Where to cruise in December?

[wrg11]

Hi there,

 

DH and I were set on cruising the Caribbean in December 2010 for our 10th anniversary, but wesaw that there is a Hawaiian cruise then too. Which would you choos? Does anyone know what the weather will be like in the Caribbean and Pacific/Hawaii in December? Which is warmer? Which ship would you choose for first time cruisers--the Grand or the Golden? I guess we're not opposed to cruising at some other time, but we really would like to celebrate our anniversary on/around our anniversary. Thanks in advance.

[royalcruz]

I usually cruise the Caribbean in November and December. Out of about 20 cruises, only twice have we missed ports (Grand Cayman and St. Martin) due to stormy seas. The temperature in Florida is usually 50s at night and mid 70s in the day, and once you get into the Caribbean it is really nice beach weather, mostly about 70 at night and mid to upper 80s in the daytime.

[Tina G]

If you are first time cruisers, I would not recommend a 14 day cruise, with 8 sea days as a first time cruise. Better try a shorter cruise for your first time. Then, if you get hooked (as we did!) you can take a longer cruise next time.:) PS: Once you have sailed with Princess, you will get better prices for future trips. Hawaii will still be there!

[WinnieinWA]

I too would not recommend a 14 day cruise with 8 sea days for a first timer. If one of you gets sea sick or really hates cruising then you are in big trouble. I'd go with the 7 day for your first cruise to see if you enjoy it.

 

I love going to the Caribbean in Dec. and have always had beautiful weather of about 80 degrees. The water is warm for swimming etc. I've never been in a storm there but I understand one can happen at any time.

 

Good luck and I know you'll have a good time. Princess is a wonderful line.:)

 

Also.. keep in mind the the first part of Dec. and Jan. the prices are much better than cruising over Christmas and New Years.

[Akheila]

Seems like the general opiniion is Caribbean, I too agree with that. We were once to told that generally the Pacific is rougher waters, compared to Caribbean, so test the waters first with a smooth sailing. THen venture on to the longer cruise.

 

Have a happy anniversary! Wherever you may celebrate it.

[kestrel]

I also vote for Caribbean. IMHO, Hawaii cruises have too many sea days. I'd prefer visit Hawaii on a land trip in order to spend more time there.

[lNCEPT0R]

I would have to agree with the Caribbean, as well. The weather for the Caribbean and Hawaii are basically identical during December. Both are about mid-80s during the day, and about mid-to-low-70s during the night.

 

And while it's true about rainstorms hitting at anytime, that's the reality of an island. Don't be discouraged by this. Hawaii and the Caribbean both experience this. One minute you'll have blue, crystal-clear skies, and literally 10 minutes later, you'll be in a rainstorm. However, during the winter, the rainstorms are random, and usually only last about 10-20 minutes, and usually only get them 1 to 3 times a day. The rest of the time the weather is perfect. Rainstorms are actually nice in the Caribbean, since the rain and temperature is really warm, and it's short-lasting. You'll almost never get torrential downpours or serious thunderstorms in the Caribbean in the winter (it has happened, but it's not common). Most of the time, you only have to worry about those during the monsoon/summer season.

 

Also, historically, the driest months to visit the Caribbean has always been during winter/early spring. Hurricanes are also not a factor, since the hurricane season in the Caribbean runs from June 1st through November 31st (however, the climax of a normal hurricane season is usually around mid-July to mid-September). I'm also going on a cruise to the Caribbean (December 6th), and from the weather patterns I've studied and December Caribbean cruise reviews I've read, I'm not expecting any problems. Hawaii, from what I've heard from people who have lived there and visited there, is very similar to what I just described above, as well.

[chamima]

You have a more certain chance of good weather in the Caribbean.

We did both of these cruises last year. The Grand was in January and the Golden in February. Both were great cruises (we LOVE sea days!) but the weather was much better in the Caribbean! Remember you are not comparing Hawaii to the Southern Caribbean, you are comparing the Pacific Ocean to and from there.

If you have any more questions - ask away. :D

[Tak8]

Until 2 years ago, I sailed the Caribbean only during the early summer time. Then we did a Christmas cruise sailing from San Juan. It was great. The ship was fully decorated. The weather was great. We had one rain storm which lasted about a 1/2 hour. The temperatures were warm, but not humid. Water temperature was fine. A few degrees cooler than summer, but easy to go swimming. Maybe a little cooler first thing n the morning. I can't compare to Hawaii. Good luck with your decision.

[Mary Ellen1]

To answer your question about which ship, the Grand and the Golden are twins -- complete replicas of one another. So there's no difference.

 

Agree with the recommendations to take a shorter, 7-day cruise for your first time.

 

Have fun, whichever you choose.

 

Mary Ellen

[LollyMoz]

Completely agree with all of those who voted for the Caribbean. We've sailed to the Caribbean twice in early December and are set to sail again in November. Weather is (usualy) fantastic! And no worries about hurricanes. :)

Additionally, I would agree with the people who suggested going for a shorter cruise for your first time, with fewer sea days. Our first was a five day and now we prefer 7 days. DH does not like sea days (but I don't mind them), and he likes a fuller itinerary. The Caribbean is usually a great destination for that type of cruise. Have fun!!!

[jff50]

Personally, I'd go with the Panama Canal.

[JWJs]

My vote is also with the Caribbean for all of the reasons stated previously. A Caribbean cruise that includes Barbados and St. Lucia would be terriffic.

Re Hawaii...we did one of the 15 nighters out of San Pedro, California on the Diamond a few years ago. For myself personally, it was too cold for deck activities the first 2 and 1/2 days plus I got sea sick for the 1st time! Then coming back from Hawaii to San Pedro, it was too cold the last 2 and 1/2 days.

When you sail out of Fort Lauderdale in December, the weather is warm and lovely and you are ready for all of the deck activities right away.

Someone mentioned the Panama Canal. That would also be a great cruise. Either partial transit where the ship goes in and out of the canal the same day or a full transit that would go from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego.

[cb at sea]

Hawaii is best done as a land-based vacation...you simply don't have time to fully experience everything on a cruise....a couple hours here and there just won't give your the true Hawaiian experience.

[Colo Cruiser]

Hawaii is best done as a land-based vacation...you simply don't have time to fully experience everything on a cruise....a couple hours here and there just won't give your the true Hawaiian experience.

 

Respectfully disagree, Hawaii by ship is the only way to go especially not having to fly there. IMO :)

[anniversarycruiser40]

I vote for the Caribbean in December. We usually go in November or December.

 

December is the rainy season in Hawaii. We took a land trip in early DEC.07 to Maui. We arrived to flooded roads, rain the whole time and we couldn't even go in the ocean. The ocean was brown with debree floating in it. I think we managed to hit the storm of the century!!! We took a land trip to Kauai the end of June for our 25th Anniversary and the weather was wonderful and Kauai is one of the wettest islands. I would never do another trip to Hawaii in the winter. Spring or summer would be the time to do a land vacation or cruise.

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

I also vote for the Caribbean (Southern itinerary). A little further south than the other islands and a bit warmer. This is port intensive but for 1st time cruisers you may want to go this way. If you wanted you could do a B2B and see 10 islands in 14 days. Great way to start the winter off.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Hi there,

 

DH and I were set on cruising the Caribbean in December 2010 for our 10th anniversary, but wesaw that there is a Hawaiian cruise then too. Which would you choos? Does anyone know what the weather will be like in the Caribbean and Pacific/Hawaii in December? Which is warmer? Which ship would you choose for first time cruisers--the Grand or the Golden? I guess we're not opposed to cruising at some other time, but we really would like to celebrate our anniversary on/around our anniversary. Thanks in advance.

 

Respectfully disagree, Hawaii by ship is the only way to go especially not having to fly there. IMO :)

 

I would definitely agree that the Hawaiian cruise is not one for first time cruisers to take. IMO, it's best to take a short cruise, if possible, to check out your sea legs and stomach (my hubby, then bf, took me on an one-day cruise San Diego RT to Ensenada, before we went on a 7-day one).

 

But I would disagree with those that insist that the only way to visit Hawaii is a land-based cruise. If you become one of those "the sea is the destination" type of people, you'll understand this.

 

On our roll call for our Hawaiian cruise was a couple going on their first cruise. The husband spent his first few days sick in his cabin as there were rough seas, which is pretty common for ships travelling west from San Pedro (there's a current you cross there). Others were also a bit green. We knew to book a midships cabin for this cruise (I'm the iffy person in my family; my hubby and daughter never get seasick; usually I go take a far forward or aft for smoother cruises).

 

Yes, you get a limited amount of time in each port, but that's the situation on most cruises anyway. You can always go back to any port for a land vacation if you want. And sea days on any Princess ship can be filled with lots of activities.

 

And the topper for me, as Colo Cruiser points out, is that those of us are on the west coast can travel to Hawaii without any flying. Hopefully, my family will be back on another Hawaiian cruise within the next few years.