Cruising in December, lots of questions

[SuJo]

So with my DDs in college it was hard to find a time when we could all go on a cruise. The only dates we found were around Xmas time so we booked the New Years cruise leaving Dec 30. I have never cruised in the winter time and was wondering what the temperatures are like in the evenings and at the ports. We are stopping at St. Thomas, Tortola, and the Disney island. What is the water temperature like, is it cold? Is it colder at night on the ship? Are pools out of the question on sea days? What type of clothes do you pack (lighter clothes for the day and warmer for night)? Anything else we should know about sailing at this time of year?

Thanks,
SuJo

 

[apathetic]

We've sailed in Dec and Jan to the Bahamas and it was very nice. Warm weather but not as humid. Water temps are fine for swimming, though you may need a minute to acclimate. I imagine further south in the Caribbean (VI) should be even better.

 

[kiford]

We usually sail in early December. We've been at Castaway Cay when the air temperature was in the 80's but the winds were so high it felt like high 60s. Other times it's been absolutely beautiful temperatures and other times very warm.

On the ship, we usually have no issues in the pool during the day; it can be colder at night. We find that, on deck after dark when the ship is moving it doesn't really matter what time of year it is or even where you are, it can get chilly. We sailed in the Med when daytime temperatures hit over 100 and it was still a little cold on deck after dark. I also find the theatres and some of the MDRs a bit over air-conditioned so I usually have a jacket, light pullover/hoodie or wrap. When you're sitting on the pool deck, if you're under the covered areas, it's not quite as cold because there's less wind, but in the day you're out of the sun so it's cooler than sitting right around the pool in the sun. So we typically bring a range - khaki-type/linen long pants (or capris) which we can wear to dinner or during the day if we want to not get our legs burned and for cooler evenings and typically for excursions (I don't like wearing shorts on excursion), shorts just in case it's really hot, a pullover/light hoodie or something similar and a range of short-sleeved shirts and some lightweight long sleeve ones. That pretty much covers all the bases especially if you pick colours that mix and match.