Of the 17 ships in the Princess Cruises fleet, many offer repositioning cruises during April, May, September, October and even November 2011. For starters, choose from spring repositioning cruises departing from Fort Lauderdale and cruising to Europe in 2011. Alternatively, popular fall cruises include ships returning from Europe as well as a number of coastal cruises. Here is a sample of Princess Cruises' repositioning cruises for 2011.
Repositioning Cruises from Fort Lauderdale to Europe and Return
Emerald Princess – One of the first Princess Cruises cruise ships to relocate to Europe for 2011 is the Emerald Princess. On April 27, 2011, the Emerald will depart Fort Lauderdale on a 16-day cruise to Copenhagen, Denmark. The itinerary includes Bermuda, Ireland, England, France, the Netherlands and Norway.
Ruby Princess – On May 1, 2011, the Ruby Princess will depart Fort Lauderdale on a 15-day cruise to Barcelona, Spain. The itinerary will also include Madeira (Portugal), Cadiz (Spain), Sardinia (Italy), Civitavecchia (Italy), Livorno (Italy), Monte Carlo (Monaco) and eight sea days. The Ruby Princess will offer a fall repositioning cruise back to Fort Lauderdale, departing Venice, Italy on October 19, 2011. That cruise will feature the ports of Naples, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Cannes, Barcelona and Lisbon.
Star Princess – The Star Princess sails a 15-day spring repositioning cruise that will depart Fort Lauderdale on May 3, 2011, bound for Civitavecchia, Italy. The cruise will feature the ports of the Canary Islands, Gibraltar, Barcelona, Provence (France) and Livorno. The Star Princess will offer European cruises until she departs Venice on December 8, 2011 bound for Rio, Brazil.
Grand Princess – The Grand Princess departs May 5, 2011 from Fort Lauderdale on a 16-day cruise to Southampton, England. The cruise will make stops in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and France. On November 4, 2011, the Grand Princess will sail back from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale.
Crown Princess – Departing on May 7, 2011, the Crown Princess will cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton, England on a 15-day cruise. Stops will include Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
Coastal Repositioning Cruises to Vancouver
Coral Princess – After a winter of Panama Canal cruises, the Coral Princess will relocate to Vancouver, Canada to offer Alaska cruises for 2011. The Coral Princess departs Fort Lauderdale on May 4, 2011 for a 17-day cruise that features a full Panama Canal transit. Other ports include Aruba, Costa Rica, Cabo San Lucas (Mexico) and San Francisco. For a shorter cruise, book the two-day coastal cruise from San Francisco to Vancouver only.
Island Princess – Similar to the Coral Princess, the Island Princess will offer its last Panama Canal cruise of the season departing on April 29, 2011 from Fort Lauderdale. The ship arrives in San Francisco on May 14, 2011 where the cruise concludes for some passengers but starts for others. A four-day Pacific coastal cruise to Vancouver includes stops in Astoria, Seattle and Victoria.
Sapphire and Golden Princess – These cruise ships depart from Los Angeles, California on May 7 and May 11, 2011 respectively and cruise to Vancouver. The Golden Princess has two days at sea with no stops whereas the Sapphire Princess offers a seven-day cruise that includes stops at Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Astoria, Seattle and Victoria.
Repositioning Cruises Fall 2011
Repositioning Cruises from Vancouver – When the Alaska cruise season finishes in September 2011, Princess Cruises relocates their cruise ships. Departing from Vancouver, the Island (September 21), Coral (September 24), and Golden Princess (September 25) all offer Pacific coastal cruises. The Coral features a two-day cruise to San Francisco whereas the Golden and Island Princess offer short cruises to Los Angeles.
Cruises to Iceland and Greenland – On August 28, 2011, the Crown Princess departs on a 17-day cruise from Southampton, England to New York with an itinerary that includes Iceland and Greenland. Alternatively, the Emerald Princess departs Copenhagen, Denmark on September 11, 2011 for an 18-day cruise to Fort Lauderdale that also includes Iceland and Greenland.
Cruise from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale – Departing Quebec City on October 14, 2011, the Crown Princess will offer a 12-day cruise to Fort Lauderdale. The itinerary includes the ports of Halifax, Bar Harbor, Boston, Newport, New York and Charleston.
Cruise from New York to Fort Lauderdale – The Caribbean Princess will relocate from New York to the Caribbean departing on October 29, 2011. The 10-day repositioning cruise will include the ports of San Juan, St. Thomas, Antigua and Aruba along with five sea days.
Princess Cruises' repositioning cruises for 2011 offer a huge variety of itineraries. Choose from coastal or transatlantic cruises to unique cruises that include ports not typically found on a regular itinerary. Although there may be an increased flight cost, often times repositioning cruises are offered at a lower per diem than regular roundtrip cruises.
Renee Ruggero - Renee is a published travel writer and cruise industry insider with more than 1,000 days on cruise ships, visiting over 50 countries.
