Your favorite time to cruise and why??

[Popovich]

The DH and I are planning our first cruise with our family, DS 4 and DD 5. We can go at any time of year since our kids are not yet in school. Sooo, I'm wondering, what's your favorite time of year to cruise and why??

Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[WDWLVR]

My favorite time to cruise is late Spring. Out of our 5 DCL cruises (#5 is in 3 weeks) 3 of them has been in the month of May. The weather is usually wonderful, the water warm, and it gets me in the mood for summer.

We did an October cruise once that had beautiful weather but we missed Castaway Cay because a hurricane blew through a couple of weeks before us.

We also did the DVC Member Cruise in February and while the weather was ideal - the water was a little cold for our tastes.

 

[kajohn]

I prefer late January or February. The reason I cruise is to get away from the winter. I personally have no desire to cruise from April -Novebember, the weather is decent in michigan then, so I don't feel the need to leave.

By cruising in the middle of the winter, it breaks up the long dreary winter!

 

[Popovich]

Kajohn,

I can certainly understand wanting to break up winter. Living in the Cleveland area, our winter starts in early Nov. and still isn't over, it's supposed to snow a little tomorrow!!! I can't wait for summer!

When you cruised, has the water been warm enough to swim at CC and to wear shorts? Thanks for sharing.

 

[Popovich]

WDWLVR,

The weather in May sounds wonderful. It is usually just starting to be nice at home then and it would surely get you ready for summer!

Did you book the same type of cabin each time? How many were in your family? We will have 4 in our cabin and were deciding between a cat. 6 on deck 5 or spending the extra money and staying in a cat. 3. Our kids our small and we thought we might spend a fare amount of time in the cabin.

Thanks for your input.

 

[kajohn]

We were on the February 8th Magic Eastern Itinerary. The weather was in the 80's in St. Thomas and St. Marteen, and the 70's on Castaway Cay.

The water temperature in the Carribean was perfect for swimming, but the water temp in the Bahamas (Castaway Cay) was a little chilly although we still swam.

The day we left Port Canaveral it was cold, in the 50's, but by the next morning, we were in shorts and it was sunny and it stayed that way all week including Port Canaveral when we returned.

I don't think I would take a Bahamas cruise that time of year, as you could have great weather or cold, but if you are taking a caribbean cruise, you are pretty safe with warm weather that time of year.

 

[Popovich]

WDWLVR,

I just noticed your home resort. We are also DVC members at BWV. We were at the world in October for 8 nights (4 at WLV and 4 at BWV) for the Halloween party.

Have you stayed at or seen Beach Club yet? We haven't, but are planning to stay there this October.

Thanks for your cruise comments!

 

[Señor Ferrari]

I like cruising in the fall best. The weather is still plenty hot, the days are still plenty long, and the rates are lower since it is hurricane season. Yes, there is the risk of a changed itinerary or missed port, but I've only had that happen once in seven cruises. You can miss the call at Castaway Cay for many reasons, even during non-hurricane season.

Escaping winter isn't really a consideration for me, since we don't really have winter out here.

 

[Popovich]

I know in the DVC Member Guidebook there is a chart showing average rainfall and average low and high temps for each month of the year. Is there a place to obtain that information for the cruise routes??

Thanks for any guidance.

 

[inkkognito]

My favorite time to cruise is anytime I have spare vacation days on the money to afford it.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[WDWLVR]

Popovich,

We've had a bunch of different categories over the years. We had category 5 veranda on our first cruise, a category 6 veranda on our second, a category 7 navigator's veranda on our third cruise and a category 8 porthole room on our last cruise. We have a category 7 navigator's veranda booked for this May. We love these cabins, but they only sleep 3 so they won't work for you. It is just DH and I (no kids). I would recommend based on reading others posts that if you have children you might want to get a veranda cabin so that you can enjoy some time on the veranda while the kids are either napping or sleeping.

We were at Boardwalk this past October as well. Spent 7 days in a 2-bedroom with DH's parents. While there we took a walk over to Beach Club to check out the rooms. Very nice! Would definately like to stay there sometime.

 

["Ginger"]

Our favorite time to cruise is Fall, well it's Halloween week to be exact. We love all the excitement, costumes, contest, and parties.
The rates are good and the ship doesn't seem to be as crowded. We've never had any problems getting ressies at Palo or the spa. The weather and the water are still nice and warm. Yes, we did miss Castaway Cay once but that could happen on any sailing date.

 

[izzinmac]

Two favorite times for us. May is great - lower rates, good weather, before hurricane season. We also love to depart the first weekend immediately AFTER Thanksgiving. Once again lower rates, still have good weather but not quite as warm as May, hurricane season is over, and the ship is decorated for Christmas. We are going this year during that week on the 7 day Eastern. We have family coming from California to join us and they are traveling on Thanksgiving Day. Easy to get tickets that day at a good rate without the Thanksgiving travellers croud.

 

[Popovich]

Thanks for all your help. We have decided to book a 7 day eastern cruise for Nov. 2004!

Thanks again for the help. I will hope for nice weather.

 

[aprilgail2]

May is my favorite time to cruise....I have cruise in Jan and it was just to darn cold to even enjoy the water but May is just beautiful!