Best/worst time to sail from LA

[melmar02]

We sail mostly Caribbean and are looking for a change. Before we head to the Next Cruise office, is there a bad time to sail from the west coast? Like are seas really rough a particular time of year? Water too cold? Something weird like Galveston fog season? Any anything else we should consider? 

[smokeybandit]

I wouldn't look that deep into it, honestly.  The variance wouldn't be enough to make you avoid or prefer certain dates.

[melmar02]

Thanks @smokeybandit. We'll leave it on the short list for tomorrow's NC visit.

[Mark_A]

I sailed Navigator in December.  It was cold for the first sea day down to Mexico and the last day coming back.  I feel this depends a lot of the ocean temperatures.

 

[Cactus527]

There's a reason California is so popular for people to visit/live in - the weather (especially in SoCal) is ideal year round! You'll see differing sea creatures with passing seasons, and there's still hurricane season in the Pacific that could affect things in the fall, but overall it's nice any time. Navigator is a wonderful ship too, you won't regret being on there! 

[Ryan79]

It’s the same peak and off seasons as the Caribbean. Weather can be a bit colder in winter on the first/last day, but that the biggest difference.

[Bruin Steve]

Okay...First you have to understand Southern California climate.  It is different than most parts of the world.  We have what is called a Mediterranean climate. It exists in only a few small regions of the world--parts of Spain, Italy, Greece, Israel, Tunesia and Morocco in the Mediterranean...Central Chile...around Perth, Australia...Capetown, South Africa...and Southern California.  It is marked by extremely low annual precipitation--usually sometime between October and March (though Climate Change and El Nino have been playing a little havoc with that of late) and low humidity.  Summers typically very dry and hot, rest of year usually mild.  Perhaps only about 15-20 rainy days per year.  Usually skes are blue with bright sunshine.  We  have no hurricanes.  Typhoons exist in the Pacific but rarely venture north of Cabo...and if so, only in a very weakened state.  Snow only exists in extremely high elevations.

You will likely experience beautiful warm weather from April to October...and may still get the same at any other time during the year.  For example, the expected high today in Los Angeles is 76 Fahrenheit, zero chance of rain...and we are well into November!  Of course, during winter months, it would be hard to predict with certainty.

As to "rough waters", know this:  Many people THINK the waters here are "rough" first day out of Los Angeles or last day back.  BUT this is not due to weather or oceanic conditions.  Modern cruise ships have "stabilizers", large retractable wings which spread out under the surface of the water with computerized engines that are used to level the ship.  However, they also slow ship's speed.  So, when the itinerary calls for the ship to go a long distance, in order to make good time, they retract the stabilizers--and the result is that the ship rocks a bit more.  Most Mexican Riviera itineraries have long stretches on those first and/or last days going to or returning from Puerto Vallarta to Los Angeles--hence the impression of rockier seas.

Also know that the ocean water near Los Angeles is much cooler than the Caribbean because the prevailing currents circulate south from Alaska.

But, the bottom line is that there really is not a bad time to cruise out of Los Angeles.  Rather base it on YOUR schedule, what sort of weather you may be getting away from back home, when kids are in or out of school, etc.  We live in SoCal, so we cruise out of LA often--just to get away between more exotic cruises...and often cruise in December/January...and most often have had great weather.  In fact, we are cruising out of LA December 1 this year on Celebrity Eclipse.  We also love the Navigator of the Seas and have cruised it several times.

[WAYNO]

We are on this cruise Nov 10th, and it will be our 5th identical cruise from L.A. since last November.  We cruised Nov, Feb, Mar, Sep, and now Nov again.  The weather in Mexico was wonderful every time, but on the March cruise, we experienced horrendous weather in Los Angeles.   For preparations sake... Our luggage and many others was exposed to drenching rain at the L.A. Terminal, completely saturating everything in our luggage.  Took much of the week to get everything in our luggage hung and dried in our cabin.

[Matt]

I'd avoid summer. April through October or so, because if your cruise goes down the Baja peninsula, it gets very, very hot in Cabo, Mazatlan, et al.

[Vancity Cruiser]

22 minutes ago, Matt said:

I'd avoid summer. April through October or so, because if your cruise goes down the Baja peninsula, it gets very, very hot in Cabo, Mazatlan, et al.

Spoken like a Floridian lol. Those of us who live in cooler climates are looking for hot weather on our cruises!

I just got back to LA on Saturday from the Cabo/Mazatlan/Puerto Vallarta itinerary. Weather was fantastic!

[tonyfsu21]

One important thing to note if you are a seasoned Caribbean cruiser. The water is frigid and you won’t be frolicking in the beautiful crystal clear ocean with a pina colada in hand. This takes some getting used to. Personally, we have done it (and considered another West coast voyage) but I think it’s a one and done type ordeal for us. The Caribbean is much more enjoyable especially if you are big on beach days. 

[DDaley]

In Southern California we have a huge stretch of time where the thick marine layer almost never clears at the beach and extends pretty far inland. We call this May Gray and June Gloom, but in the past few years this terrible weather has started in March and lasted through July. This spring we had a stretch of 107 consecutive days with no sunshine! @asquared17 will tell you it rained every day of her vacation in April (atmospheric rivers!) when it really should've been perfectly temperate. 

That said, if you’re looking at the 7-night itineraries this foul weather will only affect the first and last days of the voyage but any of the 3 and 4 night itineraries will be affected the entire length of the cruise. If I was looking for a warm, beach experience on the 3-4 night runs, I would only sail this ship from July-September for the best weather. I sailed a 3-night last October and I had to wrap several beach towels around me while hanging on the cloudy pool deck (certainly no swimming!). 

For the 7-night, I agree with others that the spring/fall months will have the best weather in Cabo/PV/Maz. I’ve been in December and February and it was a bit chilly for ocean swimming when you’re used to the Caribbean! 

[asquared17]

12 hours ago, DDaley said:

 @asquared17 will tell you it rained every day of her vacation in April (atmospheric rivers!) when it really should've been perfectly temperate. 

oh my and what a time it was!!

actually warmer at home in NJ than in san diego and i was totally blown away.

[Matt]

23 hours ago, Vancity Cruiser said:

Spoken like a Floridian lol. Those of us who live in cooler climates are looking for hot weather on our cruises!

I just got back to LA on Saturday from the Cabo/Mazatlan/Puerto Vallarta itinerary. Weather was fantastic!

I definitely have a low tolerance for heat, but when we went in June this year, @Big Dawg Ron (who cruises all the time on Navi) said the summer months get stifling hot there

[Bruin Steve]

1 hour ago, Matt said:

I definitely have a low tolerance for heat, but when we went in June this year, @Big Dawg Ron (who cruises all the time on Navi) said the summer months get stifling hot there

"Stifling hot"???

"Stifling" is NOT a word you ever hear here..."Stifling" is an East Coast thing...it's a Florida thing--where YOU have such high humidity that when you walk outside it's like walking into a sauna.

Yes, in the middle of our hottest months (typically July/August), temperatures in our INLAND VALLEYS and DESERTS can get extremely high, temperatures along the coast NEVER do.  Another thing to know about SoCal is that the climate is NOT entirely the same throughout the region.  It's a LARGE area.  It is transversed by several mountain ranges.  The coastal basin and the coastal areas have an extremely temperate climate while inland valleys can get hot.  The Pacific Ocean, which as has been noted, has fairly cool water, acts as a moderating force--it physically cools the air over it...so, areas along the coast rarely get hot.  I grew up at the beach in the Pacific Palisades/Malibu area...and my parents' home NEVER even had an Air Conditioning system!  And it never mattered.  In 42 years they lived there, the temperatures almost never got out of the 70s!  Cool breezes blow off the Pacific--even in the height of the summer months.  

And, remember, even in those hottest summer months, the humidity is extremely low.  And you are on vacation.  You can wear shorts and T-shirts and remain entirely comfortable.

Now, MOST of the year, I'd avoid Florida--Hot and muggy lots of the year, hurricanes for a good portion...

But, Southern California?  The weather is, pretty much, the BEST IN THE WORLD...

[Matt]

LA is lovely, but go to Mazatlan in July and let me know how comfortable it is outside.

[Linda R]

I avoid summer cruises because of mostly too hot of weather and more kids.  I also avoid holidays mostly for all the kids on the ship.   

[tonyfsu21]

On 11/8/2023 at 11:15 AM, Bruin Steve said:

"Stifling hot"???

"Stifling" is NOT a word you ever hear here..."Stifling" is an East Coast thing...it's a Florida thing--where YOU have such high humidity that when you walk outside it's like walking into a sauna.

Yes, in the middle of our hottest months (typically July/August), temperatures in our INLAND VALLEYS and DESERTS can get extremely high, temperatures along the coast NEVER do.  Another thing to know about SoCal is that the climate is NOT entirely the same throughout the region.  It's a LARGE area.  It is transversed by several mountain ranges.  The coastal basin and the coastal areas have an extremely temperate climate while inland valleys can get hot.  The Pacific Ocean, which as has been noted, has fairly cool water, acts as a moderating force--it physically cools the air over it...so, areas along the coast rarely get hot.  I grew up at the beach in the Pacific Palisades/Malibu area...and my parents' home NEVER even had an Air Conditioning system!  And it never mattered.  In 42 years they lived there, the temperatures almost never got out of the 70s!  Cool breezes blow off the Pacific--even in the height of the summer months.  

And, remember, even in those hottest summer months, the humidity is extremely low.  And you are on vacation.  You can wear shorts and T-shirts and remain entirely comfortable.

Now, MOST of the year, I'd avoid Florida--Hot and muggy lots of the year, hurricanes for a good portion...

But, Southern California?  The weather is, pretty much, the BEST IN THE WORLD...

I don’t think the “issues” with California have anything to do with the weather at all (although the Pacific Ocean is not user friendly). IMHO Florida has the best weather in the world w/o “issues”. The hurricane season is hyped up by the media and is rarely a problem especially concerning cruise vacations. 

[tonyfsu21]

3 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

I don’t think the “issues” with California have anything to do with the weather at all (although the Pacific Ocean is not user friendly). IMHO Florida has the best weather in the world w/o “issues”. The hurricane season is hyped up by the media and is rarely a problem especially concerning cruise vacations.