Med Cruise - December Weather :)

Hello all, this is my first (of many posts) I'm sure on Cruise Critic :)

We are heading on our first cruise on 11th of December, just in time for our wedding anniversary and the cruise is in the Med. Anyone have any experience of what we should expect weather wise? I am not planning on packing any bikini's!!!! But wouldn't mind a dip in the pool! We plan on doing a couple of excursions, one of them to Rome, so im sure it will be hat and coat required for that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks All. :D

We sailed the Eastern Med the end of November a few years ago. Most days were high 50's or low 60's. One day (Malta) was about 75 and a day or two in Greece were about 70

A pool on an open deck would be iffy, but many ships have enclosed/covered pool areas, such as HAL's and Celebrity's, and I'm sure some others. Generally, however, the Med - and most ports - will be chilly to cold, with a fair likelihood of rain.

Why do you think there are so few ships sailing the Med in December?

Thanks Paul and Navybankerteacher. I appreciate your reply's. I'm used to rain and cold being Irish, I always find its a different type of rain and cold than here tho!

Sure we will just have to wait and see! Thanks again

.....I am sure you can enjoy a cruise any time of year as long as your expectations of weather are not too high and you go with an attitude to enjoy the cruise ship and what she can offer you. As you say, for those of us North of the Med, at least it is often warm rain.

We have never done a cruise this late but have often risked late Oct/early Nov. our weather has been very mixed. When we have cruised at this time we have chosen our ships carefully looking for ones with an inside pool and a fair amount of inside 'recreation' areas so on poor weather sea days the inside still doesn't seem too crowded. We also like a variety of restaurant choices so that if the weather lets us down we still have some special times.

In terms of excursions, look for ones with some time inside building rather than total outside time.

Have a great cruise, hope the weather behaves, have a wonderful anniversary!

Pack layers -- the weather is very changeable that that time of year. You could hit nice weather if your ports are more southerly. I have been in short sleeves that time of year in southern Italy, northern Africa and Greek islands.

You could also find it rainy, however. I agree with advice to plan some alternatives that are mostly or partly indoors in Rome, for example. (Vatican museum, St. Peters, Sistine are good choices....:))

Thanks for that Chemmo and Cruisemom. Changeable weather is right. It was lashing and dark here yesterday ALL DAY, and today the sun is splitting the stones and Ive got all the windows open!! Thanks for the advise, I plan on just gong with an open mind now, and doing as you say, enjoy the ship and the facilities :)

Have a good day every one

In the past we have had wonderful weather in Oct. through to late November.

We would not select a Dec. itinerary. Not just rain, but rougher seas and cloudy sky.

I think anything after late October/early Nov. is a crap shoot.

But we love the sunshine and mild seas.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Thanks Iancan

IF it were me, I would move the date up.

Not only that, I would search for a great last minute fare. Get a balcony cabin on a good ship at a great price. You will have a much better change at good weather.

Look at this way. What you save by booking a last minute cruise (if your time schedule permits) will pay for a city weekend somewhere else in Europe on your anniversary (if you live in Europe that is).

Please change to earlier trip. Years ago I was in Greece and Italy late Oct and early Nov. It was miserable, cold rain and even wind. I think we were only folks in Mykonos.Most things were closed down. You may be miserable. Outside pools will be closed. A European trip is special and move it up to mid October for a good experience. You should have no problem cancelling this early.Most of better ships will be back in Florida.

We returned this week from five weeks in the Greek Islands. The vast majority of our various hosts told us that they will close up by mid October (depending on the island) and go back to Athens until next Easter. Islands like Naxos will be empty in December.

We were in Sicily last October followed by a late Oct/early Nov. last minute cruise. Weather was perfect. We were swimming in the ocean and relaxing on empty beaches. BUT, the it did start to rain after we boarded our cruise in Rome. Fortunately we missed the rain by a day in each of the 8 ports but it could have been a disaster.

I agree. Forget the Dec. cruise. You won't be happy no matter how hardy you may be. Book now, get a deal, enjoy the savings, the weather, and the cruise.

Please change to earlier trip. Years ago I was in Greece and Italy late Oct and early Nov. It was miserable, cold rain and even wind. I think we were only folks in Mykonos.Most things were closed down. You may be miserable. Outside pools will be closed. A European trip is special and move it up to mid October for a good experience. You should have no problem cancelling this early.Most of better ships will be back in Florida.

I have to strongly disagree with this. I don't know how long ago your trip was, but I have taken SIX cruises in the Med that either started or ended in November (early to late) and I did not find uniformly bad weather on any of them. I was in Mykonos in late November and did not find that "most things were closed down." In fact, all of the shops and restaurants in Mykonos Town appeared to be open.

Can the weather be bad? Yes. Is it uniformly bad and everything closed down? No.

Mind you that is November. But given that weather sites I've consulted suggest "winter" weather doesn't change appreciably from mid-November onward, I don't think December would be so very different.....

Then again, I absolutely detest hot weather and crowds, and winter is my favorite season to visit Europe.

I lived in Rome for 5 years and Athens for 3. The OP is asking about mid-December weather, not late October/early November. Expect cold and rainy (the times it snowed in Rome and flurried in Athens were in January if I remember correctly) and be happy when it is sunny and warmer :D. Dress in layers and include a waterproof jacket, hat and gloves just in case. After going back to Rome a few years ago in mid June to show our kids where they were born, I swore never to go to Italy (or Greece for that matter) in the summer again. It was unbearably hot and crowded. I told my kids to come back and visit in early April or early October. For the OP the advantage of mid December is that the crowds will be gone but, as others have said, on the islands the shopkeepers may be gone too.

I have to strongly disagree with this. I don't know how long ago your trip was, but I have taken SIX cruises in the Med that either started or ended in November (early to late) and I did not find uniformly bad weather on any of them. I was in Mykonos in late November and did not find that "most things were closed down." In fact, all of the shops and restaurants in Mykonos Town appeared to be open.

 

Can the weather be bad? Yes. Is it uniformly bad and everything closed down? No.

 

Mind you that is November. But given that weather sites I've consulted suggest "winter" weather doesn't change appreciably from mid-November onward, I don't think December would be so very different.....

 

Then again, I absolutely detest hot weather and crowds, and winter is my favorite season to visit Europe.

December IS distinctly different from November; especially early November. While you may have experienced the occasional day in November that was pleasant (likely to have been in early November), you must have noticed in you numerous trips that it was a rarity. In December, that rare pleasant day will be even more scarce - and noticeably less pleasant.

Most of us do not prefer the typical July or August Mediterranean weather - that is why mid-September to early November is the time frames generally selected by those who have options.

While you may have experienced the occasional day in November that was pleasant (likely to have been in early November), you must have noticed in you numerous trips that it was a rarity. In December, that rare pleasant day will be even more scarce - and noticeably less pleasant.

 

That is absolutely not the case. I have several times cruised during the last week in November (Thanksgiving holiday, so a favorite time for me to travel) and have photos of blue skies and sunny weather in Pompeii in Naples (virtually NO crowds), in Ephesus (same), and I distinctly recall wearing a jacket in the morning in Istanbul but taking it off by mid-day as it was warm enough, although gray. No rain.

I have also spent a week at a time over several of the past 10 years in Rome -- either the last week of November or the first week of December. Only once was the weather more rainy and cold than otherwise....

And the cruise where things were open on Mykonos was LATE (last week of) November.

That is absolutely not the case. I have several times cruised during the last week in November (Thanksgiving holiday, so a favorite time for me to travel) and have photos of blue skies and sunny weather in Pompeii in Naples (virtually NO crowds), in Ephesus (same), and I distinctly recall wearing a jacket in the morning in Istanbul but taking it off by mid-day as it was warm enough, although gray. No rain.

 

I have also spent a week at a time over several of the past 10 years in Rome -- either the last week of November or the first week of December. Only once was the weather more rainy and cold than otherwise....

 

And the cruise where things were open on Mykonos was LATE (last week of) November.

OP is talking about December. You are not doing him/her any favor with glowing, buy misleading, reports of Mediterranean weather in December.

Why on earth rely on everyone's comments, including mine???

Do a google search, get the weather for the past three or four Decembers in the a few places that you plan to visit. This will be your best bet for solid, reliable data. Or as reliable as it can be given the vagaries of weather systems.

Try these:

https://weatherspark.com/averages/stations

http://www.climatemps.com/

I just looked at several weather sites for average statistics for November and December. Other than slightly lower temperatures in December, there is no appreciable difference in weather conditions for the places I researched....

For illustrative purposes I chose two examples: Naples and Mykonos.

In Naples, there are an average of 14 rainy days/month in November; in December the average number of rainy days/month is also 14.

In Mykonos there are an average of 10 rainy days in November; in December there are 8.

On average it rains 140 mm in November versus 100 mm in December in Naples. In Mykonos, it is 170 mm versus 165.

So if anything, there is likely to be slightly less rain in December.

Temperatures. On average the lows are 3 degrees lower and the highs are 6 degrees higher in November in Naples. The temps are very similar for Mykonos. In both cases the lows are in the mid 40s for either November or December, and the highs are in the low to mid 50s for both months.

As I said, in my earlier post I have spent a significant amount of time in Rome in both November and December and there has been little appreciable difference, except for one year when the weather was unusually wet. (And yes, the newspapers called it "unusual".)

Venice may well be a different story at that time of year, as might Mediterranean France. But I stand by my experiences in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and the southern Med as not being significantly different in mid-to-late November and December.

I guess we will just agree to disagree. :cool:

This is purely anecdotal, but we've done two Med cruises in mid-late December, and two in late November. We've had a variety of weather, including icy mist and acqua alta in Venice, but all of the cruises were still a great experience. It's an interesting time to cruise, with fewer tourists clogging up the sights, and cheaper prices all round. There is a lot to be said for the "off" season. Just pack layers, gloves, hat and an umbrella, and you're ready for anything.