Cruising Out Of NY/NJ

[April81]

Can anyone tell me how rough the Atlantic gets, cruising out of NY/NJ in Jan/Feb?

[negn]

I dont know how rough , but remember. you"ll be losing about 2 days out and back due to the weather. It's too cold to be out on deck

[booklady26]

Like sailing out of any other port, it depends on the weather. I've sailed a number of times out of NYC and usually have had smooth sailing except for 2 cruises.

 

I think the reason why the NE gets a bad rap about winter cruising is that we tend tend to get storms known as Noreasters which travel up the coast and head out to the north Atlantic. I've been caught in them twice and it can get pretty rough. Once was on the QM2. Don't believe people when they say that you don't feel the motion on a large ship. I'm a pretty good sailor but I was very grateful our cabin was midship on a relatively lower deck.

 

But on the other hand, I remember a couple of cruises out of Florida or sailing in the Caribbean when the seas were just as bad. The first time I ever saw "sick bags" in public areas on a ship was sailing from Antigua to Barbados. It wasn't a storm or a hurricane, just very rough seas and high winds.

 

I did a round trip to Alaska in August out of San Francisco many years ago and we encountered some very rough seas in the north Pacific also.

 

So rough seas can happen anywhere anytime. Other than trying to avoid the Caribbean during the height of hurricane season, I never let the weather effect my cruise decision.

 

And by the way, you normally only lose one deck day out and another day back due to the cold. By the second sea day out, you're off the coast of the southeastern US. Unless Florida is having a cold snap, it's fine to be out on deck by the pool wearing bathing suit or shorts.

[April81]

Like sailing out of any other port, it depends on the weather. I've sailed a number of times out of NYC and usually have had smooth sailing except for 2 cruises.

 

I think the reason why the NE gets a bad rap about winter cruising is that we tend tend to get storms known as Noreasters which travel up the coast and head out to the north Atlantic. I've been caught in them twice and it can get pretty rough. Once was on the QM2. Don't believe people when they say that you don't feel the motion on a large ship. I'm a pretty good sailor but I was very grateful our cabin was midship on a relatively lower deck.

 

But on the other hand, I remember a couple of cruises out of Florida or sailing in the Caribbean when the seas were just as bad. The first time I ever saw "sick bags" in public areas on a ship was sailing from Antigua to Barbados. It wasn't a storm or a hurricane, just very rough seas and high winds.

 

I did a round trip to Alaska in August out of San Francisco many years ago and we encountered some very rough seas in the north Pacific also.

 

So rough seas can happen anywhere anytime. Other than trying to avoid the Caribbean during the height of hurricane season, I never let the weather effect my cruise decision.

 

And by the way, you normally only lose one deck day out and another day back due to the cold. By the second sea day out, you're off the coast of the southeastern US. Unless Florida is having a cold snap, it's fine to be out on deck by the pool wearing bathing suit or shorts.

 

Thank you. I appreciate your comments. I am from upstate New York and trying to decide if it is worth cruising out of New York instead of flying down to Florida. (Yes, we are planning another cruise, one month after our first cruise!)

[bobnatt]

This past February we took a cruise on the QM2 from New York to the Caribbean and the Panama Canal and felt no sea motion at all. It could not have been smoother.With that said I am sure that if there is a strong northeasterner weather system the sea will get rough. The most important issue in terms of comfort may not be the weather but the ability of your ship to remain smooth in bad weather. The QM2 was built to handle the North Atlantic and as such may be better prepared to handle rough seas then some other ships.