fall cruising

[duskysmom]

Dh and I are looking to book out $99 3 day on the Wonder. I've heard Sept is rain season...is that true? Is it too cold to swim in November? Anyone who has traveled sept-Dec before...which month would you choose?

 

[Lavne]

We went on the Wonder 4-day the first week of November 2000. The weather was GREAT! We were told it was the best weather of any cruise for the past 6 months. It was warm, but not too hot, every day. We swam in the pools and at Castaway Cay, and I don't recall the water being cold. We did quite a bit of walking in Nassau, and I remember being comfortable in shorts - neither chilly nor too hot and desperate for water.

I highly recommend early November for cruising (and for the parks as well)!

 

[Firefighter Mickey]

We sailed in mid-October. The weather was great. Not too hot, not too cold. Evenings at sea could get a little on the cool side if the wind was kicking up.

Castaway Cay had perfect water temps for swimming.

 

[sbrownell]

Firefighter mickey - We are planning a land sea package for October 20 of this year. Did you find the ship/parks extremely crowded this time of year?

 

[Firefighter Mickey]

Supposedly our ship was full, but I think they've a rather loose definition of what full is. It certainly didn't seem crowded on board, except sometimes at the pool.

We didn't get to the WDW parks on that trip so I can't comment on what the crowds were like. I wouldn't use October of this year as a possible comparison for next year though - mainly because a lot of people weren't traveling for awhile after 9/11.

 

[danicaw]

We did a 7 day the first week of Dec. 2001. The weather was really nice. A few times the seas were slightly rocky, but it wasn't to big of a deal.

We are booked on a 3 day this Sept. I don't know what to be prepared for weather wise. I am just looking forward to it.

 

[Minnie*Mouse]

We took the 7-day cruise October 6 - 13 and despite a tropical storm and a hurricane the weather was fabulous. The seas were a little rough, due to the storms, but didn't effect the sun at all. The water temperature was great and it was always sunny and beautiful. The whole week was absolutely gorgeous. It was so nice we are booking again for October.

Magic Kingdom on Saturday was very crowded, so much that they had the SpectroMagic parade twice and closed the park at 11 instead of the scheduled time of 9. Note this this was just 3 1/2 weeks after Sept. 11th. I've been to the parks the 3 week after school begins and literally had the park to ourselves. No wait at all for Splash Mountain. In general, I think you'll find that MK is always very busy on Saturdays.

M*M

 

[ruvidu]

We have done the 3 day in Sept. and in March and also the 7 day in May. Of all the months we have gone we like Sept. the best. In fact we are booked for a 7 day Magic cruise on 9/14 this year. We found the water a little too cool in March it was not overly warm last year in May. Of course we are in our 50s and warm isn't as warm as it used to be.
Of course Sept. is prime Hurricane season so you have to take your chances.
Have fun.

 

[goofykids]

we just got off the Jan 12 cruise and are anxious to take advantage of the $99 offer, and trying to decide when to go. Is there much difference in weather between October and November? Basically all we would like to do is relax at the beach and swim, so the warmer the better!! Are hurricanes and tropical storms more likely to hit in mid October than mid November?

 

[inkkognito]

We sail every year in both Sept. (around Labor Day) and November (Thanksgiving), and we've never gotten rained out on Castaway Cay or had it be too cold to swim (we did get rained out in Nassau a couple times, but that doesn't bother us as we always pretend it's a sea day and stay on the ship anyway). It's always fate, but we have been extremely lucky with the weather.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com