Clothing question from a first timer

[kenie]

We are taking our first cruise, on the Osterdaam in Feb. We have been to mexico many times in Feb and I rarely wear anything heavier than dress pants and long sleeve shirt in the evenings. How windy/cool can we expect it to be? Do people wear sweaters, hoodies or windbreakers? I prefer casual so shorts and tshirt... lol

 

All tips are welcome.

[CruiserBruce]

A google search for a couple of your ports..like "Cabo San Lucas February weather" or "Acapulco February weather" will give you the factual data. Similarly, looking on the Mexican Rivera board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=203

 

will give you helpful info.

Edited January 17, 2017 by CruiserBruce

[RMLincoln]

Outside I wear light clothes for hot weather. Inside the ship though it can be chilly in places. I come prepared to have a shawl/pareo or overshirt to put on in the dining room or theater in case it's cool from the AC.

 

MDR dress is usually capris or a skirt, not shorts. But shorts are fine on board for daytime and even in the Lido for dinner. Enjoy, m--

[OlsSalt]

Assuming you are leaving from San Diego, the coming and going from that port can be fairly cool this time of year. So before you get to Mexico and out on the open water is when you might want something more.

 

Don't forget the ship shops will have nice, reasonably priced cover-ups if you don't have the right combo for your own comfort level. Dress shawls too in their $10 accessories section.

 

I still pack my handy white HAL logo zip up sweatshirt-type jacket I got on our very first Maasdam cruise that left FLL for the Caribbean in January - which I assumed would start in that famous "Florida sunshine".

 

I was wrong. I had to buy that wonderful cover up right after our very first sail away out on that open deck. Brrrr.

[Krazy Kruizers]

OP -- I am confused.

You talk about sailing on the Oosterdam and then you mention Mexico.

The Oosterdam sails out of Tampa. Are you doing the Western Caribbean?

If so, you will have a chilly day out of Tampa. and maybe Key West.

[regnig]

kenie the clothing you have worn on your Feb trips to Mexico will do fine aboard the Oosterdam. I would suggest that you bring at least 1 cover-up (sweater, shawl, jacket) as sometimes certain areas on the ship can be chilly. Additionally if you happen to get too much sun :eek: having a bit of a burn can sometime make you feel chilly.

Happy Sailing!

[jtl513]

OP -- I am confused. You talk about sailing on the Oosterdam and then you mention Mexico. ... If so, you will have a chilly day out of Tampa. and maybe Key West.

Most O-dam cruises from Tampa go to Cozumel or Costa Maya or both. And it may not be chilly in Tampa or Key West in Feb. Right now in east FL we are having daily highs in the 80's. Edited January 18, 2017 by jtl513

[OlsSalt]

OP -- I am confused.

You talk about sailing on the Oosterdam and then you mention Mexico.

The Oosterdam sails out of Tampa. Are you doing the Western Caribbean?

If so, you will have a chilly day out of Tampa. and maybe Key West.

 

My problem - I was the one who put Osterdam and Mexico with San Diego - her old route. Ignore.

[kenie]

Thanks all. We're doing the 14 day Caribbean and don't want to under/overpack ..... Looks like i'll pack as per normal with a couple of heavier shirts.

[Silverback969]

Let me to put in a plug for a website called "WeatherUnderground" http://wunderground.com . They have a very extensive array of weather observations, and there is a link on their page to view a HISTORY of the observations. You enter the name of the city or airport, and it returns--among other things: Mean minimum and maximum for that date, average temperature, average rainfall for that date, and several other data points. And, from that page, you can view readings for the next (or previous) date.

 

I stumbled across the site when I was preparing to go to Iraq for a year, and was curious as to what kind of weather I could expect. The readings for Tikrit, Iraq, worked just fine, as I was located about 6 miles from there. My wife and I are getting ready to pack for this year's 56-day Grand Mediterranean cruise. We had spent almost 4 years in Germany, but hadn't ventured this far south. So, I used WeatherUnderground to find Min/Max averages for each port on the date we're scheduled to be there, hoping it will help us pack appropriately for each port, while helping to keep packed clothes to a reasonable amount.

 

Maybe it would be of use to you, also.

[KroozNut]

My problem - I was the one who put Osterdam and Mexico with San Diego - her old route. Ignore.

 

Oosterdam still does Mexico from San Diego. We're sailing her to the Mexican Riviera (Cabo/Maz/PV) this coming September. :)

[jhsocal]

Hope you do a partial review from the ship. We will be boarding in October.

[OlsSalt]

Oosterdam still does Mexico from San Diego. We're sailing her to the Mexican Riviera (Cabo/Maz/PV) this coming September. :)

 

Problem was we did not know which route the OP was asking about on the Oosterdam - I assumed it was the San Diego route, but apparently it was a route out of Tampa.

[Boytjie]

My problem - I was the one who put Osterdam and Mexico with San Diego - her old route. Ignore.

 

In February 2018 the Oosterdam is sailing to the Mexican Riviera from San Diego.

 

The Rotterdam will be sailing from Tampa in 2018.

[TXCruiser10]

We vacation in Mexico during the summer and take a cruise in December, so I can tell you what my packing for both is. In Mexico, I pack swimsuits, a few shorts/pants, a few tops, and very light sundresses for dinner along with 1 pair of tennis shoes, 1 pair of sandals, and 1 pair of flip flops. I find that at resorts, I spend most of my day in a swimsuit or swimsuit cover up. On cruises, I have to add nicer dresses for dinner, formal dresses for the formal nights and all the matching accessories that go with that. I also find that I am not in my swimsuit all day so I pack more tops and capris. So, overall, I pack much more for a cruise. And the ships can get cold and it is also cold at night, so it is helpful to take a light sweater or fleece top to wear inside during sea days.