Feb or April for Caribbean Cruise?

[grandmarnnurse]

 

February is a great time - just make sure you make plans to fly in a day or two early as there could be snowstorms that prohibit flying. . .

 

April will be nicer in the Caribbean - water is a bit warmer and less breezy. I was freezing on deck from Cozumel to Key West in Feb 2015 - it was SO windy! I just kept saying, "it's not 20 below 0, it's not 20 below 0"

 

Pat

 

That reminds me of our last February cruise, heading into Cozumel. Windy and quite cool! But escaping 20 below temps is always a plus!

[navybankerteacher]

Feb 18-26 or April 15-23 are the potential weeks. B/c they're both weeks that only new england states have vacation (I believe) I am not too worried about the kid-crowd. (We just got back from Disney yesterday and the crowds were moderate - much quieter than early April.)

 

I guess I'm more focused on weather. One year (can't remember when we went) we wore jeans in Miami it was such a cold spell.

 

It sounds like April would be my safest option, but I'd prefer to go in the cold winter months to avoid depression!! :-)

 

By mid-April, New England can be turning pretty pleasant, while February is still in the dark, dismal pit of winter.

 

Are you insane?

[tiny blonde]

This is the exact same question I'm wrestling with now - whether to go to Cozumel in February or April (forget March, the whole month is Spring Break). I live in Florida, so my sole purpose in going is to enjoy being on the sea. I plan to spend both sea days on the balcony, and I don't want to freeze. Neither do I want to melt in the heat in Cozumel! I'm leaning toward April, but definitely open to advice from others who have been there, done that. Thanks!

[George C]

February to avoid spring break, weather in Caribbean is great all 12 months

[grandmarnnurse]

6 minutes ago, George C said:

February to avoid spring break, weather in Caribbean is great all 12 months

I really wouldn’t say that. June to November are hurricane season. I’ve sailed in November and taken my chances, as the risk by then is lower. I’m well aware that ships do everything to avoid sailing into a hurricane, often changing courses, but do you really want to take that risk? If so, make sure you have trip insurance. I never cruise without it no matter what time of year I cruise. My hubby prefers Jan-March, to escape our nasty winter here in Buffalo, but I’m beginning to prefer March-May, to avoid the hassle of delayed or cancelled flights due to bad winter weather. For our February cruise this year, we are giving ourselves a good safety net of flying in 3 days prior to cruise. For our April B2B, we are driving, and leaving Buffalo 1 week prior. 

[George C]

12 minutes ago, grandmarnnurse said:

I really wouldn’t say that. June to November are hurricane season. I’ve sailed in November and taken my chances, as the risk by then is lower. I’m well aware that ships do everything to avoid sailing into a hurricane, often changing courses, but do you really want to take that risk? If so, make sure you have trip insurance. I never cruise without it no matter what time of year I cruise. My hubby prefers Jan-March, to escape our nasty winter here in Buffalo, but I’m beginning to prefer March-May, to avoid the hassle of delayed or cancelled flights due to bad winter weather. For our February cruise this year, we are giving ourselves a good safety net of flying in 3 days prior to cruise. For our April B2B, we are driving, and leaving Buffalo 1 week prior. 

You are of course correct about hurricane, we normally cruise week after thanksgiving, which I think poster was talking about  I know official end is November 30, . Buffalo you are lucky to get out of airport in March 😁, my wife is from there and we love visiting but in May or June will be there in two days. 

[MicCanberra]

February for me.

[grandmarnnurse]

1 hour ago, George C said:

You are of course correct about hurricane, we normally cruise week after thanksgiving, which I think poster was talking about  I know official end is November 30, . Buffalo you are lucky to get out of airport in March 😁, my wife is from there and we love visiting but in May or June will be there in two days. 

Lol! True! Our last cruise was on March 2, so on February 28,  we checked into a hotel directly across from airport as to not have to battle the snow driving to airport early the next morning. Best thing we ever did! Hotel kept our car, and shuttle took us over at 4:30am. I think we will do the same for my flight out on January 30 for my February 2 cruise out of NOLA. 

[George C]

17 minutes ago, grandmarnnurse said:

Lol! True! Our last cruise was on March 2, so on February 28,  we checked into a hotel directly across from airport as to not have to battle the snow driving to airport early the next morning. Best thing we ever did! Hotel kept our car, and shuttle took us over at 4:30am. I think we will do the same for my flight out on January 30 for my February 2 cruise out of NOLA. 

Wife friends and family like visiting us in much warmer Dallas and also will spend night before at the hotel .

[d9704011]

I think the OP made a typo on the thread title... s/b February and April...?  Yes!

 

[tiny blonde]

11 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

I think the OP made a typo on the thread title... s/b February and April...?  Yes!

 

I think that's the answer - Yes! Ideally go both months. But since I am most looking forward to relaxing out on my balcony for both sea days, I've decided to go with April. Cozumel might be hot and muggy then, but I can always retreat to the A/C aboard the ship. I'll go ashore for a cafe con leche or a Mexican chocolate, maybe shop a little bit, and escape the heat when it becomes too much. But I want beautiful sea days when I can be out on the balcony, and I think April is guaranteed just right. Since I live in Florida, battling Winter weather is not an issue, and I'm not getting away from anything . . . . I'm going toward something nicer, namely the sea.

Thanks for all your input, it has really helped!

[grandmarnnurse]

11 hours ago, George C said:

Wife friends and family like visiting us in much warmer Dallas and also will spend night before at the hotel .

Lol! This is funny, because THIS Buffalo gal visits her son and family in Dallas, also! Love the weather, hate the crazy expressway roads! Oh, and the tornado warnings going off on our phones! 😬 My son and his family pretty much avoid Buffalo in the winter. 🤣

[navybankerteacher]

On 4/27/2016 at 1:35 PM, heffa72 said:

Feb 18-26 or April 15-23 are the potential weeks. B/c they're both weeks that only new england states have vacation (I believe) I am not too worried about the kid-crowd. (We just got back from Disney yesterday and the crowds were moderate - much quieter than early April.)

 

I guess I'm more focused on weather. One year (can't remember when we went) we wore jeans in Miami it was such a cold spell.

 

It sounds like April would be my safest option, but I'd prefer to go in the cold winter months to avoid depression!! 🙂

If you are really talking about the Caribbean, why mention Miami?  In the Caribbean, AFebruary and April are close to indistinguishable.  And Miami can be chilly in April and warm in February.

 

It is more important to get out of New England in February - April there can be OK.

[Joebucks]

6 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

If you are really talking about the Caribbean, why mention Miami?  In the Caribbean, AFebruary and April are close to indistinguishable.  And Miami can be chilly in April and warm in February.

 

It is more important to get out of New England in February - April there can be OK.

 

Historically, it is hotter in Miami in April.

 

Having done both, I prefer April. I have been to quite a few southern American cities that have been cold in January-February. Once you hit the spring, that largely goes away.

[tiny blonde]

48 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

Historically, it is hotter in Miami in April.

 

Having done both, I prefer April. I have been to quite a few southern American cities that have been cold in January-February. Once you hit the spring, that largely goes away.

 

What you say is true. What everyone has said here is true. But no one seems to understand that I am not getting away from snow (I live in Florida) and I'm not concerned about the weather here. What I am interested in is the weather at sea, on the balcony, where I intend to spend the entire cruise, because that's what's on my bucket list . . . .. . . being outdoors, surrounded by ocean, hopefully in very comfortable temperatures. I've decided that April is safer than February for that, and although it might be too hot in Cozumel in April, that's better than it being too cold on my balcony on sea days!

 

Thanks for all your very valuable input - I appreciate the validation. 🙂 

[cincicruisers]

We always cruise the last week of February first week of March.  It’s such a dreary time of year for weather.  So nice to go to tropical weather for the week.  When we get home (Kentucky) spring is on the horizon.  We have had great weather on all out cruises.

[grandmarnnurse]

9 hours ago, cincicruisers said:

We always cruise the last week of February first week of March.  It’s such a dreary time of year for weather.  So nice to go to tropical weather for the week.  When we get home (Kentucky) spring is on the horizon.  We have had great weather on all out cruises.

That was the week we chose this past March, but, alas, we are still waiting for decent Spring weather here in Buffalo, NY. Only 45 this morning, and I have both my gas fireplaces on trying to take the chill out of the house. Haven’t even been able to open our pool yet this year. 😢 I’m ready for another cruise now! We cruise the Glory this coming February out of NOLA, and then the Magic in April out of Ft Lauderdale, but we will be starting our drive down to Florida in March.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 5/23/2019 at 4:39 PM, tiny blonde said:

This is the exact same question I'm wrestling with now - whether to go to Cozumel in February or April (forget March, the whole month is Spring Break). I live in Florida, so my sole purpose in going is to enjoy being on the sea. I plan to spend both sea days on the balcony, and I don't want to freeze. Neither do I want to melt in the heat in Cozumel! I'm leaning toward April, but definitely open to advice from others who have been there, done that. Thanks!

April for sure. We usually sail in November and April (school breaks), and were there in December (by accident) and April - and there is no comparison. We had to wear clothes and couldn't swim in December, but in April it was wonderful. It was definitely not too hot (although it could be even in GA), but just right.

Edited June 4, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[tiny blonde]

48 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

April for sure. We usually sail in November and April (school breaks), and were there in December (by accident) and April - and there is no comparison. We had to wear clothes and couldn't swim in December, but in April it was wonderful. It was definitely not too hot (although it could be even in GA), but just right.

 

Thanks, that's very validating! I've chosen the April 9 sailing, and I'm counting the days, can hardly wait!!

[Kate P.C]

We were there March/April and we loved the weather. Absolutely no rain, and we got home with a beautiful bronze tan.