Cruising out of Baltimore in March

[mominwestlake]

I am looking to book a cruise on the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore next March (27th). The rates are actually decent since this is so far in advance. My concern is the weather. The first port is Canaveral. Will it be too cold for the kids to be in the pool? Will the ocean be rougher this time of year? The next 2 ports are in the Bahamas. My inlaws live in Baltimore. They pay for us to visit them once a year so Baltimore will be cheaper for us to fly out of instead of Florida.

Also, if anyone has cruised on the Pride, can you give me your review?

Thanks!

 

[tinkerbell1967]

I am looking to book a cruise on the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore next March (27th). The rates are actually decent since this is so far in advance. My concern is the weather. The first port is Canaveral. Will it be too cold for the kids to be in the pool? Will the ocean be rougher this time of year? The next 2 ports are in the Bahamas. My inlaws live in Baltimore. They pay for us to visit them once a year so Baltimore will be cheaper for us to fly out of instead of Florida.

Also, if anyone has cruised on the Pride, can you give me your review?

Thanks!

We cruised on the Pride last year over July 4th and really enjoyed it. I was worried that we wouldn't have enough to do on board on our at sea days but we kept plenty busy.

 

[emilymad]

March can still be very cold in the Baltimore area. You are probably ok once you get to Canaveral but I would think the first few sea days could be pretty chilly.

 

[msmayor]

We're taking the Pride out of Baltimore in August of this year.

I've read a few reviews of the Pride sailings over this past winter and into spring, and if it were me....I wouldn't consider a March sailing. Yes, the snows this year were unusual, but that aside the weather really IS iffy during that month out of the Northeast.

With two sea days until Port Canaveral, and the fact that Florida temps that time of year average mid-upper 70's in March during the day/50's at night I wouldn't expect a lot of 'hot' weather. Now that doesn't mean that lounging on a sunny deck without swimming is a bad thing, but when I cruise I want summer weather.

I also have heard that the sail away out of Baltimore is really wonderful for a few hours as the ship travels out the Chesapeake to open ocean. That's something I want maximum daylight to see, and a winter/early spring cruise won't give me that.

 

[rbork]

check out cruise critic. Cruise critic is from cruisers like Dis Boards are for those who love disney.

 

[momof5boys]

Oh! We cruised on the Pride 2 weeks ago! Had a wonderful time, so much so that we are planning another one on the same ship next year! We will probably cruise in June, due to the kids' school schedule. That being said the pool area has a retractable roof, so it can be covered if it is too cold. We didn't spend too much time out on the deck the 1st day, it was cool and windy. Florida was perfect, high 70's and sunny. We also had a great time in the Bahamas although it was alittle too windy for me in Nassau, but the kids on our excursion didn't seem to mind, and they were all in the water! It was our first cruise and I was so impressed with everything! The seas were fine, felt like you were rocking back and forth sometimes but that was the worst, kind of made you walk funny, which had us giggling alot! I normally get very motion sick, but I just took Meclizine the whole cruise and was fine. Felt so good I definately ate enough food that it probably equaled the cost of the cruise alone! We decided on Baltimore because it is within driving distance so we saved a ton of money on airfare. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

 

[tink&stitchmom]

We just got off the Pride yesterday. We left on the 18th and it was "warm" in Baltimore--mid 60's. When we got off yesterday the weather was in the 50's and damp. Our first day at sea was nice but breezy, a lot of people still in long sleeves and sweatshirts. By Tuesday it was warmer. Port Canaveral was overcast and rainy and probably in the low 70's. The Bahamas were sunny but probably only in the low 80's. We went to Blue Lagoon from Nassau and snorkeling from Freeport, the water seemed cold at both places. The cruise back up Saturday was overcast and rainy and the water was rough.
We've cruised to the Caribbean in April before and the weather/water this year seemed cooler than in the past. There's plenty to do on the ship than doesn't require you to be up on deck. Either way, cruising is certainly better than being at home/work.

 

[le9397]

We went on the Pride March 7, 2010. We had a great time and really loved cruising out of Baltimore. I would never do it that time of the year again though. Our boarding day was beautiful. Port Canaveral was comfortable. We were wearing shorts. Nassau was cloudy & windy. We planned to hit a beach but skipped it. We got to Freeport but were unable to dock so had an extra sea day. The crew was saying our weather was the best they had experienced in weeks.

 

[mominwestlake]

Our other option is to cruise out of Miami and visit the ports of: Nassau, St Thomas, San Juan, and Grand Turk. I wonder if it would be warmer in those places? I did post on Cruise Critic but believe it or not I got no replies. The DIS is definitely more helpful!

 

[lurkernj]

Oh! We're doing this cruise out of Baltimore this July. I have been following threads on cruisecritic very closely since we started planning in November and I think they had a very rough winter. Rough seas for the first day or so, and too cold to swim until Port Canaveral (though I believe there is a cover over the pool area). Wouldn't be my first choice, maybe fly to a warmer place, or go during a warmer time of year.

 

[nless_dream]

i'm also looking into this cruise but still deciding on a good date to sail. comments on this thread was very helpful. thanks everyone

 

[4Seasons]

I've been on the Pride a few times and also had some large groups sail it.
It can be a little rougher than sailing from FL, especially coming back (since they sail back from Freeport in one day vs. going to Port Canaveral in 2 days).
The Pride is a nice ship and we are fortunate to have her in Baltimore, we get alot of business from it. They do have alternating itineraries in the summer that do Freeport, Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk, but those are only late May to late Sept.

March weather here in MD is unpredictable. The ship does have a retractable roof over the pool but that doesnt help much when climbing up to the slide! LOL

We cruised last month (3/27) out of Fort Lauderdale and did the San Juan, St. Thomas and Nassau itinerary and the weather was great.

 

[Straitlover]

Our other option is to cruise out of Miami and visit the ports of: Nassau, St Thomas, San Juan, and Grand Turk. I wonder if it would be warmer in those places? I did post on Cruise Critic but believe it or not I got no replies. The DIS is definitely more helpful!

If I had to choose between those ports and Nassau/Freeport, this one wins hands down! I haven't been yet, but I hear St Thomas and Gand Turk are very nice. I've seen pics of a lady who has been to San Juan, and they looed great, too.