Smallish by Princess standards, Dawn Princess is one of the line’s Sun-class ships.  With a Champagne and caviar bar, an adults-only Sanctuary spa, a wrap-around, teak promenade deck with steamer chairs, and an LED Movies under the Stars screen, it’s very popular with passengers.

Dawn Princess will spend 2010 sailing roundtrips from Melbourne or Sydney to ports in Australia and New Zealand.  There’s only one repositioning cruise available in 2010.  She leaves Sydney on November 7, spends a day at sea, and then calls at Tasmania before arriving in Melbourne.

Repositioning cruises on Diamond Princess.

Day at sea

The 2,670-passenger Diamond Princess has some interesting features, including a balcony off the Skywalker Lounge that’s great for watching the ship’s trail, a show lounge with 42 high-tech video screens, an Internet café with 29 computers, and golf simulators that let you play some of the most renowned courses in the world.

Dawn Princess spends the winter in Australia and Asia and the summer in Alaska.   Because you can embark and disembark Diamond Princess in several ports in Asia and the South Pacific, you can make your own Asia/South Pacific repositioning cruise from February through March and then again from October through December.

On April 30, 2010 Diamond Princess leaves Asia for Alaska.  She sails from Beijing and calls at Dalian and Qingdao in China, Pusan in South Korea, and Vladivostok, Russia.  After many days at sea, she arrives in Whittier Alaska.  From there, she cruises past Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay National Park before visiting Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan, Alaska.  Passengers disembark in Vancouver.

She returns from Alaska to Asia on September 1, 2010, operating the same itinerary in reverse.

On December 5, Diamond Princess leaves Bangkok and calls at Vietnam, Singapore and Padang Bay on the way to Australia, where she visits Darwin, Port Douglas and Airlie Beach before arriving in Sydney.  Travelers with more time can stay aboard and disembark in Auckland 9 days later.

Repositioning cruises on Golden Princess.

One of Princess’s Grand Class ships, the Golden Princess has more than 700 balcony staterooms.  Grown ups will enjoy the adults-only Sanctuary, three show rooms, the Lotus Spa, fitness center, and nine whirlpools.  While kids of all ages will find spaces just for them.  In addition to the main dining rooms, passengers can have dinner at Sabatinis or the Painted Dessert restaurant.  One of Grand Princess’s most enjoyable features is the 300-square-foot LED screen out by the pool.  It’s great for watching movies and sporting events.

Golden Princess repositions for the Alaska season in early May.  She sails on May 9, 2010 from Los Angeles, overnights at Catalina Island, and visits San Francisco and Victoria, British Columbia before disembarking passengers in Vancouver.

On September 26, 2010, she heads south for the winter, sailing from Vancouver and arriving in Los Angeles after two days at sea.  It’s a relaxing, affordable getaway for those who just want to enjoy the ship’s amenities.

Repositioning cruises on Grand Princess.

The first of the Grand Class ships, Grand Princess created quite a stir when she was launched in 1998.  At that time, she was the biggest cruise ship in the world.  We were lucky enough to tour her in Barcelona that year.

She was very impressive.  And she’s still impressive today.  Despite her size, there are plenty of nooks and crannies that feel positively cozy.  And her distinctive profile is easy to spot when she’s in port.  In fact, the Europeans dubbed her “the shopping cart.”

Grand Princess repositions to Europe for the summer season in early April.  She sails from Fort Lauderdale on April 9, 2010 and spends two days at sea before arriving in Bermuda.  Passengers will spend a day there before spending six days crossing the Atlantic.  Next, she calls at Glasgow, Dublin, Cork, Cornwall, and Le Havre, before disembarking passengers in London.  Those who wish can stay aboard and visit Seville, Sardinia, Rome, Florence, Cannes, Barcelona, and Gibraltar before returning to London 13 days later.

When the summer season ends in Europe, she returns to the U.S.  She sails from London on September 25, 2010 and visits Bergen, Norway, the Shetland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Nova Scotia before arriving in Fort Lauderdale.  This voyage includes ten days at sea, so there’s plenty of time to relax and unwind.

Find more Princess repositioning cruises here.

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With 17 ships, 350 ports, and more than 120 different itineraries, Princess Cruises has something for everyone.  Over the years, the line has introduced many innovations, and today, they’re one of the most respected names in cruising.

Meals, on-board entertainment, and shore excursions are all well run.  And all but the most demanding travelers will likely enjoy their time onboard a Princess cruise.

Because Princess has so many ship and sails to virtually every corner of the world, they offer more repositioning cruises than any other cruise line.  From a one-day voyage from Vancouver to Seattle to a 37-day sailing from Sydney to Beijing, Princess has repositioning cruises of every length.

Repositioning cruises on Caribbean Princess.

Beautiful sea day

The largest ship in Princess’s fleet, the Caribbean Princess carries 3,100 passengers.  Nearly 900 of her staterooms have balconies, and there’s an entire deck devoted to mini suites.  The Lotus Spa is one Princess’s best, and there’s an adults-only Sanctuary. Active travelers will enjoy the sport court, fitness center and golf amenities.  There are also several venues for kids of all ages.  So the Caribbean Princess is an especially good choice for families.

On May 2, 2010, she sails from San Juan, Puerto Rico, bound for New York.  The 8-day sailing calls at St. Thomas, Antigua, and Bermuda, and has three sea days.  On October 23, 2010, she returns from New York to San Juan, calling at Bermuda, St. Lucia, Antigua, and St. Thomas en route.

Repositioning cruises on Coral Princess.

Coral Princess has some cool features you won’t find on other ships, including a demonstration kitchen, and a ceramics lab.  One of the three swimming pools has a retractable dome roof, and in addition to the main dining rooms, there are two alternative restaurants – Sabatini’s and the Bayou Café and Steakhouse for New Orleans-influenced dishes.   There’s a cigar bar and a Rat Pack-style martini and piano bar.

She leaves Fort Lauderdale on April 21, 2010 as she repositions for the Alaska season.  She calls at Aruba and Catagena before transiting the Panama Canal.  Then visits Costa Rica, Huatulco, Acapulco, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  She cruises up the U.S Pacific coast, calling at Los Angeles and Victoria, British Columbia, and disembarks passengers in Vancouver 20 days later.

Travelers looking for a short, domestic getaway can board Coral Princess in Los Angeles on May 6, 2010 and disembark in Vancouver five days later.   Victoria is the only port call on this itinerary.

At the end of the Alaska season, Coral Princess sails from Vancouver on September 18, 2010, doing the Fort Lauderdale-to-Vancouver itinerary in reverse.  Passengers who don’t have time for the whole cruise can disembark in Los Angeles instead.

Repositioning cruises on Crown Princess.

One of the newest ships in the Princess fleet, Crown Princess is a sister ship to the Caribbean Princess.  But there are a few differences.  The atrium lobby on Crown Princess, which was designed to resemble an Italian piazza, has a “sidewalk” café.  And there’s a sport court on top of the Skywalker Disco.

Cruisers who love days at sea will enjoy sailing aboard Crown Princess when she repositions from the Caribbean to Europe.  Passengers board in Fort Lauderdale on May 1, 2010 and then have eight sea days before arriving in Gibraltar.  They’ll also visit Alicante and Barcelona, Spain, Marseilles, France, and Livorno, Italy before disembarking in Civitavecchia (Rome) on May 15.

Or passengers can stay onboard and go all the way to Venice, visiting Monte Carlo, Livorno, Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Athens, Katakolon, and Corfu on the way.

Crown Princess then heads for London to spend the warm summer months in Northern Europe.  Passengers can board the ship in Venice and do the above itinerary in reverse.  Or join in Rome and call at Livorno, Genoa, Cannes, Barcelona, Gibraltar, Lisbon, Dublin, Glagow, Le Havre, and Zeebrugge before arriving in London.

At the end of the European season, Crown Princess returns to the United States leaving London on September 3, 2010.  Passengers will visit Cornwall, Dublin, Belfast, Reykjavik, Greenland, and St. John’s, Newfoundland before arrive in New York.

Lovers of fall foliage will enjoy being aboard as Crown Princess relocates to the Caribbean.  Passengers board on October 17, 2010 and overnight in Quebec City, then sail to Ville Saguenay, Hailfax, Bar Harbor, Boston, Newport, New York, Norfolk, and Charleston before disembarking in Fort Lauderdale.

Find more Princess repositioning cruises here.

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