Too cold to swim in January/February??!!

[Cricket538]

Hi all,

Well, I'm in the single digits (WA HOO!) but after reading some trip reports I'm getting a bit concerned about rough sailing and the probability of swimming on our trip!

I was planning on buying some snorkel equipment this weekend, but I'm having second thoughts of lugging it around if we won't be able to use it.

Love to hear from anyone who's cruised in January/early February:

I see that someone who's currently posting a trip report missed Grand Cayman because of high winds. Is it rougher sailing in January???

I know you can't give me a definitive answer, but on average is it hot enough to swim in:
1) Port Canaveral
2) the ship and
3) the islands of Cozumel and Grand Cayman???

I do appreciate any advice!

 

[tecdavidt]

I will try to answer your concerns. We were on the Dec. 28th thru Jan. 4 Magic western. Seas were rough but I have cruised this time of the year before and the seas were calm. Hit and miss on rough seas.

Temperature of water. When we were at the Parks on the 26 and 27th of Dec. it was cold for Florida. Highs around 50° with lows in the 30's. You should of seen how the steam was rising off the heated pools. We did not swim but a few brave souls did. When we boarded the ship the highs that day were suppose to be around 70 so the Florida weather was warming up. When we disembarked the high's that week were suppose to be in the 80's. All I can tell you is check the weather before you pack.

Grand Caymen was on the chilly side and the water was cold. That surprised me. Now when I say chilly I mean in the 70's. Cozumel was nice and hot. Key West was of course chilly since we were still having that cold blast from the north. Castaway Cay day started chilly and wet but ended up by noon being warm and sunny. The water was too cold for us but others did go in.

Have a great trip and again, check on the web for weather in the areas you will be at. That will give you an idea on whether or not you will swim.
Happy Cruising, Kathy

 

[icekdz]

I was going to ask almost the same question. We are going next January 7 on DCL. A neighbor returned Monday from a Bahamas cruise (not DCL) and they had rain the last day on the way back to port. She also said the water was freezing. She told us she'd never cruise in January again! Dh and ds really want to snorkle some while we cruise. When dh heard what she said he started to mention changing our vacation to Hawaii.

My question is can you snorkle in January at any of the eastern ports?

 

[Rustyflwr3]

Hi,
I went on the cruise the 6th of January. Yes, the water is fairly cold, but once you get in you will get used to it pretty quickly! I hate cold water, but we were snorkeling on castaway cay and nassau forever!

Have fun!

 

[UGAFan0829]

We were just on the Jan. 13 Wonder. The water in the pools on the ship generally stayed around 80. There is a channel on your stateroom TV that gives you updates and the pool temperatures scroll across the top of the screen constantly. (I want to say it was channel 13 or 14.)
As for the water at CC, it was a bit chilly at first, but it was okay after you got use to it. There was hardly no one swimming over at Serenity Bay, but there were lots and lots of people in the water over at the Family Beach and a lot of people were snorkeling. We even did snorkeling.
As for the water in Nassau, the only time that we actually got in the water there was for the Dolphin Encounter, and that was actually in a shaded area, so of course that was to be expected to be a little cooler, but it still wasn't anything that we couldn't stand.
I guess it all depends on how sensitive you are to cold water.
The seas were rough for us on the way out of Port Canaveral, and even worse on the way back in, but it was nothing that myself or the DH couldn't handle. As for the roughness of the water at CC, I didn't think it was that bad, but they cancelled some of the shore excursions because of it. We were to have done the Glass Bottom Boat Tour but it got cancelled as well. We did rent an aqua trike and it was difficult to maneuver because of the current.
Hope this helps. If you want any more info just let me know!

 

[TheWog]

We went in January last year on the Eastern Magic. We swam on the ship and at each port. St. Maarten spent most of the day in the water. Water was plenty warm for us. It may depend upon what you are used to and comfortable with. We are from the northeast so swimming off the coast of Maine you may have water temps of 68 degrees in August. So water in the 70's and 80's was very warm for us. Port Canaveral was cool, in the 50's, but we had our short sleeves on. When we went last year it was 12 below at home when we left.

 

[mackymaddyconnorsmom]

We are cruising next January. Does it get warmer or colder in Feb? We went at the beginning of December and the weather was beautiful, but the weather in NJ was ok too. Now that it is cold here, is it cooler there also?

 

[njdrumrun]

i dunno..is it ever too cold for a kid to swim..at least as far as their concerned??

 

[dandbsmom]

I'm sure glad that I bought some shortie wetsuits for the family! We may look out of place but we are used to really warm water in Florida!

 

[tvguy]

We were at CC in January...and have cruised on other lines in the Caribbean in January and always were able to swim. Went once during a big freeze in Florida.......the water temperature was just fine, but the air temperature was colder, so as long as you were in the water you were fine.

 

[BuzzBoyMom]

Here is some pixie dust for ya! We cruise mostly in January and 90% of the time have no problems swimming in Florida (heated pools, of course) and on the islands. Mother nature weaves her own magic. So all we can do is send each other some pixie dust!

 

[*Fantasia*]

We went Dec 9 (I know it's not Jan or Feb trip). It was a bit cold to be in the pool, though lots of kids were enjoying the pool. I went in the hot tub, it felt so good.

It was fine when we were in Nassau. The kids and I wore shorts and t-shirts. It was nice and sunny. But when we got to Castaway Cay, it was another story. It was breezy, cold and it drizzled some. I was wearing my sweat pants/shirt I got from the ship. We didn't get the chance to enjoy the beach, though the kids did have some fun just playing in the sand and fetched water, only to knee deep. We wanted to do snorkeling but that was out of the question, the water was too cold to be in it.

Edit to add: Orlando 45 low- high 67
Nassau 63 low- high 73
This is the current temp.

 

[JAKCruiser]

I live in Orlando and we went on the Wonder on January 6. We lucked out and had beautiful weather. You never know what to expect in the winter here. Last week it was in the 80's and this week in the 60's.

We brought our own gear and went snorkeling in Nassau and on Castaway Cay. Yes, the water was not as warm as in the summer, but not freezing. (Let me just mention that I'm always cold.) I warned my family prior to departure that I probably wouldn't snorkle as I figured it would be too cold for me. Nassau was warm and sunny and our CC day was a little overcast but as long as we were moving in the water, I was fine. I would recommend that you bring your own gear and size it correctly before you arrive. You don't want to waste any of your precious time sizing masks and fins. There's also nothing worse when snorkeling than having ill-fitting gear, especially a mask that leaks.

 

[RKB]

We just did the DCL Western last January (04). First let me say that we are from Arizona so that might have something to do with us thinking the water was freezing. We did not encounter any bad weather though. At Key West we did not go near the water, on Grand Cayman we had alread paid for the Stingray Excursion so gritted our teeth and jumped in. At first it is so cold that it does take your breath away. You do get used to it in a numb sort of way after awhile. Then at Cozumel we had again already paid for the Dolphin swim so again gritted our teeth and jumped in. Our teeth were chattering the whole time. I did later snorkel there because I couldn't go all the way to Cozumel and not snorkle! At CC my son is the only one that tried to swim. He turned blue and could not handle it. Let me point out that he is super skinny and has no blubber at all to keep him warm! Honestly at all of these ports if I hadn't paid for the excursions I probably would not have gotten in. It was very uncomfortable to us and I would think twice about going in January - but the rates are good then and it was do-able we did get in! Hope this helps.

 

[suzannef]

does anybody know the average water temps in mid May? I'm hoping for really warm water
tia Suzanne

 

[macbasset]

We have done summer and winter--- winter only once, but I didn't like it as much, because i like to bake in the sun and stay in the water all day. Castaway Cay was in the low 60's, cool and rainy, and the water too cold for my taste. Also, even in st. martin and st. thomas where the water was warmer, the water was very rough while trying to swim and snorkel and I would not probably go in the winter again. Having said that, we are going over easter in march and I am just hoping it won't be as cold or rough. Maybe it is because I am used to the summer and the water is very comfortable and you can stay in it all day. Our only thought was, we pay so much over christmas to go to a tropical place, you hate to not be able to swim because the water is not a comfortable temperature.