Sailing out of New York in Jan. or Feb.

[dkathi]

Could anyone let me know how rough the seas were going south out of NYC in these winter months? I know we will have cold weather at least the 1st and last days but am concerned about rough, dangerous seas at that time of year as well as the embarkation problems in NYC. Thanks! Kathi

[Dolphins]

Could anyone let me know how rough the seas were going south out of NYC in these winter months? I know we will have cold weather at least the 1st and last days but am concerned about rough, dangerous seas at that time of year as well as the embarkation problems in NYC. Thanks! Kathi

 

We have sailed out of New York every winter since NCL came here. We have yet to experience any unusually rough weather, though others have. The North Atlantic is a crap shoot at any time of the year. The biggest problem you may have is getting to the dock in a snowstorm but it still beats trying to get to an airport. Unlike your scheduled flight, the ship will sail and even if it is delayed, being on a beautiful cruise ship sure beats being in an airport. Take comfort in the fact that on the second sea day you will be sunning yourself by the pool while many who had a flight the day you left may still be at the airport. We look forward to our annual winter getaway on the new Gem in January.

[Baitman19]

We've sailed In December & January on the Dawn since 2004 and have found theb seas no problem. Around Cape Hatteres is always rougher than elswwhere. We have had bigger seas during the summer/fall when we have skirted hurricanes.

 

Our last cruise in January was cold on the way down & back, but with beautiful seas. We thought we were onm land except for the last day coming back, there were 12 foot seas.

 

Don't worry. The ships are built to handle the seas.

 

Happy Cruising,

Monty

[Seago2]

Let me just say this: if rough weather is a problem for you, do not take the chance. We had VERY bad weather coming back to NYC on Noordam this January. I love the motion of the ocean and have never been seasick. I'm pretty daring by nature and have cruised many times. Well, I was downing Dramamine and lying in bed next to my husband, our eyes wide open, nearly getting tossed out of bed. We were in the bow and that may have had something to do with it, but it sounded like 100 bowling balls were banging back and forth one deck below us. I then hinted it was loose cargo and we were going to sink. At that, DH got up and we went to the Lido and tried to sleep on lounge chairs with about 50 other pax. When daybreak came he was in the Crow's Nest, staring straight forward at the waves that were coming from both sides. I couldn't stand it. One lady broke her hip in her cabin and this went unnoticed for 24 hours. I saw an old man trying to carry a tray(!) to the elevator- he didn't make it, neither did the tray. I would say that for the 36 hours we were in these two storm systems, 24 were total fun and 12 were total hell. The crew were exhausted. I have a friend who sings in the ship's band and she said it was the worst she had ever been through. The funny thing is that after Noordam turned around in NYC (hours late) she had even WORSE weather, both heading down south and coming back up north again.

 

But I would still cruise out of NYC in the winter!

[tigerlilycruiser12]

Like Monty and Dolphins, I have also been sailing every winter since NCL has been sailing out of NY. I agree with both. Both times I was on the deck the next day without a sweater. The ocean can become rough anytime. I have had seas like glass and have had 20 foot seas. However it really was not that bad. You can always get seas like carlalena, :eek: but that is a chance that you take.

[pgh]

Like the others, I too have sailed on NCL from NY in the winter since 2004. The worst weather I've had sailing from the east cost was in April 2004 - Force 11 storm.

 

The allure of the ocean is that it is always changing and is more powerful than any beautiful cruise ship and all the instrumentation on board. That being said, if you are concerned at all, I would suggest looking into southern ports.

 

What are your concerns re: embarkation at NYC?

[DaisyL]

Kathi, cruising out of NY in feb is no different than any other month out of NY. It can be smooth as glass or rough...Just depends on the weather that particular day....

 

Having cuised twice out of NY in Feb, be prepared for cold weather the first day and last day. The ship has so many activities, we never got bored. Or if you want to relax there's places to relax indoors with big beautiful windows without being cooped up in the cabin. We particularly like Salsas during the day and Spinakers when there's no activity. You can take a ook with you to read or just gaze out at the ocean.

 

Have fun...

[Snowrose]

This past January 2007, leaving and arriving in NYC were a little bumpy but actually calmer than when we travelled along the SC coast. There was a storm starting up along there and that's when we had the larger waves. But near NYC, it was a bit of a rocking horse but that's about all.

 

Teri

[dkathi]

Like the others, I too have sailed on NCL from NY in the winter since 2004. The worst weather I've had sailing from the east cost was in April 2004 - Force 11 storm.

 

The allure of the ocean is that it is always changing and is more powerful than any beautiful cruise ship and all the instrumentation on board. That being said, if you are concerned at all, I would suggest looking into southern ports.

 

What are your concerns re: embarkation at NYC?

Re: embarkation, traffic back-up, long lines of cars and cabs to unload people and luggage, parking problems, getting to the pier in snow. I have sailed out of NYC 4 times before but never in winter months and am now holding space on the GEM in Feb 08. Thanks for all the info.