Calmest waters?

[BLTtinkerbell]

We just got off the Dream Double Dip. The water was like glass. We are thinking about a future cruise and wondering if certain waters, like Eastern or Western Carribean are typically as smooth, or is it hit or miss?

 

[phinz]

It's hit or miss. I've seen 18' seas and I've seen bathtub water.

 

[truck1]

Theres any number of reasons that can create or diminish seas. Its basically pot luck. A hurricane in the area can either calm or agitate seas. The Gulf Stream moving further off shore can do the same.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Definitely hit or miss, our Dream cruise was the roughest, eastern was calmer but western was like glass for us.

 

[Ajojo]

It's really hit or miss. The roughest waters I have had were in Europe, nothing in the Gulf. Can't wait for our Double Dip in a few weeks

 

[closetmickey]

Our recent Baltic Cruise was so smooth I found myself wishing for some movement! And I'm usually one to feel seasick!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

My last Eastern and Western were glass like no movement at at, all cruise, but it's luck.

 

[RRB]

As a long time Florida resident and a boater, I can help with answering this one but just for offshore Florida and the Bahamas. The summer season, beginning in mid June and going through September, has primarily low winds and because of that, low waves. Any winds in the summer are from the east and with the Bahama chain 60 miles from Florida, helps to keep the wave height down. The other months have a different weather pattern where the wind are higher and sometimes come out of the north (cold fronts). When the winds are from the north, it kicks up the Gulf Stream because the GS is moving south to north and the northern winds pushing against the gulf stream makes waves. The higher the wind, the higher the waves. Cold fronts can create waves as high as 15 - 20 feet. It's weird because near shore the water is flat but 5 miles offshore its crazy rough. The problem is that the summer is also hurricane season which everybody knows can put a real damper on your cruise. Weather is obviously important to boaters so I set up a weather station at my house and it posts in real time to Weather Underground's web site. My friends who are boaters can see the current conditions and along with some marine weather prediction web sites and live webcams on the ocean, we have a pretty good handle on if we should go boating and how far we can go out. This info is only for the Florida waters and around the Bahamas. I don't know anything about other locations

 

[Ofinn]

Our September cruises have been calm and our Winter cruises have been windy and rough.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

It depends on the time of year, where you are and in the end it is *HIT and MISS*.

AKK

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

Thank you for all the replies. We would most likely travel in late June, early July. We loved the double dip & certainly would consider doing another, but also thinking about other itineraries We would be happy just to cruise again

 

[Flight]

I have see all parts of the Caribbean smooth as glass, slightly choppy, and very rough. So, it is hit or miss.

 

[Capt_BJ]

tell me what the weather will be in your backyard this day next year ......

have see all parts of the Caribbean smooth as glass, slightly choppy, and very rough. So, it is hit or miss.

me too .... and I worked on ships in the area for better than 10 years . . .