Cruising in April the week before Easter

[goofy4wdw2]

Any pros/cons? I’m guessing the ocean water will be warm which would be nice. Are the ships usually very crowded the week before Easter (last day is the day before Easter)? Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Any pros/cons? I’m guessing the ocean water will be warm which would be nice. Are the ships usually very crowded the week before Easter (last day is the day before Easter)? Thanks!

Pretty much anytime during the "spring break" time will be crowded. That runs, basically, March & April.

Although, for the most part, DCL cruises are always "sold out", regardless of the time of year.

 

[xavier2001]

Easter 2019 is late this year. We were on the Wonder this year April 8-22 (which was after Easter) and the weather was great in the Caribbean. Our Castaway Cay day was sunny, high of 80 (felt warmer than that in the sun). The water was chilly though. My hubby and kids (and lots of other people) got in but I was too chicken, I sat in a chair with just my toes in all morning, was perfection in my book. I'm sure that the ships will be crowded as its Spring Break time.

 

[mmmears]

We've taken 2 spring break cruises (one in April and one in March) and the weather was perfect both times. Warm, sunny, but not so hot that it was uncomfortable. They were both very crowded. CC is better IMHO when you are on a smaller ship, since there are far fewer people on that beach. Also, you can kind of figure out the crowds/popularity of your particular week if you go onto the DCL website and look at the cruises around that time frame. You will likely see that some are quite a bit more expensive than others around the same time with the same itinerary. Prices go up as cabins get filled, and so you can get an idea of how popular that week is (it basically just has to do with how many schools are taking that particular week off). Having said that, I've been on DCL and WDW the week before Easter and it's always been really crowded, but also lots of fun. Happy planning.

 

[goofy4wdw2]

If it’s crowded do you have really long waits for everything on the ship? Or is the ship big enough not to feel overcrowded?

 

[xavier2001]

If it’s crowded do you have really long waits for everything on the ship? Or is the ship big enough not to feel overcrowded?

On the Dream clas ships the pools are really crowded, at times the elevators, character lines, and at times Castaway Cay. Other than that people spread out among the ship and it’s not too bad. We much prefer the Classic ships because they hold less people and therefore feel less crowded to us. They don’t have all the bells and whistles of the Dream Class but are more low key and relaxing. If you go at a busy time and can splurge on a verandah I would bc it’s your own private oasis.

 

[Snowwhyt]

We just completed a Wonder 4 day that ended on Easter. It was not especially crowded in my opinion but then I always sail on holidays. Although this cruise got most of its passengers the month before we sailed. Everybody on the Facebook group said “Hi we just got a great deal we couldn’t pass up...can we join the FE group?” The CC was not crowded at all most people were back early. I’m from Wisconsin so I thought it was plenty warm. Went home and got 31 inches of snow in the 2 weeks following!

 

[MomOTwins]

We sailed April 20 this year. We got a great price and booked last minute as did many others on that sailing. CC day had some rain so the weather oscillated between cool and hot. Water was chilly but we enjoyed swimming anyway.

 

[mevelandry]

Any pros/cons? I’m guessing the ocean water will be warm which would be nice. Are the ships usually very crowded the week before Easter (last day is the day before Easter)? Thanks!

The ocean is not nearly as warm as it can be later in the year (summer and fall). We find April water quite chilly... and we are from Canada!

 

[justafigment27]

We have cruised twice the first week of April ... once in the Wonder (Bahamas) and once on the Fantasy (Western). The ships seemed about the same as far as crowds compared to our summer cruises. I have only cruised once in off season and that was so long ago that I can’t remember enough to make a comparison.

We had mostly great weather with temps in the mid-80’s both times (rain in Cozumel most of the day was the only bummer). Water at Castaway Cay was definitely cooler than in the summer, but we all quickly acclimated. Water was very comfortable in Grand Cayman for our snorkeling trip.