Weather during British Isles Cruise

[trrn2016]

Hi,

What are the seas like for a British Isles Cruise in MAY? There has been very strong storms recently and this week has been bad. Thanks!

[jasbo49]

I can only tell you how it was on our BI cruise last June. It was pretty calm most places but was real bouncy up around the northern part of Scotland, probably two rough days.

 

Jim

[ohnonotmeagain]

It's why the British talk about the weather so much. 😜 You can have 4 seasons in just one day. Boiling hot one morning and sleet the next, even in May. North " tends" to be a bit rougher......

[ohhbother]

We did the British Isles in May a few years ago. It was mostly drizzly, cool and overcast. Added to the ambience!

[DrivesLikeMario]

I've done a couple British Isles cruises.  The one in May was a bit crazy as far as weather goes.  I arrived to record LOW temperatures and left when they were having record HIGH temperatures!  Layers were necessary the whole trip as I was constantly taking jackets and turtlenecks either off or on.

[PrincessLuver]

47 minutes ago, ohhbother said:

We did the British Isles in May a few years ago. It was mostly drizzly, cool and overcast. Added to the ambience!

 

This was our experience too.....I finally understood what the word Damp meant!  :-)

[snoozecrooze]

Also second the responses contributed by others -- weather is so unpredictable in the British Isles. May is definitely earlier in the season, so overall, it was very drizzly and overall cool, a nice break from the typical/stereotypical summer weather in most places. We had OK to great weather in half of the cities and rain and/or wind in the other half, but we were surprised the seas never acted up and it was one of the smoothest cruises we'd ever had (for Princess, I do think Regal is capable of being a lot more stable than Crown, but mother nature reigns queen). The sun sets so late in that region of the world, so there were so many beautiful sunsets to look forward to.

 

This goes to show that layers really do make a huge difference, but don't go overboard with either of one thing (short clothing or winter clothing) -- make sure your layers are easily packable or convertible to avoid heavier luggage and so that you can easily pack them in a day bag while in port. Definitely have some kind of rain protective gear, such as a cheap poncho or something with a hood, just like you might wear on a commute to work. A packable umbrella might be handy, but that could also pose travel limitations. Your mileage may vary, so do some preemptive research before you head off onto your trip. Best of luck!

[Bob++]

2 hours ago, snoozecrooze said:

Also second the responses contributed by others -- weather is so unpredictable in the British Isles.

 

To be fair, British weather is reasonably predictable in the short term. We have had plenty of warning about Dennis for example. The forecast you get on the daily news sheet is likely to be pretty accurate.

[Globaliser]

7 minutes ago, Bob++ said:

To be fair, British weather is reasonably predictable in the short term.

 

Hey, British weather is reasonably predictable in the long term too: yes, we will have some!

[snoozecrooze]

You know, on second thought, I would also agree. Definitely foreseeable patterns. I think what I meant to imply was that for anyone who tends not to adjust well in a newer climate/surroundings or has that sense of "I have no idea how it'll really feel when I'm there!!!" when it comes to thinking of packing, it can pose a possible challenge. The internet, news, and mobile apps give great info, but how one feels is very subjective; nonetheless, there are definitely many resources to help you plan ahead and yes, the weather patterns are definitely announced well ahead of time. Hope I did not alarm OP! 

[Globaliser]

11 hours ago, snoozecrooze said:

... nonetheless, there are definitely many resources to help you plan ahead and yes, the weather patterns are definitely announced well ahead of time.

 

It depends on what you mean by "well ahead of time". The warnings for Storm Dennis started about 5 days before it arrived. This was unusually long advance notice (and the meteorologists said so) because they had high confidence in the forecasts.

 

There are other times when the forecasts are only really reliable for about the next 24 hours, and even then can ultimately turn out to be inaccurate. There are plenty of days when the drenching that's forecast at 8 am for during the day never appears; there are plenty of other days when the forecasters say in the morning that it should be fine and dry all day and it then ends up pouring all afternoon.

 

So I think you were right the first time when you said that the weather is unpredictable: it can very often be exactly that. I think that the best approach to packing is to consult the weather and the long-range forecasts (ie the narrative description for the next 2-3 weeks) about 4 or 5 days before you depart, and then plan your packing around that. If you try to plan your packing in February for May, the only useful advice is that the weather might offer anything between snow and tropical heatwave, because both of those can (and do) happen in May.

[dadofjessie]

On 2/16/2020 at 11:58 AM, DrivesLikeMario said:

I've done a couple British Isles cruises.  The one in May was a bit crazy as far as weather goes.  I arrived to record LOW temperatures and left when they were having record HIGH temperatures!  Layers were necessary the whole trip as I was constantly taking jackets and turtlenecks either off or on.

Very important to remember!