Winter cruises to the Bahamas

[Empty Nest Cruisers]

My husband and I are thinking of taking a 5-day from Charleston to the Bahamas. Several questions come to mind:

1) What type of crowd takes this route at this time of year (age, etc.)? We are hoping for a 40+ age group with fewer children/college students/etc.

 

2) Can this cruise be done and enjoyed without booking excursions...just enjoying the ship and what it offers and maybe meandering around the port by walking?

 

3) What are 3-5 "must bring" items for this cruise at this time of year?

 

4) What are 3-5 "don't bring it" items for this cruise at this time of year?

 

5) If driving to Charleston, do you have any advice/tips on parking, etc.?

 

Thanks! This will be our 2nd cruise and we're looking forward to it!

--Suzanne

[OCruisers]

Try to keep in mind that Carnival Fantasy (the Carnival ship out of Charleston) is smaller with much less to do than your cruise on Carnival Glory was and had to offer.

[Tapi]

Go with realistic expectations and you'll have an enjoyable time :). It's a cheap getaway to the Bahamas on a smaller (and oldest) Carnival ship, catering mostly to a budget minded clientele who appreciates the convenience of not having to fly. With that said, Fantasy has a very loyal fan base of people who appreciate her smaller, more intimate size, and who enjoy the no frills, more down to earth approach to cruising, and who really doesn't place too much emphasis on the somewhat mediocre itinerary and destinations.

 

Piece of advice on what to bring: Warm clothing! You're sailing to the Bahamas in December from a non-Florida port. This is not the Caribbean, so if a cold front sweeps through the US, it will sweep through the Bahamas as well. We sailed on a similar itinerary from nearby Jacksonville and the day we boarded, temps were in the 20's! It stayed in the 50's most of the time and it broke 60's only one day. It caught most people by surprise. The $5 sweatshirt stands in port made a killing from fellow passengers who didn't bring more than t-shirts and shorts!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited December 12, 2014 by Tapi

[cb at sea]

The Weather is similar to Florida....I'd go farther south, if warm weather was important to me....The Bahamas are in the Atlantic....not the Caribbean.

[HardcoreKeith]

I just went to the Bahamas last week. It was colder than I expected at sea. The pools were empty except for people who were sneakily waiting for a spot in the hot tub to open up. I'm a native Floridian, though, so I don't handle temperatures below about 80 very well.

[OCruisers]

I just went to the Bahamas last week. It was colder than I expected at sea. The pools were empty except for people who were sneakily waiting for a spot in the hot tub to open up. I'm a native Floridian, though, so I don't handle temperatures below about 80 very well.

 

Thanks for posting this because some people don't seem to realize the Bahamas are not the Caribbean so the temperatures (especially water temperatures) are often very chilly in the winter.

LuLu