Transatlantic in April.....too cold?

[Gypsyfeet]

Although we are seasoned Caribbean cruisers, we've never done a repositioning, transatlantic. We are seriously considering an April cruise, beginning in Florida, ending in England or Rome. ( still undecided).

Will sailing in mid-April be uncomfortably cold? Is the pool area even open? If we sail on the Emerald (Princess), will the Sanctuary be too windy/cold?

Any experienced comments are so welcomed! Thanks in advance!

[Keith1010]

For the Princess specific questions you should ask on the Princes Board.

 

A sailing from Florida to say Rome in April would offer quite a bit of warm weather.

 

Keith

[Hlitner]

We have done a number of April crossings and the weather can really vary from warm sunny days to chilly nasty days (and everything between). Keep in mind that there is a major difference between crossing to England vs crossing to Civitavecchia or even Barcelona. Rome would give you the best chance of warmer weather since the ship can take a more southern route.

 

Hank

[dsrdsrdsr]

The pool area will be open whatever the weather (barring very strong winds which may close the decks). Will it be windy? The best guide to that is to work out whether it will be windy in the eastern USA two or three days earlier. You might need to wait until nearer the time to get an accurate forecast.

 

The Titanic sank in April in a flat calm, no wind at all, though it was very cold. I have crossed the Atlantic in April with nary a sight of an iceberg, and it was warm/hot by English standards. By Florida standards, probably cool/cold. New York is several thousand miles north of Florida, which makes New York colder. Same for Rome and Southampton - Rome is warmer. Usually.

 

Really, it depends on the weather. If you want guaranteed sunshine, don't go in April. And if the Florida climate is normal for you, you'll be cold whether you go in April or July. Enjoy!

[cruiserking]

We sailed a 17-day transatlantic from New York to Rome and didn't encounter any cold weather at all. Perhaps just the lone sea day to Bermuda but, beyond that we had calm seas and lovely balmy weather.

 

It is a great time of year to visit Europe before the summer crowds descend, many of the ports were clear of foot traffic and delightful to discover and roam around.

 

Jonathan

[OVgirl]

We've done a TA from FLL to Rome in March. We had nice warm weather the whole cruise.

If you head up to England, you will run into cooler weather.

[pris993]

If it is a southern crossing it will be more warm, provided it is not windy.

 

We have done some that were very pleasant and a few that were windy but not cold.

 

We are cruising next April, leaving FT Lauderdale 4/6 for Barcelona...

[Nebr.cruiser]

We've done three April TA's from Florida to Rome or England, mid April. On all three the weather started out warm and gradually cooled. Some days were very windy. The seas were fairly good most days, with a few that rolled a little more.

 

The Canary Islands or Azores were nice, Barcelona and the Riviera was 70ish, Florence drizzly and cool, Rome downright hot, Portugal 70's, France about the same. When we were in England in April after two cruises we had wonderful weather, 65-70 and sunny, which I guess is unusual.

 

The pools were 'open' all days, but one or two days on each cruise was too cool to comfortably use. We don't use the sanctuary, but I assume it would be open. Our cruises were on NCL, RCI and Celebrity.

 

Loved each one! Of course, weather cannot be guaranteed!