Cruising in the Summer

[CallMeAFlower]

Just booked a 5 day Bahamas cruise on the Fantasy for a friends and kiddos trip in August 2027!!

With four adults and three kiddos, I'm hoping it will be a blast! But here's the kicker- We're from temperate New England and we usually travel down south during the colder months, but traveling with friends we are limited to the summer because of the school year. Usually 90+ degrees F is a heat wave for us and we spend the few days melting in front of the AC not doing much. I'm totally unprepared on how to travel and be active in that type of weather!

Please share all your tips for :

• General tips for beating the heat
• Dealing with tropical storm impacts
• Secrets of the ship or the islands when it comes to finding refuge from the sun
• Recommendations on high-spf sunscreen for adults and/or toddlers
• Recommendations for rash guards, hats, or other gear that made a difference
• And don't forget to share stories about your high-temp travels!

 

[justafigment27]

We cruised in August years ago on a 5 night double dip (CC, Nassau, CC) on the Dream. It was lava hot … but the ocean felt great and the ship has AC.

The only time I remember being miserable was on our excursion in Nassau. We had to wait around for a bit outside and then walk to a ferry … it was blazing sun with no shade. We had a great time at CC … perfect floating on a raft weather IMO.

We combined it with a WDW trip and there were thunderstorms in the afternoon/early evening every single day of that trip. So, afternoon pool time got delayed, cancelled or cut short several times due to lightning closing the pools.

I don’t remember having any thunderstorms storms while at sea … but the week before our cruise, there was a hurricane that caused cruises to get re-routed and I was pretty stressed worrying about potential impacts on our trip (I knew that was a risk with an August cruise … it was just so much less expensive than June or July).

 

[katiec786]

I’m from the UK but spent most of my childhood in Australia wondering how on earth people don’t dissolve these are the things that keep me functioning when we head back to Orlando or Aus in the heat:
- stick with cotton or linen clothes where you can, you’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel with something light covering your arms/shoulders than nothing at all.
- I love a spray sunscreen as it’s so easy to top up throughout the day, especially if you have young kids who will try to wriggle out of your grasp! I have been using Garnier Amber Solaire 50 SPF mist for years, they have a small face one that is great for chucking in a day bag. Sunscreen all day every day, even if it’s cloudy!
- This is one of my dad’s go to tips, but he swears by a hot beverage rather than an ice cold drink if you’re feeling the heat - he claims it raises his body temp to be closer to the outside environment so he doesn’t feel it so much!
- Cooling towels that can be soaked in cold water and wrung out then worn around your neck or wrapped around wrists, they stay cool for ages.
- When I was a kid my parents really had to bribe me to get out of a pool once I got going, but I would say it’s important that they get regular breaks in the shade. The rule growing up in Aus was “no hat no play” (if you didn’t have a sun hat with you you couldn’t go outside at recess) and it’s something I’ve really stuck with. I know toddlers can have strong opinions about wearing hats so the sooner they get used to it the better!

I think the main thing is not to overplan - your body may adjust quicker than you think, or you may be wiped out! Don’t be afraid to tap out of pool time or lying on the beach if you feel yourself roasting, as you’ll just be miserable later. If you do find yourself with even the slightest bit of sunburn get some aloe on it asap, I also like a moisturiser with cocoa butter in it for overnight if I’ve caught some sun.

You will have a blast!

 

[sponica]

Fellow New Englander who did an August cruise last year, my eastern Caribbean was turned into a Western Caribbean with about a day's notice (although I had been looking at the NHC forecast all that week, so I knew it had a decent chance of being changed).

I went down with soooooo many tubes of Badger Balm sunblock, not super high SPF though, maybe like 35?. We wore rashguards on the pool deck/CC for the most part. Bring two sets of suits so that one can be drying while you're wearing the other one.

While it was definitely hot and sunny, I don't remember it being super humid, which does me in. Now Orlando for our pre/post cruise stays was a different story, it was sooooooooooooooo cloudy and humid the two days post cruise, it was way more draining than being in the sun for 7 days.

 

[RedHead0186]

Hydrate! And not just on the cruise, start upping your water intake about a week before. That will go a looooong way for your body, especially if you're sweating a lot. And keep drinking water on the cruise too-it can be hard to keep up but hydration helps.

I also agree with all the other tips already shared!

 

[CamColt]

I'm from Boston, and cruise every summer. I love it! Then again, I've also been in Vegas when it was 120 degrees and I loved that so...

I don't feel the cruise is as hot as say, running around the parks all day. Inside it's usually pretty cool and when sitting out on deck, where I spend most of my days, there is usually a sea breeze, whether we are sailing or at a port. As others have said, take common sense precautions...hydrate, sunscreen, etc... and you should be fine. Enjoy!

 

[o&smom]

Cooling towels!!!

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

For sun protection I'm all about keeping my skin covered, not just relying on sunscreen. I love to use a long sleeve rash guard with a hood and thumb holes to keep part of my hands covered, and a wide brimmed hat that has an extra long neck guard. If I'm swimming, the legs are exposed (but with sunscreen of course), and when not swimming I use lightweight long hiking pants.

Another idea .. you can find little battery operated handheld fans that can be helpful when you can't get out of the heat ... my kids used those a lot on a couple of trips that were very hot.

 

[OKW Lover]

Originally from the Greater Boston area before moving to FL ~12 years ago. I find the ships are heavily air conditioned and each of the islands the ship visits is not as hot as it is at WDW.