caribbean cruise in January or February

[vmom]

We've cruised the Caribbean in November and December.

 

This year we are thinking of January or possibly February due to family commitments.

 

What is the weather like in January or possibly February? Is it any different than December?

[Keith1010]

In general the weather should still be quite nice and it is certainly a very popular time of the year to cruise the caribbean.

 

If you are starting in Florida that weather can vary. Could be highs in the 80's but could also be highs much cooler than that and if you stop in Key West the same will be true.

 

I would not hesitate to cruise in either January or February.

 

Keith

[dcward89]

We have cruises in Jan/Feb 3 times to the Caribbean...whether has been perfect every time. Actually we have another planned for Jan. 2012 and can't wait to leave the cold, snowy Northeast Ohio for the warm, sunny Caribbean!

[tip]

In general the weather should still be quite nice and it is certainly a very popular time of the year to cruise the caribbean.

 

If you are starting in Florida that weather can vary. Could be highs in the 80's but could also be highs much cooler than that and if you stop in Key West the same will be true.

 

I would not hesitate to cruise in either January or February.

 

Keith

 

I think that the above is right on target. Be aware that some northern public school districts have a winter break toward the end of February. Although I don't have a problem with it, some folks don't like the extra kids on board. The ships do seem more crowded and you may find that prices are up a hundred dollars or so for each category.

[FawnRiver]

I've only cruised in January, so I can't compare, but the last two years we've had great weather on both Western and Eastern Caribbean cruises. Last year we were on the Eastern swing and had a few showers in port, but nothing to worry about. It was cool in Florida when we disembarked (the locals called it cold), but we were heading back home (to minus 30 windchill :().

[luddite]

It'll be 88-90 degrees out there. Since February is the coldest month, it's the ideal time to leave home and go cruisin'.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have cruised all months.

 

Caribbean -- one January we hit winds at several of our southern ports.

[lakeguy]

Janurary and early Feburary is the perfect time to escape the winter cold. We try to schedule a B2B after the holidays and before the springbreakers. If you can, try to find something out of a southern port . We usually sail from Purto Rico, if you leave from Florida or points north the beginning and end of the trip can be cool temps. Have Fun!

[MMMD]

We sailed from NYC this past January, and although the first day was cold, it got warm pretty fast.

 

Every port in the Caribbean was hot, hot, hot. By the end of all those hot days, we were happy to sail back home to get cold once again.

 

We would sail in January again.

[weltek]

It's always been warm (80s) and sunny when we've cruised in late January/early Feb. It's the best time to cruise to the Caribbean, in our opinion! It's about the time we are REALLY sick of Wisconsin winters, and there's not much rain, and lots of couples with no kids/kids are grown so we have more people in our demographic.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I think it is the same

[MichCook]

We've always enjoyed sailing the Caribbean in January or February. We have run into a couple of cold snaps in Fort Lauderdale, but it warmed up quickly as we sailed toward the islands.

[vmom]

Thanks for all the help. Caribbean in January...here we come. Now to decide on ships and make reservations.

[sjcruiser]

We just cruised San Juan, St. Martin and Labadee in January, and it felt like summer for the most part the entire cruise roundtrip from Miami.

[Wayfairers]

We have sailed in the Caribbean in Dec and spent most of Jan on St Thomas one year and on Puerto Rico another year. We had blue skies, sunny and from warm to hot weather for all of these trips except for one day in Puerto Rico where it rained but it was still warm.

[lady_cruiser]

Several people mentioned leaving from Florida. We leave from Galveston and New Orleans going to either the Western Caribbean (Costa Maya, Cozumel, Falmouth, etc) or to the Eastern Caribbean (Key West, Nassau, and Freeport). Leaving from these ports vary; we have been in Galveston, mid January, when it has been cold (30s) and wet but by the time we get to the first port we have our shorts and tees on. The week we cruised to Key West, Nassau and Freeport we had cold (30s and 40s) and wet weather the whole week except the last day we were at sea which turned out to be a hot and sunny day.

 

And unlike the weather far North and East of us (I'm orginally from Connecticut but live in South Louisiana now) which you can always predict cold, snowy weather each winter, weather in the South if very unpredictable. I always check the Weather Channel or Farmer's Almanac a couple of weeks before I leave just to make sure that I am well prepared.

[navybankerteacher]

Several people mentioned leaving from Florida. We leave from Galveston and New Orleans going to either the Western Caribbean (Costa Maya, Cozumel, Falmouth, etc) or to the Eastern Caribbean (Key West, Nassau, and Freeport). Leaving from these ports vary; we have been in Galveston, mid January, when it has been cold (30s) and wet but by the time we get to the first port we have our shorts and tees on. The week we cruised to Key West, Nassau and Freeport we had cold (30s and 40s) and wet weather the whole week except the last day we were at sea which turned out to be a hot and sunny day.

 

And unlike the weather far North and East of us (I'm orginally from Connecticut but live in South Louisiana now) which you can always predict cold, snowy weather each winter, weather in the South if very unpredictable. I always check the Weather Channel or Farmer's Almanac a couple of weeks before I leave just to make sure that I am well prepared.

 

As a Connecticut resident I always try to head south in January or February (hopefully both) --and I agree that The Farmer's Almanac (although totally unscienific) does seem to make better predictions than TV professionals -- but I have to ask: if you call Key West, Nassau and Freeport the Eastern Caribbean, where would you place St. Maarten, Dominica, Barbados, etc.?

[Colorado Kat]

Just booked an early Jan 2012 trip to St. Maartan, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts - a bit farther south. My first time to any of those islands - I'm looking forward to that.

 

Please keep in mind that weather troubles in any part of the USA can mess up plane schedules to Florida. We usually fly in the day before, but this time I think we will book 2 days early, to make sure we get there in time.