Michael Vitale Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Ok winter cruisers, I've never been on a vacation in winter that wasn't a winter vacation. Skiing. Sledding. Snowmobiles, fires, and hot chocolate. If you cruise the Carribean in winter, is it actually pool weather ? Beach weather ? Sun screen, umbrella drinks and the belly flop contest ?? Or is it just really nice for sight seeing, golf, and lounging ? There's just something kinda weird about leaving the hoodies, ice scrapers, and mittens at the house, and in 48 hours, transforming myself into a beach bum. Your thoughts ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CitizenBlue Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 It varies on where you want to sail from. Usually by the time you get to day 2 or 3 it's nice and warm. Not summer hot, but if you are acclimated to winter even 60* feels pretty darn good. We usually find ourselves taking jeans and a fleece just in case you have a cool night on the ship but overall it's kind of like early fall weather and either way it is so much better than this weeks cold US forcast. As a tip... Be sure to pack warm stuff to return home to. Kinda stinks leaving warm Florida in shorts and getting home to winter without clothes for the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Cruise regularly out of Florida at Thanksgiving and Springbreak and it is usually pool weather pretty much from the beginning on those cruises (with an occasional exception for a front coming through for example). Did Disney out to the Bahamas last January and we were in the pool on that one and hit the beach at Castaway Cay but it was definitely "cooler" than usual. If you are headed south out of Florida into the Caribbean it stays pleasant most of the year. If you are coming down from a northern port the first few days are likely not as pleasant ;) markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 10, 2015 Report Share Posted January 10, 2015 Depends on where you sail from but usually as soon as you get to the Bahamas or south of there, it's warm enough to be outdoors comfortably and "pool weather" isnt too far behind. I'd say this time of year is coldest. markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcarney Posted January 11, 2015 Report Share Posted January 11, 2015 Fly down to San Juan and know when you get there you'll be in a tropical climate! Nothing better than having left FREEZING COLD MICHIGAN and when you get off the plane you're blasted in the face with hot, humid air... you really know you're "someplace else" at that point! DocLC and Matt 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 11, 2015 Report Share Posted January 11, 2015 Fly down to San Juan and know when you get there you'll be in a tropical climate! Nothing better than having left FREEZING COLD MICHIGAN and when you get off the plane you're blasted in the face with hot, humid air... you really know you're "someplace else" at that point! I agree that cruises out of San Juan are quite nice. Also way more exotic destinations than cruises originating in Florida markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxFan Posted January 11, 2015 Report Share Posted January 11, 2015 Until my daughter was in college we cruised in late March during spring break. With the exception of once when it was cool in Miami we've always had warm weather. We have sailed the Allure in early January and it was warm. We also sailed out of Tampa in early January and there were a lot of people in the pool prior to sailaway. I suppose we may just be lucky. As others have noted, start in San Juan and you have no problem. We head to SJ in 12 days, a few days ago there was an 88 degree delta between here and there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle Posted January 11, 2015 Report Share Posted January 11, 2015 Yep winter is great - and like others have said if you can go out of San Juan you should always have good weather The key is if you live in a snowy place, fly several days early in the winter so if flights are cancelled you don't miss the boat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 Yep winter is great - and like others have said if you can go out of San Juan you should always have good weather The key is if you live in a snowy place, fly several days early in the winter so if flights are cancelled you don't miss the boat! excellent point, Michelle. We had dinner with a couple last week on the Jewel out of San Juan that had this occur. Fortunately, they left Montreal several days in advance as they ended up stranded in New York on the way down. Had they flown day of or even the day before, they would have likely missed the ship. We toured with another couple last year who had to change airlines at the last minute out of DC to make the cruise; unfortunately, their luggage didn't make it as a result so they spent time in every port buying necessities and ended up with a lot of souvenir clothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CitizenBlue Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 Yep winter is great - and like others have said if you can go out of San Juan you should always have good weather The key is if you live in a snowy place, fly several days early in the winter so if flights are cancelled you don't miss the boat! Very good point! We do the same thing with driving to the ports. We Libe one day's driver from both Galveston and New Orleans and have had to alter changes in plans several times due to winter weather between here and there. Same goes for the return trips. Have backup plans. Several years ago we were trying to fly back home when Atlanta and Dallas had freak winter storms so we got "snow delayed" in sunny Ft Lauderdale. That was hard to explain to the boss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 I have only cruised between Nov-Feb....and its always been nice! Couple of days that maybe werent "pool" weather, but lots of drinks, sun, hanging around the pools...hitting the beaches.. It's amazing to leave the cold and snow, and step "back into summer" for a few days or a week.... Comming from Atlantic Canada, I really know winter and can't stand it and would NEVER even think about taking a vacation during the winter to do "winter things"...lol markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 I agree that cruises out of San Juan are quite nice. Also way more exotic destinations than cruises originating in Florida Completely agree, Matt. Everyday last week was pool/beach weather in every port including San Juan. In addition, the nighttime temperatures are quite warm (70-75f), meaning that it's pool weather even at 2 am if you're at a hotel with a 24 hour pool like we were. markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxFan Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 Completely agree, Matt. Everyday last week was pool/beach weather in every port including San Juan. In addition, the nighttime temperatures are quite warm (70-75f), meaning that it's pool weather even at 2 am if you're at a hotel with a 24 hour pool like we were. That sounds great, hope you had a good time, I head out on the Jewel in 12 days! DocLC and markinct 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 I've done a true winter cruise once. It was in January 2011 and we sailed on a quick 3-night cruise on Majesty of the Seas out of Miami. Although it was definitely a nice treat to escape the winter weather, we did this to bump ourselves to Platinum right before they changed from cruise credits to cruise points. This year, for the fourth year in a row, we have our technically-it's-still-winter spring break cruise in mid-March. Last year, we arrived back home to Pittsburgh after the cruise to find ourselves in the middle of a snowstorm. That was a very unpleasant shock to the system, and not a fun drive home from the airport. markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markinct Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 I've done a true winter cruise once. It was in January 2011 and we sailed on a quick 3-night cruise on Majesty of the Seas out of Miami. Although it was definitely a nice treat to escape the winter weather, we did this to bump ourselves to Platinum right before they changed from cruise credits to cruise points. This year, for the fourth year in a row, we have our technically-it's-still-winter spring break cruise in mid-March. Last year, we arrived back home to Pittsburgh after the cruise to find ourselves in the middle of a snowstorm. That was a very unpleasant shock to the system, and not a fun drive home from the airport. I feel your pain. It's bad enough when a vacation is over, but to have to shovel snow as soon as you get back stinks... Years ago I insisted on wearing shorts as we traveled from the Caribbean back to Connecticut. The jet way was shockingly cold, if I remember correctly. But I stretched that vacation feel for a few more hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Had a great time and it was a great return to RCI after having not sailed the line in quite some time. Weather was great, ports were great, excursions were great, etc. What was most striking, however, was the friendliness of the fellow passengers. markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 There's winter and then there's WINTER so the month is pretty important. We cruise every Christmas and even in San Juan it can be coolish. Was it warm enough to go into the pool in San Juan Christmas week ? Yes. Was I comfortable staying there for a long period of time ? No. I'm pretty wimpy so unless it is REALLY warm I am probably not going to get wet. Sitting by the pool, walking on the beach...you bet. Swimming ? Nah. We were on the Freedom May 3 - 10 and both my husband and I thought it was too cool at Coco Cay to get into the water. There were a few brave souls who were out there swimming but not many. The Bahamas is definitely NOT far enough south to provide "beach weather" during the winter, IMO. The islands in the southern Caribbean are pretty much warm, year round so you're definitely going to get the best results there if you are cruising in the winter if you are looking for swimming weather. Then, there is the inverse of that. It is BLISTERING hot in the southern Caribbean during the summer months so when is the best time ? A matter of personal preference. From May - late September you have to worry about storms. Jan - March it can be very cold. That leaves what...April, October, November and December ? LOL. Truly, there is NO bad time to cruise. I have cruised every month of the year except maybe October. Each month has its own upsides and downsides....mostly upsides. Since I'm not much of a sun worshipper I usually couldn't care less about the weather. If you're looking just to get away from the doldrums of winter to a warm place, anywhere from Florida down will do and even the WORST day on a cruise ship beats your best day at work so how can you go wrong ?? Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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