Best Months for Cruising ?

[MomLC]

Hi. My family and I are going on our first cruise this May. I would like to book another cruise while on board.
I am wondering how the weather is when taking a cruise in December or January. Is it warm enough to enjoy
the pools and the beaches?
Thank you

 

[Lizardgi]

Generally yes, but you may have a day or two of cooler weather depending on the local temps and ports you sail out of. The pools on the ship are amazingly heated, and can be swam in regardless of outside temp - just a bit colder when you get out. Also depends on your cold tolerance. Being from Wisconsin, my kids are more than happy to be out and swimming in 68 degree weather, might be different for others. Rates in January/February are usually lower than summer peak time so it's a good trade off.

 

[cvjw]

We just sailed on a 7 night a few weeks ago on the fantasy. Castaway was too cold for us to get in the water. The air temps were nice in all the ports. Not sure I would want to do just a Bahamas cruise in January - it would seem cold to us. But we loved getting the almost 80 degree and sunny days when it was cold back home.

 

[MomLC]

Generally yes, but you may have a day or two of cooler weather depending on the local temps and ports you sail out of. The pools on the ship are amazingly heated, and can be swam in regardless of outside temp - just a bit colder when you get out. Also depends on your cold tolerance. Being from Wisconsin, my kids are more than happy to be out and swimming in 68 degree weather, might be different for others. Rates in January/February are usually lower than summer peak time so it's a good trade off.

Thank you so much. We are from Chicago so we too can tolerate cooler weather.

 

[bigAWL]

Dec and Jan in the Bahamas will mean cooler sea temps, so some people may not enjoy Castaway Cay as much (and we've even had air temps there that required a sweatshirt). For the islands farther south in the Caribbean, that's not so much of an issue.

 

[WEDcryoHEAD]

I am dyslexic and on first glance I saw "Best Months for Cursing" I was going to respond with all 12.

 

[Lizardgi]

Thank you so much. We are from Chicago so we too can tolerate cooler weather.

You are good then! The less than perfect days were perfect on the pool deck for my kids as the crowds were much lighter. We also do some swimming late evening or at night when pools are nearly empty.

 

[insureman]

Just an FYI. You can also do a placeholder while on board and you have 2 years to use it.

 

[DSLRuser]

The ocean is COLD November, December, January, February for Caribbean cruises. Pools on board were fine. Bust castaway key ocean water was only for extreme northerners.

 

[Calantha]

We were on the Wish in mid-January, and did the Dream last year in mid-January. The water IS cold at Castaway, but we would get pretty hot sitting in the sun, so I found it more refreshing than anything else. (Speaking as someone from the mid-Atlantic who generally hates cold water.)

Also, booked Dream for next January, too.

 

[lklgoodman]

We live in Ohio and love cruising in Jan. We've done 3 Western Caribbean and 3 Eastern Caribbean cruises in Jan. The cruise prices are less than cruises in March(Sprin Break)- the summer time. You'll love escaping the freezing weather, hard to return home. Just make sure you fly out early the day before your cruise in case you get bad weather. We've been lucky and have never had bad weather when leaving for a cruise, but have had delays on the way home from weather. One time a major winter storm had hit 1/3 of the country the night before we arrived back to PC. When we got to port everyone was finding out their flights were canceled. I got on my phone and was able to quickly rebook us, avoiding the huge airport lines. Anyone who had planned on flying in that morning missed their cruise.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[goofy4prez]

I was just on the Dream at the beginning of December (5th-10th) and found the air temperature very comfortable at 82 degrees and the water temperature at 80 degrees. On average it usually doesn't get below 75 degrees water temperature during December. In January and February, it gets a bit cooler but rarely below 71 degrees. I see the word often used the water is cold and the air is chilly. I guess it can be at times, but for this boy from the Northcoast, as we call it in Cleveland, it is heaven during the winter.

Here is a nice link that will show water temperatures.

https://seatemperature.net/monthly/castaway-cay-sea-temperature-in-december-13197

 

[JM_97]

The water, especially at Castaway Cay, will be chilly. It of course depends on your tolerence but it won't be the temperature you think of when you think of the Bahamas. Air temps will still be in the 80s though.

Another rule of thumb is that seas are typically a little bit rougher in the winter months. Certainly not a hard set rule but odds are you will find bigger swells when it's colder.

Trade off is the prices are better. It by no means will be frigid so you can still have a great time but those are the two things I think that stick out.

 

[kiford]

We almost always cruise in early December or late January/early February (except for European cruises). We're from southern Ontario, so we're used to the cold. We just came back from a cruise on Feb 3, and we were kind of hot (consider the temperatures we just came from!). The winds can be high at Castaway Cay, but the air temperature is still warm. Yes, we find the water a bit cold, but only for the first few minutes and then you adapt. Pools are usually kept at (I think) about 82-84 degrees, so even on a cold day, they are still relatively warm. We did the Aqua Mouse several times on our Castaway Cay day, and you definitely get soaked, but we weren't cold, although we do usually wear swim shirts or jackets, which helps keep you a bit warmer when you get out of the water in addition to keeping you from getting a sunburn.

 

[Jaxasaurous]

The temps in the winter are hit or miss... I went on a cruise the beginning of February this year and the air temps were about 80, and the water at Castaway Cay was rather pleasant to be in.
I also went on a cruise in the end of January 2022 and the temps were in the 70's and it was very windy, and the water was chilly, too chilly to even put your feet in. I'm from NY so I can brave the cold, but the temps last year in the water were not to my liking.
And a few years before that I went on a cruise in the begining of December, and the water temps were tolerable. Not too cold and not too warm.

 

[rere101399]

Our worst cruise of 9 in the last four years was in January, cold weather, rough seas, missed ports. We’ve done a couple December ones and found that early December is still closer to fall - pretty warm, and then somewhere around mid December the weather takes a turn and bounces back and forth with calm/rough seas and cooler/warmer days from mid December through early March.

 

[shananigans]

Hi. My family and I are going on our first cruise this May. I would like to book another cruise while on board.
I am wondering how the weather is when taking a cruise in December or January. Is it warm enough to enjoy
the pools and the beaches?
Thank you

We sailed Dec 2022 and Jan 2023. Both out of San Diego and neither were warm enough - kids wanted to swim - but 60’s is just not warm enough for me! We live in Minnesota - so the 11 yo didn’t care! Kids even swam in the rain!

 

[Anna131517]

We’re from the north and cruised last week. We did not find it cold. My kids will swim in 70 degree weather and complain they’re too hot once it hits 80! However, there is always the chance it could be colder. March or April would be safer.

 

[tvguy]

We just sailed on a 7 night a few weeks ago on the fantasy. Castaway was too cold for us to get in the water. The air temps were nice in all the ports. Not sure I would want to do just a Bahamas cruise in January - it would seem cold to us. But we loved getting the almost 80 degree and sunny days when it was cold back home.

You raise a good point. How cold is too cold? Just depends on the individual. The record cold water temperature at Castaway Cay is 73 degrees. Is that too cold? My gym keeps it's outdoor pool at 70 degrees in the winter, and I swim year round, so for me, the water at Castaway Cay will always be warm enough for me to swim. Now, we were there on January 2, and the air temperature was 75 and the water 74, so it felt cool when you were wet getting out of the water. But the water was nice and warm.