Transatlantic temps in March?

[crimmj]

San Juan to Barcelona cruise mid March. What weather/temperatures have past cruisers experienced while crossing the Atlantic?  How warm do I need to pack to enjoy walking the deck?

[JeriGail]

1 hour ago, crimmj said:

San Juan to Barcelona cruise mid March. What weather/temperatures have past cruisers experienced while crossing the Atlantic?  How warm do I need to pack to enjoy walking the deck?

We just did the opposite - Barcelona to San Juan in December.  I was surprised how warm it was outside - 70's and 80's.  Check the average temps for March for San Juan and Madeira.  You'll start at the San Juan temperature and gradually change to Madeira.  I expected the Atlantic in December to be cool, but it wasn't.   Barcelona was the coolest location - 50's.

[Heidi13]

14 hours ago, crimmj said:

San Juan to Barcelona cruise mid March. What weather/temperatures have past cruisers experienced while crossing the Atlantic?  How warm do I need to pack to enjoy walking the deck?

 

On this route you will not be heading into the furthest reaches of the North Atlantic following the Gulf Stream and N/Atlantic Drift, so that will definitely help.

 

However, temperatures will vary significantly with the weather patterns experienced. Haven't gone E'bd in March for many years, but did an E'bd in 2014 in April. Temps generally in 60's, but we had no storm systems.

[Clay Clayton]

Done this cruise 2.5 times and day wear was usually shorts and a T shirt. Dinner was kahkis and sometimes a long sleeve. Had jackets but I don’t recall ever wearing them. DMIL was with us on one cruise and she tended to wear a sweater in the evenings. 
 

 

[shadowlover]

19 hours ago, JeriGail said:

We just did the opposite - Barcelona to San Juan in December.  I was surprised how warm it was outside - 70's and 80's.  Check the average temps for March for San Juan and Madeira.  You'll start at the San Juan temperature and gradually change to Madeira.  I expected the Atlantic in December to be cool, but it wasn't.   Barcelona was the coolest location - 50's.

I would love to hear more about this cruise- we are on the same leaving this December!  Did you write a review or take any notes?

[broker1217]

We have done this route in March. Casual warm weather (shorts and short sleeves) the first week which is mostly sea days, switching to long sleeves and pants the second week. Jacket weather in Barcelona.

But weather can be highly variable. Plan for warm and cool weather with interchangeable clothing and layers. You can do laundry (or pay to have it done) on the ship so you can pack light.

 

We easily got by with 1 bag each for 3 weeks (we stayed on in Barcelona).

They dress well, and conservatively, in Barcelona so plan for that if you are staying after the cruise.

I would not wear bright clothing or white sneakers in Barcelona if you don't want to stick out.

 

[JeriGail]

2 hours ago, shadowlover said:

I would love to hear more about this cruise- we are on the same leaving this December!  Did you write a review or take any notes?

We had a VERY active roll call thread (143 pages!) plus a live thread.  I think our group posted more on the roll call thread, but I'll give links to both.

Roll call (I started on the page when I arrived in Barcelona):

Live thread:

 

[JeriGail]

3 hours ago, shadowlover said:

I would love to hear more about this cruise- we are on the same leaving this December!  Did you write a review or take any notes?

We loved the cruise - I'm a huge fan of sea days and relaxation.  I'd be happy to answer any questions, if you have something specific you'd like to know.

Email is:  jeri dot stodola at hotmail dot com

[photopro2]

11 hours ago, broker1217 said:

We have done this route in March. Casual warm weather (shorts and short sleeves) the first week which is mostly sea days, switching to long sleeves and pants the second week. Jacket weather in Barcelona.

That was exactly our experience too, in March 2018. Details as follows (all temperatures in Fahrenheit)

Day one San Juan 79

Day two St Maartin  77

Day three at sea 77

Day four at sea 75

Day five at sea 76

Day six at sea 68

Day seven at sea 67

Day eight at sea 62

Day nine Madeira 60

Day 10 at sea 64

Day 11 Tangier 65

Day 12 Cadiz 57

Day 13 at sea 53

Day 14 Valencia 64

Day 15 travelled home from Barcelona temp not noted.

My overall recollection is that there was lots of sunshine and it generally felt warmer than those temperatures might suggest. We did get occasional showers but interestingly while we were at sea (even though we could sometimes see rain falling in the distance) it very rarely rained on the ship. I don't know if it is true but someone suggested that the bridge were making very slight course changes to bypass the heaviest rain cells. Maybe Heidi13 or someone else "in the know" might want to comment? 

No guarantees though - weather is weather and you will get what you get 🌦️ 🙂

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, photopro2 said:

That was exactly our experience too, in March 2018. Details as follows (all temperatures in Fahrenheit)

Day one San Juan 79

Day two St Maartin  77

Day three at sea 77

Day four at sea 75

Day five at sea 76

Day six at sea 68

Day seven at sea 67

Day eight at sea 62

Day nine Madeira 60

Day 10 at sea 64

Day 11 Tangier 65

Day 12 Cadiz 57

Day 13 at sea 53

Day 14 Valencia 64

Day 15 travelled home from Barcelona temp not noted.

My overall recollection is that there was lots of sunshine and it generally felt warmer than those temperatures might suggest. We did get occasional showers but interestingly while we were at sea (even though we could sometimes see rain falling in the distance) it very rarely rained on the ship. I don't know if it is true but someone suggested that the bridge were making very slight course changes to bypass the heaviest rain cells. Maybe Heidi13 or someone else "in the know" might want to comment? 

No guarantees though - weather is weather and you will get what you get 🌦️ 🙂

 

Affirmative, it is possible to avoid small rain cells, as they are visible and often only require a small course change. We would only do that when they had something planned on the outer decks. 

[Jim Avery]

The Southern route across the Atlantic.  Haha,  not like the NYC/Southampton North Atlantic track.  Sea water temp only a bit above freezing.  Spray freezing on deck.  10M+ seas.  Woo-Hoo.    Good thing it only took 4.5 to 5 days.🍸

[Heidi13]

12 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

The Southern route across the Atlantic.  Haha,  not like the NYC/Southampton North Atlantic track.  Sea water temp only a bit above freezing.  Spray freezing on deck.  10M+ seas.  Woo-Hoo.    Good thing it only took 4.5 to 5 days.🍸

 

Jim - and that was a calm day with only 35' seas.😁

[powderhorn]

We did the crossing in March 2018 and it was smooth sailing until we hit the Azores...heavy winds all the way to Spain....temps were lovely ....warm to mild.....I think we are booked on the same crossing as you this March on Viking Sea.....looking forward to it!....:-)

[crimmj]

Thanks powderhorn - see you there! 😃