How hot are PC cruises?

[BCV23]

For those of you who have experienced PC cruises, were you able to enjoy your verandah during the day and evening? TIA!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

For those of you who have experienced PC cruises, were you able to enjoy your verandah during the day and evening? TIA!

Define "hot".

It can be very humid (not necessarily hot) on a Panama Canal cruise. We did the canal in May (verrrrry humid) and Oct (verrrrrry rainy).

 

[BCV23]

Thanks for the reply. LOL for me anything above 80 is too hot to enjoy sitting on the verandah to read. Rain is fine but roasting is not! We have the April PC booked but am worried about the heat. I know it will be hot in port but hoping it is better at sea?

How humid was May? Hazy humid? Hard to breathe humid?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thanks for the reply. LOL for me anything above 80 is too hot to enjoy sitting on the verandah to read. Rain is fine but roasting is not! We have the April PC booked but am worried about the heat. I know it will be hot in port but hoping it is better at sea?

How humid was May? Hazy humid? Hard to breathe humid?

No, it wasn't hard to breath humid. Not really bad, but definitely humid. I've read that April is the hottest month (83 degrees typically), but IMO that's hot, but not too hot. But the humidity in the Panama Canal is usually around 75-80% year round.

 

[KVH]

No, it wasn't hard to breath humid. Not really bad, but definitely humid. I've read that April is the hottest month (83 degrees typically), but IMO that's hot, but not too hot. But the humidity in the Panama Canal is usually around 75-80% year round.

+1. April is the end of the dry season and is known to be warm. Then again, it's not like it cools down that much in any other much. Very consistent weather patterns down there.

As far as humidity, yeah, a little bit humid to say the least. But neither it is as bad as Orlando can be. Light, breathable, loose clothing is one solution.

 

[MunFam]

In 2015, going Westbound, it was warm and overcast. I do not recall being uncomfortable. We had an oceanview room, so we spent time on deck 4 in the early morning. It was too hot for coffee and that is what they had available on a roaming cart. By mid morning, we went inside for some brunch. Around lunch time, we went up to Cabana's and grabbed a table on deck outside (in direct sun). We stayed there until about 5pm. (There were not crowds, so we did not feel bad holding the table). It was hot and the kiddo spent a lot of time on a beach towel under the table in the shade playing because the kids clubs were closed for most of the transit. We kept our drinks full and had a good time.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

because the kids clubs were closed for most of the transit.

Did they say why? The Navigator for that day shows that Oceaneer's Club was open from 9:00am-10:30pm and Oceaneer's Lab from 9:00am-12:00midnight.

 

[o&smom]

In 2015, going Westbound, it was warm and overcast. I do not recall being uncomfortable. We had an oceanview room, so we spent time on deck 4 in the early morning. It was too hot for coffee and that is what they had available on a roaming cart. By mid morning, we went inside for some brunch. Around lunch time, we went up to Cabana's and grabbed a table on deck outside (in direct sun). We stayed there until about 5pm. (There were not crowds, so we did not feel bad holding the table). It was hot and the kiddo spent a lot of time on a beach towel under the table in the shade playing because the kids clubs were closed for most of the transit. We kept our drinks full and had a good time.

We just returned from the WBPC cruise. Luckily they have changed having the kids clubs closed, as ours spent most of the day there with some time in the morning and late afternoon viewing the locks.

 

[MickeyEarrings]

I was on the recently completed wbpc also. Cartagena day was a killer, and I didn't even leave the ship!! Our cabin was on deck 5, and at the elevator lobbies you could feel the heat from the doors to the promenade deck opening and closing. At sea, there was usually a nice breeze, but the sun is brutal in those little latitudes...

 

[Msmit002]

No, it wasn't hard to breath humid. Not really bad, but definitely humid. I've read that April is the hottest month (83 degrees typically), but IMO that's hot, but not too hot. But the humidity in the Panama Canal is usually around 75-80% year round.

This is actually quite typical summer weather for the Washington DC region so DH and I should be set for our EBPC this fall. Of course, we don't have that weather all year round (we do have 4 seasons here - sometimes all in the same week. ) but the Chesapeake Bay does keep our summers rather... tropical feeling for 3 months a year.

My guess is that if you managed to make it a week at WDW in July or August, you can manage a PC cruise.

 

[BCV23]

Thank you all for the detailed replies.

Would you sail that itinerary again?

 

[Gilland18]

We didn't have a veranda but spent a huge part of the cruise outside on deck 4. Cartagena was the only day that was really bad. Of course, 2012 EBPC was in December but weather doesn't vary a lot. It was my absolute favorite cruise we've done! I would love to do it again!

 

[MickeyEarrings]

I would do the westbound again! In fact, for me, a westbound anything beats an eastbound because you gain hours (of sleep time!) rather than losing them.

 

[MunFam]

Likely, the only DCL we will ever take again is the WBPC...and for Cartagena, I highly recommend Dora from Cartagena Tours. She came highly recommended here on DIS and her yelp and tripadvisor reviews were also stellar. I arranged a private tour for 19 people from our cruise group. We covered 4 (current offered) full tour itineraries that DCL offers in less time (no large busses, beat the rush, she knew everyone so we got in fast. It was awesome). I think we paid $40 per person. I asked everyone on the tour to tip her 20% and the driver 10% since they put a special tour together for our group and gave us a discount. Disney wanted 2-5 times what we paid. Our driver was awesome. He kept the shuttle cool the entire time and even offered a lady on our tour who was struggling with the walking/heat a private driving tour while the rest of us were in the old city.

 

[shoes99]

I was on the recently completed wbpc also. Cartagena day was a killer, and I didn't even leave the ship!! Our cabin was on deck 5, and at the elevator lobbies you could feel the heat from the doors to the promenade deck opening and closing. At sea, there was usually a nice breeze, but the sun is brutal in those little latitudes...

We did the west bound several years ago and Cartagena was over 110+ during the day. We took the party bus excursion as they did a tour of the city in an open air bus serving non stop coke and rum and water. The people who took the big bus
city tour excursion said the air condition was not strong enough on the bus. We just did very short stops at the fort and mostly just stayed on or near the bus during stops. DH doesn't climb steps or monuments but it was fun to get
off the ship and see some of the city. It was hot.

 

[Amunet]

I went on the 2016 Eastbound. I didn't have a verandah but was outside a bit (tracking down my boyfriend that LOVES the sun lol). It was pleasant departing San Diego and with each day getting closer to the equator, it became very hot with intense sun (like Tibet). There was quite a bit of humidity sailing through the locks and Cartagena was the peak humidity.
After Columbia, it became less humid and intense as we sailed north

 

[mareed]

I went on the 2016 Eastbound. I didn't have a verandah but was outside a bit (tracking down my boyfriend that LOVES the sun lol). It was pleasant departing San Diego and with each day getting closer to the equator, it became very hot with intense sun (like Tibet). There was quite a bit of humidity sailing through the locks and Cartagena was the peak humidity.
After Columbia, it became less humid and intense as we sailed north

I was on the same cruise and I agree with the weather summary. I was pleasantly surprised how nice it was the first day at sea after leaving San Diego and made a point to be outside as much as possible that day before it got hot! I do not like the heat and would never deliberately stay out in the sun for any length of time so I don't pay the extra for a verandah because there would be limited times that it was shaded and cool enough for my use. Instead I use deck 4 for shade when I want to be outside, or the shady side of the adult pool area. I agree that Cartagena was pretty brutal as far as heat/humidity!

 

[BCV23]

110 degrees! Yikes!!!

Can't thank you all enough for your replies. So very helpful.

 

[RedSox68]

When we sailed in August 2005, we lucked out with the weather the day of the canal cruise. It was gorgeous, not hot and a slight breeze.

 

[gilsan]

Likely, the only DCL we will ever take again is the WBPC...and for Cartagena, I highly recommend Dora from Cartagena Tours. She came highly recommended here on DIS and her yelp and tripadvisor reviews were also stellar. I arranged a private tour for 19 people from our cruise group. We covered 4 (current offered) full tour itineraries that DCL offers in less time (no large busses, beat the rush, she knew everyone so we got in fast. It was awesome). I think we paid $40 per person. I asked everyone on the tour to tip her 20% and the driver 10% since they put a special tour together for our group and gave us a discount. Disney wanted 2-5 times what we paid. Our driver was awesome. He kept the shuttle cool the entire time and even offered a lady on our tour who was struggling with the walking/heat a private driving tour while the rest of us were in the old city.

I am glad to hear you enjoyed Cartagena. I am looking forward to seeing that port, but I hadn't heard many good things about it from other cruisers. I will check out Cartagena Tours.