How bad are the waves in January for a Carribean Cruise?

[fflmaster]

I have booked the Eastern Caribbean Treasure itinerary for January 2026. However, after reading reviews and watching YouTube videos, I noticed that the waves and wind were considerably stormy during this time. When considering the best times to cruise to the Caribbean, the recommendation is November to March, with January being a perfect time.

Are the waves and wind normally high during January and thus a bad time to cruise, or is this an unlucky time that is being experienced?

 

[cvjw]

We’ve sailed the fantasy a few weeks in January and December. We’ve had some stormy seas. We sailed right before Christmas and there were 10+ feet waves. Our servers said the cruise before was even worse. Then we have had smooth winter sailings.

We sailed in January of 2024 and my adult son said it felt like we had been riding Star Tours in HS for a week straight!

 

[yowcruiser]

It will be one of the following, and could rotate throughout the cruise:

• Calm seas with a light breeze
• Moderate easterlies or northerlies cooling things down a bit with moderate seas (3-6ft)
• Strong easterlies or northerlies really cooling things down with rougher seas (7-10 ft)

We have done 3 December cruises and 3 January cruises and have usually experienced all of the above on most cruises. The last one that we did for Christmas was mostly between calm to moderate and the one the we did for NYE the year before was moderate to rough throughout... you never know.

Now, rough seas on a large cruise ship can still be bearable depending on many factors, different than just wave heights. The amount of swelling is as, if not more important and whether the swelling is coming from a single direction, or multiple places. sometime referred as an undecided sea

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Horrible to mild, can change from day to day...

 

[happycamper47]

Horrible to mild, can change from day to day...

Definitely...We've had great sailing weather for years and then Dec of 23 we couldn't dock when we returned to Miami almost 6 hours because the port was closed. Mother Nature does as Mother Nature does.

 

[GhostHost24]

Just depends if there's any winter fronts moving through. It seems each year they get worse. Could have a kice sunny calm time, or could be pretty rough with itinerary changes.

I did the dream in Feb and supposed to go to caymans but because of the winter storms that rolled across they were expecting 20 ft swells with 30+.mph winds so it got canceled and we just putted around the Bahamas, it was still kind of rough

 

[OhThePain]

The weather outside is weather.

Every cruise, no matter where it goes, no matter the time of year, no matter the ship or cruise line, has the potential to have waters as smooth as glass or 60-foot swells (we followed a Nor'easter/blizzard up the east coast to head back to NJ, so it was unavoidable... quite the experience) and everything in between. It cannot be predicted. It does not matter if it is hurricane season or not. It is the nature of the beast. There is no real point in past sea conditions playing a role on when to cruise because your experience will be different, for better or worse. Book for whatever time is best for you, hope for the best, expect there to be a rough day or 2 and think about something else. If you get caught up on predicting sea conditions, 1. you are going to stress yourself out for the next year and 2. cruising may not be for you.

 

[Dug720]

Horrible to mild, can change from day to day...

And what it is one year may be totally different another.

 

[fflmaster]

The weather outside is weather.

Every cruise, no matter where it goes, no matter the time of year, no matter the ship or cruise line, has the potential to have waters as smooth as glass or 60-foot swells (we followed a Nor'easter/blizzard up the east coast to head back to NJ, so it was unavoidable... quite the experience) and everything in between. It cannot be predicted. It does not matter if it is hurricane season or not. It is the nature of the beast. There is no real point in past sea conditions playing a role on when to cruise because your experience will be different, for better or worse. Book for whatever time is best for you, hope for the best, expect there to be a rough day or 2 and think about something else. If you get caught up on predicting sea conditions, 1. you are going to stress yourself out for the next year and 2. cruising may not be for you.

This I kind of disagree with.

If a particular time of year the weather is expected to rain more often (wet season), you can plan if that is something you want to avoid. If the waves and swells are historically high during a particular time I would recommend avoiding. Just trying to see if January is expected to be poor weather, because all of the sights say January is during the dry season with calm waves. However, reading reviews are saying the opposite.

 

[Dug720]

This I kind of disagree with.

If a particular time of year the weather is expected to rain more often (wet season), you can plan if that is something you want to avoid. If the waves and swells are historically high during a particular time I would recommend avoiding. Just trying to see if January is expected to be poor weather, because all of the sights say January is during the dry season with calm waves. However, reading reviews are saying the opposite.

Because waves and currents depend and don't follow "rainy" or "dry" seasons. They aren't weather. They can be affected by things like if it's El Nino or La Nina or something in between.

 

[fflmaster]

Because waves and currents depend and don't follow "rainy" or "dry" seasons. They aren't weather. They can be affected by things like if it's El Nino or La Nina or something in between.

I can see how the El Nino/La Nina would impact the tides. Didn't think about them.

I am curious if the recent issues with our weather patterns are changing. When you look up the times for calmer seas in the Caribbean, this is what you get. But, as many are posting, the idea of calmer seas in winter is no longer a given. It sounds much more like a potluck as to the winds and swells you get.

Key points about Caribbean wave patterns:

• Dominant wind direction:
  Trade winds blowing from east to west generally create swells moving from the east towards the west across the Caribbean.
  
  
• Hurricane season impact:
  During hurricane season (June - November), the Caribbean can experience large swells and high waves generated by tropical storms and hurricanes, with the peak activity occurring in late summer and early fall.
  
  • Winter months (December - February): Generally calmer seas with smaller swells due to weaker trade winds.
    
    
  • Spring (March - May): Moderate swells with increasing wave heights as the trade winds strengthen.
    
    
  • Summer (June - August): Increased potential for larger waves with the onset of hurricane season.
    
    
  • Fall (September - November): Continued high wave activity during the peak of hurricane season.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Our rockiest cruises have been indeed been in January.We’ve had the aqua duck closed for 2 days on the way down to st.Thomas or rock climbing closed on a Royal ship.Oddly enough we’ve had calmest seas in the Aug to Oct time frame.