Flying with coats?

[GCM]

My family is flying to DW in December . It will more than likely be quite chilly when we leave our home to head to the airport, but we could make due with sweatshirts no longer than we will be out in the cold air. However, I have heard several mention that it can get a bit cold at DW in December and we might need our coats, not to mention gloves, etc. I just hate to pack such large items with the cost of baggage being so high. Are there any tricks to packing coats, gloves, etc., that have worked out for you?

[Junebugwv]

We went the second week of December a few years ago and never wore long sleeves the entire time. I would watch the forecast and decide later if you will need very warm clothing. If it is not expected to be cold while you are there, then a sweatshirt should be fine. If it is expected to be in the 40's at night, I would layer in long sleeves, a sweatshirt, gloves and a warm ski cap. A lightweight windbreaker over a sweatshirt is a good option if you want to avoid taking a coat.

[helenk]

In all my December trips I've never had to wear my winter coat, and I have hit some colder weather. The weather is December can be iffy, some years I've worn shorts and short sleeves during the day and then changed into jeans and a light weight long sleeve shirt. In 2007 it was warm enough to wear shirt sleeves at night.
I agree with the prior poster, start checking the weather 10 days prior to your trip. This will give you an idea of what you will need.
I bring some long sleeve shirts, a sweatshirt, my gloves, hat and a windbreaker type of jacket. If its chilly I wear jeans and my long sleeve shirt and roll up the sweatshirt and the windbreaker in my back pack. This way I can layer as the night gets cooler. I put my gloves and hat in especially if I am going to be around water, like watching Illuminations, or at Fantasmic, gloves and a hat make me more comfortable while waiting.

[debknight]

You do not have to wear a heavy winter coat. I take a polar-fleece type shirt to layer under a lightweight jacket, if needed. Also take thin gloves and a thin-type of knit hat.

[goofy4tink]

I have flown from Boston to Orlando many times in early Dec. In fact, I have done it every year since '03. This is how I dress for those winter flights (I do the same for Thanksgiving and Jan/Feb trips as well)...I wear jeans, heavyish socks, a turtleneck, a sweatshirt and a flannel lined windbreaker. When I get on the plane, the windbreaker comes off. As we near MCO, the socks come off. When we land, I head to the ladies room and change into a short sleeved shirt (in my carryon).
I usually pack a pair of those one sized fits all type gloves that you can buy for a buck or so. Then, they go in my park bag.
The days in Dec are usually pretty pleasant. The nights can get chilly though. I usually wear jeans or capris at night...with a sweatshirt. If it gets really cold (and it has in the past), the turtleneck goes on!!
This way, I can fly home and be warm when I get back to Boston. And I don't have to take up a ton of room in my checked bags with heavier clothing.

[monarchsfan16]

Usually when flying in the winter I wear a fleece jacket over a sweatshirt and t-shirt and am fine. I've used this method when it was in the 30's and also when the windchill was well below zero. For the quick walk to the airport it was no big deal. I've also never needed anything heavier than a sweatshirt and fleece combo in Disney (and a pair of light gloves). But then again when it's 30 in Disney (about the coldest I've seen there), it's a LOT colder back home in NH So it's definitely relative. But a fleece jacket over a sweatshirt is very warm

[robinb]

We go every year for the last week of December and first week of January and it can get all the way down to the 30's with frost warnings. We're from Wisconsin and we don't wear our winter coats. We do bring our late-fall type coats as debknight suggests. I wear my Lands End waterproof coat with a zip-out fleece liner with a stretchy headband to keep my ears warm and stretchy "magic" gloves to keep my hands warm. I will also pack another sweatshirt and another lightweight fleece that can be layered. We also pack swimsuits and swim just about every day .

ETA: To answer your question, your coats go in the overhead bin. You can usually stuff them around your bags.

[GCM]

I want to thank everyone for the suggestions. I will most likely keep the heavy coats at home and just wear some layered items to the airport that I can then use in the parks if it gets cold. I did think about stuffing the coats around our bags in the overhead bins, but I was under the impression that a coat would count as our 1 personal item thus limiting us to have an extra bag/purse type item.

As you can tell, I do not fly often and this is the first time since they started charging for checked bags.

I am so excited. I wish I could start packing now.

Once again, thanks!

[robinb]

Originally Posted by GCM

I did think about stuffing the coats around our bags in the overhead bins, but I was under the impression that a coat would count as our 1 personal item thus limiting us to have an extra bag/purse type item.

Coats don't count as a personal item, so you're fine!

[NotUrsula]

I'm not from the frozen north, LOL. I live in a climate where we often get days well below freezing, but very little heavy snow. However, I grew up in coastal Louisiana, and the weather there is very similar to that in Orlando.

The thing to remember about cold days in Florida is that they tend to also be WET days. I've very seldom worn shorts at WDW in December; most of the time I pack lightweight wind pants and khaki-type trousers, plus a hooded windbreaker and a fleece jacket. You want to go for fabrics that block wind and repel dampness. Zip-off ripstop trousers are one of the best options you can do, as they give you the option to go long or short as the day wears on. (They ARE available for women, BTW, try outdoor sports stores such as Bass Pro Shop.)

As a matter of principle I *never* travel with jeans unless I'm planning to ride horses. They are heavy and bulky to pack, take too long to dry if they get wet, and most importantly for this discussion, ARE NOT WARM!!

Anyway, the BEST investment I've ever made for winter travel are lightweight silk long underwear. They will keep you warm under whatever trousers you are wearing, and will fit folded in a pocket when not needed.
You can get them from Lands End or LL Bean, and wintersilks.com even has them for kids.

[WillCAD]

I've been to WDW in early December for the past 6 years running (not this year - October instead). It's been quite chilly a few times, but in my experience, only locals who are acclimated to the central Florida heat, and folks from similar warm climates, need winter coats that time of year.

I've seen daily highs not go above 50, and I've seen night-time lows dip close to freezing, but I've never seen weather that required me to wear a winter coat. I got by quite well most of the time with a nice warm sweatshirt; but there were a few times when I needed a second layer, and I probably could have used a pair of light gloves.

Then the next day, the temp went up to 80.

Your avatar says you are from Knoxville, TN. I'm not familiar with the weather there, but my guess is that it's generally colder in TN than it is in Orlando, so you may be as comfortable in Orlando in sweatshirts and jeans as I am in December.

Originally Posted by robinb

Coats don't count as a personal item, so you're fine!

They may not count as a personal item, but they do take up a lot of space in the overhead. The thought of taking my winter coat to Orlando with me make me groan; mine is a leather jacket that would take as much room to store as my carry-on bag does. The last thing I want on a plane is to deal with that hassle - not to mention the inconvenience it would cause other passengers - so I make do with just a sweatshirt on my December trips.

I hope I never have to fly to someplace genuinely cold during the winter months; I'd go berserk trying to fold up my coat, hat, and gloves and squeeze them into the overhead.

[Minnesota!]

Granted I am a bit further north of you so I am more acclimated to the cold. However, I didn't bring/need any type of jacket last December. The last day it was cooler then the previous ones (I think in the low 60's or so and rainy) but it was not anything I thought I needed a jacket for. And we are only outside (at home) to/from the airport. So I just threw a hoodie on my kids and called it a day.

I could see bringing some light weight gloves if your hands get cold easily (mine do) but I wouldn't bother with the jackets. Then again, I don't break out anything here until its under 0 *For myself. I put coats on my kids when it gets to the 20's*

[jenelope]

I hope I never have to fly to someplace genuinely cold during the winter months; I'd go berserk trying to fold up my coat, hat, and gloves and squeeze them into the overhead.

Eh, it's not so bad. I've never flown with a big leather coat because I don't find them that warm or comfortable, but I've flown with a big North Face parka and a puffy down coat. I bring a couple of fat rubber bands (the kind that are wrapped around asparagus at the store). When I get to the airport, I take off my coat, fold it up with my hat and gloves, and use the rubber bands to keep it folded tight. Both of my coats fold to about the size of a brick.

I took my coat to WDW on my December trip because it was 10 deg. in the parking lot at Detroit Metro Airport. It stayed in the closet the entire time, but there was actually one night I wished I'd had it. For some reason 40 degrees in Florida seems colder than it does in Michigan.

[DebbieB]

I've gone the beginning of December many times. It can really vary. I remember one trip where I wore shorts everyday, it was in the low 80's. Then another trip it was only in the 60's during the day, never wore shorts. One trip it was really cold, only around 60 during the day. I did bring a light winter coat that time - denim with a flannel lining and gloves and was glad to have them at night. For the plane, you can just fold them and put them in the overhead (wait until everyone has their luggage in) or put it under the seat in front of you.

[cmac609]

Originally Posted by GCM

My family is flying to DW in December . It will more than likely be quite chilly when we leave our home to head to the airport, but we could make due with sweatshirts no longer than we will be out in the cold air. However, I have heard several mention that it can get a bit cold at DW in December and we might need our coats, not to mention gloves, etc. I just hate to pack such large items with the cost of baggage being so high. Are there any tricks to packing coats, gloves, etc., that have worked out for you?

Hi

We went to disney last year 12/12-12/17 and the day we got there was pretty chilly (a light jacket was fine) however that night it was freezing in the 40s...we actually had to buy gloves and hats for the kids because it was that cold.....then by the end of the trip we were swimming....so you never know.