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Starting out cruise in cold weather? Thinking of March from NJ

avril4111

By avril4111,
in Royal Caribbean International

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MS52

MS52

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What do I do sailing out of Baltimore in January?

 

On the first day, I enjoy the ship and a day of leisure. I'd rather have a cold day on the ship than a day at the airport. And a day in the airport is a horrible way to end your vacation IMHO. :o

 

In March, it may or may not be warm enough for shorts. Weather is so variable. But you'll have a great day on the ship regardless.

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BND

BND

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We've done Explorer in Nov and March. The first full sea day is cold/cool but it warms up as the day goes on, usually. The solarium is enclosed so if you want pool time, that's an option for everyone over 16 and they usually open it for kids for a couple of hours too. We go early and get seats and hang out past lunch. It usually is pretty windy outside so not many people out, except the diehard exercisers the first day and last day. There's always stuff going on, movies, activities (trivia, etc), sales, bingo, etc.

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njmomof2

njmomof2

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We sailed Explorer last week of March this year. It was unusually cool all the way down to Florida. My kids were in Disney and Universal and they were texting that they were cold and needed jackets. So while I was able to get into shorts and find a low wind area, it definitely was not warm for most of that trip.

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Alohaaloha

Alohaaloha

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Contemplating 10 day cruise to Caribbean out of NJ in March (11-21). What can you do on 1st and last few days?

When would it get warm enough for shorts and t-shirts?

Please share experiences and/or opinions:)

 

Sailing out of Southampton a couple of weeks ago it was rainy, grey and cold. We used the days to fully explore the ship and get familiar with everything. It was a good time to take pool photos and photos of the sun lounger decks as there wasn't a soul to be seen using them.

On our return, the weather as we hit the UK was cold and dull, and so this time we played crazy golf, shot some hoops on the basketball court, and generally enjoyed our last two days relaxing.

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Yorkvillain

Yorkvillain

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We've done Explorer in Nov and March. The first full sea day is cold/cool but it warms up as the day goes on, usually. The solarium is enclosed so if you want pool time, that's an option for everyone over 16 and they usually open it for kids for a couple of hours too. We go early and get seats and hang out past lunch. It usually is pretty windy outside so not many people out, except the diehard exercisers the first day and last day. There's always stuff going on, movies, activities (trivia, etc), sales, bingo, etc.

 

The solarium is not enclosed on the Explorer.

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ckrobyn

ckrobyn

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On the first leg of our B2B on the Freedom a couple of years ago, it was literally freezing in Florida :eek: The muster drill outside was a total nightmare, and we had the heat on in the cabin for the first night and into the next morning.

 

You don't have to be sailing out of NJ to have a freezing cold experience.

 

The 2nd leg was picture perfect :)

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karmacats

karmacats

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Contemplating 10 day cruise to Caribbean out of NJ in March (11-21). What can you do on 1st and last few days?

When would it get warm enough for shorts and t-shirts?

Please share experiences and/or opinions:)

 

I cruised out of NY in Nov. It was a cold Nov, too. :) By the first morning, it was warm enough to sit on our balcony in t-shirts; by that afternoon, we were swimming. On the way back, only the last full day was cold. Obviously it depends on your itinerary, but you should have a good 7 or 8 days of shorts and t-shirt weather.

 

We used the cold days to explore the ship, do trivia, etc. i spent some time relaxing and reading in the cabin; from the couch, i could see the ocean through the balcony doors, which was good enough for me!

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BND

BND

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The solarium is not enclosed on the Explorer.

 

I should know that huh? :rolleyes: Enchantment and Grandeur are enclosed, but regardless, there is plenty to do on EX. I usually wear shorts the first full sea day but we're inside.

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saurian

saurian

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We took the Explorer out in mid December. It was -17 degrees when we left home, it was a balmy 42 in NJ. So while everyone at the muster drill was upset about how "cold" it was, we were already feeling tropical, and had way too many layers on. My husband gave his coat to an elderly gentleman in our group because he was sweating and wanted to take it off anyway, people thought we were nuts.

 

There was a large contingent from Russia on board, and apparently midwest winters are nothing compared to Russian, because they were in the pool before we were out of the harbor, still within sight of the city. We did do the hot tub on the first sea day, but there were very few people out. Explorer does have an indoor hot tub in the fitness center, for people who do not find the 50-60s warm enough. There were tons of activities to do on the first day as well, including shows, trivia, stuff sales on the promenade, scavenger hunts, and lectures. They also had open skate in the ice rink. There was actually too much going on that we wanted to do. She makes a bee-line for the south, so by the second day there were all sorts of people out and on deck sunning in bikinis and swimming. Remember the Gulf Stream is bringing warm water/weather up with it, so it is surprisingly mild at a high latitude. We were passing GA and FL about that time.

 

The Explorer is beautiful ship despite her age and the hard weather she traverses through regularly. You will have plenty to do. We would sail her again in a heartbeat, as we especially love her longer itineraries, and airfare to NJ is cheaper than to FL.

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The Big Booper

The Big Booper

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...>>>SNIP<<<...

 

There was a large contingent from Russia on board, and apparently midwest winters are nothing compared to Russian, because they were in the pool before we were out of the harbor, still within sight of the city.

 

...>>>SNIP<<<...

 

They were actually from the Brighton Beach (near Coney Island) section of Brooklyn. Huge contingent who emigrated from Russia live there. Da.

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JMG

JMG

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We did the Ex in March and it was a wonderful cruise. The first sea day we went to the

solarium in long pants and sat and read our books while relaxing on a lounge chair. Some people were in swim suits and in the pool. The Solarium is not as windy as the main pool area but it was still a little chilly for us to be in shorts.

 

They had the M&M that first sea day and they also had 2 ice shows. The ice show times were determined based on your muster station number. Our number was for the next day and we figured by the second sea day it could warm enough that we might want to be outside. If you go and wait in line at the ice rink, about 15 minutes before show time the doors are open to anyone that wants to attend regardless of muster numbers. We got in and got great seats. It was amazing how many open seats there were. It turned out to be a good idea because the seas got rough and the second show for that day was cancelled and the shows for the following day were cancelled until later in the cruise.

 

There were also many activities throughout the ship to entertain people. They know that it too cool outside to hold the typical pool activities that first and last day so they plan things inside the ship.

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pearlie

pearlie

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HI We cruised out of NJ multiple times in February. This past February we sailed out in a snow squall, we thought it was great! The 1st day is cold, but they do the ice shows etc on these days, have a parade and can keep you busy. Your meet and mingle will be on this day. It will be warmer the 2nd day. Coming back we were in the sun, pool and shorts day before last. We did hit a storm on the last day, and came back to snow covered cars. It was all good.

 

I will miss the explorer when she is gone, but look forward to the Quantum

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DevonianCruiser

DevonianCruiser

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We did the same time in March this year as you're looking at. The captain said the cruise before had been extra rough than normal even for the time of year and we would see some of the effects of it.

 

To be honest we didn't notice. The first day was a bit chilly but by lunch time the second day it was fine and we sat outside no probs. really enjoyable cruise.

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cruzinlady1947

cruzinlady1947

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They were actually from the Brighton Beach (near Coney Island) section of Brooklyn. Huge contingent who emigrated from Russia live there. Da.

Yeah, we were on the Explorer with them. I never encountered a more rude group of people. Some were even kicked off the ship at one of the ports. We will probably be with them again this year, but I will be ready for them this time. :rolleyes:

 

Anyway, back to the topic. It is cold only a day or day and a half before you hit warmer weather.

 

Gwen :)

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