April/May worth the extra $?

[JabberJaws]

Question for everyone. I am looking at DCs for 2010. Last week in FEb. was my first choice, mostly b/c it is the cheapest time to go. However, the weather is iffy at best. April/May seem like the weather would be better (warmer, less likely to have a cold snap that would keep us off the beach/out of the pool). April/May are $200/person more expensive though.

My question to you guys is, would the extra $200 per person be worth it given the weather situation? Anyone been in February vs. May or late April?

Any help you can give is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

[Ed]

We've been on two February cruises (both of them 7-nighters) and one January (3-night). The weather has never been a negative on any of them except the first; our stop at Castaway Cay had to be cancelled due to strong currents making docking impossible to do safely.

Other than that, we've had warm weather, plenty warm for swimming, lounging in shorts and t-shirts, and sightseeing.

Can't help you re: April/May, but I'm sure somebody with first-hand experience will drop by and add their comments.

[Scar]

From an earlier post of mine:

I can only comment on the weather in the beginning of April. Perfect air temperature, but the water at Castaway Cay was still a little too cold to enjoy a good swim, although the kiddies didn't seem to mind.

The pools were around 80 degrees, probably year round.

[TammiMcMan]

My advice is to pick the time of year that's most convenient or fits the best with your budget. You can run into cold fronts, or unseasonably warm temps during the winter months and you can experience rough seas in the spring time. For the most part, regardless of time of year, the ships captain tries to avoid rough waters and although water temp on Castaway Cay might be too cool for extended swimming, you have the heated pools on the ship.

[JabberJaws]

Thanks for the help everyone. I know that I've asked similar questions before, but your continued help is greatly appreciated. I've only been on one DC and that was in Oct so I am just trying to weigh all my options.

[hotelhound]

Just returned from 4 nights on the Wonder (5/17-5/21) and stormy weather kept us indoors for nearly half the cruise --- no one's fault but kids and wife were really disappointed we couldn't enjoy Castaway Cay to its fullest. Weather was warm but very rainy. Captain finally decided to let everyone off the boat at Castaway Cay around 3 pm and then extended all aboard to 6 pm. It rained nearly all of the day at sea as well.

[TammiMcMan]

I'm so sorry that you had weather issues . Our first cruise was in late May and I know the week before we cruised, friends experienced terrible weather and rough seas. Unfortunately, it does happen and the captain can't always sail around it.

[JabberJaws]

Hmm it is sounding more and more like late February might not be all that bad. I had a friend who just recently (April) got back from a 4-day cruise and she said they had pretty rough weather. She said they actually had to cancel the day they were supposed to go to Castaway Cay and spend that day at sea. They tried to dock the next day, but the winds made the docking take hours so they barely got any time on the island.

Sounds to me like it is a toss-up between the potential of cold in February vs. the potential of rain/storms/wind in April/May.

Considering February saves $200 per person, late February might be the way to go.