Has the weather ever been too cold to swim at Castaway Cay?

[akadada]

We're playing around with a Disney cruise (our first) for winter Jan or February and wondered if it's ever been too cold to swim on Castaway Cay given it's location parallel with Fort Lauderdale?

Many thanks!

 

[2prettygirl]

We cruised January 2014 and the day we hit CC, it was chilly. The kids still swam but the water was pretty cold, not gonna lie. We ended up with jackets on before leaving the island that afternoon. Don't get me wrong, the weather is beautiful to cruise in January but the water is cool.

 

[Crystal O_o]

I think this is one of those questions that pertains to what you think too cold may be. I live in Miami, and we were there in January and it was too cold for me. Not for my husband though or other cruisers. If you live in a colder climate I am sure it wouldn't be too cold for you.

 

[DISNEYFAN3260]

We cruised in February and couldn't even sit out at the beach at CC without a jacket on. The water was too cold to get in, IMO. It was beautiful and sunny, but definitely not hot, especially with the cool breeze.

 

[DISNEYFAN3260]

I think this is one of those questions that pertains to what you think too cold may be. I live in Miami, and we were there in January and it was too cold for me. Not for my husband though or other cruisers. If you live in a colder climate I am sure it wouldn't be too cold for you.

FWIW, I live in Chicago and it was still too cold for me to swim in February at CC. It was gorgeous and not at all unpleasant, but I was cold.

 

[bumbershoot]

On my cousin's first cruise they didn't go in the water at all. It was during a cold snap (Feb 2012) and they were shivering for the time they were on the island.

On my cousin's second cruise they went in the water. Also February, a year later. NOT during a cold snap. We were there as well. We live in WA and they live in FL. Their kids are native Floridians and my cousin basically is as well (not born there but moved there early enough that she feels cold like a Floridian) though her hubby is from PA. We all went in the water.

We went in October (twice) and, actually, because the air is hotter, the water *felt* COLDER to us than it did in February.

Obviously, it varies!

Go prepared for anything.

And definitely go prepared for disembarkation day. We got off our January cruise this year and it was SO COLD in Canaveral. Everyone was wearing their shorts and tank tops and they were turning blue. We had winter coats and pants on, and we were cold as well! Bring some warm stuff, just in case!

 

[KristiMc]

On our New Years Eve cruise 13/14 our day at CC was very chilly. There were still kids swimming but it was too cold for me and I am from NE Ohio.

 

[E ticket rider]

I was just at Castaway Cay last week and it was gorgeous. Water temp in the low 80s and a woman from Fort Myers, FL was complaining that the water was cold. I live in VA and thought the water was a bit on the warm side. So it's all in your tolerances as to how cold is too cold. I was there in January and it took a minute or two to acclimate, but then it was fine. If you require water temp in the 80s, then February will probably be too cold for you.

 

[asunutgirl]

We did the NYE cruise in '13/'14 as well and the water at CC was cold. We were on the Thanksgiving cruise last year and didn't get in the water at CC that trip either. We still had a great time on both cruises.

 

[missyp]

We went 2/13 air temperature was beautiful, water was freezing. My kids went in for a little while, DH and I didn't go in, too cold for us.

 

[IrishCowboy]

January 28 this year it was very cold! Absolutely no one in the water on Serenity Bay. Strong wind made it difficult to enjoy beach without a jacket. But then as we were walking back to ship, we noticed it was warmer on family beach (no wind) and there were a few brave souls in the water

 

[eskimoinparadise]

We've been there in both January and March, and it was definitely too cold to swim in January, and just bearable in March. Since you're in the Atlantic ocean, it all depends on where the loop current is relative to the Abaco islands. If it's close to shore in Florida it will be a lot colder in the Abacos.

 

[ChicosWife]

Good information. I always assumed that the Bahamas weather/water was pretty warm all year round. We are going for the first time in January. At least, this info prepares us so we won't be surprised!

 

[Marita916]

Oh, my this is a surprise. I thought the water temp at CC is warm all year round!. How is the temps in November? When the water is too cold to enjoy, is it worth it to reserve a cabana? My family is going to CC on Thanksgiving, and we plan to get a cabana.

 

[ChicosWife]

Oh, my this is a surprise. I thought the water temp at CC is warm all year round!. How is the temps in November? When the water is too cold to enjoy, is it worth it to reserve a cabana? My family is going to CC on Thanksgiving, and we plan to get a cabana.

Yes, I would like to know this as well!

 

[mevans9066]

Oh, my this is a surprise. I thought the water temp at CC is warm all year round!. How is the temps in November? When the water is too cold to enjoy, is it worth it to reserve a cabana? My family is going to CC on Thanksgiving, and we plan to get a cabana.

Following! ! Cause we are going in Nov too on our first disney cruise! I'd be so disappointed if we couldn't get in the water!

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Oh, my this is a surprise. I thought the water temp at CC is warm all year round!. How is the temps in November? When the water is too cold to enjoy, is it worth it to reserve a cabana? My family is going to CC on Thanksgiving, and we plan to get a cabana.

We went the first weekend in November in 2012, and in the morning, I found it warm enough to swim on the family beach once we got used to the water temperature because the sun was directly on us. However, it was rather windy on Serenity Bay and got a bit windy on the family beach in the afternoon, so we found it a bit too cold to swim at SB at all or to swim for very long on the FB in the afternoon.

 

[phinz]

November, December and February have all been too cold for me in the water, but my wife didn't care. She kept saying, "Come on in! The water's fine!" Nope. Not this guy. I don't like cold weather and I like cold water even less.

 

[RebelHawk]

We were there in January 2015 and the air temps were very comfortable but the water temp was much colder than was comfortable for us. Even the kids that were with us decided to play on the beach in front of the cabana instead of going in for long periods.

 

[akadada]

this is really helpful, thank you.