Caribbean End of March or end of August

[rojoand8]

We have a Caribbean cruise booked for the end of March 2021 on the Mereglivia. I really wanted an August cruise but the 2021 dates aren’t posted yet so to I scheduled the one in March just to be sure I had something. Then I was thinking, maybe the March date would be better. Can anyone give me an idea of what the weather and the seas are like in late March early June?

[dexddd]

We've gone all those times several times.  We've always had good weather  and few issues.  Only issue I recall was missing NCL private island due to waves and a switched port in August from St Maarten to San Juan due to tropical storm.

 

YMMV though as we are talking about weather after all.  August most likely to be month of greater risk of three months listed.

[capriccio]

Are you considering a cruise beginning on March 27 or 28 and ending April 3 or 4?  If so, April 4, 2021 is Easter.  Many US schools have off the week before Easter and if MSC is like other cruise lines (I'm speculating because our first cruise on MSC is in January), they will charge a premium for sailings that week and there will be lots of kids on board.  If you are thinking the week earlier, there will be fewer kids and maybe slightly lower fares (March is still high season).  The weather in South Florida at least in March is much nicer (relatively cooler, much less humidity and not in hurricane season which is June 1 to December 1) than August.

[Homosassa]

Late March is not yet hurricane season. This does not mean that there may not be a storm or a frontal passage that will kick up the seas, but that can happen any time of year.

 

Hurricane season runs from April through November.  You may not have a problem in June as the frequency of hurricanes is less early in the season.

 

In August, there is a higher risk that your cruise could be affected by a tropical storm or hurricane.

 

You pay your money, make your choice and take your chances.

[rojoand8]

1 hour ago, capriccio said:

Are you considering a cruise beginning on March 27 or 28 and ending April 3 or 4?  If so, April 4, 2021 is Easter.  Many US schools have off the week before Easter and if MSC is like other cruise lines (I'm speculating because our first cruise on MSC is in January), they will charge a premium for sailings that week and there will be lots of kids on board.  If you are thinking the week earlier, there will be fewer kids and maybe slightly lower fares (March is still high season).  The weather in South Florida at least in March is much nicer (relatively cooler, much less humidity and not in hurricane season which is June 1 to December 1) than August.

The week we have booked is the 21st to 28th. I’m really considering staying with this cruise unless what they come out with in August is something real special. 

[ssmea03]

As has been mentioned August is close to peak hurricane season, also your choice of ship will be limited to Seaside and Armonia. Mereviglia and Divina will still be in Europe.

Edited October 1, 2019 by ssmea03

[modes]

Usually much better weather in March than August which is hurricane season. March is a no brainer.

[rojoand8]

Thank you everyone for your input. So it’s known that the ships sailing the Caribbean in August will be Seaside and Armonia?  If that’s the case, we’ll definitely keep the March cruise on Mereviglia because Armonia doesn’t have the YC, And we were just on the Seaside this past July.  

[citizenfrank]

Weather....March

Though I've been more in August and never has an issue!

 

[RedIguana]

On 9/29/2019 at 4:29 PM, Homosassa said:

Hurricane season runs from April through November.  You may not have a problem in June as the frequency of hurricanes is less early in the season.

Technically Hurricane season begins June 1, not in April. Although there are occasionally tropical cyclones in April or May, it is on the order of once every 10-20 years for the whole basin. Even June tropical cyclones are not super common. Note this is for the Atlantic side. The Pacific has a few more in June.

[Fogfog]

March-- nice weather though plenty of families so if you are looking for adults only... it won't happen

May (you asked about late March early June?)   May will be hotter and you will catch the families whose kids are out of school by Memorial Day

August--summertime and certainly hot...Plenty of families before the kids go back to school. Hurricanes TBD  Could be nothing and could be something. They reroute the itinerary for weather

[Homosassa]

On 10/4/2019 at 11:49 AM, RedIguana said:

Technically Hurricane season begins June 1, not in April. Although there are occasionally tropical cyclones in April or May, it is on the order of once every 10-20 years for the whole basin. Even June tropical cyclones are not super common. Note this is for the Atlantic side. The Pacific has a few more in June.

Yes, that is what I thought about June being the start of hurricane season. Yet all our local TV stations (Tampa bay area) always announce in April that the tropical weather season has started and the tropical weather updates are started at scheduled times.

 

And while we may not have had a hurricane that early, we have had some violent frontal passages when the cold air from the north collides with that warm moist air from the south that destroy airline schedules and can make for rough conditions at sea.

[mickey89]

Caribbean humid is at its peak in August, much prefer spring sailing.