SPECIAL CRUISE ISSUE : Itineraries : Along for the Ride : Looking for a good deal? Book passage on a ship that’s ‘repositioning’

Like the whales with which they share the oceans, cruise ships migrate as the weather changes. While near-empty hotels wait out hurricane seasons in the tropics or freezing temperatures in northern climes, these floating resorts can follow the sun to better climates, calmer seas--and happier passengers.

When ships move from one cruising ground to another--say, from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean or Alaska’s Inside Passage--passengers go along for the ride, often at discounted rates. To borrow terminology from the garment industry, many of these repositioning cruises could be called “irregulars”--but with attractive itineraries and the bonus of extra days at sea, few could be considered “seconds.”

To fill cabins on these cruises, some lines lower fares rather than raise marketing budgets. While not the terrific bargains they were in years past, repositioning cruises can still represent savings for savvy consumers.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Dreamward, for example, sails to the western Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in winter and from New York to Bermuda in summer. Per diems (including air fare) range from about $240 to $570 per person, double occupancy, depending on cabin category. By contrast, its 15-day fall repositioning cruise from New York to Fort Lauderdale sells for about $140 to $290 per day--not counting discounts and upgrades that may be available. Plus, the longer repositioning cruises give aficionados a chance to spend more time on a ship that offers seven-day sailings most of the year.

Best bets for repositioning bargains occur in the spring and fall when ships move between winter seasons in the Caribbean, South America or Mexican Riviera and summer itineraries in Europe or Alaska. The fall foliage season in eastern Canada sometimes offers repositioning opportunities as ships sail the Eastern seaboard to and from the Caribbean.

Positionings to and from Alaska and the Caribbean via the Panama Canal may be particularly attractive, since Los Angeles often is a point of embarkation or debarkation on these routes.

Of course, some ships simply do not reposition. Peripatetic ships like Seabourn Pride and Seabourn Spirit wander the globe, every cruise an individual itinerary. Other ships, like American Hawaii’s Constitution and Independence, travel the same routes year-round.

And not all lines lower their rates for repositioning cruises. By dressing up itineraries with attractive port calls, many lines are able to charge regular prices.

Inaugural cruises offer another positioning option, as new ships set sail for the first time en route from the shipyards to their cruising grounds. Inaugurals often offer especially good rates as lines introduce a new product to passengers, usually with mementos as well as discounts. The down side is that these sailings may experience glitches as the line tries out new equipment and service regimens.

Older, remodeled ships emerging from dry dock also may offer positioning cruises as they return to service.

Some lines market repositioning cruises in the back of their cruise catalogues or advertise them as “special” sailings; best bet is to check with a travel agent.

When reserving a repositioning cruise, be sure to check on early booking discounts (with savings of 10% to 50%) or other special promotions.

Another bonus is that repositioning fares often include air tickets. Flight plans can be expensive when passengers embark in one port and disembark in another, but cruise lines usually can make these “open jaw” purchases cheaper in bulk than passengers can individually.

The following sailings are among the repositioning options this year:

Cruising the canal: When ships move between the Caribbean and Alaska, the journey includes a Panama Canal transit. The popular itinerary is regarded by some lines more as a special event than a repositioning cruise, and the Panama Canal shows up on some ship calendars as a regular destination. While savings may not be significant, a repositioning cruise through the Panama Canal may be an opportunity to visit a special place in a favorite vessel.

Holland America’s 1,266-passenger Statendam will be making a 21-day canal sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver that can be broken into segments for passengers wanting a shorter cruise. The Statendam will leave Fort Lauderdale on April 25 en route to a summer Alaska season after sailing the Caribbean.

The 12-day canal segment from Fort Lauderdale to Acapulco starts at $3,385, including air fare from Los Angeles--less 10% for early bookings reserved before Wednesday, which brings the price down to $3,046.50. A nine-day Acapulco-to-Vancouver segment, an eight-day Acapulco-to-Seattle segment, a five-day Acapulco-to-Los Angeles segment and a four-day Los Angeles-to-Vancouver segment also can be reserved.

Berth announcements: Royal Caribbean Cruise Line inaugurates its new Legend of the Seas this spring with a positioning cruise from Miami through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles. The 11-night voyage May 16 will be followed by a seven-night positioning cruise from San Francisco to Vancouver June 3 en route to a summer season in Alaska. The second positioning cruise previews the Alaska season by detouring to Sitka, Skagway and Juneau before doubling back to Vancouver.

Fares are $3,099-$6,949 per person for the Panama Canal cruise and $1,899-$5,749 per person for the Alaska cruise, including air fare from Los Angeles. Regular seven-night Alaska cruises over the summer are $1,599-$5,749, plus a round-trip air-fare add-on of $349 per person.

RCCL offers no special discounts for its positioning cruises, but passengers can take advantage of “Breakthrough Pricing” for early bookings. Discounts decrease as the sailing approaches.

This fall, the 1,804-passenger ship will reposition from Vancouver to Honolulu and then from Honolulu to Ensenada, Mexico. Sailing dates are Sept. 24 and Oct. 4, respectively.

Royal Cruise Line is introducing a ship this year too. To acquaint passengers with its Queen Odyssey (the former Royal Viking Queen), Royal Cruise Line offers a promotion that allows two passengers to sail for the price of one--including the lower-priced repositionings between the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.

But the cruises must be booked by March 1, and last-minute shoppers may find choices limited: Sailings already were 90% booked by the end of January. However, space was still available on spring and fall positionings.

On April 6, Queen Odyssey will move across the Atlantic from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Seville, Spain, for a series of summer cruises in the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black seas. With early-bird pricing, the 14-day sailing starts at $4,719 per person, with calls at Madeira, Spain; Casablanca, Morocco; Gibraltar, and Cadiz, Spain before the ship arrives in Seville. A return journey with similar pricing is slated for Nov. 15.

The spring Atlantic sailing saves at least $60 a day per person over a subsequent Mediterranean cruise between Seville and Istanbul, Turkey. Add-on air fare for both sailings is $395 from Los Angeles.

Atlantic bound: Wind Star, a motorized sailing vessel that carries 148 passengers, repositions between the Caribbean and the Mediterranean in April at a price of just under $225 a day per person. That’s a stunning rate, considering that Mediterranean cruises go for twice as much, just over $550 per day. Discounts can peel the price by as much as half, bringing the per diem as low as $113. But there’s a catch: no port calls on this 12-day cruise between Barbados and Madeira, departing April 29.

Windstar Cruises offers early booking discounts of up to 50%, and the half-price sale is expected to continue through February, possibly longer. That lowers the cruise price of $2,695 per person on the April sailing to $1,348. Add-on air fares of $1,410 are available.

A 15-day reverse sailing is planned in October aboard Wind Star, and a 48% discount is available. Wind Spirit, a sister ship, also will cross the Atlantic in April and October, with similar savings.

Cruising Colonial America: En route between the Caribbean and a series of fall cruises in New England and Eastern Canada, Royal Odyssey plans a “Colonial America” cruise from Nassau with calls at Savannah, Ga.; Charleston, N.C.; Williamsburg, Va., Washington (via Baltimore); and Philadelphia.

Cruises start at less than $180 per person per day, compared to fall foliage cruises between New York and Montreal that start at about $270 a day. Both prices include air fare from Los Angeles and early booking discounts for reservations made by May 1. The nine-day cruise begins Sept. 24. A reverse itinerary begins Nov. 1.