OT about cruising in November

[BraMax]

Hey there I was wonder where I could get some advice about this and thought who better to ask than my Dis friends.

We are looking at going on a cruise (probably not Disney too expensive) in November as our kids school has 3 days off the week of Remembrance Day so they would only miss 2 days of school.

Anyways my question is has anyone cruised the beginning of November? We are looking at going to the Caribbean not sure if it will be east or west.

Also which cruise lines other than Disney have you found to be good for families. Our boys will be 9 and 6 at the time.

Any insite would be much appriciated.

Thanks Jennifer

 

[minnie56]

November is a good time to cruise..I recommend Royal Caribbean and the Eastern itinerary over Western. Often some good prices to be had at that time of year.

 

[calena]

Don't forget that is hurricane season too. I know cruise ships can divert but that is something to consider because it can be rainer, windier etc. We did a Nov Mediterranean cruise because it was SUCH a good deal but it was so windy and stormy they cancelled two ports and that was no fun. Plus the days we were on the ship were so stormy you couldn't swim
I like Norwegian - NCL - and Royal Caribbean for children. They love cruising! I do too.
Calena

 

[minnie56]

Well stormy seas can happen at anytime and hurricanes in November are not typical. Still possible, but it is the ending of the season. I have folks that just came back from the Caribbean and 2 ports were cancelled due to rough seas so it can happen on any sailing really.

I did the Med in Sept and we had lots of rough waters then too..it's only in recent years that they are stretching the Mediterranean season into Nov-Dec anyways.

 

[CanadianMinnie]

I did my honeymoon on a Disney cruise in November. The weather was perfect! Since it is the end of hurricane season, I think it is a safer time than earlier. There was some bad weather though the week before we went...

 

[BraMax]

Thanks girls for your comments. I think we may end up doing a cruise out of LA or San Diego since the air fair to get there is sooooo much cheaper. But I'm not sure I want to see that side of Mexico it just doesn't seem very exotic. Also we don't need to really worry about hurricanes either.

 

[minnie56]

Yes, the Mexico cruises and ports are not as pretty IMO but I know the air can be hard to pass up!

 

[bev r.]

We have done both the Eastern Caribbean and Mexican Riviera (Pacific side) cruises. The beaches on the Pacific side are not as nice or warm as the beaches of the Caribbean. We found beach vendors more of an issue in Mexico compared to the Caribbean. One thing to mention about leaving out of California is that the first day or two can be cool.

On the Mexico cruise we used Princess and were quite satisifed with their product. We really enjoy the anytime dining concept. My kids were 10, 12 and 14 when we did this cruise and they enjoyed the cruise. I understand that Royal Caribbean Cruises has relocated one of their Voyager class ships to California. They seem to have quite a few entertaiment options such as the skating rink and rock climbing that may appeal to some. I can not speak to their product as we have not been on one of their ships.

One of our Caribbean cruises was in later November we did not have any issues with weather or rough seas, only the dreaded Noro virus.

In 10 days I'll be heading on a Western Caribbean cruise.