Cruising from NY in December

[ryem14]

My family and I usually take a cruise in the summer but this summer we are not able to go. We are looking in to taking a cruise in December but when I looked at going from another place other than NY, the airfare seems ridiculous.

 

I found a cruise that leaves from NY on Christmas day. Has anyone ever cruised from NYC the week of Christmas? Do they have a lot of indoor activities the first few days? How long does it take to warm up enough to be able to hang out outside?

TIA

[jlyn1216]

I was on two cruises out of nyc and nj. It was pretty cold for the first night and full day. They do have alot of things going on around the ships to keep you going. Jamie

[Got Tequila?]

My family and I usually take a cruise in the summer but this summer we are not able to go. We are looking in to taking a cruise in December but when I looked at going from another place other than NY, the airfare seems ridiculous.

 

I found a cruise that leaves from NY on Christmas day. Has anyone ever cruised from NYC the week of Christmas? Do they have a lot of indoor activities the first few days? How long does it take to warm up enough to be able to hang out outside?

TIA

 

We were on the GEM last year from 12/19 - 12/26. There always seem to be quite a bit going on inside, which did make it a bit crowded in some areas. Many were out using the hot tubs the first day and a half.

 

Temperatures in FL were still quite cool, depends upon mother nature I guess. We wore sweatshirt in FL, and luckily had nice weather for the private island and Nassau.

 

We love being able to cruise from NY in the Winter, and don't mind the temps as long as we are on the ship...:)

[wurm914]

weather at Christmas is really unreliable. 2008 we drove to SC from upstate NY to catch the Majesty to the Bahamas on 2/20. Terrible snowstorm and we just barely (with 1 1/2 hours to spare) made the ship's embarkation. Stressful, oh yeah. Weather in the Bahamas was extremely raining, but it was definitely warmer than at home. I hope you have a great trip, just don't count on really warm weather!

 

deb

[ryem14]

Thanks for the replies! I am still on the fence about booking the cruise because it is our one vacation of the year and not cheap for my family of four. Is it worth it despite the cooler teperatures? How cool did it get? Are there many children on board? Thanks for answering all my questions! It is really helpful to me.

[Got Tequila?]

Thanks for the replies! I am still on the fence about booking the cruise because it is our one vacation of the year and not cheap for my family of four. Is it worth it despite the cooler teperatures? How cool did it get? Are there many children on board? Thanks for answering all my questions! It is really helpful to me.

 

There are always children on board, if you are looking at the cruise over a Winter school break there will be a lot of children/families on board.

 

We go no matter what the weather may be, because it's always better than it is here at home.

 

Most people will go who aren't expecting to be laying by the pool the first day, many times by noon on the first full sea day it is nice enough to be out by the pool....just not always.

[negn]

To be honest, don't know if I would choose this if I had only 1 vacation to take. Weather is unpredictable and you lose 1 1/2-2 days each way due to this. Also do not find the itenerary exciting. We've done this cruise but did it in Sept so you could be out on deck.

Know what you mean about airfare. It is so expensive now.Have you considered a noncruise vacation? Some of the TA have deals inc airfare

[AllBoys2002]

We'll be on this boat...15 of us, in 5 BA's.

 

We cant wait and are sooo super excited! There will be plenty of inside activities for cooler days and we'll enjoy the sun when it comes!

 

When we first looked at this trip about 1+ years ago Freeport the Bahamas was on the itinerary, however when we booked it, we noticed it has been removed. Not sure what happened there.

 

Either way, family, food, fun, relaxing time to enjoy family time...sounds good to me no matter the weather.

[collegecruiser346]

Friends of mine did a cruise to the Bahamas out of NYC last march. They decided to spend the extra $$$ on a balcony room, but ended up regretting it. The weather was so rainy and cold that they couldnt use the balcony until they reached florida, then on the trip back home once they got off the coast of the carolinas, it was too cold again. If you do end up going (and I think you should), you should get an inside cabin.

[prg2101]

Not sure what people are calling cooler weather.....we sailed the Gem over

New Years 08 and when we got to the private Island on Jan 1st it was 90 degrees!!!! Mother Nature can only tell if you will have warm weather or not but it will def be warmer than NY...lol

[fin]

Hmm

[jlyn1216]

When i got home from a cruise the week of Christmas. We had just had a snowstorm that dumped 12 inches of snow on the ground. We were delayed getting off the ship by about 3 hrs. That was last year on the Explorer of the Seas. Year before that the same thing. When we came back on The Gem. You can never tell what the weather will be like. Its like worrying there will be a hurricane in the summer when you cruise. I say go and have a great time. It's just weather who cares about that you will be on vacation. Jamie

[Ms belp]

I would hate to waste Christmas trying to get to a cruise. Unless you and your family don't celebrate.

[AllBoys2002]

I would hate to waste Christmas trying to get to a cruise. Unless you and your family don't celebrate.

 

 

OH we celebrate and we will be celebrating again this year. Nothing is changing except the venue....we all travel to be together on Christmas anyway, so instead we are traveling to the pier to be together for the entire Christmas week, and New Years!

[CruisinMaterial]

GotTequila? - I think we're following each other around on ships here. I went on the Spirit a month after you did and it's pointing towards going on the Jewel a month after you sail! :) Cruising out of NYC in the middle of winter should be interesting! I can't say that I'm going to enjoy the getting there part but once onboard I'm sure it'll be smashing! :D Hope for a heat wave in early January!!! :D

[patseacruiser]

I have done a few holiday cruises on the Explorer and love it. The afternoon of the first sea day it will start to get warm and there is plenty to do on the ship until then. You can decorate your door with Christmas lights and garland. The ship is decorated and festive and plenty of kids. It's a great way to celebrate the holidays and family.

[mommyto2girls]

My family and I usually take a cruise in the summer but this summer we are not able to go. We are looking in to taking a cruise in December but when I looked at going from another place other than NY, the airfare seems ridiculous.

 

I found a cruise that leaves from NY on Christmas day. Has anyone ever cruised from NYC the week of Christmas? Do they have a lot of indoor activities the first few days? How long does it take to warm up enough to be able to hang out outside?

TIA

 

We cruised the Westerdam out of Fort Lauderdale this past January to the Southern Caribbean, we flew into FLL on January 2nd and it was freezing, I am from New York so yes I know what cold is. It was very cold and raining in Half Moon Cay. Aruba and Curacao were warm. As we headed back to Fort Lauderdale it was cold and it was 32 degrees when we docked very cold. So we had really cold weather for 4 of our 9 days away. This year we will cruise out of NYC how much colder can it be and I am saving alot of money not flying and doing a pre-cruise stay at a hotel.

[Got Tequila?]

GotTequila? - I think we're following each other around on ships here. I went on the Spirit a month after you did and it's pointing towards going on the Jewel a month after you sail! :) Cruising out of NYC in the middle of winter should be interesting! I can't say that I'm going to enjoy the getting there part but once onboard I'm sure it'll be smashing! Hope for a heat wave in early January!!! :D

 

 

It's not the first time I've been stalked on CC.........LOL :D:D:D

 

We take a 11 hour bus ride just to get to NYC to cruise out in the winter, just to avoid flying.

[ryem14]

Thanks for all the replies!

 

We do not celebrate Christmas so leaving on Christmas Day won't be a problem for us.

 

I'm definitely leaning toward going on the cruise. My kids are so bummed that we are not going on "the big boat" this summer so I know they will be thrilled.

 

Now on to the room. I am either going to get 2 connecting oceanview rooms or 1 room for all of us. Any opinions on that? Will we be way too cramped in one room. My kids are 7 and 5.

[AllBoys2002]

Thanks for all the replies!

 

We do not celebrate Christmas so leaving on Christmas Day won't be a problem for us.

 

I'm definitely leaning toward going on the cruise. My kids are so bummed that we are not going on "the big boat" this summer so I know they will be thrilled.

 

Now on to the room. I am either going to get 2 connecting oceanview rooms or 1 room for all of us. Any opinions on that? Will we be way too cramped in one room. My kids are 7 and 5.

 

 

We did this on our Bermuda cruises, it was great to have all the extra space AND 2 bathrooms.

[CruisinMaterial]

It's not the first time I've been stalked on CC.........LOL :D:D:D

 

We take a 11 hour bus ride just to get to NYC to cruise out in the winter, just to avoid flying.

 

Who are you taking to get to NYC? Are you transferring at South Station in Boston? I've looked into a few different options including Acela but not sure what I'm going to do just yet. I know John O' Hara will be onboard for your sailing but he'll be due for a vacation around the time we go so I'm waiting for him to get back to the ship now so that I can figure out if he'll be there in January. He's a deal breaker in deciding the Jewel vs Gem debate. I want to get slimed too. :eek::D

[Got Tequila?]

Who are you taking to get to NYC? Are you transferring at South Station in Boston? I've looked into a few different options including Acela but not sure what I'm going to do just yet. I know John O' Hara will be onboard for your sailing but he'll be due for a vacation around the time we go so I'm waiting for him to get back to the ship now so that I can figure out if he'll be there in January. He's a deal breaker in deciding the Jewel vs Gem debate. I want to get slimed too. :eek::D

 

We use Greyhound from Bangor to NYC, with an hour stop over in Boston...leave at 6 AM, and arrive at 5PM the night before the cruise.

 

We're on the JEWEL in December and then again in January...twice as much fun.

[guyver]

We have sailed out of NYC a couple times in January. You can never guess on the weather. One year we were walking around NY in sweatshirts and the other year was extremely cold.

 

However, by noon the following day on both occasions, we could sit out by the pool in long sleeves and feel comfortable.

 

One thing we did experience is that it was rough seas on the 1st and last day for both cruises. This too is likely hit and miss.

 

Your biggest concern IMO is the weather cooperating andd allowing you all to reach NYC at the beginning. I would recommend that anybody from out of town come in a day early. We did this and as it turned out we didn't have to, but you never know. We did arrive back in NY during a severe snow storm on our 2nd cruise. If I remember right, I think they had about 25" on snow. We were stranded in NYC for 2 days. This would have been great if we would have been able to leave our hotel room.:)

 

So after much rambling on, I would suggest that you all go and have a wonderful time!!

[CruisinMaterial]

We use Greyhound from Bangor to NYC, with an hour stop over in Boston...leave at 6 AM, and arrive at 5PM the night before the cruise.

 

We're on the JEWEL in December and then again in January...twice as much fun.

 

I'm thinking the bus may work since they do swing through my neck of the woods for a stop as well. Hmm... such decisions. Anything but flying at this point. My spring break cruise is going to be costly since it's the Epic so I am trying to be as economical as possible for this trip. No Fung Wah for me though! I do value my life!!! :eek::D