Are The Seas Rougher In the Caribbean During Winter Months (Oct, Nov, Dec)?

Just wondering if the seas (ocean swells) are bigger in the Western or Eastern Caribbean during the winter months? Does the temperature drop in the ports much?

I appreciate any feedback.

We sailed the Western Carribean from Miami on the Navigator last mid Oct and the water was great. No rough seas at all. Also the ports were HOT!!

I have also cruised at all times of year, and the only thing I noticed in January especially was the "northern" ports(Princess Cay, etc) the water was cooler than we would have liked. Once we got into the Carribean, however, things were great....

November & December are GREAT! October is iffy...toward end of hurricane season, so some turbulants can prevail. YOu never know what the weather will be...as our atmosphere changes yearly. But, it will be very warm in the islands...that you can always count on.

Happy Cruising! :)

I think it depends on fronts coming thru. Took Rhapsody out of Galveston Nov.2nd 2003 to Key West, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Crossing the Gulf of Mexio to Key West (whole day at sea) was kind of rough... seems a cold front (was never cold ) caused a little wave action but nothing really bad. Gave everyone a chance to joke about not being drunk as we were wobbly on deck. I was not taking any chances and put on seasick patch 4 hours before we embarked - worked great. Rest of the trip was smooth and every port was hot. Be sure and take sunscreen !!! Hopefully Nov. 2005 Southern Caribbean cruise will be just as nice or better.....can't wait. :p

We have cruised several times over Thanksgiving. We did the Western twice and prefer the Eastern that time of year. We may have just hit a bad week, but to lose 3 or 4 days to rain........it was a bummer. If given the choice......I would go with the Eastern. ( Which is what we are doing this Thanksgiving )

We've taken most of our Caribbean cruises during the end of the year and have never experienced any really rough swells...east or west. Ran into rain, got rocked a bit from minor swells during the night but never anything that made us queasy or make us wish we hadn't booked:p.

Caribbean ports are always warm...thank God...regardless of what the weather is like in departure cities.

If you are cool natured and are are considering traveling during the end of the year you may want to pack a pair of sweats. They came in handy in Caribbean first week of Jan...until we sailed past Cuba and the Caribbean sun REALLY came out.

When we started cruising eons ago, the "Caribbean" was what is now the Eastern and Southern routes. Nov, Dec, and Jan were the BEST times to cruise. The islands considered this "high season" because it's their drier season and it's warm-to-hot weather. Our favorite months to cruise are October/November.

Peggy,

Thanks for your post. I will be cruising this October. Have cruised in December and April, and had no problems with weather. Actually, everyday was sunny and I think we had some sprinkles one afternoon. But I did have some concern traveling on the 10th of October to the Carribean. But the cabin on the Empress of the Seas was just toooooooo good to pass up. I travel as a single, and it it very costly. So when I was able to get such a reasonable rate I booked.

When you said your best times cruising are Oct/Nov, that made me feel better.

Thanks.

ms Volendam, Southern Carribean, December 16, 2004

ms Zuiderdam, Eastern Carribean, April 9th, 2005

Soon To Be On RCCL, Empress of the Seas, October 10th, 2005

Thanks to everyone for your feedback. I'd heard that Key West can be cold him November, but it sounds like it should be O.K.

How about crossing from the east coast to Bermuda? We'll be taking that route Nov. 20th as part of the Grandeur repo out of Baltimore. Thought I read somewhere that this could be a rough ride.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback. I'd heard that Key West can be cold him November, but it sounds like it should be O.K.

Key West is hit or miss as far as weather. I was there last year the 1st week of Dec. & it was HOT!!!! The week before in Ocala, Fl. it was cold in the 30-40's so I took mainly slacks & only 1 pair of shorts. Boy was I glad those shorts were black cause I wore them almost every day.:eek: Next time I go in the winter I'm packing 1/2 & 1/2.

We've had pretty good luck. We did have a tough time getting through the St. George's cut (Bermuda) in October one year. It took quite a while to get the pilot back on his little boat.

Bump.

julesbeara,

This is a hard one to answer. I've been on cruises all months except Feb & March. I've found all of them to be enjoyable and the caribbean weather to be just like I like... warm to hot. But you can experience hurricanes during the hurricane season and rain at any given moment. It's all part of being in the ocean and cruising. Get out there and have a great time and make new adventures.

Linda

We were in Bermuda last October and it was great weather. A tiny bit of misty rain, but otherwise warm and good sightseeing weather.

We took the bus from the Dockyard to Hamilton, and then the ferry back to the ship at the Dockyard. Great day!