Question about Weather Forecast for upcoming cruise.

[Carleeb12]

Does Carnival allow you to use the slides and other venues when it's raining or do the indoor areas just get really crowded? I'm assuming even if it does rain more than normal, we will still see the sun occasionally, right? Also, with all the rain, will this make the ship rock a lot more? I have never taken motion sickness meds on a cruise because I have never needed them, but should I plan to with the forecast as it is? (Galveston - Thunderstorms, wind on Sunday, Mahogany Bay - Partly Cloudy, Cozumel - Clouds and PM Thunderstorms, Belize - partly cloudy/rain).

[crewsweeper]

If there is in-climate weather--rain, wind, thunderstorms, etc.--Carnival will close most outdoor activities. They will make announcements. They may shut sliding doors to outside decks if strong winds and or heavy rain is happening. No way you want to be out there in that stuff anyway.

 

As far as weather forecasts, they change. More accurate closer to actual date. Winds can change. Any precipitation forecast should have a % probability. Unless you are travelng during the rainy season--late summer to mid fall for many places--and/or a storm is brewing, rain will usually occur in brief showers then sun shine.

[coevan]

As a Captain, I have seen the ships sailing around fronts. Don't bother looking at Caribbean weather forecasts especially the Weather Channel. Try more accurate weather apps like Windguru or Wunderground. Light rain showers are common in the islands, during these light showers, which are very refreshing, nothing will close on the ship. The ship has very sophisticated radar and they see the fronts 20-30 miles out pretty clearly.

[TVMet]

As a meteorologist, I agree with the Captain. Most apps are worthless in the Caribbean. The climate there is hard for the weather models that run these apps to understand. Another good source is the US National Weather Service office in San Juan, PR. http://www.weather.gov/sju/ They cover PR and the USVI. These are human meteorologists that live there, much better than a computer guessing. Don't let a chance of rain down there ruin your cruise day, it isn't like the weather in most of the US (except maybe South Florida).

 

Mexico doesn't have much of a weather service, but Belize does and they have a good website http://www.hydromet.gov.bz/