Have you ever wondered what a repositioning cruise is? We did, so I went on one for you and will share our experiences and the four essential things we learned.
Repositioning cruises can be a fantastic value and offer a change of pace from the typical destinations. This one-day repositioning cruise from Seattle to Vancouver, British Colombia, on board the Ruby Princess was packed with lots of activities.
What are repositioning cruises or repo cruises?
A relocating cruise is when a cruise line moves its fleet from one location to another. Generally, the ships move to where the climate is more user-friendly.
When is the best time to find repositioning cruises?
Spring and fall are the best times to find repositioning cruises. This is when ships are making their way for winter and summer destinations.
Some cruise lines do not sail to certain destinations year-round.
Cruise companies move ships from the Caribbean waters in the winter to places like Europe and the Mediterranean.
The same goes for Alaska. Ships sail to Alaska from April or May to September and then switch to sailing Mexican Riviera, West Coast, and Hawaii cruises during winter.
Review of Ruby Princess
The following is a Princess Cruise ship review from our one-day cruise embarking from the Port of Seattle and disembarking in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The price is right
We have been cruising for many years, but most of our cruises have been 7 or 8 days. After canceling a cruise earlier in the year so that we could attend our number two son’s college graduation, we had a future cruise credit to use with Princess.
Upon seeing this repositioning cruise on the Princess website and doing the math, I realized that Instead of hanging on to it and wondering when we might be able to use it, we booked this cruise.
I’m glad we did because not too long after this COVID hit the world and travel came to a halt making people have to get creative to cure their travel wanderlust. We weren’t able to cruise again until our Carnival Panorama Cruise.
This cruise was only $59 per person. This meant that we would even have enough money left for the Bubbles and More soft drink package and pay for gratuities.
Great excuse to get away
Most repo cruises average 6 to 18 days depending on where in the world a ship is to where it needs to move. Our particular cruise was just a one-day Pacific Coastal cruise.
Since this cruise was only one day and fell during the weekend, it was a perfect excuse to get away and make a long weekend. The price was ideal, less than one hundred dollars per day, which is my target price for any cruise.
I also knew that this would be the perfect cruise for a milestone that my oldest son was contemplating. You might be thinking a one-day cruise is only a booze cruise, but it’s less likely a thing on a Princess Cruise.
Going to Port of Seattle
The flight from Spokane to Seattle was relatively inexpensive and short. Next, we had to get a ride to the port. We choose to use Rideshare.
I wondered if all standard Ubers in Seattle must be Prius’ because that’s the only type of car we saw each time we requested rides.
Our Uber was on the small side and was a good thing that our luggage consisted of a small backpack each.
We had a new experience of being parked on the freeway and had to sit on top of one bridge while it opened for passing ships to go under.
There was an event going on in the vicinity and our driver wasn’t paying attention to the warning signs on the freeway.
I noticed the signs but I guess the driver did not. We then saw the ship coming up on our left. Catching the first glimpse of the ship is always a great feeling.
We finally got off the freeway and the driver dropped us at a port.
Only, it wasn’t the Princess port. It was Norwegian’s cruise port.
At first, I thought we would be able to walk it, but then realized it was several miles (2.8 miles away) away and ended up calling a second Uber to take us to the real port. I have no clue how the driver got to this destination.
We should have not gotten out of the car and demanded to be taken to the correct location.
Smart cruiser tip: Have the address available when ordering your ride and input the name of the port, ship, or terminal number.
It would have been less expensive if we would have done that in the first place.
Also, if a driver tries to let you out at an incorrect location, do not get out. Make him take you to the correct place.
Seeing the ship
Finally, we arrived at the correct pier at Smith Cove and walked right on board.
The lines were almost nonexistent. We took our embarkation picture because this is one of our cruising traditions. No matter how bad the picture is, we always buy this one.
Touring the Ruby Princess, we took pictures of Seattle in the background and many pictures of the beautiful ship.
The atrium was open, beautiful, and so welcoming. On Princess, our muster station was in one of the dining rooms.
We got the chance to make sure we knew how to work the life jackets. They don’t do this anymore on Carnival, so it is a fun change for us.
How large is Ruby Princess?
Ruby Princess Facts
- Guest Cabins: 1,542
- Number of Decks: 19
- Tonnage: 113,561
- Length: 951 feet
What are my dining choices at The Ruby?
Included Dining
Dine My way-Main dining room nightly dinners in any of the 3 dining rooms. Michelangelo and Botticelli are the traditional assigned dining rooms. The Da Vinci dining room is your Any Time dining venue.
International Cafe-Snacks, small bites, and coffees, espresso drinks, and teas. (Beverages additional cost)
The Salty Grill-Fresh made burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, tacos, and fries
Slice Pizzeria-pizza by the slice. Open late
Horizon Court Buffet-Ship buffet with lots of choices for soups, salads, main courses, and desserts. The variety changes daily.
Coffee and Cones-Complementary ice cream in cups and cones. Ice cream sandwiches and specialty coffees are additional costs. For a small fee, you can get a choice of several varieties of ice cream between two cookies. Also available are milkshakes and frappes, including boozy varieties for a small additional fee
Specialty Dining-Additional costs. Reservations recommended.
- Grounds Crafted Coffee- custom coffees, espressos, and tea drinks.Priced according to what you order
- Ocean Now app- order your drinks anywhere on the ship. Additional fee
- Crown Grill-Steak House- Premium cuts of beef, chops, and seafood dishes
- The Salty Dog Gastropub-Gourmet Burgers, Beer, Whisky, and live music
- Sabatini’s Italian Trattatoria-Hand made Italian Pastas
- Vines Wine Bar- Wines from around the world are available by glass or bottle. Antipasti and tapas are included when you purchase wine by the glass or bottle included in wine purchase
- Chef’s Table-for special occasions. Included in the price of the meal, this dining experience includes a photo with the Executive Chef and a handwritten copy of the even menu
- Ultimate Balcony Dining- breakfast is served on your balcony. Can you say romantic?
Perfect for Special Occasions
Booking this quick trip with a chance to stay over the weekend in Vancouver was a substantial selling point. My son was looking for a romantic opportunity to propose. This was a nice getaway cruise for us.
Soon it was dinner time. This is when my son decided he was would propose. We got our dining team and room steward involved. It’s a great feeling knowing that most people are hopeless romantics!
I had asked Cruise Critic for ideas about proposing. Many great ideas such as proposing on the big screen live, on the front of the boat “Titanic Style” and the comedy show. I shared many ideas with him.
Using my crafting skills, I made door decorations that said “Just engaged.” I asked our room steward to place them on the door while we were out at dinner. He happily obliged. Everyone is such a romantic at heart! He even added balloons. The door looked great.
After the final course, our server brought a dish covered in a napkin-hat-like structure over to Regan. James immediately drops down to one knee. The entire dining room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I hear someone say, “he’s going to propose!”
She said “yes”, and people broke out into applause. Our waiter is crying. I am crying but trying to video the whole thing. Mike is taking pictures. There was even the ship photographer there taking pictures.
This was the happiest, most documented moment of my daughter-in-law’s life so far!
Many others were celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, but as far as I know, this was the only engagement. For the rest of the evening, everywhere we went people were congratulating our son and his fiancé.
We stopped back by the room to drop something off. The happy couple confirmed that the decorations looked great.
One day is not enough
We stayed up as late as we could exploring the ship knowing that we would be getting off it the next day.
Usually, on a 7 or 8-day ship, it takes a couple of days to get oriented. We would not be getting oriented this go around. The ship’s paper was already on our beds instructing us about disembarkation in Vancouver the next day.
Unfortunately, one day is just not enough to see or do everything. I think we rushed everywhere. We tried to take in a show, go to the comedy club, and eat as much food as humanly possible.
There was plenty of entertainment on board, just like any other cruise. We didn’t even have time to unpack. Eventually, we had to go to bed, because we had a full day planned in Vancouver.
We did not book any excursions through our ship or organized tours. instead, we opted to just do a DIY tour on foot for our short time in this port of call.
Do they have Alfredo Pizza on Ruby Princess?
There is no Alfredo Pizza on the Ruby. Only Slice Pizzeria, which is similar to Pizza Pirate on Carnival Freedom.
Final Thoughts
I have concluded that I probably would not go on another one-day cruise unless it was to make a 7 or 8-day cruise one day longer or stop somewhere we wanted to spend more time.
So much time wasted checking in, muster drill, and finding your way around. No downtime to sit and relax by the pool or even look out the windows and enjoy the world as it goes by, but it was completely worth it to witness this special couple getting engaged.
Can longer (true) repositioning cruises be worth it? Sure! More days to lounge by the pool, read a book, take a class, compete in silly trivia games, enjoy different shows, ventriloquists, and comedians, or time to just nothing at all.
For me, if another one-day repo cruise comes around, I think I will just have to pass after learning these four important things on our first repositioning cruise.
Want to know how we spent the rest of our weekend? Continue reading about the rest of our action-packed weekend in 24 hours in Vancouver, British Colombia.
FAQs
Do you need a passport to go on a repositioning cruise?
It doesn’t matter if your cruise begins and ends in a US home port, another country, or a Caribbean port or island. If you want to come back to the United States, a US Passport is required.
Only on “closed-loop cruises” can you get by without a passport. Repositioning cruises are not a closed loop.
Are repositioning cruises less crowded?
Repositioning cruises can be less crowded than normal cruise itineraries. Since these cruises start and end in different ports, often airfare can be an issue. These Cruises are less known about than the regular routes.
Do repositioning cruises have entertainment?
Just like regular cruise itineraries, entertainment will be scheduled each day. Since a repo cruise might be more days than a regular cruise, you can have the opportunity to see more of the entertainment.
Broadway shows may be repeated more than one night, allowing you to potentially watch a comedy show or check out the piano bar one night while still getting to see the big show.
Can you Çruise one way?
A repositioning cruise is a cruise that travels in one direction only. It begins and ends at different places. You can cruise in one direction and make a longer vacation. Many times it is cheaper to take an exchange cruise than to fly to the destination.
Have you ever been on a repositioning cruise? Would you choose a cruise that was repositioning to another area?
How was it? Would you do one again? Drop me a line
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How to pick the perfect cruise
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