Europe in November? Too dark and cold?

[rlr316]

Hi, We are thinking of taking a Mediterranean cruise in November but are wondering if the weather and early darkness would negatively affect the experience. We would like to do shore excursions such as Pompeii or city tours. Is this reasonable? Thanks for your input.

[Happy ks]

I haven't been there yet, so all I can do is look up averages, I went to www.weather.com and Googled Italy sunrise/sunset and Greece sunrise/sunset.

 

November can be a little cooler than other months, according to averages. The daylight hours are approximately from 6:30am to 5:00pm, just like where you live :)

 

The temps are averaged a little warmer than Washington (depending on which side of the state you're on) and there is a little less rain predicted than Washington, again it will depend on which country you are visiting.

 

Since you will be on a cruise and many times have to reboard by 5 pm, there will be just as much time to see the sights as a summer cruise. You just won't see the ocean as much.

[operafan]

We were in Barcelona and Lisbon last Thanksgiving. It was chilly (40's) very early morning but in the mid-high 60's during the day. Very pleasant..........

[paul929207]

We were on the Royal Princess the second half of November last year. The cruise went from Venice to Rome. Temperatures were mostly in the 60's during the day. As to darkness, we had usually sailed before sundown.

[cruisemom42]

October/November is one of my favorite times to travel in Europe because the temps are reasonable and the tourist numbers are way down. In some ports you do take a chance with increased rainfall in November. As to darkness, I love the way most cities look in the evening.

[Morgsmom]

We are hoping the weather is favorable this Thanksgiving in Europe -- not sure about 40 degrees in the morning for this Florida gal :eek:

[Roz]

There are far fewer tourists in November, and I personally find it easier to tour when it's on the cool side, rather than dealing with heat and humidity.

 

Roz

[sos4fun]

We're doing NCL Barcelona round trip leaving Nov 18, returning the 30th, so this is helpful information. Ports include Morocco, Canary Islands, Gibraltar, Lisbon. I was worried about it being cold and rainy but it appears the first part of the trip will be warmer and then get cooler.

 

I'm more concerned about rough seas on the passage from Canary Islands north to Lisbon. If anybody has done that in late November, I'd love to hear what it was like.

 

Thanks!

[ab0si]

To give you an idea of the amount of daylight (yes, you can look it up, but sometimes analogies work better), Rome is as far North as New York City. This makes it a bit south of Washington state and, therefore, a little more daylight in November.

 

I have been to Italy in every month except August. October and November are my favorite months to visit. temperatures are pleasant for walking and fewer tourists. the only negative (for non-beach types) is that it is the rainy season.

 

Paul

[kasi1979]

Actually I´m planning a cruise in the med this november, too. I´ve done the tour from Northern Italy - Barcelona - Casablanca - Canary Islands - Madeira back to Italy a few years back and every port south of Barcelona was like early summer, really nice without being too hot. However the Atlantic ocean tends to be a bit bumpy.

 

Right now I´m having trouble to get my friend who usually cruises with me, to come along as she wants lots of sun and no, there is no garanty for sun in the Med at that time of year. On the other hand, we weren´t too lucky weatherwise this May, so november can´t be worse...

 

If flights weren´t that expensive, we´d go to the Carribbean, but as it is it would be just too much for us...

[operafan]

We're doing NCL Barcelona round trip leaving Nov 18, returning the 30th, so this is helpful information. Ports include Morocco, Canary Islands, Gibraltar, Lisbon. I was worried about it being cold and rainy but it appears the first part of the trip will be warmer and then get cooler.

 

I'm more concerned about rough seas on the passage from Canary Islands north to Lisbon. If anybody has done that in late November, I'd love to hear what it was like.

 

Thanks!

 

 

The Canary's were gorgeous. Mid-upper 70's, as they are all year round........ The seas were quite choppy and blustery between the Canary's and Lisbon last year. It was far too cold and windy to walk out on the deck but tbh, we didn't notice it all that much. There was plenty to do inside.

[sos4fun]

Operafan - thanks for the answer on the passage from Canary Islands to Lisbon. That's what I surmised. Since I'm very sensitive to motion I'm trying to figure out best remedy for myself. I'm highly allergic to medication of any kind, and I've read a lot of negative reactions to the patch - everything fry dry mouth, blurred vision to hives. There is another thread all about health, seasickness and suggestions so I won't take up your time in this thread - but will go there for research.

 

Thanks!

[operafan]

Operafan - thanks for the answer on the passage from Canary Islands to Lisbon. That's what I surmised. Since I'm very sensitive to motion I'm trying to figure out best remedy for myself. I'm highly allergic to medication of any kind, and I've read a lot of negative reactions to the patch - everything fry dry mouth, blurred vision to hives. There is another thread all about health, seasickness and suggestions so I won't take up your time in this thread - but will go there for research.

 

Thanks!

 

Sos4fun, We love the rockin'and rollin' on a ship, but I seem to recall reading something about either eating a green apple or sniffing in the scent of orange peel to get rid of seasickness. Sounds wacky but couldn't get more natural!! Just a thought.....

[Bill S]

We did an E. Med cruise last November: Nov 8-22. We had great weather and sea conditions. We started in Barcelona, and it was a bit warm, high 70s, but the rest of the cruise the temperatures were a bit cooler, especially in Venice by the end of November-it was very chilly there.

The prior year we did a W. Med (starting in Rome) cruise in late September/early October and what a difference a month made with respect to crowds! In November the reduced number of tourists was very noticeable.

 

In November, it did get darker early, but that did not really impact our enjoyment.

We wouldn't hesitate going back again in November. :)

[Rock Chick]

We like to cruise the Canary Islands during the winter as the weather is generally much nicer than the rest of the Med. It does get chilly at night though so a jacket would be required.

 

Carol