Hey guys!
I had no idea I had started a cruise trend here! Gotta stop working so much and start DIS'ing more! And, yeah, Barb, thanks, things are great - it's a whole new world being right at home and being able to go home for lunch or see the kids or take them to the docs when need be and not waste a whole day on it. I am LOVING it! It's a lot of work, but it's cool.
Plus, I was able to start this adventure boot camp for women in the mornings and I feel great. I never had time like this before to work out in the morning.
So, we were also struggling with the whole price thing - I was absolutely floored by the prices in May and April. We were looking at a very whopping bill. There was no freagin way! So, I looked into the double dips and this cruise on October 25th works out to be almost the same price as I had for a cruise just placemarked in 2007 and my daughter was older and cost more - so this is a good deal for this cruise. Plus, two
Castaway Cay stops
ROCKIN! I really like the itinerary - we always do the Eastern and we have never done the Mexican Riveria.
We were also struggling with the kid in school issue - and the school we chose for him is really vehement about not pulling them out. But, when it all came down to it, the additional cost of a cruise during a school vacation time was as much as his whole year of tuition. I decided, to hell with it, and we chose a time that seemed to work OK in the school calendar. For those on quarters, it may be the end of the 1st quarter so keep that in mind. I decided that my son will be in 1st grade and how many tests could he possibly have? The other thought process was any parties that occur around Halloween - again, I said, to hell with it - this is the best party ever! But, that being said, there usually are a lot of parties in school and out so the work load may be lighter in school during this time also. Who the heck knows!?
The November cruise is over Thanksgiving so that was way high price, and the December one is over Christmas, so again, no way.
Look for the cruise under special cruises - it's the cruise to Costa Maya.
Weather: Now remember that it is rare for there to be a hurricane that hits the Mexican Riveria. Hurricane Wilma did hit this area in October of 2005. But rare shmare, here is the true history of hits on Cozumel (note that between 1995 and 2005 there were no hits):
How often this area gets affected?
brushed or hit every 2.83 years
Average years between direct hurricane hits.(usually within 40 miles to include small hurricanes)
(18h)once every 7.56 years
Statistically when this area should be affected next
before the end of the 2008 season
Last affected by
Oct 21st,2005 Hurricane Wilma passes over the Island. Extensive damage to nearly the entire island.At this time Wilma had winds of 140mph & was moving very slowly at less than 5mph.Hurricane force winds pounded the island for over 24hrs.
This areas hurricane past
1873 oct 1st a hurricane from the east with 90mph winds move just NE of here turning north
1877 80mph just east while turning north sept 29th
1880 aug 9th a hurricane from the ESE hits just south
1903 a cat 2 hits in august
1912 a cat 2 hits in october
1913 a cat 2 hits in june
1933 a cat 2 hits in sept
1938 a cat 2 hits in august
1944 a cat 1 hits
1951 hurricane Charlie hits with 125mph winds in august
1967 Beulah hits as a cat 2
1988 during hurricane Gilbert 52 were killed towns were destroyed by a 17ft storm surge,175mph ruins only had minor damage.
Satelite photo
1995 hurricane Roxanne hits with 115mph winds press 28.29
2005 July 17th & 18th Hurricane Emily hits as a cat 4,although surface winds were much less. Sporadic damage to buildings in & around Cozumel,Mexico.
Damage shot from Playa del carmen on mainland #1 |
#2 |
#3 |
Animated radar at landfall
2005,Oct 21st, Hurricane Wilma passes over the Island while moving slowly NNW. Extensive damage to nearly the entire island.At this time Wilma had winds of 140mph & was moving very slowly at less than 5mph.Hurricane force winds pounded the island for over 24hrs. As of early 2006 many hotels are still shut down & the cruise ships docks have been destroyed.
Satellite image of Wilma as a cat 5 before landfall, strongest ever in the Atlantic basin as of 2005.
Now Costa Maya has an even rarer occurrence of Hurricane hits, here is some general weather info:
When is the rainy season?
The rainy season is from June to October. "Rainy" is relative, because it will rain really hard dumping a lot of rain and then get sunny. Seldom does it rain for days since most of the rain is either from thunderstorms or related to tropical storms. Tropical storms usually last a day or two, but this occurs during hurricane season which usually begins mid July.
What is the best time to visit the Costa Maya?
We get asked this all the time. I have finally decided that it requires a chart with all the variables of the weather as well as some other monthly highlights. The truth is that any month is good depending on what you want out of a vacation. (Average rainfall and temperature is taken from
www.worldclimate.com)
MonthAverage Rainfall Average 24 HR Temp.CommentsJan.2.1"75 F High season. The first week in January seems to have a little bit of a "lull" in terms of the number of travelers. The weather can be cold enough to warrant a jacket at night. If you like birds, green parrots are starting to show up as well as some other migrating birds. Feb.1.7"76 F February can have some cool winds. The water can feel quite cool as the wind blows across the surface making it hard to snorkel or swim for long periods of time. A wet suit helps. (Cool is relative, but bring a jacket for evenings). Migrating birds make February one of the best "birding" months. Mar.0.8"79 F Normally a great weather month with comfortable temperatures and little rain, but can be breezy. The downside is that there are a lot of people vacationing at this time, including those on spring break. It is good to make reservations far in advance. Apr.1.0 " 82 F Can be breezy affecting water activities, however not every day. This, on the other hand makes for great visits to the ruins and few mosquitoes due to the dry conditions. May3.6"83Great month for water activities with fairly calm water. The days are quite hot, but the humidity is fairly low making nights comfortable for sleeping. Few mosquitoes.June5.5"82Water can be like glass making for great water activities. The humidity is usually fairly low early in the month but starts to raise in the later part of the month. Travel with insect repellent if you plan on venturing off the beach.July4.0"82July can be quite humid. If you are from anywhere on the east coast you can understand. However, it may be the best month for water activities with the water like glass. Later in the month there is a chance of tropical storms. Travel with insect relent if you plan on venturing off the beach. Biting Flies (similar to deer flies) can be a problem in the day - use insect repellent.Aug.4.3"82August can be humid, but again the water can be like glass so it is great for water activities. Hurricane season is in full swing, but the Costa Maya does not have a history of high hurricane damage. Travel with insect relent if you plan on venturing off the beach. Biting Flies (similar to deer flies) can be a problem in the day - use insect repellent.Sep.6.7"82Fairly pleasant but the rainiest month due to the fact that it is late in the tropical storm season. The rains are usually brief but heavy. This is one of the slowest times of the year, so you may find yourself alone on the beach! Travel with insect relent if you plan on venturing off the beach.Oct.4.5"80Very pleasant weather and very slow! Many hotels close because it is so slow. If there has been a lot of rain in August and September there may be lots of mosquitoes at dawn and dusk. There is still a chance of some significant rain in Oct. Nov.2.1"76Great weather month. Can be some cloudy and cool days, but usually the water conditions can be good. Few crowds. Bring lightweight jackets. Dec.1.9"76Sporadic weather. It can be cool or warm, windy or only slightly breezy. Bring jackets and long pants for cool breezy nights on the beach. Usually lots of sun even if it is cool.
The biggest issue I am worried about is mosquitos. You can not give blood for one year after visiting this part of Mexico. There is a high malaria rate here. Bring bug spray!
This is still hurricane season, but hopefully, not a strong season. We just won't know.
Here is the Wikipedea info on Costa Maya:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Maya
Sad, so sad, that I just can't stay on top of a thread daily anymore in this job.
