Cruising Caribbean in March... Weather question

[HspncElvis]

Good idea to cruise Caribbean in March? How's the weather?

 

Also, would you recommend booking a room towards front of ship? Both of my cruises I've stayed mid ship.

 

Thank you. :D

Edited September 13, 2016 by HspncElvis

[Ashland]

Good idea to cruise Caribbean in March? How's the weather?

 

Also, would you recommend booking a room towards front of ship? Both of my cruises I've stayed mid ship.

 

Thank you. :D

 

We've cruised in March (several times)...great weather the farther you get from Florida.

 

If you can't get mid-ship opt for aft ... avoid forward ;)

[SeagoingMom]

March weather in the Caribbean if fine -- we have been on Eastern, Southern and Western Caribbean cruises in March, and experienced great weather (except for several days of some rain/drizzle on our W. Caribbean itinerary.) Water temps are fine, too, in case you like to snorkel or swim. Caribbean weather doesn't vary much through the year, though the water temps do, at least enough to notice. March is a good time of year to cruise in the Caribbean -- no hurricanes!

[OCruisers]

Once passed Florida and the Bahamas, March in the Caribbean is GREAT! :)

[HspncElvis]

Thank you all for info. Very helpful.

 

Guess I'll try and get close to middle of ship as possible. Lots of movement up front? Pros and cons of cabin towards front?

Edited September 13, 2016 by HspncElvis

[Robinsoncruiseso]

We did Western Carib in early Feb and water was fine for snorkeling. Air temp was good too. We are cruising Western again in March.

 

I love the front of the ship. We had a front of ship cabin and it was awesome. Elevators and stairs are less crowded and our ship the balconies were huge, more like a patio (Regal Princess). We don't experience any sea sickness, so movement is not an issue.

[HspncElvis]

Thank you for info. Very helpful. :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have cruised many times in March. Once we got away from Florida, the weather was beautiful 99.9% of the time. We did encounter winds and rain a couple of times.

The front of the ship feels the motion the most whenever you hit bad weather.

[Hlitner]

March is a fine time to be in the Caribbean. However, the cruising issue, at that time of the year, is not the weather...but Spring Break.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

March is a fine time to be in the Caribbean. However, the cruising issue, at that time of the year, is not the weather...but Spring Break.

 

Hank

 

Precisely.

[Ashland]

March is a fine time to be in the Caribbean. However, the cruising issue, at that time of the year, is not the weather...but Spring Break.

 

Hank

 

Only an "issue" for some...other's...Spring Break is their only option when sailing with students/teachers ;)

[HspncElvis]

So front of boat is OK in general? Bad weather you'd expect SOME motion. Other than that all good?

Edited September 14, 2016 by HspncElvis

[mrobstad]

March is great. Once I had a huge OV in front of the ship.....vibrations and noise with anchor rising and lowering.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[leaveitallbehind]

March is great. Once I had a huge OV in front of the ship.....vibrations and noise with anchor rising and lowering.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

The vibration and noise you heard is more likely the bow thrusters in operation during port maneuvers. The only time the anchor would be raised or lowered would be in tender ports, such as Grand Cayman for example. They would never be used at a docking port. :)

Edited September 14, 2016 by leaveitallbehind

[leaveitallbehind]

So front of boat is OK in general? Bad weather you'd expect SOME motion. Other than that all good?

 

The front of the ship and the higher decks will feel the up and down motion the most. The side to side rolling motion will be the same anywhere on the ship. The degree of motion will vary by sea conditions, which is typically a factor or the weather. But motion can occur at any time of the year, any weather condition, and any location at sea. Would never issue a blanket statement such as all good otherwise, as a result.

Edited September 14, 2016 by leaveitallbehind

[rgruenhaus]

So front of boat is OK in general? Bad weather you'd expect SOME motion. Other than that all good?

I was on the Breakaway last Nov in an Oceanview stateroom overlooking the bow and under the bridge on 11th deck and never felt rocking.

 

Sent from my SM-G935P using Forums mobile app

Edited September 14, 2016 by rgruenhaus

[Hlitner]

So front of boat is OK in general? Bad weather you'd expect SOME motion. Other than that all good?

 

We love the "front of the boat" which would actually be referred to the bow of the ship :). A boat is something that is put on a ship (as in life"boat") and cruise "ships" are generally not referred to as boats.

 

Most cruisers prefer to be near the center of the ship (the most stable area in rough seas) and a growing number love the rear balcony cabins. But DW and I prefer the bow quarter of most ships. Here is our reason...which we would agree is a contrarian philosophy among cruisers. The main mechanical areas (engine rooms, motors, etc) are generally arrayed around the center of a ship (because of the massive weight of the engines) with more mechanical equipment towards the aft. The propellers (or Azipods) are aft...which can cause vibration. The engines can also cause vibration and some noise. But once you move towards the bow (the front quarter of the ship) you have very few mechanical items (to cause noise and vibration). Below decks..the bow quarter is normally used for storage. The downside is that in rough seas the bow will move the most (this just rocks me to sleep)...and when entering or leaving ports you can hear and feel the bow thrusters (our alarm clock if entering a port).

 

Another reason we like to be far forward is that it minimizes the foot traffic (and noise) in the corridors outside our cabin. The further forward (or aft) the less foot traffic. And the final benefit is that the forward cabins are often sold at a lower price then those amidship.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

The front of the ship and the higher decks will feel the up and down motion the most. The side to side rolling motion will be the same anywhere on the ship. The degree of motion will vary by sea conditions, which is typically a factor or the weather. But motion can occur at any time of the year, any weather condition, and any location at sea. Would never issue a blanket statement such as all good otherwise, as a result.

 

Not quite correct:

 

The bow and the stern do experience the most up and down movement (pitching)-- BUT, no cabins are at the bow - generally the forward-most cabins are about 100 feet aft of the bow -- look at the deck plans. Stern cabins are directly over the stern, so they will experience more up and down than forward ones. Additionally, stern cabins are over the screws, or azipods, and are more subject to vibration - especially in heavy seas; while forward cabins might feel some vibration from bow thrusters and anchor chain dropping - but this only happens when maneuvering at a port.

 

Rolling- the side to side movement is most apparent on the higher decks, and will be minimized on lower decks - and close to the center line of the ship (inside cabins).

[mrobstad]

The vibration and noise you heard is more likely the bow thrusters in operation during port maneuvers. The only time the anchor would be raised or lowered would be in tender ports, such as Grand Cayman for example. They would never be used at a docking port. :)

 

 

you learn something new every day.....I think it was a helipad there too.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums