Crossing the Atlantic Ocean is one of the best vacation deals at sea, as cruise lines reposition their ships between summers in Europe and winters in the Caribbean. Prices are lower than on regularly scheduled voyages. But it's not a trip for everyone.

``Be prepared for all sorts of weather and sea conditions,'' says Martin Ford, a passenger services director for Princess Cruises. And bring a thick book or go to the ship's library, he says, for those long days at sea -- as many as six between Europe and the United States.

More than a dozen cruise ships will sail west while repositioning from Europe this fall -- and that list does not include Cunard's Queen Mary 2, which regularly crosses from spring to fall between New York City and Southampton, England. Most QM2 cruises are six days.

THE GREAT MIGRATION

Never before have so many ships offered transatlantic itineraries. Cruise lines include Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Holland America, Celebrity, Princess, MSC, Crystal, Costa, Windstar, Silversea, Royal Clipper and Seabourn.

And every cruise line has a deal. For inside cabins, nearly all of the advertised rates on travel agent and cruise line websites for October and November crossings were less than $100 per person per day (for two people sharing a cabin; taxes and fees additional) -- and sometimes way under that. Royal Caribbean, for instance, in late July was offering a 14-night repositioning cruise this fall for $749 inside, $899 outside (per person).

Bargains aren't restricted to the cheaper cabins. Celebrity was advertising an outside cabin, with veranda, on a 13-night Rome to Fort Lauderdale cruise Nov. 30 on the Celebrity Solstice for $1,379 -- or $2,758 total for a couple.

The great Atlantic repositioning of ships is a result of recent increases in the number of cruise ships plying the waters around Europe.

Summer voyages throughout the Mediterranean and into Northern Europe have become increasingly popular among Americans as well as Europeans, who find the prices of accommodations and food less expensive on ships than similar vacation choices on land in Europe.

But only a few ships stay the winter in the Mediterranean, when vacationers seeking sunshine prefer the Caribbean. So, come October and November, a fleet of ships heads west. In the spring, of course, this all reverses, with repositioning cruises from the Caribbean to Europe.

PORTS OF CALL

Most cruise lines add port calls at the beginning and/or end of their repositioning cruises to make the trip more than just a traditional ocean crossing.

Ships leaving from Northern Europe may stop in Belfast, the Shetland Islands, Reykjavik or even Greenland. Sailings from Southern Europe may start out with calls at Gibraltar, Casablanca, the Azores or Canary Islands -- then end up in the Caribbean with stops at islands like Barbados and Dominica. A few cruises even swing far enough south to include stops in Senegal (on one side of the Atlantic) and Brazil (on the other).

Still, trans-Atlantic cruises seldom are full (that's why they're so cheap) since most cruise passengers prefer more vacation days in ports -- shopping and the like -- instead of at sea.

And if you prefer stripping down to minimal cloth and slathering on the sunscreen for a day of tanning, Atlantic crossings -- with their iffy weather -- probably are not for you. But if you like endless hours in the wind and sea air, sometimes snuggled beneath a blanket, a repositioning cruise may satisfy you.

`DIFFERENT CROWD'

``It's a different crowd,'' says Princess Cruises' Ford. ``Salt air is what brings them to the ship on a repositioning cruise. (It's) an older crowd, mostly retired -- people who prefer days at sea to exploring ports. It's an opportunity to enjoy the ship and what it offers for entertainment. We also have more variety on the menus.''

Looking at a map, you might think that ships crossing the Atlantic plot a straight line between Europe and the United States. Some do, but not because a straight line is the shortest distance.

Since the Earth isn't flat, the shortest distance between two points, such as the Azores and Fort Lauderdale, follows the curve of the globe (the ``great circle'' route). That course, in the Northern Hemisphere, would take a ship on a more northerly route. In fall and spring, more northerly means colder.

So, repositioning cruise ships tend to go 40 to 50 miles out of their way to the south, taking a straight (fixed-compass) path between Europe and Florida. Navigators know this course as a rhumb line.

Most cruise lines have a transatlantic page on their websites.

For best rates, consult a travel agent who specializes in cruises or surf the Internet under ``transatlantic cruise.''

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