Repositioning cruises can be a good deal

Like migratory birds, cruise ships regularly shift from one part of the world to another as the seasons shift - from the Caribbean to Europe or South America or from Alaska or the West Coast to Asia or the South Pacific, for example.

These usually twice-a-year exoduses are so huge that they could rival a naval armada, and they offer exceptional bargains, as well as lots of languid days at sea, and, occasionally, even unusual ports of call.

Why it's a deal

Veteran cruise book author Kay Showker considers repositioning cruises "about the best value in cruising," compared with a regular cruise on the same ship. Many old salts not only find these longer voyages relaxing because of a large number of days spent crossing the pond or the Pacific, but also because they usually are not filled to capacity, and, therefore, Showker notes, "the whole tempo of the ship is more low key."

Travel specialist Nancy Kelly of Kelly Cruises in Chicago, sees other benefits. "Some cruise lines," she said, "will offer a special theme on repositioning cruises, so you may be traveling with like-minded people for a big-band cruise, jazz cruise, wine and food festival, film and theater or perhaps health and fitness." For instance, Disney Cruise Lines brings aboard extra performers, such as cast members from some of its Broadway shows or renowned musicians such as Boyz II Men, to brighten days at sea.

With this year's race across the oceans, Kelly noted, "there are hundreds of repositioning cruises to choose from." Kelly spotlighted Princess Cruises' 16-night Venetian Passage in October and Royal Caribbean International's 14-night westbound trans-Atlantic sailing in November as "so reasonably priced, you may feel giddy." (Fares start at $1,499 and $799 a person, respectively.)

Other lines also are offering deals sure to lure you to sea. Here's a sampling:

CELEBRITY CRUISES (celebritycruises.com)

Celebrity Century: 14 nights from Barcelona to Miami departing Oct. 25, from $799.

Celebrity Eclipse: 13 nights from Southampton, England, to Miami, departing Oct. 31, from $999.

DISNEY CRUISE LINES (disneycruise.disney.go.com)

Disney Magic: 14 nights from Barcelona to Port Canaveral, Fla., sailing Sept. 18, $1,649 for a deluxe oceanview stateroom.

HOLLAND AMERICA LINES (hollandamerica.com)

MS Noordam: 16 days from Rome to Fort Lauderdale, departing Oct. 18, from $1,099.

MSC CRUISES (msccruisesusa.com)

MSC Poesia: 18 nights from Kiel, Germany, to New York, departing Sept. 4, early-booking rates from $1,199

REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES (rssc.com)

Navigator: 18 nights from Seward, Alaska, to Tianjin, China, departing Sept. 15, from $8,775.

SEABOURN CRUISE LINE (seabourn.com)

Seabourn Legend: 13 days from Malaga, Spain, to Fort Lauderdale, departing Nov. 20, from $1,999.

Seabourn Odyssey: 13 days from Nice, France, to Fort Lauderdale, departing Dec. 6, from $2,999.

SEADREAM YACHT CLUB (seadreamyachtclub.com)

SeaDream I: 12 days from Malaga, Spain, to San Juan, departing Oct. 14, from $2,699.

SILVERSEA CRUISES (silverseacruises.com)

Silver Whisper: 12 Days from Southampton, England, to New York, departing Sept. 2, from $4,598.

Silver Shadow: 16 Days from Vancouver, Canada, to Tokyo, departing Sept 12, from $7,197.

WINDSTAR CRUISES (windstarcruises.com)

Wind Surf: 14 days from Lisbon to Barbados, departing Nov. 14, from $1,499.

Wind Spirit: 14 days from Lisbon to St. Martin, departing Nov. 20, from $1,599.