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Miami port of call and Coco cay in winter?


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We loved Coco cay so much that we want to obviously go back. Now we would like to avoid the blistering heat of summer though. We both got burnt pretty good even though we used SPF 65.

Anthem does Coco cay in the dead of winter and I think it would be fun to leave the freezing cold of NJ in January/February to go south to the Caribbean. Anthem does an 8 night Coco cruise that stops in Miami. What is there to do in Miami on general? Cool excursions? 

What will the weather and temps be like at Coco cay in January or February? Hot but not as hot as summer? Just as fun an island as summer?

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9 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

What will the weather and temps be like at Coco cay in January or February? Hot but not as hot as summer? Just as fun an island as summer?

Generally speaking, the tropics do not experience the same kind of winter temperature swings found further north.  It remains mostly temperate, if not warm, throughout the winter months.

That being said, cold fronts can certainly make their way down to the Bahamas, and it is not unheard of for the temperature to drop into 70s at times.

The good news is the ocean temperature does not change much, and will remain warmer for longer periods of time after the air temperatures drop.  

Oasis Lagoon can be on chillier side during winter months, but one person's "cold" is another person's "you just have to get used to it".

More: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/perfect-day-cococay-tips-tricks-secrets

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13 minutes ago, Matt said:

it is not unheard of for the temperature to drop into 70s at times

Sending native Floridians to put on jeans and coats, lol.

Cococay in the 70's sounds beautiful to me... hell, going there in the summer is a nice break from the mid-90's here, especially with the ocean breeze.

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Thanks guys, I think I want to try a winter Coco cay cruise. I know my wife does after we got sunburn this time in August. I'd have to convince work to let me off which won't be easy, winter where I work is kind of a no-no to take off. DPW and plowing snow is a big part of our job in the winter. I could probably still swing it. 

Sounds like it would be amazing in the winter, 70s sounds great! Coming from the freeze of Jersey and Anthem is made for the cold so the first few days would still be fun, indoor pool would be fun for sure. 

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23 minutes ago, Kathleen said:

We like to sail in January as it is our anniversary month. We love the weather in January. Coco Cay was around 75 when we there this January. A perfect day (see what I did there 😉 )!

Oh perfect, you have been there in January. Excellent info, I think we have to try this just to contrast between August summer and January winter. 75 sounds absolutely perfect. 

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I live in Coconut Creek about an hour N of downtown Miami. There is a lot to do in Miami proper. I'd avoid South Beach. There are several museums downtown, and a great aquarium. If you like beaches, there are plenty of them. I recommend arranging your own transportation (Uber, Lyft or rental car) and planning/doing your own thing. Ship's tours aren't going to get you the flavor of the this colorful city. 

https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/

Vizcaya is a restored mansion of the original developer of Miami Beach. I've been there and it is worth the visit if you like things like this.  https://vizcaya.org/ The mansion and grounds is adjacent to Coconut Grove. Lots of eateries and bars concentrated in a couple of blocks. https://miami.eater.com/maps/best-coconut-grove-restaurants-bars-miami Parking can be tight after 5pm and it's all metered. Make sure you pay or you'll get an expensive ticket. I recommend Sapore de Mare. Local owner, small, popular, call ahead, nice wait staff. Go here for cookies, pies or a desert after a meal: https://www.firemandereks.com/ 

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3 hours ago, RCIfan1912 said:

We loved Coco cay so much that we want to obviously go back. Now we would like to avoid the blistering heat of summer though. We both got burnt pretty good even though we used SPF 65.

Anthem does Coco cay in the dead of winter and I think it would be fun to leave the freezing cold of NJ in January/February to go south to the Caribbean. Anthem does an 8 night Coco cruise that stops in Miami. What is there to do in Miami on general? Cool excursions? 

What will the weather and temps be like at Coco cay in January or February? Hot but not as hot as summer? Just as fun an island as summer?

We have cruised for 4 or 5 years in a row (but not since COVID) from NJ on Anthem in Jan - Feb. The best part is leaving the cold, sometimes snowing, weather and in a day and a half or so being in nice weather! It has always been warm enough, if not too warm, to enjoy the pools, swimming, the beaches, etc. Anthem is a great ship, I strongly recommend it!

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45 minutes ago, JeffB said:

I live in Coconut Creek about an hour N of downtown Miami. There is a lot to do in Miami proper. I'd avoid South Beach. There are several museums downtown, and a great aquarium. If you like beaches, there are plenty of them. I recommend arranging your own transportation (Uber, Lyft or rental car) and planning/doing your own thing. Ship's tours aren't going to get you the flavor of the this colorful city. 

https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/

Vizcaya is a restored mansion of the original developer of Miami Beach. I've been there and it is worth the visit if you like things like this.  https://vizcaya.org/ The mansion and grounds is adjacent to Coconut Grove. Lots of eateries and bars concentrated in a couple of blocks. https://miami.eater.com/maps/best-coconut-grove-restaurants-bars-miami Parking can be tight after 5pm and it's all metered. Make sure you pay or you'll get an expensive ticket. I recommend Sapore de Mare. Local owner, small, popular, call ahead, nice wait staff. Go here for cookies, pies or a desert after a meal: https://www.firemandereks.com/ 

Excellent info thanks. When I saw an 8 day cruise to Coco cay with Miami I was like hell yeah. A port that's a bit different and I've never been too. We LOVE Aquariums so that's a great suggestion. I'm gonna really look into this and see if we can do it. 

We already booked on Oasis May 28th 5 days to New Brunswick Canada and Halifax, 2 of our favorite ports. We are not huge beach people, more history and culture people, love to learn about the culture and people of a new place. 

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  • 4 months later...
On 8/20/2022 at 11:57 AM, VeronicaS1970 said:

Coco Cay is awesome in the winter. Nice temps, sure beats the cold and snow in upstate NY!

Definitely beats winter up north.  That being said, I've been to Coco Cay 4 times between Dec-March and have never had it warm enough to be there without a light sweater.  It's always been cool (ok), and cool and windy, or cool and windy and rainy.  I don't blame Coco Cay.  I blame the Bahamas, lol.

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 @RCIfan1912 @John Nelson   I cruise from NJ over the winter…Sept through May…I love the Anthem because it’s a great cold-weather ship. The fully enclosed and heated Solarium and family pool, hot tubs…the Two70 venue, the SeaPlex. Lots of things to do for the first day and a half until we round Cape Hatteras and get into warmer temps and can hang out outside. For me, the real first sign of sailing into summer is when the International Belly Flop Competition is held as we sail into Port Canaveral.

I just did an eight day last week with a stop at Miami. It was interesting sailing into the port. I’ve never been there. I didn’t have anything planned so I stayed aboard and enjoyed the amenities on the ship with lots less people. I’ll also be on your eight day sailing in February.

The majority of the Anthem winter cruises are the seven day Port Canaveral, CocoCay and Nassau itinerary. Except for three eleven night Caribbean cruises in January. So I’ve been to CocoCay many times over the winter. I have found that the Bahamas are still comfortably warm, the water is beautiful and the weather has that ‘summer’ feel. I can not recall a visit where it was too cool to sunbathe or go in the water. The ocean may be a little bit cooler than it typically is during the summer months…but the air temperature is still summer-like. Of course, there can be days where a cool front may dip all the way down to the Bahamas…but so far, for me, it hasn’t happened during my visits. So the odds are good that we will have another perfect day!

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