Too cold to do Cape Liberty, NJ cruise in Dec?

[At Sea At Peace]

12 hours ago, zeppgirl said:

I'm having internal turmoil because we are looking to book our next cruise. The best deal and the longest cruise is one sailing from Cape Liberty to Florida and the Bahamas. All looks good, except I'm concerned about flying to NJ in the winter and that the first few days and last few days of the cruise will be cold. Has anyone sailed from here in the winter and if so, how was your experience?

 

 

 

We've done it a couple of time in the winter, the most recent being a 12N Eastern Caribbean in 2018 on the Anthem (1/7/2018-1/19/2018).

 

We decided that that would be the last time we sailed out of either NY or NJ in the winter again.

 

First, we love the Quantum Class RCCL ships.  Like the design, like the preparedness for all weather and like the way it handles the seas.

 

However, we really had bad weather at each end of the cruise at the airport and cruise terminal.  Boarding the ship with iced decks and returning with the same just not our idea of cruising.  We were at sea on departure day, then two sea days, then the first stop on the 4th day at San Juan at 3 PM.  That was the first time, the weather was decent enough to go to sun decks.

 

The return was worse, having to cross a nor'easter due to a medical emergency to speed to NY a day or so earlier (we were going to go back out to sea but we didn't).  The crossing of the storm was A BLAST for us as we've got good sea legs.  They allowed us up in the forward Solarium to watch (which surprised us and about 25 other passengers).

 

We were still full time in NH at the time, now in FL for the winters so will continue cruising out of the three big ports.

[Joebucks]

Just curious, what type of answer are you looking for? It is pretty certain that NJ will be very cold in December. The cruise will head towards warmer weather and then return to the cold weather. This is very likely why this itinerary is the best deal.

 

It just depends on what experience you are looking for and if it will bother you.

[Merion_Mom]

Sailing with snow on the decks is FUN.  The crew members LOVE it, since many of them come from countries that never experience snow.

 

 

[zeppgirl]

34 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

Just curious, what type of answer are you looking for? It is pretty certain that NJ will be very cold in December. The cruise will head towards warmer weather and then return to the cold weather. This is very likely why this itinerary is the best deal.

 

It just depends on what experience you are looking for and if it will bother you.

I had no idea of what to expect. I would think it would be cold, but wondering why they would put a cruise somewhere very cold.  Wasn't sure if I was overthinking it, but it sounds like it actually will be too cold.

[CruiseBride926]

5 hours ago, jptoz said:

By 4  pm on day 2 you will probably  be in 70 degree weather. Next morning you will be off the coast of Florida. I've done this cruise alot, and the biggest problem with it is the florida stop. Its absolutely  useless. As others have said Anthem is built for cold weather. Lots of great indoor venues. 

It’s not useless. It’s a great opportunity to get a discount at the spa without feeling like you’re missing anything. 😂

[kwokpot]

49 minutes ago, At Sea At Peace said:

 

We've done it a couple of time in the winter, the most recent being a 12N Eastern Caribbean in 2018 on the Anthem (1/7/2018-1/19/2018).

 

We decided that that would be the last time we sailed out of either NY or NJ in the winter again.

 

First, we love the Quantum Class RCCL ships.  Like the design, like the preparedness for all weather and like the way it handles the seas.

 

However, we really had bad weather at each end of the cruise at the airport and cruise terminal.  Boarding the ship with iced decks and returning with the same just not our idea of cruising.  We were at sea on departure day, then two sea days, then the first stop on the 4th day at San Juan at 3 PM.  That was the first time, the weather was decent enough to go to sun decks.

 

The return was worse, having to cross a nor'easter due to a medical emergency to speed to NY a day or so earlier (we were going to go back out to sea but we didn't).  The crossing of the storm was A BLAST for us as we've got good sea legs.  They allowed us up in the forward Solarium to watch (which surprised us and about 25 other passengers).

 

We were still full time in NH at the time, now in FL for the winters so will continue cruising out of the three big ports.

Your experience is not unique. I keep saying that you have to reach Florida before it's warm enough to be out on the sundeck and seems like no one wants to admit that. Anyone that says you can sit out in shorts on DAY 2 during the Winter is not really being honest.

[boscobeans]

11 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Your experience is not unique. I keep saying that you have to reach Florida before it's warm enough to be out on the sundeck and seems like no one wants to admit that. Anyone that says you can sit out in shorts on DAY 2 during the Winter is not really being honest.

 

HONESTLY  lol

 

If the ANTHEM departs Jersey at 4PM by 4PM the next day it will have been heading South for 24 hours.

Where will it be after 24 hours at 25 mph = 600 miles

 

Well over 20 years leaving from ports near and far and we have seen warm sunny days at Christmas and Blizzards in April. Seas as smooth as a pool table in the Winter and 30 foot seas with 50 mph winds and deck shaking thunder in the Summer. 

 

No way of telling, however in any case we would rather spend our time ON a ship than IN any airports or hotels. 

[kwokpot]

24 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

Well over 20 years leaving from ports near and far and we have seen warm sunny days at Christmas and Blizzards in April. Seas as smooth as a pool table in the Winter and 30 foot seas with 50 mph winds and deck shaking thunder in the Summer. 

 

Same experience here. First Winter cruise was on the NCL Dawn on Dec. 7th, 2003 from Manhattan Snowed the previous night.  During sailaway people were having bar-b-que outside in their ski parkas, food ice cold in about 5 mins. Craziness. We decided to have a nice meal at the French Restaurant Le Bistro. On the return another snow storm. No taxis anywhere. We trudged our luggage through the snow one city block before we found a taxi to our apartment.  

 

Edit: I'm on a Christmas cruise Dec. 24th, 2021 on the Anthem from Bayonne. I'll report back my experiences. 

Edited June 27, 2021 by kwokpot

[sixbirches]

21 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

 

HONESTLY  lol

 

If the ANTHEM departs Jersey at 4PM by 4PM the next day it will have been heading South for 24 hours.

Where will it be after 24 hours at 25 mph = 600 miles

 

Well over 20 years leaving from ports near and far and we have seen warm sunny days at Christmas and Blizzards in April. Seas as smooth as a pool table in the Winter and 30 foot seas with 50 mph winds and deck shaking thunder in the Summer. 

 

No way of telling, however in any case we would rather spend our time ON a ship than IN any airports or hotels. 

I totally agree. Winter weather in the NE runs the gamut. I remember sitting on the deck wearing a sweatshirt and drinking spiked hot chocolate in an insulated mug on the morning after our sail away. I loved it!

[sixbirches]

[DaniDanielle]

We have done many December and January cruises out of Cape Liberty.   We have had wonderful experiences on all.

[kwokpot]

10 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

We have done many December and January cruises out of Cape Liberty.   We have had wonderful experiences on all.

I absolutely agree and living in NYC and Philly I've done NYC, Bayonne, and Baltimore sailings every year for more than 15 years. But People want to know what's the weather is like in the winter months and to say that you can be sitting out on the deck in a bathing suit on a moving ship while sailing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Carolinas in December is just misrepresentation.  Do people go to the beach in a bathing suit and sit out and sun tan on Hilton Head Island during December, January? No. Would you walk around the beach in joggers and a hoodie? Sure. Not the same thing. 

[njkruzer]

Agree Anthem is a great ship for winter sailing.  Lots to do indoors, including indoor pools.

 

As to rough seas, I've had rough seas in the Caribbean in January.   Happens all the time in lots of places.

[meadowlander]

My most recent sailing on Anthem in the month of January it was above 60 degrees on the first full sea day. Prepare for cold weather  but do not let that keep you from booking. On each of my December & January Bayonne sailings, the outdoor decks were closed on the last full sea day. As pointed out by many, Anthem has many indoor activities. I would sail a December cruise from New Jersey before I would cruise during hurricane season out of Florida or Texas.

[rtazz17]

18 hours ago, zeppgirl said:

I'm having internal turmoil because we are looking to book our next cruise. The best deal and the longest cruise is one sailing from Cape Liberty to Florida and the Bahamas. All looks good, except I'm concerned about flying to NJ in the winter and that the first few days and last few days of the cruise will be cold. Has anyone sailed from here in the winter and if so, how was your experience?

 

 

Yup we did that. Never again. First 2 days were freezing. Last two days were freezing. On top of it the atlantic is very rough most of the time. We will never go out of cape liberty again. Of course you could get lucky and have moderate temps but on the water going 25 mph theres a wind chill on top of it. Water is cold in jersey in december no matter the air temp and wind blowing over cold water equals cold feeling on your body. But if you enjoy being indoors you will love it. I dont like anthem class either. I like being outdoors all the time. Oasis class is all we sail now. Everyone is different but chances are you will spend 4 days mostly indoors on ship. 2 down and 2 up.

Edited June 27, 2021 by rtazz17

[cruisinfanatic]

18 hours ago, zeppgirl said:

I'm having internal turmoil because we are looking to book our next cruise. The best deal and the longest cruise is one sailing from Cape Liberty to Florida and the Bahamas. All looks good, except I'm concerned about flying to NJ in the winter and that the first few days and last few days of the cruise will be cold. Has anyone sailed from here in the winter and if so, how was your experience?

 

 

No matter what the BS some post here, only one thing is for sure. It will be cold the first and last day and a good part of the 2nd and 2nd to last day. And on top of that there is no guaranty at that time of year that it won't be cold in the bahamas either. Book something Caribbean from Florida

[cruisinfanatic]

Just now, cruisinfanatic said:

No matter what the BS some post here, only one thing is for sure. It will be cold the first and last day and a good part of the 2nd and 2nd to last day. And on top of that there is no guaranty at that time of year that it won't be cold (non swimming temperature) in the bahamas either. Book something Caribbean from Florida

 

[boscobeans]

1 hour ago, cruisinfanatic said:

BS

Our experiences are just that, our experiences NOT BS, sorry if you disagree..

[CTSandy]

I sail out of NJ every February - don’t use my balcony for a day and a half in each direction.  However, port in NJ is about a two hour drive from home, by February I am looking forward to getting to a sunny place for a few days, and lots to do on Anthem that doesn’t require being outdoors.  I’m happy taking my iPad to the solarium and reading and relaxing there.  I’m booked for February 20 and looking forward to it.  Btw, I agree the itinerary is boring; I just like cruising.

[Jasukkie]

Jersey Girl here. There is no better feeling than coming in out of the cold and enjoying a tropical beverage in the solarium as you glide out of NY harbor. I've also been on Anthem in January and people were enjoying the flowrider on the last sea say. There's no predicting mother nature six months out. Personally, I enjoy the mix of weather including rougher seas than the Caribbean. Anthem is a great ship, plenty of great indoor and outdoor spaces.

[CPT Trips]

We cruise annually out of NY/NJ, but we do the longer cruises that get into the Caribbean. On a couple occasions we did a seven day to FL and the Bahamas last minute at ridiculously low prices.
We pack for three sea days cold/cool outside weather. If we don’t need that stuff, great.

If you want to visit Disney, plan a Disney trip. A newbie won’t really get anything close to a first time Disney experience and if you’ve been there before, you’ll be disappointed. 

[kwokpot]

27 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

If you want to visit Disney, plan a Disney trip. A newbie won’t really get anything close to a first time Disney experience and if you’ve been there before, you’ll be disappointed. 

On one of the Anthem cruises it was March and the ship was full of kids looking for their Disney World port trips. Unfortunately there was an Medical Emergency en-route down to Florida and the ship had to turn around somewhere around Virginia to Medivac a person off the ship. This medical emergency caused a four hour delay arriving to Port Canaveral, which basically prevented any tours to Disneyworld, private or ship tour. 

[Baowen]

I've done this cruise on the Anthem. I found it to be cold during boarding but as many have said, by the next day you are in warmer weather.  Cruising out of New York is fantastic and the Anthem is a great ship. If it saves you enough money to book an additional cruise, I would go for it.

[Lady Hudson]

31 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

On one of the Anthem cruises it was March and the ship was full of kids looking for their Disney World port trips. Unfortunately there was an Medical Emergency en-route down to Florida and the ship had to turn around somewhere around Virginia to Medivac a person off the ship. This medical emergency caused a four hour delay arriving to Port Canaveral, which basically prevented any tours to Disneyworld, private or ship tour. 

Agree that Disney trips can be cancelled for a variety of reasons and then there are many who are disappointed.  This has happened on at least one trip I was on.  Funny story.  One captain, sailing with his very young children, asked passengers not to mention 'Disney' around his kids.  Said he had docked the ship at a different pier so his kids wouldn't know where we were!

[Bailey & Sophie]

 

We usually cruise the Caribbean in Feb out of either Fort Lauderdale or Miami. Twice it has been so cold we had to put our winter coats on gor sailaway. We're from Minnesota so we always have them with us in Feb.