January Odyssey cruising from new york? Thoughts?

[shan9219]

Hey everyone. Okay so we love winter in NYC, and we're from the Highlands of Scotland for context. We know cold. 

But I'm looking at a cruise to the (technically i think some is actually eastern but rcl is calling it southern) Southern Carribean at the end of Jan? First cruise. So people who actually know their stuff (all of you, not me) would you sail in Jan from NYC if it was a longer cruise?

12 nights is what I'm looking at. 6 stops including Barbados, St lucia, San Juan, Antigua, St Maarten, St thomas. Would do a few nights in Manahattan afterwards too.  It's Odyssey so they do have some indoor stuff for the kids going on.

So to you, would that be worth the few days of cold and potentially rough seas getting to and from NJ? Appreciate the thoughts, either way

 

[Ampurp85]

I am all for a longer cruise, so I would say it would be worth it. It might be cold for a few days but Odyssey and Quantum class ships seem to handle cold well. I sail in Jan a lot and come from the cold of Chicago to do so. The last year Florida was cold for them, like 50/60s, and so the first few days of the cruise were cooler than normal. It didn't make the cruise any less enjoyable. With the longer 12 nights even if the first couple of days are cool, you will have a lot still to warm up. 

[FionaMG]

Lots of people sail from NJ in the winter or Royal wouldn't keep offering those itineraries. I believe they are very popular with locals and others who live close enough not to have to fly.

Other than the cold itself, my biggest qualm would be precisely flying into and out of NY in the winter since every year you see reports of massive snow storms closing everything in the area for hours if not days.

That aside, the ports of call are great and Odyssey is a decent ship (although it lacks an indoor family pool, if that's important to you).

[fireclan]

We're doing that cruise Jan 2025, and have done it many, many times! We've departed in all kinds of weather  - from beautiful warm &  sunny to inches of snow on the balcony. Of course the first 2 days are cold but there's plenty to do and see on the ship, especially if you are new to that ship. When I was still working (before retirement) I used those days to unwind, sleep in and rest up before the outside activities and port days kicked in.  I really enjoy a 10-12 day sailing!

[teddy]

We’re on the 11 night version of this cruise in January 2025. 
 

We’ve taken Anthem out of Bayonne the past two years (in Jan/Feb) and really enjoy cruising out of the cold. 

[shan9219]

7 minutes ago, teddy said:

We’re on the 11 night version of this cruise in January 2025. 
 

We’ve taken Anthem out of Bayonne the past two years (in Jan/Feb) and really enjoy cruising out of the cold. 

Thank you for replying. This is really great to read and very helpful. Yes I'm actually really looking forward to going from the cold and watching the weather change. I don't even mind rocky seas, I love the ocean. Not the same but the scottish island ferries can be absolutely insane so that isn't a deterrent. 

 

I'll be watching the 2025 sailing. Hope you have great one 

[shan9219]

1 hour ago, FionaMG said:

Lots of people sail from NJ in the winter or Royal wouldn't keep offering those itineraries. I believe they are very popular with locals and others who live close enough not to have to fly.

Other than the cold itself, my biggest qualm would be precisely flying into and out of NY in the winter since every year you see reports of massive snow storms closing everything in the area for hours if not days.

That aside, the ports of call are great and Odyssey is a decent ship (although it lacks an indoor family pool, if that's important to you).

Yes that is one thing I wish they'd kept on Odyssey but for the length, plus the ports, it was something we compromised on.

Thanks for the storm shout. I agree there too. We've been lucky ish coming into Manhattan in winter so far. Delays but no cancellations. We're there for my daughters birthday this Jan too, but I'll definitely need to consider maybe adding a few more days just incase when cruising. Thanks so much

[shan9219]

24 minutes ago, fireclan said:

We're doing that cruise Jan 2025, and have done it many, many times! We've departed in all kinds of weather  - from beautiful warm &  sunny to inches of snow on the balcony. Of course the first 2 days are cold but there's plenty to do and see on the ship, especially if you are new to that ship. When I was still working (before retirement) I used those days to unwind, sleep in and rest up before the outside activities and port days kicked in.  I really enjoy a 10-12 day sailing!

Thats wild lol. Snow would certainly be interesting. I really needed to read replies like this from people who know what they're talking about.

It's reassuring to see there are people who cruise in winter from NJ/NYC regularly. People seem to tell me it's a waste losing a few days of my trip to colder weather but for the ports and length of time for us it's just so worth it.  We both work 12 hour shifts, switching nightshift so we will definitely enjoy time sleeping in a chilling out for the firdt days, even if the deck is closed etc. Thanks so much for replying 

[shan9219]

Thank you all for such detailed replies. Its really helped reassure me I've booked the right trip for us. This forum is incredibly helpful 

[JasonOasis]

I've done both the 11 nighter and the 12 nighter cruise on Anthem multiple times because sometimes you just need to escape winter and I'm from Chicago so I know winter an cold as well.  What I can tell you is by day 2 its already what I would consider warm day time highs are in the upper 60s low 70s or since you're European lets do it in celsius (why we still use Fahrenheit in this country is a discussion for another day lol) in celsius that would up upper 16 to lower 21, by day three its full out warm weather.  The seas are a crap shoot they can be calm but also rough so I would suggest if you get motion sickness to just bring some medication to help you deal with that just in case.

The cruise itself is 100% worth every penny and you certainly should book it.  

[teddy]

This Anthem back in February of this year on the day we boarded.  
 

The picture of deck chairs was taken by someone disembarking that day and posted to the Facebook group. The picture of the ship from the road was taken by me as we drove in  

[shan9219]

1 minute ago, teddy said:

This Anthem back in February of this year on the day we boarded.  
 

The picture of deck chairs was taken by someone disembarking that day. The picture of the ship from the road was taken by me. 

Oh. My. God. 

 

Oh well, booked it now Though I kind of  love that  

[MaryCS62]

20 hours ago, teddy said:

We’re on the 11 night version of this cruise in January 2025. 
 

We’ve taken Anthem out of Bayonne the past two years (in Jan/Feb) and really enjoy cruising out of the cold. 

so are we - Jan 5-16. Did it 5 years ago on Anthem - was supposed to do it 3 years ago, but DD caught Covid before christmas, & was still positive prior to the cruise (when they were still testing) so we missed it.  Still annoyed about that - we had bid for and won the 2 BR grand suite from a Jr suite for 4 of us, and we were very disappointed to miss it

 

[Curt From Canada]

22 hours ago, shan9219 said:

Hey everyone. Okay so we love winter in NYC, and we're from the Highlands of Scotland for context. We know cold. 

But I'm looking at a cruise to the (technically i think some is actually eastern but rcl is calling it southern) Southern Carribean at the end of Jan? First cruise. So people who actually know their stuff (all of you, not me) would you sail in Jan from NYC if it was a longer cruise?

12 nights is what I'm looking at. 6 stops including Barbados, St lucia, San Juan, Antigua, St Maarten, St thomas. Would do a few nights in Manahattan afterwards too.  It's Odyssey so they do have some indoor stuff for the kids going on.

So to you, would that be worth the few days of cold and potentially rough seas getting to and from NJ? Appreciate the thoughts, either way

 

We think this cruise is a great idea (especially after having made such a long journey … time in New York plus 12 days at sea makes it all worthwhile).

You may just see a couple of “danceaholics” on this cruise.  

As others have said … Odyssey is made for this type of cruise.

Curt & Maria from Canada

[sfrome]

I concur with all of the favorable comments regarding sailing to the Caribbean from Cape Liberty in January.  My wife and I have done this cruise 4 times already each for 11 days on the Anthem.  We will be on the 1/29/25 sailing and have already booked the Jan 2026 sailing. This will be our 38th cruise, but first time on Odyssey OTS.  We live on LI so it is convenient for us to sail from NJ.  We are Latin and ballroom dancers, and you can often find us at Boleros!   

[fireclan]

On 9/30/2024 at 9:09 AM, sfrome said:

I concur with all of the favorable comments regarding sailing to the Caribbean from Cape Liberty in January.  My wife and I have done this cruise 4 times already each for 11 days on the Anthem.  We will be on the 1/29/25 sailing and have already booked the Jan 2026 sailing. This will be our 38th cruise, but first time on Odyssey OTS.  We live on LI so it is convenient for us to sail from NJ.  We are Latin and ballroom dancers, and you can often find us at Boleros!   

Wait @sfrome, check your dates! You may want to show up on the 27th, not the 29th.

[karl_nj]

On 9/26/2024 at 7:12 PM, shan9219 said:

People seem to tell me it's a waste losing a few days of my trip to colder weather but for the ports and length of time for us it's just so worth it.  We both work 12 hour shifts, switching nightshift so we will definitely enjoy time sleeping in a chilling out for the firdt days, even if the deck is closed etc. Thanks so much for replying 

Are they all Americans telling you that it's a waste? In my mind, it's similar to the difference of booking a Med cruise out of Southampton vs doing a Fly Cruise and sailing out of Barcelona. The advantage of doing the cruise out of Miami (for Americans)/Barcelona (for UK folks) is that you can have a shorter 7 night cruise and be warm immediately, instead of sailing out of NY/Southampton.

I live in NJ and love sailing out of NYC in the winter, especially for a longer itinerary like you are doing, that goes deep into the Carribean. 

The 7 night cruises out of NYC that only hit the Bahamas aren't as great, especially in the middle of winter.

 

[shan9219]

5 minutes ago, karl_nj said:

Are they all Americans telling you that it's a waste? In my mind, it's similar to the difference of booking a Med cruise out of Southampton vs doing a Fly Cruise and sailing out of Barcelona. The advantage of doing the cruise out of Miami (for Americans)/Barcelona (for UK folks) is that you can have a shorter 7 night cruise and be warm immediately, instead of sailing out of NY/Southampton.

I live in NJ and love sailing out of NYC in the winter, especially for a longer itinerary like you are doing, that goes deep into the Carribean. 

The 7 night cruises out of NYC that only hit the Bahamas aren't as great, especially in the middle of winter.

 

It is Americans so far yes. And this is a great point, thank you. I've been doing my research and so far (not including *that* anthem of the seas feb cruise) it seems to be positive considering it is 12 nights.  Appreciate the comment 

[Leroyr55]

We are cruising for the first time out of Port Liberty for the first time January 16th for 11 nights. I said to the wife wouldn’t it be nice if it was snowing as we left port. After this cruise we have two more leaving via of Port Liberty in 2025. Tired of paying airfare to leave out of Florida.

[Southern Dan]

If I still lived on Long Island I'd be all about sailing out of NJ for an 11 night cruise deep into the Caribbean in the dead of winter.  Now that I live in GA I will just take the short flight south to FL and cruise out of there.

[RCIfan1912]

1 hour ago, Leroyr55 said:

We are cruising for the first time out of Port Liberty for the first time January 16th for 11 nights. I said to the wife wouldn’t it be nice if it was snowing as we left port. After this cruise we have two more leaving via of Port Liberty in 2025. Tired of paying airfare to leave out of Florida.

We only sail out of NJ because we are 30-40 minutes south of Cape Liberty and I don't fly. Yeah we are limited but if you mix it up its just fine. Luckily Royal has the best, most innovative ships so its always a great cruise. 

[shan9219]

7 hours ago, Leroyr55 said:

We are cruising for the first time out of Port Liberty for the first time January 16th for 11 nights. I said to the wife wouldn’t it be nice if it was snowing as we left port. After this cruise we have two more leaving via of Port Liberty in 2025. Tired of paying airfare to leave out of Florida.

Ha we did actually say this too. My eldest would love it. I'm not sure if that coincides with rougher seas though. And I was planning on staying in Jersey city for a few days first so not sure if rougher weather would affect getting to the port.

But I'm settled on the sailing dates now so we'll see. The comments on this post have really helped me. As long as my flights over go well, I'll be happy. 

[Tania]

This will be our 4th cruise sailing in February on Odyssey (always during Super Bowl/Valentines) We did Anthem in 2022 and NCL Getaway (2023 & 2024).   My only advice, get to NYC or Newark a few days ahead of time.  We heard nightmares of people travelling from the UK and northern Canada having issues getting to airport because of weather.  This past February, I shopped for a couple that had no toiletries because they expected to be in NYC for a few days and ended up getting there day of embarkation.   Evert time we sailed it was 50 degrees and sunny.   Sailaway was always outside with our jackets on an we had a blast.  Day 2 we had sweaters, and I had capris on.  Day 3 shorts and shirt.

[sfrome]

We have sailed out of Bayonne 4 times in late January on 11/12-day cruises to the Caribbean, first on Anthem and then on Odyssey. We live on LI and Bayonne is only a 1.5 hour drive for us and we park the car in the garage.

Our logic is that we would lose a day if we flew to Florida for what would most likely be a 7-day cruise. At least the first travel day we would be on the ship relaxing, eating decent food and enjoying activities on board, and possibly not experiencing air delays due to weather.  Depending on cabin booked, a 12-day cruise could wind up being less costly per day than a cruise out of Florida.  Consider the cost of parking to be a wash compared to the cost of the round-trip flight and ground transportation to/from the airport.

So you may wish to consider this if you are planning a January Bayonne cruise in 2026 or 2027.

[Jersey Judie]

I have traveled on the anthem during the winter months from NJ. Embarkation day and day2 were cold, but we awoke on Day 3 to warm weather. It was fantastic! Furthermore, it gave us the opportunity to do all the indoor activities and shows for the 1st -2 days that were sometimes overlooked when you're spending most of your time outdoors on deck.

Also, New York is great any time of year!!!

[Gilley]

On 9/26/2024 at 4:25 PM, shan9219 said:

Hey everyone. Okay so we love winter in NYC, and we're from the Highlands of Scotland for context. We know cold. 

But I'm looking at a cruise to the (technically i think some is actually eastern but rcl is calling it southern) Southern Carribean at the end of Jan? First cruise. So people who actually know their stuff (all of you, not me) would you sail in Jan from NYC if it was a longer cruise?

12 nights is what I'm looking at. 6 stops including Barbados, St lucia, San Juan, Antigua, St Maarten, St thomas. Would do a few nights in Manahattan afterwards too.  It's Odyssey so they do have some indoor stuff for the kids going on.

So to you, would that be worth the few days of cold and potentially rough seas getting to and from NJ? Appreciate the thoughts, either way

 

I’m on this cruise.  Looking forward to it.  Have sailed from this port in cold months.  I spend time indoors or Solarium until we reach warmer climates.  Never sailed Odyssey before so I’m looking forward to exploring her.