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Rough waters/port cancellations?!


Mandyc

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First time cruiser here..probably doing too much reading ;-).   I am leaving out of Miami on the Navigator this Monday Jan 20, going to Nassau then CocoCay..I’ve read a few places how rough the water has been in that area lately?! That they will have some decks closed & barf bags hanging out because so rough?!     And that there’s a possibility they won’t be able to dock at CocoCay?!      I am worried this will ruin the trip we have waited so long for & saved our $$ to be able to do!!      Can anyone verify or is there a way to know ahead of time if the waters are in fact going to be super rough this next week? 

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9 hours ago, Mandyc said:

First time cruiser here..probably doing too much reading ;-).   I am leaving out of Miami on the Navigator this Monday Jan 20, going to Nassau then CocoCay..I’ve read a few places how rough the water has been in that area lately?! That they will have some decks closed & barf bags hanging out because so rough?!     And that there’s a possibility they won’t be able to dock at CocoCay?!      I am worried this will ruin the trip we have waited so long for & saved our $$ to be able to do!!      Can anyone verify or is there a way to know ahead of time if the waters are in fact going to be super rough this next week? 

The easy answer is to say, don't worry about it.  The cruise lines are in business to get you to spend your hard earned money on a fun and rewarding trip to places you probably wouldn't ordinarily go to.  They are all pretty good at that.  While there is no doubt that I also look at the weather ahead of time, RCCL has staff meteorologists whose only job is to ensure your safety and comfort on your trip.

The Voyager class, Navigator included, are wonderful ships.  You've done the hard part.  You've saved your money and paid for the trip.  Now, go have fun.  Next time, book a 7 day.  You will like that even more. 

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11 hours ago, Mandyc said:

First time cruiser here..probably doing too much reading ;-).   I am leaving out of Miami on the Navigator this Monday Jan 20, going to Nassau then CocoCay..I’ve read a few places how rough the water has been in that area lately?! That they will have some decks closed & barf bags hanging out because so rough?!     And that there’s a possibility they won’t be able to dock at CocoCay?!      I am worried this will ruin the trip we have waited so long for & saved our $$ to be able to do!!      Can anyone verify or is there a way to know ahead of time if the waters are in fact going to be super rough this next week? 

In the days of tendering at Coco Cay, the waves could be an issue (we missed the port once).  Now it is less of a problem with the pier.  Twangster has already given you a weather update.

I have never gotten sick on a Royal ship, but a couple of times the seas were rough, and bags were hung in the staircases.  I can't remember the last time that occurred to us. 

Have a great trip!

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2 hours ago, twangster said:

windy.com for wind forecasts.

Last week there was a strong high and strong low that combined to create a wind tunnel effect between them through the Bahamas.  That was last week.

This coming week looks pretty good.  

I think you'll have a great cruise.

  

Awesome, thank you so much for mentioning that page for wind forecasts...I just went and looked at it and it is super informative!   I must ask...what am I looking at to help tell if it will be a rough cruise/cancel coco cay or not?   If I click on the wind, what number it too high?   Or what section should I be paying attention to?  Thank you so much!

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We were on Mariner last weekend. Seas were rough going from Port Canaveral to Nassau. They had the bags hanging around the ship and it certainly wasn’t the best night sleep. With that said, we docked in Nassau and the rest of the trip was smooth sailing.

Most importantly to us, we were able to dock in Coco Cay along with Navigator. It was very windy and the surf was rough but we still had a great day. A few ships (including bigger ones) missed the port in the days before us so we considered ourselves very fortunate.

My best suggestion is to go into your cruise optimistic. No one can control the weather, but your captain will do everything in their power to avoid it. If they can’t dock safely or if it’s going to be a miserable day, you just have to trust them and make the best of it.

Have a great cruise!

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Another vote here for going in with an open mind.  On our very first cruise we did feel some motion and just put up with it and kept on with our vacation.  To make a long story short, turns out that was some of the roughest seas we have ever had, so everything has been a easy after that.  Our family actually even likes at least a little bit of motion, perfectly calm waters is almost too boring.
 

Weather and conditions will change and you can’t do anything about it so just enjoy.  All you can do is pack appropriately for cold And waterproof if you are doing something like an Alaska cruise, a jacket or umbrella for rainy days and sunscreen and swimsuits for everything else.  Get out there and enjoy!

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33 minutes ago, NewRCcruiser said:

Awesome, thank you so much for mentioning that page for wind forecasts...I just went and looked at it and it is super informative!   I must ask...what am I looking at to help tell if it will be a rough cruise/cancel coco cay or not?   If I click on the wind, what number it too high?   Or what section should I be paying attention to?  Thank you so much!

CocoCay is found at the top of the Berry island chain within the Bahamas circled in red.

7809303_windybahamas.jpeg.5ebf09bcf75259e60414497bc65bbfa9.jpeg

This is a consumer tool so it doesn't have the accuracy that the professional resources that Royal uses has.  Use it with a large grain of salt.  It's a forecasting tool but weather forecast at sea are notoriously incorrect because there are very limited reporting stations out there unlike across the United States on land.

There are many factors beyond simple wind speed they'll use, but if it's over 30 knots it's more likely they'll look into canceling the call. Green or blue colors are good, as it moves into the reds and purples it will be rougher out there.  They do their best to avoid that stuff, they don't want to put guests into bad weather if they can avoid it.  

1890589101_windybahamas2.jpeg.a3b4331d4d2a124dc23bd51a7a26706e.jpeg

 

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As others have said, Royal does not want to cancel any port (or Coco Cay) stop, but the safety of the passengers, crew and ship is a priority with Royal.

To get a good idea of anything brewing weather wise for a upcoming cruise, I like to watch/follow the Facebook page of Royal's Meteorologist.  His public page is "Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet".   He usually posts a few days ahead of any upcoming storms or issues they are watching.

Safe travels, and have a great cruise.

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We were on Symphony last week and most of the week was quite windy with rough seas. Our first port in St. Kitts was reasonably calm, and welcome after two days of shuddering and swaying with 50+ knot winds and 30 foot seas. The wind was supposed to calm down and did for a day or so, but the wind and waves returned  for our Coco Cay stop, although they were able to dock the ship (on the port side oddly). The majority of the aqua theater shows were cancelled throughout the week (they got one or two in on night 4) and one while the ship was tied to the dock at Coco Cay.  They did have the barf bags in the stairwells on the first two sea days but fortunately nobody in our party got sick and I took advantage of the ship’s rocking to lull me to sleep every night. 

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