Weather on a transatlantic cruise

[doglover214]

We are going on the November 6th Lisbon to Miami cruise. 
Does anyone have any experience with the weather on that crossing?

We don’t know if the weather will be cold ( as it would be in Lisbon) or warm ( more like Miami). 
I would prefer not to pack clothing for both types of weather. 

[twodjs]

We've done a transatlantic a bit later in November from Barcelona to Miami. Definitely cold until we arrived in Madera. Then warm all the way to Miami. We didn't expect warm weather so soon, and hadn't even packed shorts. Lesson learned. 

[mraven]

Had the same experience as twodjs. 60s until we got to Madeira. Then warmed a bit each day. Definitely do the toboggan in Madeira. What a ride!

[doglover214]

Thanks for your experiences. 

[Nops]

Sailed twice across Atlantic out of Lisbon in 2018 and 2019 and looking forward to joining on 6 Nov. Both time weather was great throughout. Definitely shorts from Madeira onwards. Lisbon was around 20 deg C, though in 2019 we had a monumental downpour. 

My only proviso is that this year the cruise is travelling further north to Miami. Our US friends will have more details of the prevailing weather there.

 

If I am wrong then I will be the guy shivering in shorts on board.

 

[whogo]

6 hours ago, Nops said:

though in 2019 we had a monumental downpour. 

We enjoyed a number of rainy days on our November 2012 crossing from Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale.

[Catlover54]

You will almost certainly need to be versatile and prepared for both cool weather (Lisbon) and warmer weather (Miami) anyway.

 

Consider:

 

1. Two pairs of long pants of medium heft for when it is cool (at least one should be the kind you can also wear to dinner in The Restaurant, e.g., black )

2. Two pairs of shorts (if you do shorts, otherwise two pairs of very light weight long pants, e.g., linen

3.  Information on where the laundry room is (often deck 5) and/or willingness to pay extra 50% for express cleaning, and/or Woolite for the sink

4.  A bathing suit no matter what (only weighs a few ounzes, add a couple extra oz if you are a lady)

5.  A couple nice blouses or tops (not sure what gender you are) that go with #1 and #2, and a sweater to put over everything if needed

6.  A rain resistant jacket

7. A pair of skid-resistant walking shoes, a pair of sandals, and a pair of shoes nice enough for dinner but that can double as a backup for light walking around (so probably, again, black)

 

This could all fit in a rollaboard PLUS on your body.  It is a boring wardrobe, but lightweight and versatile.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[SLSD]

10 minutes ago, Catlover54 said:

 

 

This could all fit in a rollaboard PLUS on your body.  It is a boring wardrobe, but lightweight and versatile.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

I like how you think Catlover.  We're not cruising right now--waiting for things to calm down---the airports, luggage handling, Covid...,   But, in my spare time I've spent some time thinking about how to pack for an entire cruise (whatever the length) in a bag that can be carried on the flight.  No one loves boring wardrobes, but that's what it might be to carry this off.  

[tv24]

Doglover214:  The others have done a great job summarizing what to expect, and it all lines up with my experience of 3 November southern crossings.  Start out cool/cold, end up hot.  This is a great crossing and a great way to return to North America.

[doglover214]

Thank you all. 

[lisa6191]

@doglover214 so how was the weather on your cruise? Did you pack well or was there anything you needed/didn’t need? We are taking the November 7 cruise out of Barcelona this year so I would think the weather would be similar (although we end in Barbados, where did you end?). 

 

Any updated info on weather from this past November crossing from Barcelona appreciated!

[lisa6191]

Sorry, November 9, wouldn’t let me edit. And I see you ended in Miami, and I know the Miami weather was unseasonably cold and rainy this year, so ending in Barbados will almost certainly make it warmer. 

Edited February 29 by lisa6191

[Hlitner]

Having done dozens of crossing (including a few in November) the one lesson we learned is to not rely on anecdotal comments based on a few crossings :).  You need to be prepared for just about anything.  With good luck it will still be comfortable in Barcelona and you will have a calm crossing with temps getting a bit warmer every day.  With bad luck there can be late season hurricanes that will force the Captain to take a more northerly course and keep you in more chilly weather.  The old rule applies, bring layers of clothing to handle anything.

 

Hank

[firsttimers68]

10 hours ago, lisa6191 said:

@doglover214 so how was the weather on your cruise? Did you pack well or was there anything you needed/didn’t need? We are taking the November 7 cruise out of Barcelona this year so I would think the weather would be similar (although we end in Barbados, where did you end?). 

 

Any updated info on weather from this past November crossing from Barcelona appreciated!

We have done the crossing from Lisbon to Barbados in November. First couple of days weather was cool, then it warmed up nicely. We are doing the Lisbon/Barbados this year and for that I pack a sweater, couple of pairs of daytime trousers and lots of shorts and short sleeved shirts for daytime.