As our Atlas Ocean Voyages expedition yacht, World Traveller, sailed from Uruguay toward the remote Falkland Islands off the eastern coast of Argentina at the end of October, the captain came over the speaker to announce a schedule change to get ahead of a brewing sub-Antarctic storm.
We would arrive in the archipelago’s main port, Port Stanley, a half day early for an opportunity to see our first penguins. Then we would “try to hide the boat” in a protected cove of one of the archipelago’s many privately owned and sparsely inhabited islands to wait for the high winds and seas to subside, the captain told us.
Hunkered in our parkas aboard bumpy Zodiac shuttles heading to the Port Stanley dock after we arrived, it was hard to believe that a few days earlier, we were wandering vineyards and eating lunch at an outdoor beachfront café in Uruguay.
So began the unpredictable part of our 13-day repositioning cruise from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, one of the various once- or twice-a-year itineraries offered by cruise lines as they send their ships across oceans and hemispheres during the change of seasons.
From beaches to glaciers, a repositioning cruise from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia
Our sailing from Buenos Aires through the Falklands and on to Ushuaia—the jumping-off point for Antarctic sailings—was the final leg for the 200-passenger World Traveller as it made its way from its summer and fall season in the Mediterranean to begin the southern polar season.
Unlike crossings, which are almost all sea days, our sailing was a hybrid, combining the more city-centric culinary and cultural expedition cruises that Atlas offers in Europe and its polar sailings to Antarctica and the Arctic.
We started in Buenos Aires, where—following overnight flights—my travel companion and I took a half-day city tour offered by Atlas before boarding the ship in the afternoon. We wandered through the colorful La Boca neighborhood, had empanadas and wine for lunch in the San Telmo market, then walked around Casa Rosada, or the pink palace, where Argentina’s president works.
Montevideo, Uruguay, is a popular cruise port in South America, but a repositioning sailing brought guests to this coastal city during the offseason, when there are fewer crowds.
Photo by Mathys Nicolas/Courtesy of Atlas Ocean Voyages
The next two stops were Uruguay’s beautiful capital of Montevideo and its chic beach destination Punta del Este. Both are ports that larger ships visit. But we were there during the off-season, so they were delightfully devoid of the crowds that can overwhelm small ports when bigger cruise ships dock.
In Montevideo we visited the Spinoglio winery and vineyard, where we tried our hand at developing our own red blend from the local tannat varietal and cabernet franc and merlot wines.
In Punta del Este, we enjoyed a warm, sunny day, strolling the waterfront and watching giant sea lions angle for scraps from the fishing boats. You could tell this was a popular summer playground, with an upscale feel that reminded me a bit of the French Riviera, with its seaside cafés and high-end shopping. But at the end of October, it was quiet, save for a few locals and fellow ship passengers wandering the streets.
From there, we set out for the Falklands, following an itinerary that for much of the rest of the cruise would be mostly “captain’s choice”—meaning where we ventured, and whether we were able to get off the ship, would depend on the weather and what he deemed safe.
Captain Vitaliy Tsylke did not disappoint. We had a nice mix of relaxing sea days complete with whale and dolphin sightings and opportunities to hike on remote islands, where we quickly discovered that to say the Falklands has more penguins than people is an understatement. Think gentoo, rockhopper, Magellanic, and even king penguins in certain locations. During our landings, we easily encountered ratios of hundreds of penguins to every person, as well as huge albatross and a wide sampling of the more than 200 species of birds that live there.
In fact, this repositioning cruise turned out to be a perfect sailing for people who want to see penguins but are hesitant to cross the infamously rough Drake Passage to Antarctica. It’s also a great opportunity to see if—or how—seasick you get.
Passengers on a recent Atlas Ocean Voyages repositioning cruise explored the remote New Island in the Falklands.
Photo by Keith Nyberg/Courtesy of Atlas Ocean Voyages
From the Falklands, we headed to Chile, where I kayaked along the shore of the Strait of Magellan in Punta Arenas before we spent a day sailing through the glaciers and fjords of Chile’s Magallanes region. More winter weather prevented us from taking Zodiac excursions to get closer to the breathtaking ice, but we still had fabulous views from the cozy comfort of the luxurious expedition yacht.
For any repositioning cruise, knowing what to expect on board is key, and it seemed that most people on our sailing did. Surprisingly, many guests were repeat Atlas customers who had already sailed with the line to Antarctica. So, all of the passengers seemed content with the yacht’s lack of big-ship amenities, like extravagant entertainment.
What Atlas does offer is intimate luxury with comfortable, spacious cabins, fine dining, impeccable service, plenty of comfortable public spaces, a two-room spa with a large sauna, a pool, a hot tub, and a top-deck grill that stays open even on most cold days.
As a small-ship lover who can grow weary of over-the-top onboard entertainment and daily wake-up calls for morning excursions, I enjoyed our relaxed sea days as much as our outings. But I have to admit that while I had initially been envious of the passengers who were staying on board for the season’s first run to Antarctica, after docking in snow and enduing 60 mph winds in Ushuaia, I was pleased to be heading back to Buenos Aires to enjoy two days of sunny weather, with temperatures in the 70s.
From sunny and warm Buenos Aires, the repositioning sailing eventually made its way to the Pia Glacier among the Chilean fjords of Patagonia.
Photo by Keith Nyberg/Courtesy of Atlas Ocean Voyages
Where repositioning cruises sail—and how to book them
Repositioning cruises can take place in a wide range of destinations, including transatlantic and Panama Canal crossings as ships make their way from Europe, Alaska, and the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and other points south. In the Pacific, many lines offer sailings between Hawai‘i and Asia or Hawai‘i and New Zealand, with stops in remote locales like Pago Pago or Tonga. In the South Atlantic, luxury line Silversea, for instance, will offer two 21-day cruises from Puerto Williams, Chile, to Cape Town and Namibia, respectively, in 2026.
On smaller ships, the sailing itself can be the main part of the adventure. For example, both Windstar Cruises and Sea Cloud Cruises offer transatlantic crossings under full sail on their tall ships between Europe and the Caribbean. The sailings, some of which include a few limited Caribbean stops, feature lectures and plenty of opportunities to mingle with the crew and learn about course calculations, sailing maneuvers, and even the basics of knot tying. Windstar also lets some guests take the wheel.
Repositioning cruises often include several sea days (days when the ship does not dock in any port), as the main goal is to transfer the vessel to a new region. But, since these tend to be less-traversed cruise routes, they may also include some unique, lesser-visited ports or offseason stops in more popular destinations that allow passengers to explore without the crowds.
One of the best aspects of repositioning cruises, because they are one-offs that aren’t heavily promoted, is that they are rarely full and tend to attract experienced cruisers who easily roll with the unexpected.
The easiest way to find repositioning cruises is to work with a cruise specialist travel agent or sites such as repositioningcruise.com, cruisemapper.com and cruisedirect.com. You can also search individual cruise company sites for “repositioning” or “one-way” cruises.
Atlas Ocean Voyage will host a 16-day repositioning cruise from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia on November 12, 2026, with prices starting at $14,823 per person.
