A lot of cruises go to the usual places, but Royal Caribbean just added eight cruises with fascinating itineraries.
These one-off wonders are the cruise line's unique twist on repositioning cruises for its ships.
Repositioning cruises, nicknamed "repos" by veterans, are one-way itineraries taken when ships sail across the oceans to change their seasonal homeports.
Cruise ships tend to relocate depending on the season and weather, which requires them to travel across oceans for a longer sailing.
For example, ships sailing in Alaska for the summer cruise season have to relocate for warmer weather in the fall.
Read more: A giant cruise ship will sail deeper into Alaska than ever before on one-way voyages
In the spring, you'll also see cruise ships returning to Alaska from all over the world.
Fans of cheaper and longer cruises love repositioning sailings for the unique opportunities these sailings offer.
They provide cruisers with the chance to sail a new and unique route, usually at a lower price.
The 2026 repositioning cruises include a wide variety of ship types and will visit a number of exceptional ports.
Voyager of the Seas
The first Voyager-Class ship is scheduled for two repositioning cruises in the spring of 2026.
First, it will cruise a round-trip, 8-night South Pacific cruise departing on April 6th, 2026.
She will sail from Brisbane, Australia, with the following itinerary:
- Brisbane, Australia
- Cruising (2 days)
- Mystery Island, Vanuatu
- Noumea, New Caledonia
- Port Vila, Vanuatu
- Cruising (2 days)
After returning to Brisbane, Voyager will embark on a stunning 25-night Transpacific cruise on April 14th. She will sail from Australia to homeport in Seattle, Washington for the Alaska cruise season.
Read more: Australia & South Pacific cruise guide: Best itineraries, planning tips and things to do
Voyager's Transpacific itinerary is as follows:
- Brisbane, Australia
- Cruising (6 days)
- Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
- Moorea, French Polynesia
- Cruising (5 days)
- Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii (2 days)
- Napali Coast (Cruising)
- Kailua Kona, Hawaii
- Hilo, Hawaii
- Cruising (5 days)
- Seattle, Washington
Anthem of the Seas
Anthem will take two cruises to complete its repositioning from Sydney, Australia, to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for the 2026 Alaska cruise season.
First, she embarks on April 14th for her 18-night Transpacific voyage.
The itinerary includes:
- Sydney, Australia
- Cruising (2 days)
- Bay Of Islands, New Zealand
- Cruising (4 days)
- Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
- Moorea, French Polynesia
- Raiatea, French Polynesia
- Cruising (5 days)
- Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii (2 days)
Instead of sailing directly to Vancouver from Australia, Royal Caribbean wanted to add a unique twist and allow cruisers the chance to vacation in Hawaii.
Anthem of the Seas' second cruise leaves on May 1st, 2026. She will sail from Hawaii to Vancouver on an 8-night sailing:
- Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
- Kailua Kona, Hawaii (2 days)
- Cruising (5 days)
- Vancouver, British Columbia
Cruisers uninterested in a long Transpacific cruise could still book this second sailing and experience Hawaii and Canada at the lower prices of a repositioning cruise.
Ovation of the Seas
Two unique cruises will also be available on Ovation of the Seas, a Quantum Class ship.
First, Ovation departs from Singapore on April 17th, sailing a 14-night cruise to Tokyo, Japan.
The unique itinerary will call upon countless exciting ports in Asia:
- Singapore
- Cruising
- Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam
- Cruising (2 days)
- Hong Kong, China
- Cruising
- Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan, China
- Cruising
- Jeju (Seogwipo), South Korea
- Nagasaki, Japan
- Cruising
- Kobe, Japan
- Mt. Fuji (Shimizu), Japan
- Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan
After arriving in Tokyo, Ovation will embark on her repositioning cruise to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
She departs on May 1st, 2026, for a 15-night voyage. On her way to begin the Alaska cruise season, Ovation will call at:
- Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan
- Cruising
- Hakodate, Japan
- Aomori, Japan
- Sapporo (Muroran), Japan
- Cruising (8 days)
- Vancouver, British Columbia (2 days)
Serenade of the Seas
Royal Caribbean recently re-started sailings to Los Angeles, California, after a decade spent taking a break from the area.
Serenade of the Seas will spend the spring of 2026 in Los Angeles, California before repositioning for the Alaska cruise season.
On May 5th, 2026, she will sail a unique, 5-night Pacific Coastal cruise. This sailing includes:
- Los Angeles, California
- Cruising (2 days)
- Victoria, British Columbia
- Vancouver, British Columbia
When the Alaska weather gets colder, and cruise ships begin to leave the area, Serenade will return to California with another repositioning cruise.
On September 27th, she cruises for 5-nights along the Pacific Coast.
Serenade's itinerary is as follows:
- Vancouver, British Columbia
- Astoria, Oregon
- Cruising
- San Francisco, California
- Cruising
- San Diego, California
Why sail a repositioning cruise?
Repo cruises allow passengers to visit multiple ports and a lot of the world on a single sailing.
You could cross the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean, or visit the coastal cities of Japan. All of these unique port stops take place on one longer cruise, rather than spending more time and money traveling to see different locations.
Plus, repositioning cruises often include many sea days, creating a more laidback schedule even with the frequent ports of call.
Not all repo cruises are long ones. In 2026, Royal Caribbean will offer multiple 5-night repositioning cruises. This allows guests to get a feel for a new cruise line, or for the concept of a repo sailing.
These cruises aren't appealing to everyone. Some passengers despise the idea of spending multiple sea days in the middle of the ocean. Since many of them are multiple weeks long, those who work or attend school have a limited timeline.
Read more: I crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a cheap cruise. Here’s what it's really like to spend 10 days at sea
Additionally, these sailings are always one-way, forcing travelers to book one-way flights rather than roundtrip airfare, which is often more expensive.
Due to these constraints, repositioning cruises have cheaper prices than regular sailings. The rate per day will be much lower than typical Royal Caribbean cruises.
