Cruise fans have probably noticed a great deal turn up every now and then on something marked as "repositioning cruise." It looks too good to be true, so you might be suspicious. And then you're even more suspicious when the cruise literature does not even explain what on earth a repositioning cruise is. So what is it? And is it really such a good deal?

A repositioning cruise is a cruise that occurs while the cruise line is actually taking a ship from one home port to another. Most cruise ships have a home base and make their cruises in and out of that port. That's why most cruise packages let you set sail and return to the same place.

But sometimes the cruise line will want to maneuver its fleet a bit differently. It may be time to change up the schedule. At any rate, they need to move a cruise ship from the old home port to a new home port.

Cruise lines are smart and they know they can sell passage on these unusual voyages even though they are not the typical cruise with a fixed route and lots of fun ports-of-call. In fact, a repositioning cruise may not even offer any ports of call.

The focus of a repositioning cruise is getting from Port A to Port B. However, a repositioning cruise will offer you the usual cruise amenities. The crew will give you the same level of service as on a conventional cruise, you will get to dine and see shows. The only thing is that the cruise is not following the usual "route" with the standard ports of call.

That is the reason that you can often get a good bargain on a repositioning cruise. However, you need to be a particular type of passenger to really make this work out for you.

First, you need to be a cruise passenger who enjoys "ship time" more than "port time." You have to be content to spend days at sea. Expect to get access to all that the cruise ship has to offer, including pools, spas, gyms, shows, restaurants, shows, and so on. (Ask about what is offered on board before you book any repositioning cruise.) If you like long lazy days of eating and relaxing and soaking in the scenery from the deck, this is a perfect vacation for you.

Second, this kind of cruise stops and starts from two different ports and you'll have to deal with getting to one to start the cruise and getting off at another to go back home. You need to arrive at one port to start your journey, but when you are ready to go back home, you'll get off the ship at another port. That means your airfare may be a bit more complicated and even pricier. You won't be able to book a round-trip airfare; instead if you need plane tickets, you'll be getting two one-way fares.

Just like with a conventional cruise, your airfare can be packaged with the cruise or you can book and pay for it yourself. Asking which is the better deal is like asking how much a cruise costs. It depends! You may want to do some online shopping to see what fares cost versus what the airline can package for you.

An extraordinary value on a cruise would be a repositioning cruise that starts or stops in a port near your home town, since you'd only need one leg of airfare.

You can learn about repositioning cruises from most cruise line websites as well as from travel websites. They are usually listed in among the regular offerings but they should be flagged as repositioning cruise.

Some cruises that work a regular route do start and stop from different ports. This happens, for instance, in Alaska, where a cruise ship may work a route north to south one trip, then south to north the next. This is not a repositioning cruise.

The advantages of a repositioning cruise are mainly financial. It usually does not offer any new sights or destinations than the standard cruise packages and it creates a bit of a passenger inconvenience by starting and stopping at different places. However, it is often offered at a definite discount.

For people who enjoy the sheer fun of cruising and spending long days at sea, who don't mind starting and stopping their vacation from different cities, and like onboard activities, the repositioning cruise can be a great value.