Are you indifferent to rain when planning holidays?

[unicorn]

I've noticed that a lot of cruise lines promote sailings in which they travel during the height of rainy season. This goes across several cruise lines including Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Oceania. For example, I was recently sent a promotion for this cruise:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/cruises/REG251217/?sfmc=EM_822731273

Every single one of the ports included on this voyage is being visited during the height of that port's rainy season. Bora Bora gets 25 cm of rain during the month of December. Port Vila in Vanuatu gets 31.6 cm of rain during the month of January, and Darwin, NT gets a whopping 47.1 cm of rain in January. The cheapest inside cabin on this ship goes for over $16,000 with the discount, and the most expensive cabins go for $60,000 (US). While those are places I'd like to visit, no way would I choose to visit when it'll almost assuredly be raining heavily, especially not by shelling out big $$. 

What gives? Is it that people don't care about getting soaked? Or are people shelling out the big $$ without looking up climate data regarding the ports they'll be visiting? The craziest part is that I can't find ANY cruise line which does a similar route during the drier season (rain is unheard-of in Darwin from June to August, for example, average less than 1 mm/month). We'll be visiting Java and Bali in late July, and will be doing a land-based tour. 

[Keithambrose]

31 minutes ago, unicorn said:

I've noticed that a lot of cruise lines promote sailings in which they travel during the height of rainy season. This goes across several cruise lines including Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Oceania. For example, I was recently sent a promotion for this cruise:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/cruises/REG251217/?sfmc=EM_822731273

Every single one of the ports included on this voyage is being visited during the height of that port's rainy season. Bora Bora gets 25 cm of rain during the month of December. Port Vila in Vanuatu gets 31.6 cm of rain during the month of January, and Darwin, NT gets a whopping 47.1 cm of rain in January. The cheapest inside cabin on this ship goes for over $16,000 with the discount, and the most expensive cabins go for $60,000 (US). While those are places I'd like to visit, no way would I choose to visit when it'll almost assuredly be raining heavily, especially not by shelling out big $$. 

What gives? Is it that people don't care about getting soaked? Or are people shelling out the big $$ without looking up climate data regarding the ports they'll be visiting? The craziest part is that I can't find ANY cruise line which does a similar route during the drier season (rain is unheard-of in Darwin from June to August, for example, average less than 1 mm/month). We'll be visiting Java and Bali in late July, and will be doing a land-based tour. 

Interesting  points. I'm not a cruise buff, but it seems odd to shell out such sums for rainy season travels. Perhaps others have an idea. For Thailand,  I try to visit between November  and February,  to take advantage  of the dry season. I'm keen on sitting outside by the river, or up top in the Vertigo bar, etc, which can't be done in the rain. 

[vinapu]

from my very limited experience (just 2 cruises) most people don't leave the ship anyways so weather at port is afterthought.

To answer original question , it depends of destination and whether trip is city  stop or trekking in the woods. I was in Thailand few times during rainy season and rain did not bother me much if at all. Trekking in Nepal during monsoon  would be different case

[PeterRS]

3 hours ago, vinapu said:

from my very limited experience (just 2 cruises) most people don't leave the ship anyways so weather at port is afterthought.

My experience is limited to three and the often inclement weather had not put anyone off - even during the third one around the Caribbean, up the Amazon and then around South America. The main reason, I am certain, is that at that time there was quite a severe recession and couples, mostly elderly, were flocking to cruises because of major discounts. One New York couple told me it was actually cheaper than staying at home. For the 17 days I was on that cruise, couples were paying just £60 per day which included accommodation and all meals (4 or 5 per day). I could not have put up with more than 17 days but they were on for 3 months!

[floridarob]

Cruises go every day of the year when not in drydock, many of the sailings that you mention like Bora Bora, might be a repositioning cruise, they need to get the ship somewhere else, If that is the case, they used to be a bargain. 

I thought COVID would be the death of cruise ships, floating petri dishes. But no, now they are more popular than ever and charging obscene prices and they are sold out....go figure 🤷‍♂️

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, floridarob said:

I thought COVID would be the death of cruise ships, floating petri dishes. But no, now they are more popular than ever and charging obscene prices and they are sold out....go figure 🤷‍♂️

because they are very good creating impression of passengers being treated as a princes

[vinapu]

10 hours ago, PeterRS said:

My experience is limited to three and the often inclement weather had not put anyone off - 

as I said I know almost nothing about cruises with only 2 undertaken but remember my surprise on Panama Canal cruise segment. Beautiful  day  and ship told us that slightly over half ( they gave us exact figure but I forgot what it was)  passengers went to the shore, hence my comment 

[unicorn]

1 hour ago, vinapu said:

as I said I know almost nothing about cruises with only 2 undertaken but remember my surprise on Panama Canal cruise segment. Beautiful  day  and ship told us that slightly over half ( they gave us exact figure but I forgot what it was)  passengers went to the shore, hence my comment 

It's not my experience, having taken quite a few cruises, that most people stay on board during port days, so I asked google, and the number was much higher than I expected:

Maybe my experience is different because I tend to cruise with more upscale cruise lines (Celebrity, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea), in which people aren't saving their pennies, and just want to be pampered. I'd guess that staying on board in port would be more common in the lower-end lines such as Carnival and MSC. For me, the nicest aspect of cruising is seeing a bunch of places without having to keep packing and unpacking, carrying one's luggage, checking in and checking out of hotels, etc. Of course, the pampering and good food without having to pay $$$$ at expensive restaurants is nice, too. At the highest-end lines (RSS, Silversea), the excursions are included, so it'd be silly to stay onboard. 

In February, we're taking an Atlantis (gay) cruise to the Caribbean, in which the experience is definitely intended to be the cruise itself (along with the fellow passengers), rather than the ports, but that's unique. It's on a Royal Caribbean ship, and the ship has tons of things to do on board, such as water slides, etc. Our ship will make port in the highly-protected enclave of Labadee in Haiti, so this will allow me to set foot on one of the few countries in the Western Hemisphere which I haven't yet visited. 

On cruises which cater to 50+ adults, such as Celebrity, I think more passengers are interested in actually seeing places than on partying on board. 

[PeterRS]

Seeing the monsters that now sail the seas with several thousand passengers, almost the last thing I ever want to do is spend time on one.

[floridarob]

2 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Seeing the monsters that now sail the seas with several thousand passengers, almost the last thing I ever want to do is spend time on one.

Don't judge a book by its cover.... they are amazing, the entertainment, shopping and dining options are out of this world....not to mention the cute crew 😏

[PeterRS]

9 minutes ago, floridarob said:

Don't judge a book by its cover.... they are amazing, the entertainment, shopping and dining options are out of this world....not to mention the cute crew 😏

Believe me I have not just looked at the cover. I was lucky to cruise on small vessels like those in the SIlver Wind fleet with no more than 400 passengers. I have seen videos of the monster ships. Just not for me or my partner. 

The gay cruises on the larger ships seem a bundle of fun and lots more, though. But age has taken its toll and I would now feel very much out of place!

[floridarob]

32 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

I have seen videos of the monster ships.

Judging without experiencing, hence, judging a book by its cover 🤷‍♂️

[PeterRS]

2 hours ago, floridarob said:

Judging without experiencing, hence, judging a book by its cover 🤷‍♂️

Wrong analogy here, I suggest. It's perfectly easy from a multitude of videos to see how these monster ships run and what is avaiable for passengers. Just not for me, thanks.

[Keithambrose]

7 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

Wrong analogy here, I suggest. It's perfectly easy from a multitude of videos to see how these monster ships run and what is avaiable for passengers. Just not for me, thanks.

Or me!