Out of NYC would you do Bermuda or Bahamas in Nov/Dec?

[kaz828]

Looking for some feedback/experiences

[GeezerCouple]

2 hours ago, kaz828 said:

Looking for some feedback/experiences

 

What are you looking for in this trip?

 

For us, a trip to Bermuda would definitely include *warm* water, and that's not going to happen at that time of year.  On the other hand, the Bahamas would very likely have warm water (been there, done that, at that time of year, albeit quite some time ago).

 

But not everyone heads to Bermuda simply for the warm ocean water.

It depends upon what you want.

 

And some people care more about "being on a cruise" than the actual destination.

 

GC

[kaz828]

15 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

What are you looking for in this trip?

 

For us, a trip to Bermuda would definitely include *warm* water, and that's not going to happen at that time of year.  On the other hand, the Bahamas would very likely have warm water (been there, done that, at that time of year, albeit quite some time ago).

 

But not everyone heads to Bermuda simply for the warm ocean water.

It depends upon what you want.

 

And some people care more about "being on a cruise" than the actual destination.

 

GC

Thank you. We are more pool people so planning a ship with indoor pool. We like to lay on the beach if possible but not swim. 

[Charles4515]

It won't be beach weather in November/December in Bermuda. Because it is off season some stuff starts closing in November. The ferry to St. George does not run unless you book NCL which runs their own ferry to St. George. The air temperature will be pleasant. In December ships because of winds the ship might not be able to dock so they will divert to the Bahamas but only for a few hours port stop to comply with the PVSA. I have done the Bahamas out of New York in December. It is cold out of New York and warms up sailing south. I don't particularly like the itinerary as Nassau is not very nice but there might be a nice port like Charleston. At Nassau we go to Blue Lagoon because we like beaches. 

 

Edited May 30, 2023 by Charles4515

[lenquixote66]

5 hours ago, kaz828 said:

Looking for some feedback/experiences

Definitely Bermuda.

[navybankerteacher]

12 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

What are you looking for in this trip?

 

For us, a trip to Bermuda would definitely include *warm* water, and that's not going to happen at that time of year.  On the other hand, the Bahamas would very likely have warm water (been there, done that, at that time of year, albeit quite some time ago).

 

But not everyone heads to Bermuda simply for the warm ocean water.

It depends upon what you want.

 

And some people care more about "being on a cruise" than the actual destination.

 

GC

Actually, the sea water temperature in Bermuda in November will be in low to mid 70’s.  Anyone used to summer swimming at ocean beaches from New Jersey on north in summer will find it fine.  The air temp will likely be in low 70’s - certainly not “summery”, but certainly comfortable. 
 

Yes, if summery beaches are the only thing you want, you might find the Bahamas more to your liking — but except for southern wusses the Bermuda beaches are likely to be good.  To the extent you are looking for ANYTHING else, Bermuda is head and shoulders better than the Bahamas.

[Charles4515]

On 5/30/2023 at 9:37 AM, kaz828 said:

Thank you. We are more pool people so planning a ship with indoor pool. We like to lay on the beach if possible but not swim. 

Which ship calling on Bermuda in November and December has an indoor pool? Same question for the Bahamas? I don’t think that is a bad idea but just wondering. 

Edited June 1, 2023 by Charles4515

[Charles4515]

23 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Actually, the sea water temperature in Bermuda in November will be in low to mid 70’s.  Anyone used to summer swimming at ocean beaches from New Jersey on north in summer will find it fine.  The air temp will likely be in low 70’s - certainly not “summery”, but certainly comfortable. 
 

Yes, if summery beaches are the only thing you want, you might find the Bahamas more to your liking — but except for southern wusses the Bermuda beaches are likely to be good.  To the extent you are looking for ANYTHING else, Bermuda is head and shoulders better than the Bahamas.

OP never actually said what they want except an indoor pool. So I gather the ship is more important than the destination. I hate the Bahamas but the New York to Bahamas cruise in December was good because we like Charleston and at Port Canaveral we were lucky to be there the day of a launch. The ship didn’t have an indoor pool though. Bermuda is my favorite destination but November and December are off season and a lot of stuff is closed. But it’s great then for golfers and enjoying pubs. To someone from New England the water temp may be fine but the Bermudians don’t consider it beach weather and start closing down beach amenities and concessions. I can’t lay out on the beach on a towel with the sand blowing around but younger people may be able to do that. 

[Hlitner]

Although we are frequent cruisers (all over the world) and live within a 3 hour drive of NYC, it is not a place we generally choose for embarkation in Nov or the winter.  And this despite having a free "hotel" in NYC (our DD and grandkids live there).  It does not take me much longer to fly to Florida than it does to get into NYC!  And cruising out of NYC in the winter means at least 4 days of chilly weather, just getting to/from the warmth.  The increased cruise competition in Florida also means it is easier to find a good deal and some pretty decent itineraries (for those that care about the ports).  

 

I will add that we do enjoy cruising from NY, in the fall, when we can do some Canada/NE itineraries.  But we are talking about Sept and Oct (perhaps early Nov).  

 

Hank

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

It does not take me much longer to fly to Florida than it does to get into NYC!  And cruising out of NYC in the winter means at least 4 days of chilly weather, just getting to/from the warmth. 

After the December cruise out of New York we went back to cruising out of Florida in December for the same reasons you gave.

 

[navybankerteacher]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

…  And cruising out of NYC in the winter means at least 4 days of chilly weather, just getting to/from the warmth.  The increased cruise competition in Florida also means it is easier to find a good deal and some pretty decent itineraries (for those that care about the ports).  …

 

 

Actually, sailing from NY in the winter to the Caribbean puts you in the 70 degree Gulf Stream by early afternoon of the first full day.  The last full day is cold - but that hardly means “…at least 4 days of chilly weather…”.  We rarely do it any more because most sailings out of New York now are on NCL or similar undesirable mob scenes.  
 

Also islands in the Caribbean worth visiting  are better experienced on land trips.

Edited June 1, 2023 by navybankerteacher

[dmrrn73]

For me given the choice between Bermuda and Bahamas no matter what time of year, my choice will always be Bermuda, hands down, absolutely no contest. 

[luckyinpa]

i did a bahamas christmas cruise and it's hot as heck in nassau at christmas. i felt bad for the elves. in NY you can have hot november and december days (60s) easily. one almost guarantee is no snow then. i find it's in january you get pummeled. or last year zero snow at all lol

[cruiseaholic777]

Bahamas would be the better choice by far.

[George C]

I like using the pool so I would not even with Bahamas you couldn’t use it first couple and last couple of days . We do a cruise at end of November every year, but leave from either Florida or Galveston.

[Charles4515]

14 minutes ago, George C said:

I like using the pool so I would not even with Bahamas you couldn’t use it first couple and last couple of days . We do a cruise at end of November every year, but leave from either Florida or Galveston.

It makes more sense to fly to Florida for November and December cruises. We always did that in December with our group but one December we decided to cruise out of New York. After that we returned to flying to Florida. I don't think anyone wanted to do that again and the folks driving home to New Jersey were impacted by a snow storm. 

[cruiserking]

We live in New York City and sail the Bahamas run every year aboard Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas. It's great to sail away from the bleak winter weather and relax in tropical climes. 

 

If you live in the tri-state area the convenience of getting to the port is a huge factor. Flying to Florida in November/December is always tricky because you can never be sure if there will be a snow storm that will throw a wrench in the works. 

 

I think the Bahamas is the better destination. It will be much cooler in Bermuda during that time period. Nassau gets a bad wrap but, there are some really great things to enjoy there if you do some research. Try a food walking tour, your cruise line might have one or book one yourself they leave right near the cruise port and end steps from the pier. 

 

Nassau, Bahamas just unveiled a brand new $300 million cruise pier with a myriad of shops, beautiful grounds, a Junkanoo Museum. 

 

Enjoy your cruise whichever one you choose. 

 

Jonathan

[kaz828]

6 hours ago, cruiserking said:

We live in New York City and sail the Bahamas run every year aboard Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas. It's great to sail away from the bleak winter weather and relax in tropical climes. 

 

If you live in the tri-state area the convenience of getting to the port is a huge factor. Flying to Florida in November/December is always tricky because you can never be sure if there will be a snow storm that will throw a wrench in the works. 

 

I think the Bahamas is the better destination. It will be much cooler in Bermuda during that time period. Nassau gets a bad wrap but, there are some really great things to enjoy there if you do some research. Try a food walking tour, your cruise line might have one or book one yourself they leave right near the cruise port and end steps from the pier. 

 

Nassau, Bahamas just unveiled a brand new $300 million cruise pier with a myriad of shops, beautiful grounds, a Junkanoo Museum. 

 

Enjoy your cruise whichever one you choose. 

 

Jonathan

Thank you, how have you found the temps/weather to be? We are afraid most days there and back will be too cold to be outside at all on the decks

[cruiserking]

3 hours ago, kaz828 said:

Thank you, how have you found the temps/weather to be? We are afraid most days there and back will be too cold to be outside at all on the decks

What ship are you booking to the Bahamas?

If it's Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas there is an inside pool plus a beautiful warm solarium with towering plants and cascading pools plus plenty of planned activities to keep you busy till you reach warmer temps. 

 

On a standard 7-day Bahamas cruise it will be cool/cold for the first sea day until late in the afternoon of the first sea day when you'll notice a balmy hint in the air. Later that night it will be noticeably warmer. 

 

You will 4.5 days of warm weather and 2.5 of cold.

 

I rather enjoy the gradual shift in temperatures from cold to warm it really gives you the feeling of cruising to some faraway place. 

 

If you live nearby New York/New Jersey it's so much better to cruise from there instead of needing to deal with the added expense and hassle of flying. 

 

Go to the Bahamas and have a great cruise. 

 

Jonathan

[kaz828]

19 minutes ago, cruiserking said:

What ship are you booking to the Bahamas?

If it's Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas there is an inside pool plus a beautiful warm solarium with towering plants and cascading pools plus plenty of planned activities to keep you busy till you reach warmer temps. 

 

On a standard 7-day Bahamas cruise it will be cool/cold for the first sea day until late in the afternoon of the first sea day when you'll notice a balmy hint in the air. Later that night it will be noticeably warmer. 

 

You will 4.5 days of warm weather and 2.5 of cold.

 

I rather enjoy the gradual shift in temperatures from cold to warm it really gives you the feeling of cruising to some faraway place. 

 

If you live nearby New York/New Jersey it's so much better to cruise from there instead of needing to deal with the added expense and hassle of flying. 

 

Go to the Bahamas and have a great cruise. 

 

Jonathan

Thank you. That is under consideration as well as MSC. 
We are in Pa so easy to drive but the cost of the parking was surprising ! 

[cruiserking]

8 minutes ago, kaz828 said:

Thank you. That is under consideration as well as MSC. 
We are in Pa so easy to drive but the cost of the parking was surprising ! 

MSC gets a lot of mixed reviews. I would highly recommend Royal Caribbean's Anthem. Beautiful ship, terrific service, delicious food and tons of great on board activities including Broadway style production shows. MSC's on board activities are practically non-existent and their production show is pretty lame. 

 

Happy Cruising. 

 

Jonathan

[Charles4515]

36 minutes ago, cruiserking said:

What ship are you booking to the Bahamas?

If it's Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas there is an inside pool plus a beautiful warm solarium with towering plants and cascading pools plus plenty of planned activities to keep you busy till you reach warmer temps.

Anthem of the Seas was designed for cruising out of northeast. The NCL ship I took to the Bahamas, Breakaway had no indoor pools or solarium. Also Breakaway had a casino that was open to the central public area and I always smelled cigarette smoke. 

[meadowlander]

On 6/16/2023 at 9:20 AM, kaz828 said:

We are in Pa so easy to drive but the cost of the parking was surprising ! 

Parking at Cape Liberty in Bayonne NJ is $30 per day. In December parking will be in the garage not the outside lots. If you look on the 'East Coast' board, someone posted that bus service from Pennsylvania to Cape Liberty is resuming.

 

Anthem of the Seas has 2 indoor pools, 1 for all ages the other for 16 and above. By using the forward elevators, you could access both indoor pools without walking outside on the pool deck if the weather is not to your liking.

 

Of my 3 December/January cruises from Bayonne, all had the outside pool deck closed on the last sea day. On 1 January cruise, a snow squall hit before the ship sailed. On the other January cruise it was in the 60's on the morning of the first full day at sea.

 

Don't let the weather/temperature put you off. Anthem has many indoor facilities & activities if you do not want to be on the outside pool deck. Anthem's itinerary is to Port Canaveral, Nassau & Coco Cay. Coco Cay (in Bahamas) will be the best port call.