What to do in inclement weather?

[coasterjan]

My husband and I are sailing out on the Carnival Victory next Sunday, and all the weather reports we can see so far are indicating rain, rain, and more rain. Does it usually rain all day in Cozumel, Grand Cayman or Ocho Rios this time of year? I understand that the excursions go out rain or shine, but it's certainly going to put a damper on our beach time if it's pouring. Has anyone ever had a whole week of rain on a cruise? I know with all the food and entertainment on board, we'll be able to amuse ourselves for a couple of days, but 7 days of rain might make us a little stir-crazy. What experience have others had? Please respond, we're getting nervous!!

 

Janis (coasterjan)

[LHP]

We will send out "sun shine wishes" and "rain chase away vibes" for your up coming cruise.

 

Unfortunately, we can't control mother nature. I am not a beach or sun person, so 7 days of rain would not bother me.

 

The good news is that the few times we have hit Cozumel when it was raining in the morning...by 9AM the rain was gone. It was pretty quick showers.

 

Of course, there is no guarantee.

 

I love to just sit and stare at the rain...sounds like this is the cruise for me!!

 

Hope the weather gives you a break.

[OldNavy]

We've done cruises where we've had rain off and on over several days but our experience has been that the Capt tries his best to sail around bad weather whenever possible. I wouldn't worry. Our weather persons here can't even predect the weather looking out the window, let alone where you're going a week away. Buy a $.99 poncho from Wal Mart before leaving and go for the gusto and have fun. ;)

[RetireeWannabee]

Yeah, take ponchos and decide that you will enjoy yourselves NO MATTER WHAT! Surely there will be interesting shops or architecture or parks to explore? I love watching rain on an ocean but I can see if you are a lay-out person it would not be fun for you.

 

You can control your attitude so don't let rain put a damper on things. Make the best of it!!!

[cruise_lover]

Our last cruise in Coasta Maya we went to the ruins. We carried purse-size umbrellas in our bags because a 50% chance of rain had been predicted. By the time we were walking back to the bus from the ruins the sun went behind the clouds and the rains came down. We were the only ones in our group with umbrellas. Unless we hear that storms are in the forecast a little rain isn't going to stop us.

 

If you don't want to get off the ship you can find a comfortable spot and read a book, go to the photo gallery and look at all the photos, walk in the shops, go to the buffet - get a cup of coffee and plate of pastries and people-watch or go back to the room and catch up on your sleep. The things to do on a cruise ship are endless if you take time to think about it.

 

Don't worry about things you can not control. Just think of where you are, and what you won't have; no office phones ringing, faxes coming in, memos to get out, deadlines to meet, etc.

[Jimmers]

Same thing happened to us in August. My daughter who was going on her first cruise was all upset because rain was called for at all of our ports of call. "This is great Dad, it's going to rain everyday!!!".

 

As it turned out we didn't have a drop of rain the whole cruise.

 

In four cruises of the Caribbean over the years we've only had two ports where we were "rained out". It can be a bummer if it's a really nice port but for us it just gave us a reason to come back again.

 

I'm not sure how the weather affects the excursions. Seems to me that a beach excursion would be cancelled and you'd get a refund.

 

Jimmers:)

[sail7seas]

We once booked a walking tour for Old Quebec City. It was pouring when we arrived in port so hard the rain was blowing horizontally. You could not think of opening an umbrella. We went to the ship's excursion office and they thought we were crazy to say we weren't going. Just a 'little rain'. They didn't cancel. If it was only a 'little rain' we certainly would have put on our raincoats, taken our umbrellas and gone but this was torrential for hours.

 

[JanineM]

It is still tropical storm season, so you're going to see pop-up showers in the afternoon. That's not to say that it couldn't rain all day, but we have frequently seen a couple of hours of clouds and some rain.

 

Even if it does rain, the air is still going to be quite warm. We've had rainy weather all week in this part of Florida, and for most days it was 90 degrees plus in the afternoon. So sticky, humid, icky. You can still go out and do things in that weather - you'll just get a bit wet!

 

I think there is a tropical system out there, so you might want to take a look at accuweather or wunderground to get an idea of what is expected. If it looks like more rain than sun, then pack a poncho. There will be plenty to keep you occupied on the ship!

[RMVET]

That's why we always book with cruise lines known for their outstanding onboard programs and speakers. Then, staying onboard if the weather isn't good doesn't present a hardship.

[Jimmers]

That's why we always book with cruise lines known for their outstanding onboard programs and speakers. Then, staying onboard if the weather isn't good doesn't present a hardship.

 

 

So true. If it is rainy during a vacation, not too many places I'd rather be than on a cruise ship in the caribbean. I always feel for friends who have booked a week at the Jersey shore and get rained out.

 

And in your neck of the woods, Wash D.C., what a miserable vacation that would be walking around the sites in the rain.

 

Speaking of rain, I wish to hell it would stop here in Jersey. Haven't seen the sun in over 4 days.

 

Jimmers:)

[geoherb]

A little rain shower usually doesn't last long. We've been hit by them in St. Thomas a couple of times and in Grenada last year.

 

The big thing to worry about is a cold front--that can really get the boat rocking. We've only had two big storms. The first was coming back from Cozumel to Miami on NCL's Seaward. The waves were 30 feet. The second time was heading back to Norfolk on HAL's Maasdam. That was gale force 10 winds (50 knots) and 30-foot seas.

[coasterjan]

So true. If it is rainy during a vacation, not too many places I'd rather be than on a cruise ship in the caribbean. I always feel for friends who have booked a week at the Jersey shore and get rained out.

 

And in your neck of the woods, Wash D.C., what a miserable vacation that would be walking around the sites in the rain.

 

Speaking of rain, I wish to hell it would stop here in Jersey. Haven't seen the sun in over 4 days.

 

Jimmers:)

 

It's been raining here in Central Virginia for days on end. Yesterday, I spent 5 miserable hours at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, riding roller coasters in a downpour. I was soaked to the skin and freezing when I finally convinced DH to leave. I had visions of the cruise being like that, but I'm praying that if we see rain, it won't be all day every day like it has been here. At least it shouldn't be so blinkin' COLD.....

[Jimmers]

It's been raining here in Central Virginia for days on end. Yesterday, I spent 5 miserable hours at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, riding roller coasters in a downpour. I was soaked to the skin and freezing when I finally convinced DH to leave. .

 

OMG, what a trooper you were to do Busch Gardens in the rain. It makes me shiver to think about it. Yuck!!

 

My rainy week sob story is that I have a brand new Motorcycle that was delivered on Wed and I haven't been able to take it out of the garage for it's maiden voyage. The weatherman said it might clear up by this afternoon. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Jimmers:)

[agabbymama]

For our Caribbean cruise in Nov '04, the week was forecast as rain everyday, and that is exactly what happened. Our city tour was not cancelled, but nobody got off the bus to look around at the stops. Our El Yunque (sp?) tour was cancelled because the roads were too muddy for the buses. We had rain on St. Martin and St. Thomas. The tour buses were open air sides, but had plastic that rolled down to protect us inside from getting wet.

 

Likewise when we did our New England/Canada cruise it rained so hard in Halifax and Quebec City, the umbrellas were useless. The wind just turned them inside out. Not a tour was cancelled. Our walking tour and carriage ride in Quebec was done in torrential rain. It was still beautiful.

 

We didn't let the rain stop us from sightseeing. We aren't beach people, so didn't plan on spending a lot of time at the beach anyway. For the ship, we took playing cards, books, and dice for games to entertain ourselves. And with the activities, shows, etc on-board, we were never without something to do.

[coasterjan]

For our Caribbean cruise in Nov '04, the week was forecast as rain everyday, and that is exactly what happened. Our city tour was not cancelled, but nobody got off the bus to look around at the stops. Our El Yunque (sp?) tour was cancelled because the roads were too muddy for the buses. We had rain on St. Martin and St. Thomas. The tour buses were open air sides, but had plastic that rolled down to protect us inside from getting wet.

 

Likewise when we did our New England/Canada cruise it rained so hard in Halifax and Quebec City, the umbrellas were useless. The wind just turned them inside out. Not a tour was cancelled. Our walking tour and carriage ride in Quebec was done in torrential rain. It was still beautiful.

 

We didn't let the rain stop us from sightseeing. We aren't beach people, so didn't plan on spending a lot of time at the beach anyway. For the ship, we took playing cards, books, and dice for games to entertain ourselves. And with the activities, shows, etc on-board, we were never without something to do.

 

Thank you for replying - I was hoping to hear from somebody that survived a rainy cruise. We're scuba diving in Cozumel, and seeing the sting rays in Grand Cayman, and unless it's an awful storm, rain shouldn't bother us too much on our excursions. The cards and dice are a good idea, and my DH already plans to take his PSP (handheld game system), and I never leave home without books, so I'm feeling better that we'll be fine regardless of the weather.

Thanks!

Janis

[RMVET]

Since my husband is from England, we have spent most of our holidays in England, and we always generally end up seeing the sights in the rain. So, we are pretty used to rainy weather while on vacation.

 

The only truly disappointing bad weather experience we had on a ship was the first time we sailed from NYC. We had really been looking forward to seeing the NYC skyline and the surrounding sights. Unfortunately, it was so foggy we couldn't see anything except the lower floors of the buildings along the river. We did, however, get good views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, so it wasn't a total disappointment. It gave us an incentive to sail out of NYC again so that we could experience a good NYC departure.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Had it happen once on a cruise in July - rained every day. We did get off the ship and walked around the shops to help pass the time. Once back on the ship, read books, relaxed around the pool, took part in activites.

 

Overall, it wasn't bad.

[cruisemom42]

Thank you for replying - I was hoping to hear from somebody that survived a rainy cruise. We're scuba diving in Cozumel, and seeing the sting rays in Grand Cayman, and unless it's an awful storm, rain shouldn't bother us too much on our excursions. The cards and dice are a good idea, and my DH already plans to take his PSP (handheld game system), and I never leave home without books, so I'm feeling better that we'll be fine regardless of the weather.

Thanks!

Janis

 

We had rain all day in Grand Cayman last May, but DS and I did the snorkeling and Stingray City excursion. It would've been more pleasant if sunny but was still fun. One tip -- the boats are only partially covered and you WILL get wet if it's raining. Take an extra set of clothes in a waterproof bag for AFTER your snorkeling. We learned the hard way. We only had one set of clothes and didn't take them off on the ride out -- they got wet and we were wet and chilled after the two snorkeling stops with no dry clothes. I had wanted to stay and shop a bit in GC after the excursion but was too unpleasantly cold and wet so just went back to the ship.

 

As for a rainy day at sea -- nothing beats sitting at the (covered) poolside bar with a rum drink watching the rain fall on the water.