what to wear for december trip

bkgilliam

Earning My Ears
Joined
Nov 1, 2011
So we are going to disney 12/18-12/29. I have four kids and I am trying to figure out what to pack them. We are from Ohio so winters are very cold. Has anyone been during this time and what the norm? Shorts, or jeans most of the time. I will bring plenty of sweatshirts for everyone but dunno if I should just bring short or long sleeves. I look up the weather and it averages from 71-55.Any input would be appreciated. :hippie:
 
I'm bringing pants & long sleeves AND shorts & tees. I'm bringing my swimsuit AND a jacket, hat & gloves. Dec. has the potential to be all over the place. I wait until the last minute to pack, to get the most accurate weather forecast, but I still prepare for both extremes.

In 09, it was mostly warm, pants and short sleeves for me & dd, shorts & tees for the boys. The last day we were there was really cold though, and the 1st two days were really hot.

Last year we missed due to DS's surgery, but it was unusually cold.
 
LAYERS are key...It can vary greatly..Last year it was colder in Florida Mid -December then it was home in PA.I kid you not..Winter hats,gloves and coats were our clothing.Other years we were in sweatshirts in the morning and shortsleeves and shorts in the day and warmer clothes at night
 
Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best.

You might be used to the cold in Ohio, but you probably don't stay outside in it for 10-12 hours back home either.

Could be sunny and hot, could be 20 something when you get up in the morning. (It was for us 2 mornings last year). If the average is 65, chances are some days are 80 and some are 50.

Don't trust a forecast further out than 2 days.

Bring a bucket full of cash if you plan to buy cold weather gear in the parks.
 


I've been in Dec and had beautiful 80 degree weather and my brother went last year and wore winter coats, hats, and gloves the whole week.

I think you have to pack everything!
 
I agree that you need to pack for warm or cold. There's just no way around it.

I hope you have a freat trip.
 
I agree with everyone, pack for both warm and cold.
A word of warning around the lagoon in Epcot it get cold because the wind blows over it. When I was walking towards Italy I was fine in the evening. Once the sun set it was freezing. I hand a coat, gloves and hat in my backpack and was glad of it. I live in the mountains of Colorado and know what cold is and this was cold.
 


We just got back from a ruise an spent one day in Sea World and DTD and I froze. We are from canada and get VERY cold winters but we normally don't walk around outside all day in freezing weather at home!! We are headed back to WDW in December and I am bringing a hat, mitts, scarf, jackets and moty jeans and sweatshirts. I am going to bring a pair of capris and one T-shirt just in case. I would rather be to warm then too cold
 
I bring some of each and do layering.

I went when it was cold (in the low 30's at night cold) and afternoons were 50 to 65.

So even though I did bring one pair of shorts and my swimsuit I didn't use them. But it was nice knowing I had them if I needed them.

I mostly wore jeans/short sleeve t-shirt/long sleeve shirt/hoodie/fleece jacket in the morning and at night. Also at night I added a hat and gloves. The night I was in World Showcase, I added a sweatshirt and was wishing I had my long underwear with me (I'd left it in the room) because the wind was blowing pretty bad and my legs were cold.

In the middle of the day, I usually was down to the jeans/short sleeve t-shirt.

So if I were you, I'd wait to pack until you get closer to the trip and can see what you'll need. The weather changes very fast in Florida.

Have a great time!
 
like the PPs said, you never know. Last year, we wore gloves and sweaters and hats every evening. Been there when a light jacket was plenty.

Like a Boy Scout, be prepared.
 
It changes every year. Last year December in Florida was chilly, but in past years when I was in Florida in December it was in the 70s.

I think your best bet is to put off packing for as long as you can and just keep watching the weather.
 
I hate packing for our trips to FL in winter and we live in the Chicago area. In summer, I can pack shorts and a two pair of long pants and a sweater just in case. In winter, I have to pack for both warm and cold and that is even if we go to south FL. We did a cruise a number of years ago out of Tampa in Nov. We stopped in Ft. Myers for a couple of days first. When we got off the plane we were roasting. The second night a cold front came in and stayed. When we got on the ship that next morning, it was cold. The ship stopped in Key West and it was still cold.
Thank goodness we drive so I am not limited on the amount of clothes I take.
 
I'm probably not going to pack until there's a 5-day forecast and base it from there. They should be able to predict any type of huge cold snap (like last years) by then.....but I think layers would be a good bet, and warm during day and little chilly at night.
 
I would pack a wide variety of options, even considering the five-day forecast. The temperature and conditions can vary a whole lot just over the course of the day, and it's good to have options. I would even pack hats and gloves. Even if the high temperature were to get in the 70s, if it would go into the 50s or even 40s when it gets dark, that's going to feel super-chilly when you're outdoors in it for long stretches. Yes, it's a hassle to pack all that stuff, but better to be prepared than to go spend a fortune in a gift shop for extra clothes to keep you comfortable.
 
Definitely agree with the layers. Last year we wore hats and gloves most evenings. We don't like to mess with coats, but we wore long-sleeves and hoodies to keep warm. The year before, however, we wore shorts many days and had lots of pool time. You just never know. :)
 
I've gone at the beginning of December and highs ranged from 48 to 85. You may think 60's sound warm being from Ohio (I'm from PA), during the day it's not bad if it's sunny but as soon as the sun goes down, you will freeze. Generally I don't plan on shorts at all unless highs are above 75. If highs under under 65, I bring my winter coat for evening.
 
bring coats. we live in the chicago area and are used to cold....however, we dont' stand outside all day long, like at a park.

we were in wdw last dec. second week.. freezing!!!!! got down to 28. I wished we had long underwear.

we went to wdw in dec 2007 and it was really nice. 70's, 50's maybe 40s at night. we were wearing shorts with a hooded sweatshirt, for pants, maybe a jacket.

we were so surprised this last year.. it was just too cold to enjoy being outside.
 
If you have a waterproof jacket with a zip out liner, that is a great layering tool to bring. You can wear the jacket alone if the temps are cool, and add the liner if it gets cold. Waterproof jackets tend to be good in the wind too - there's nothing worse than a cold wind at Epcot when you're around the lake waiting for Illuminations! I was at WDW during the cold snap last year, and on the coldest days I wore a tee shirt, a zip up hoodie, and a medium weight fleece jacket all layered together. You will want a hat or a hood, and gloves.

The weather can be all over the place. It depends a lot on what is happening up north - if we get a strong cold front through, it will be very cold for a day or two, and then it will start to warm up a bit until the next cold front comes through. That's pretty much the winter pattern here. So you may be bundled up one day and a couple days later, in shorts and a tee shirt! Another thing to consider (hence the waterproof jacket) is that some of these fronts will bring rain and unlike our summer showers that are quick to come and go, it may be drizzly all day - especially if the front stalls out right over us, or passes over and back (which they often do).

Light layers are the best bet, with some jeans and some shorts, a good jacket, and a swim suit if you like to swim (the pools are heated, so if the air temp is OK you are good to go).
 
Deciding what to pack is stressing me out! Kind of wish I was going in May instead. :rotfl:

Don't stress..Just realize you really can't pack much till a few days before your trip since the forecasts can be erratic..we had highs in the 40's and 70's in the same trips before.
 

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