($118 per night).

There are plenty of other great trans-Atlantic cruises available this year. But don’t tell anyone about cruising’s best-kept secret; otherwise, we may have to pay a lot more for them next year.

(Cruise fares valid as of June 8, 2010. Discounted rates are usually capacity controlled and can change at any time.)

I’m always searching for ridiculously low fares so that I can justify taking another cruise. The logic goes something like this: “Hey, that’s a terrific price — we could never travel to those places as cheaply by land.” Or: “Wow, we couldn’t even live that cheaply at home.”

However, what I’ve discovered over the years is that while there are lots of great values on cruises, the most spectacular pricing deals at sea are usually found on repositioning cruises.

So what’s a repositioning cruise?

“Repo” cruises occur when a cruise line has to move ships from one part of the world to another at the end or beginning of a season. For example, when ships have to relocate from the Caribbean to Europe in the spring (and vice-versa in the fall), from Alaska to the Caribbean in the fall (and vice-versa in the spring), etc. Occasionally, they also occur when a ship does a one-time itinerary to relocate a ship to a new region – for example, when ships too large to transit the Panama Canal have to sail around the horn of South America to get from one ocean to another. Or when they sail from Alaska to Japan to begin an Asian itinerary.

The reason these types of “repo” cruises are such great values is that they offer fewer ports of call than mainstream cruises, the weather is sometimes a bit less pleasant than in peak season, and they usually involve transits across large bodies of water like the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that can sometimes have rougher seas. As a result, the fares aboard these repo cruises are way cheaper, and represent some of the lowest per diem costs in the industry.

How low can they go?

Well, just last week I came across a trans-Atlantic cruise from Spain to Texas departing in November that had fares starting at just US$649 per person (double occupancy) for a 15-day voyage, or an incredible $43.26 per day (without taxes and fees). And I found many other trans-Atlantic cruises that ranged in price from $56 to $86 per diem per person (without taxes and fees). Just the sort of cheap rates I need to convince my wife that it’s time for another cruise!

Of course, there are reasons these repo cruises are so well priced. Take, for example, the trans-Atlantic voyages that sail each spring and fall. Firstly, these cruises are usually at sea for the entire voyage, or at best, include a few ports of call at the beginning or end of the cruise. That can mean 4 to 6 days at sea without a port of call. Secondly, the weather at that time of year on the Atlantic may not be at its best. So if you suffer from motion sickness or don’t like to be inside a ship for an entire week, it may not be your cup of tea.

However, if you enjoy exploring a ship, dining out three times a day, catching a lecture, curling up with a book, and attending an evening show, then repo cruises are for you. And if you compare the best trans-Atlantic cruise fares to the costs of flying across the Atlantic, it can actually save you money to cruise one way and fly back the other. This is especially true if you compare the cost of a cruise to the price of a business class ticket with an airline. After all, you get far more for your money on the cruise ship, and it’s a much more pleasant experience than travelling by air.

So now that I’ve piqued your interest in a repo cruise, you might be wondering how you can find out what’s available and how to get the best deals.

Well, that’s the easy part. Just call your travel agent (you can reach one of our agents toll-free at 1-877-810-8747), or if your agency has one, subscribe to their newsletter (you can subscribe to our newsletter by sending an email to “guestservices@tripharbour.ca” or at “guestservices@tripharbor.com”). In fact, this week’s Tripharbor newsletter is all about repositioning cruises, and it lists a number of great deals. Check it out!

But no matter where you get your information from, repo cruises are worth looking into. And while they may not the best itinerary for novice sailors, trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific voyages can be a tremendous experience for veteran cruisers who are willing to live with their limitations.