Caribbean weather in December, January, and February

We have been tossing around the idea of a Feb 2018 cruise. But i see prices much cheaper in early to mid december 2017 or early to mid January 2018. How does the typical weather compare during the three months i have mentioned?

We have been tossing around the idea of a Feb 2018 cruise. But i see prices much cheaper in early to mid december 2017 or early to mid January 2018. How does the typical weather compare during the three months i have mentioned?

Winter in the Caribbean tends to be windier than other times. The farther south you cruise in Caribbean, the warmer the weather tends to be that time of year. Also consider getting to your embarkation port can be trickier that time of year due to weather. Bad weather in one part of the country can affect flights in other parts of the country even if the weather is great where you're cruising from. And sometimes even getting to the airport in winter can be tricky if you live in a snow or ice prone area. That can add stress to your travel experience. So going in a day or 2 early is a good idea. I cruised to Mexico last month and it was in the 70s, but it was very windy with lots of swells. I cruised to Central America in December and it was in the 80s by the time we got down there. I've had tender ports cancelled many times in winter due to it being too windy to operate tenders, so cancelled ports of call can be more likely in winter. I've cruised over Christmas and New Years many times and can tell you that especially in the northern part of the Caribbean and around the Bahamas it can be downright chilly that time of year.

But none of that has ever stopped me from cruising in those months. Just plan accordingly and be flexible and you'll have a great time.

We normally cruise in January and with a few days exceptions,usually sailing back to Ft Lauderdale at the end of a cruise,have had great weather. As Winddawn said the further south you go the warmer it gets.We always fly in 2 days early but fly home the day of debarkation. This past cruise was the only time we had flight problems due to weather, because of the NE coast storms but Delta had already rebooked us with only a minor delay from our original flight.

The previous post is spot on.

We just return from a Southern Caribbean cruise on the Breeze January 2016 and had temps in 80's low humidity and sunny skies from Grand Turk down to Aruba. We have sailed in November and December in the past and the weather is all about the same. The only unknown is the Florida weather to the Bahamas can be a bit on the cool side and the gulf current swing around the tip of Florida can make the ship rock a bit more than normal in these few months but that has never bothered us.

We've been to Nassau in February and it was way too cool to swim (I was chilly wearing shorts), and one year we went to Labadee in January and it was brutally hot (high 90s). I agree about the wind, last year it was so windy we missed San Juan in February. You never know how the weather will be...

We have been tossing around the idea of a Feb 2018 cruise. But i see prices much cheaper in early to mid december 2017 or early to mid January 2018. How does the typical weather compare during the three months i have mentioned?

We sail often in February. The weather in the Caribbean is always beautiful. I find the oceans cooler than in October but still much better than here in NH. :D (Our ocean hits a whopping 64 degrees in August. :eek:)

The prices are probably higher in February because of school vacations in cold, snowy New England and other northeast states.

I was on the Splendor Jan. 3-10. We had beautiful weather. We wore capris, summer dresses, shorts, summer tops and sandals in Miami and all throughout our cruise. We went to St. Thomas, San Juan, Amber Cove and Turks and Caicos. The waters were a little rough a few times…more than I remembered from our summer cruises, but not enough that would ever keep me from cruising in Jan or Feb again. I thought it was a wonderful break from Winter! Enjoy your Winter cruise if you decide to book.

we leave Sunday for the western caribbean. High in Miami Sunday is supposed to be 64 and the islands are supposed to mid 70's to 80.

Bill

The answer is that the weather should be very nice but like weather in other parts of the world it can vary. We were in Florida in early January. A lot of rain and cool. Wasn't the case each of the past four years. December was warmer than usual.

This is a popular time of the year to sail. Within this time you can find cruises and hotels that are lower than other times of the same time frame when there are lulls such as right after the holidays.

Weather is a crap shoot but it certainly is nicer this time of the year than many places.

Keith

The answer is that the weather should be very nice but like weather in other parts of the world it can vary. We were in Florida in early January. A lot of rain and cool. Wasn't the case each of the past four years. December was warmer than usual.

 

This is a popular time of the year to sail. Within this time you can find cruises and hotels that are lower than other times of the same time frame when there are lulls such as right after the holidays.

 

Weather is a crap shoot but it certainly is nicer this time of the year than many places.

 

Keith

I find cruises usually cheaper that time of year but find hotels much more expensive than in the summer months. At least in Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

Bill

Twice the first week, once over Xmas, once over New Years.

Have hit every beach &/or pool every day!

We have been tossing around the idea of a Feb 2018 cruise. But i see prices much cheaper in early to mid december 2017 or early to mid January 2018. How does the typical weather compare during the three months i have mentioned?

Not a lot of difference. Temperatures are pretty constant year round. Winds that time of they year are generally from the east at about 15 mph. It is a wonderful time to go.

The weather is pretty much the same over the period OP mentioned. The pricing difference he notes is the result of demand level - fewer people want to travel in early to mid December and early to mid January. Children are in school and many people are either busy getting ready for, or recovering from, Christmas and New Years.