Best time of year to cruise?

[BeachGurl]

I thinking about asking my parents to send Sledge and I on a Disney cruise for my Christmas present this year. For all you experienced cruisers, what is the best time of year to go as far as price, weather, and ocean conditions? I definitely need to know when the seas are most calm because I get extremely sea sick. Not even kidding... if Jungle Cruise were any longer I'd probably have to emergency evac. :lol:

[jeffztt]

We've cruised in October twice now, but no other times. October is definitely a good time to go price wise, as that is about the cheapest time of the year. Seas-wise, though, I'm not sure it is the best as there is still the chance of a hurricane or storm churning up the waters. If you aren't thinking Disney Cruise, you may look into the cruises leaving from Tampa and basically staying in the Gulf of Mexico, as the Gulf is generally much calmer than the Atlantic. Don't worry too much about the sea sickness, the boats are so big they aren't constantly rocking like a fishing boat, etc. Plus, you can take motion sickness pills or wear one of those bracelets if you think they may work for you.

[HitchHikingGhostFangirl]

Price wise: Hurricane Season

Weather and conditions: It's a bit more tricky. It can be 15-20ft waves one weekend and the next, it's perfectly fine (ex: last november) March and April are pretty safe (before Hurricane season and -hopefully- after the winter season)

And yea, I second what jeffztt says. Motion sickness pills, the patches, bracelets, etc. They have plenty of things to try and help. And they seem to work for most people.

[BeachGurl]

I took Dramamine on my last cruise which pretty much put me to sleep the entire time. The only time I ever ate on the ship was while we were docked before we took off for the Bahamas. :lol: I attempted dinner one night and couldn't even get through my salad before I had to haul my butt to the restroom.

[jme]

How is the weather for a Bahama cruise (Nassau/Castaway) in Late Feb? Is there a high chance for rain during that time? I am trying to avoid high temperatures (90+) and still have nice weather. Think thats a good time to go?

[Dizneyusa]

$$$ wise, you can think of using a typical school calendar - when the kids are out of school and holidays are peak season and when they are in school and before and after holidays the cruise lines seem to have very good specials :)

Always make sure to ask for regional specials or if you live in FL ask for a FL Resident promo. Cruise lines offer a Early Booking Discount for booking far in advance a lot of the time. You can also check if you are a last minute cruiser for specials right before sailings also :) Think of it like the stock market :) The prices go up and down all the time. Sometimes if the cruise lines are trying to fill the ship they will offer a promotion out of the blue and will send out a blast (they will have a certain amount of cabins they will sell for the promo) and then it will be over.

Also, make sure BEFORE you cruise, to check prior to leaving if the cruise lines ran any last minute specials on your sailing, you might be able to save some additional money :) Worth checking :)

"IF" you even think that you might want to go on a cruise, if you are far enough out from sailing, you should ALWAYS lock in a promotion. As long as you cancel by the balance due date you are given by your travel agent or
the cruise line - most - cruise lines will let you cancel BEFORE the balance due date and you should receive a full refund of your deposit. So you have nothing to loose.

If you need any help you are always welcome to PM me and I will be glad to try and help :) My email is beanie-babies@att.net.......

[prowler01]

We've cruised Disney 3 times - twice in March and once in September. I thought the best weather between them was the September cruise. The water at Castaway Cay was much warmer than in March. March 09 was the last time we went out and the water was so cold it was hard to stay in it very long. I think the roughness of the seas is hit or miss. Most of the time you have to plan a cruise so far in advance its difficult to take weather into account.

[Qsk50]

My Disney Cruise was in September and we had excellent weather. I get sea sick on a raft :rolleyes:
I did take dramamine and it helped. Whatever you do, dont drink and take one of those.
You will sleep for a very long time!!
After the first night I was ok.
Don't forget to make reservations at Palo if you go on the magic. The food was great
and so was the view.

[cbisson]

i say the best time to go is early spring. warming weather and just a great time of year i think to go on a cruise.

[HitchHikingGhostFangirl]

Oh and for the seasickness medicine, it's suggested that you try it out before you go to see what effects it has on you. And then start taking it the day before.

[cbisson]

yeah i didnt have a problem with the waves of the boat on my first cruise but after stopping in cabo san lucas and 5 large margaritas later i felt every wave

[Qsk50]

yeah i didnt have a problem with the waves of the boat on my first cruise but after stopping in cabo san lucas and 5 large margaritas later i felt every wave

But you probably didnt care :lol:

For me walking around the deck helps with the motion sickness.
I dont know if things have changed since I was on the Disney Cruise but I can
tell you that the toilet is very noisy when you flush. Scared me the first time :yikes:

[HitchHikingGhostFangirl]

But you probably didnt care :lol:

For me walking around the deck helps with the motion sickness.
I dont know if things have changed since I was on the Disney Cruise but I can
tell you that the toilet is very noisy when you flush. Scared me the first time :yikes:

:lol: Nope, it's still the same. It's like that on all cruise ships (but I honestly think it's not as bad on DCL, dont know why but it's true.)

[jeffztt]

It wasn't mentioned much here, but cabin location can make a big difference. My parents were on the cruise that was stuck at Castaway Cay. They were in a "balcony" cabin near the back of the ship on deck 6 and some friends were in an inside cabin in the center of the ship. My mom woke of frequently while they were docked at Castaway Cay due to noise and rocking (noise being the side thrusters) while their friends, who were lower on the ship and in the center (not necessarily inside/outside center, but front/back center) said they slept great.

[Roxy13]

I wouldn't go from august to november if you're going carribean cruise. it's hurricane season around that time, might be cheap then, but you might end up with a hurricane on your trip. hope you have fun!

[NJIRAU]

the best time to cruise is in may!!!!!!!!!!11

[HitchHikingGhostFangirl]

the best time to cruise is in may!!!!!!!!!!11

Not necessarily. I've gone in May before and it was the worst cruise I've been on. Although that could have been because the ship was so old.

[BeachGurl]

The rinky dink cruise I took once before was in June and it was HORRIBLE. I looked out the window and those waves were thrashing. The ship I was on was also very small and very old so I'm positive that had a lot to do with the suckiness of it. :lol:

I kind of want to go may the first week of December because they have the ship all done up in Christmas decorations.

[Bethan]

You should come on my cruise on Nov 18th! 3 days around the bahamas :D

[BeachGurl]

You should come on my cruise on Nov 18th! 3 days around the bahamas :D

I want to wait until the Disney Dream sets sail... so I probably won't be going until December 2011. :lol:

[yankeeboy]

I'm goint next month.....and hoping the sea will be calm. I'll keep you posted on how it went.

[Dizneyusa]

Hoping you have great weather, Castaway Vinylmations and calm seas! ENJOY it is the best :)

Dana
dizneyusa

[reyalp12]

I'm goint next month.....and hoping the sea will be calm. I'll keep you posted on how it went.

Spring/Summer time is great for cruising! I've never been on a DCL cruise, but it's def on my list. Have a good time and keep us posted. (pun intented)