November is considered the tail end of the rainy season in the Caribbean. Rainy season also means hurricane season, in this region.

Hurricanes can be enormously disruptive to the cruise ship itinerary, which means the ship could be diverted, missing planned stops. And rain could mean you'd be stuck indoors on the ship for days at a time (although very unlikely the whole of the cruise), which might seem like a waste of the time spent to get there. But the boat will avoid getting too close to any hurricanes. The cruise ship companies are extremely cautious; they'll keep constant tabs on weather forecasts and will not take any chances if they have any doubts about the weather.

Some travellers in November find they strike it lucky. The weather is still relatively warm, but already calmed down after the stormy season. Temperatures can be warm or cold, and skies are just as likely to be sunny as cloudy and rainy.