Repositioning Vancouver to Florida or Reverse

[mysusie45]

I would be interested in hearing about these cruises if you have done one. Looks like lots of ports and things to see.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[smslms]

We've done a few, both Spring And Fall, always from the West coast to Florida, although can't think of any particular reason for that.

 

Itineraries can vary. You may visit larger cities like San Francisco, LA and San Diego or not. Cabo is interesting, lot of development in last few years, lots of good food. Most of the Mexican ports are smaller and laid back but fun and interesting if you've never been.

 

Your ship may go through the Canal very early, although sometimes not, but if so, worth getting up to see the transit. After the Canal ships often visit one or more of the ABC Islands, all quite scenic, generally pretty safe and clean. The standard of living is relatively high due to the Dutch influence.

 

You may then stop in one or two ports in the Caribbean, personally not my favorite place in the world. Standard of living is not great, lots of poverty, residents don't necessarily care for tourists and high crime rates. We no longer bother getting off the ship in most Caribbean ports.

 

All in all you would likely find it to be an interesting and relaxing cruise featuring good weather most of the time. It's still hurricane season in the Fall but we've always found that the ships are adept at maneuvering around any disturbances.

 

I'm sure not all will agree with me but that's my opinion for what it's worth. Hope you find it to be of some help.

[smslms]

Sorry, I misspoke. When taking repositioning cruises through the Canal I meant to say always did it in the Fall from West Coast to Florida. Was thinking of Coastal cruises when I talked about spring.

[AKman2495]

Our first cruise was a repositioning cruise from Vancouver to FLA. I think that is the better way to go. Vancouver is a great way to start the cruise (although FLA is not bad either). The trip down is smoother than going the other way because of the prevailing current. But, I think the trip through the Canal from south to north (pacific to caribbean) is the better way to go. I also recommend an itinerary that has a 2 day canal experience. The extra day really lets you explore Panama more.

 

Now, the trip through the canal starts in the morning and passes through 3 locks before entering the cut. About 1/2 way through the trip you enter the lake-which is 25 miles long and takes a good 3 hours to pass. I found that after you run around looking at all the sites of the canal, the lake is a great place to hit the Horizon Court for a nice long lunch break. They have plenty of windows, you are out of the heat and you are sitting down.

 

Near the end of the lake, you may want to get a shot at the dam/ After that comes the 3 locks that lead to the Caribbean Sea. By then you are ready to relax for the evening.

 

Going the other way, thou have to pass the lake early on and see the rest of the canal during the heat of the day.

 

As for the ports, they are all interesting in their own way. Some are better than others. So you should look into them and see what interests you.

 

One more thing. Our cruise in the fall was the first through the Canal. Virtually everyone in every port was very happy to see us.

Edited July 11, 2014 by AKman2495

[WpgCruise]

In addition to the above comments, I'll add something else for what it may be worth.

 

We've done a 17 day spring re-positioning from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver, that was actually sold as two segments, a 14 day Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco, and a 3 day San Francisco to Vancouver. Less than 500 people stayed on for the second segment, and the new passengers were sold the 3 day segment as a costal cruise.

 

This changes the ambiance of the cruise significantly. I won't say the change was good or bad, but the expectations of the new passengers on the 3 day costal cruise were different than the remaining people on the 17 day cruise.

It was a party cruise, for the 3 day people who were wanting to get as much as they could into 3 days, and who can criticise, that's what they were sold.

 

The "Lesson Learned" if we were to buy this cruise again, was to understand the last few days on this split cruise would be different than the first 14.

Edited July 12, 2014 by WpgCruise

[Cruise Raider]

I would be interested in hearing about these cruises if you have done one. Looks like lots of ports and things to see.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.[/quote

 

Even though it is so nice to sail home, it might be a bit cheaper for you to sail from Vancouver to Florida ...if saving a little time and money is at all important to you. I see you are up in Washington, so if you sail from Vancouver to Florida, you probably don't have to fly out at least a day in advance to meet up with the ship. This is of big concern to me when taking a cruise as I have to account for every single day away from work. On a 17 or 19 day cruise, an extra day does make a difference. Then, there is transportation to the hotel, the hotel room itself and transportation to the ship before it even sets sail. You can easily catch a plane on the day of disembarkation and still make it home that day. Again...just if saving the time and money of an extra day or so is important to you....

 

Also, sailing north along the coast of California can be really rough, especially starting around Monterey, really bad past San Francisco and extending up to Seattle. Sailing south doesn't seem to be nearly as rough.

 

This is such an amazing cruise and while I haven't sailed all the way from Vancouver to Ft Lauderdale, have done this from San Diego and it was such a great cruise. You will visit some great ports and really have time to relax on this trip. The crossing through the canal is one of the most impressive experiences you will have on any cruise.

 

I agree with the 3 days added to the end of the cruise from California. I have done this a couple of times and the passengers from the first segment of the cruise are all low key and then came us....the ones wanting to cruise and party. There is definitely a different vibe to these 3 day cruises. Everyone, including the crew and staff, seemed a little burnt out.....maybe just very relaxed.

[senior lady]

living n Vancouver I much prefer to get the flying done before I cruise.

Get the jet lag over with on the cruise:D

Seriously, I prefer to sail back to Vancouver, then I'm home in a couple of hrs, unpacked, laundry started, and can relax.

I find it so stressful to get off a great cruise, rush to a airport, squished on a airplane , never can fly direct. Honestly you can fly to Europe faster these days then going or coming back from the East Coast...lol

 

Just my humble opinion:D

[Pam in CA]

A year and a half ago, I took a repositioning cruise from Vancouver to FLL. It was two days from Vancouver to San Francisco and fifteen days from San Francisco to FLL.

 

The 2-day cruise was filled with lots of large family groups that disembarked in San Francisco. The 15-day cruise fromSan Francisco to FLL was great. I'd do it again in a heartbeat although I think I'd prefer FLL to LA where I can be home in less than an hour.

[cr8tiv1]

The ports are different in each direction. I chose the south to north voyage because I wanted the two days in Panama. I still would like to do the other direction to visit Limon. All that being said, you gain three extra hours if you start in Fort Lauderdale. You have to get up pretty early to see the sail under the Bridge of the Americas.

 

I have sailed north, south, and west on the Pacific Ocean. I haven't had a rough cruise yet. But that could change with the drop of a hat. Even the captain was amazed at how smooth our sailing was from LA to Panama.

[bigchid]

We did LA to FLL, enjoyed the cruise but didn't like the jet lag coming home to Alaska. We're booked again for the other direction 1/2015, I think the jet lag will be much easier to deal with, and give us a little different prospective.