You are now 9 days away from amazing food, glorious entertainment and a trip you will remember forever. How do you prepare best for the weather? There is no question that the weather can change at the drop of a hat anywhere in the world! So we are going to get you started on preparing for the weather today and then have you check the weather again two days before you leave.
weather.com is the best place to get a look at the next month of weather in your destination. Obviously, they cannot tell you much past ten days out. But at least you can see what the usual temperatures are. Remember that each port and country could have drastically different weather! You may be on a 7-night cruise with each ports having different climates. You may even be on an island where every part of the island has different weather. So have some fun today! Go check out the weather in all of the ports you are docking at to help you get started.
Hurricanes? Read Shauna’s sailing during a hurricane story below!
Prepare for unexpected weather
RAIN GEAR – We always pack it just in case. We like the plastic rain ponchos that you can carry in your bag for emergencies. And we always bring a small collapsible umbrella, as well as waterproof dry bags for our cameras, phones, and electronics.
HINT – If you are going to the Caribbean, a flash rainstorm can pop out of nowhere! Then after a huge deluge, turn into gorgeous sunshine! We are always prepared.
LAYERS – We said it before in the packing days! Plan on layers! Mornings on many ports are much cooler because of the marine layers. Then by about 10:30- 11:00 the heat kicks in!
CRUISE GODDESS wants you to know that no matter what the weather is you can have an amazing time! ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING! We were caught in the Bahamas during the rainy season. It was one of the most fun days we ever had as we walked through the island in the rain! It was a warm rain with cool breezes. So it was so different than melting on a hot beach. It wasn’t what we had expected. But we let that go and enjoyed what the day brought us!
SEASICKNESS? With stormy or windy weather, the ship may rock back and forth. Some people are susceptible to this and get a bit queazy. We find that ginger lozenges and Sea-Bands can help.
Sea-Band Family Pack Wristbands and Sugar Free Lozenges, Natural Nausea Relief, Anti-Nausea Acupressure Wristband for Travel or Morning Sickness, 1 Count
Sea-Band The Original Wristband Adults
CAPTAIN BERT’S favorite nights out at sea are in thunderstorms! It is magical watching the night sky light up and cast its glow over the ocean as you sail. And the sound of the thunder is exhilarating when there are no other sounds around you.
EEZ-Y Compact Travel Umbrella w/Windproof Double Canopy Construction – Auto Open/Close ButtonPremium 20L Waterproof Bag, Sack with Phone Dry Bag and Long Adjustable Shoulder Strap Included (Yellow, 20 L)Rain Poncho: Lightweight, Waterproof Rain Gear with Drawstring Hood: 5 Pack: Emergency Disposable Rain Ponchos in Pink, Blue, Navy, Silver & Gold: Thicker Material and Packable
CRUISING IN HURRICANE SEASON
Here is Shauna’s Hurricane Sailing Story!
Hurricane season traditionally lasts from June 1 through November 1 of every year. But with the crazy weather these days, there is no logic to it anymore. There were hurricanes in January! Here is Shauna’s story about her sailing during Hurricane Rita!
We were sailing out of Galveston on a Royal Caribbean ship. Hurricane Rita was threatening to hit the gulf. We were able to get out to sea and start our scheduled itinerary with the hope of getting back after Hurricane Rita had passed. But that crazy storm decided to take her sweet time! So our 7-day cruise turned into an 11-day cruise! We could not get back into the Gulf, so RCCL just changed our itinerary and kept us far away from the storm! We added Montego Bay to our itinerary and had the best time! The crew kept us laughing! They refueled and got more food in Mexico. And we all watched to see when the ship would be able to return to Galveston.
We had so many Texans on the ship. They were beyond relieved to not be in the 8-hour traffic lines to evacuate their towns. Royal Caribbean gave everyone free phone service and wifi(which in 2005 was slow!) They had free cocktail parties and made everyone feel safe as we followed far enough behind the storm to have blue skies. Some people had emergencies and needed to get off the ship. So when we sailed around the tip of Florida and into Fort Lauderdale (totally off the itinerary as it was a Western Caribbean sailing) to refuel again a few people disembarked. But most stayed aboard to be able to sail back to Galveston. And that made our 7-day cruise an 11-day cruise!
Roya Caribbean dealt with it with such grace. The joke was that we did have to repeat some of the entertainment because they only had a schedule for 7 days! But no one cared! We were safe! We were happy! We were on a cruise!
The bottom line when it comes to sailing in Hurricane Season is you need to be flexible. It is rare when your cruise will be canceled. That would only happen if the hurricane was on track to hit your port of sailing on the day you are scheduled to leave. Or if within a day or two before your sailing the airports or travel to your port are interrupted by the storm. If you are out to sea you are so safe! They can change your itinerary to get far away from a storm. So just be flexible if you are sailing during Hurricane season and enjoy your cruise!
Next up: Day 8 Let’s get serious about packing your luggage for the cruise