December-weather/crowds etc...

[chefmb]

Looks like I might get a completely unexpected trip from Dec. 7-12. I've been to Disney in October, June, July, and August (about once every 3-4 years since 1996). Please tell me what to expect that second week of December, as far as weather/temps, crowds etc. I've looked up info on crowd calendars and average temps, but I want to hear from people who go at this time regularly and can fill me in. Thanks!! (PS. I looked at the "Where to post" thread, and this is where it said, so I hope I'm posting in the right place!!))
Thanks again!

 

[MHSweb79]

We've gone in early December twice and had the same weather both times: very cool (40's) in the mornings with temps up in the 70's and humid in the afternoons. But this can vary widely so you'll need to pack for all weather- a warm sweatshirt and some long pants for sure, but also lighter clothes for if/ when it warms up.

As for crowds, it's been quite a while since we've been at that time but the crowds were very low. The problem with low attendance times of year is that they cut down drastically on big shows and parades in the evenings, as well as fireworks. So it seems that EVERYONE from every park will show up for Wishes, for example, because the other parks have early closing times with no shows scheduled, and that can make the park temporarily packed.

 

[DemonLlama]

Our trips are every other year the week before Christmas for 10 years.

The weather is all over the place. Some trips we were in coats and hats, others shorts and t-shirts were perfectly comfortable. The best you can do is wait until about a week out and see what the extended forecast is saying to get a better idea. The safest bet is to bring layers or be prepared to buy a new Disney sweatshirt if it turns cold.

As far as crowds, the earlier in Dec. the better. I'd bet the second week is pretty calm and quiet comparatively. Attendance builds the days leading up to Christmas and the week between Christmas and NYE is jam-packed.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

What will you notice:
* limited park hours
* fewer evening shows (Fantasmic and Illuminations 2-3 times per week)
* cooler temperatures (might be too cold to enjoy swimming)
* very low crowds
* lots of Christmas decorations

 

[Princess 'n LA]

We've been throughout the year and our favorite time was Dec. 3-10. Comfortable weather (only needed pants and jackets one night), virtually NO lines, and Christmas decorations...what's not to love! As other posters noted, the shows were limited.

I have a question for other posters...how are crowds the week before Christmas? We have been the week of Thanksgiving. How do they compare to this?

Thanks!

 

[DebbieB]

I've gone at the beginning of December many times. Highs have ranged from 50 to low 80's. There have been trips where I wore shorts everyday, others where I didn't wear them at all and others a mix. If it's below 70 during the day, it will get cold after dark. One trip I brought a light winter coat and gloves and was glad to have them at night, daytime temps were in the low 60's and went down into the 40's at night. Other times I didn't even need a jacket at night, just a sweatshirt. So be prepared for anything, you have to wait for a couple days before to make your final packing decisions. Usually not much rain. Crowds are not bad.

 

[chefmb]

Thanks for the info. I'll hope for some of the warmer weather, but be prepared for cold too, and I'll definitely check the extended weather report before packing! Sounds like daytime crowds will be a nice change for me, while night time crowds will look rather familiar!
Thanks again!

 

[RMulieri]

The crowds are more average IMHO..They used to be real low, almost non-existant.But since every guidebook and travel channel show promotes this as THE time to visit WDW it is definitely busier.We found the crowds the week before Christmas last year ( Dec 12-19) were much lower than the previous 2 weeks the year before.

 

[Taja]

I've visited WDW in early to mid-December five times since 2003. Crowds are heavier than they were in 2003, but nothing like peak season.

Temperature can be variable. We've had days flirting with 90 degrees with overnight lows in the 70s and daytime temperatures in the 30s--I don't even want to think about the overnight low temperature! *LOL* All in one trip!

Both of those are a bit extreme. More typically, day time highs anywhere from the 40s to the 80s and overnight lows from the 30s to the 60s. It may rain or may not--the rain isn't as predictable as it is during the summer.

Official Disney resort pools are heated--but the air is not. But it is likely to be warm enough to swim during the day at least once during a December visit. And frequently at night, as well!

So, be sure to pack swimsuits, shorts, tanks, tees, capris/crop pants, long pants, short and long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, jackets, hats/caps and gloves. If you're coming from a colder climate, you'll be set with the jackets and related cold-weather gear. You just need to decide what you want to bring so you can layer throughout the day/evening.

 

[siskaren]

What will you notice:
* fewer evening shows (Fantasmic and Illuminations 2-3 times per week)

IllumiNations runs every night (although in December it runs at 9:30, rather than 9:00), and Fantasmic only shows 2 or 3 times a weeks all year.

 

[starwarsdisney]

What will you notice:
* limited park hours
* fewer evening shows (Fantasmic and Illuminations 2-3 times per week)
* cooler temperatures (might be too cold to enjoy swimming)
* very low crowds
* lots of Christmas decorations

We went around the same time in 2009 that you are talking about going. The person I quoted above is right on! The weather can be all over the place. In fact we only got to swim twice in our 8 days there. It rained all day (which is unusual) one day we were there.

I loved the Christmas decorations and the special shows, it really puts you in the Christmas spirit. If I'm being honest though it was my least favorite trip (but still an awesome one) because of the wacky up and down weather. I also didn't like how early the parks closed. It seems that by 8 everything was closed unless you had ticket to MVMCP.

 

[khertz]

Like others have said, December in Florida can be totally unpredictable, so it is best to pack clothes for ALL weather just to be safe. We were there for 10 days last December and experienced cold and rainy weather for the first couple days, comfortable days in the high 60's and low 70's the next couple days, another cold snap, and our last couple days were in the mid-80's and we were sweating in short & t-shirts!

As for crowds, our experience was great! We did not stay onsite, so we avoided parks with EMH. We stayed pretty close to the recommended parks from TP and avoided the parks they said to avoid and experienced minimal wait times all over every park. Occasionally a line would build up, but we would just FP that ride and come back later. There seemed to be a lot of people in the park at times, but the wait times were still low.

As someone else mentioned, during this time of year you are contending with shorter park hours and limited showings of the nighttime shows. However, we found that with 7 parks days where we got there at rope drop or a little after and stayed till closing, we were able to do everything we wanted and then some. IllumiNations still runs every night, but Fantasmic will only have a few shows during the week, and you can only catch Spectro & Wishes on non-MVMCP nights. We planned a night for each, and had no problems seeing everything we wanted at night. The Osborne Lights at DHS and the Candlelight Processional at Epcot are not to be missed!!

 

[selina4disney]

What will you notice:
* limited park hours
* fewer evening shows (Fantasmic and Illuminations 2-3 times per week)
* cooler temperatures (might be too cold to enjoy swimming)
* very low crowds
* lots of Christmas decorations

I have been there many times in December (and every other time of year except June and July) and Illuminations ALWAYS runs every night. The only time it doesn't is if inclement weather causes them to cancel. It is Fantasmic, Specto, and Wishes that are limited, and it makes for a crowded DHS and MK when they are running. I wish they would run them every night

 

[inspire]

I really hope you do have the opportunity to visit in December. For years we went in April and for scheduling reasons we decided to switch to December. I have to say it is absolutely beautiful in December. With our child grown and not vacationing with us my husband and I enjoy the lower crowd level, beautiful decorations and fine dining. Although the weather is often up and down we find it delightful. (We live in Wisconsin so 70 in December to us is fantastic) Last year when we arrived it was 65 degrees and folks were wearing hats and gloves..we just giggled as it was -13 degrees when we left home.

Crowd levels are generally less than average but do not kid yourself~they do exist. I believe the longest line we saw last year was TSM @ 90 minutes. This was late morning. We are commando tourists in the morning. We plan to arrive shortly after rope drop (approx 10 min) as we do not enjoy the waiting in line in front of the park. By 11am we have generally rode our must do's, secured fast passes for later and turned it down to a relaxing pace. An afternoon break and we are off to another park. (hoppers for us are a must in December..with the different shows, parties and holiday hapenings)

If I could be so bold as to offer a few bits of info I have learned along the way they would be:

*Plan any and all table service meals in advance to ensure you are able to dine when/where you like.

*Osbourne Family Lights area can get extremely crowded and overwhelming. The first time we saw it we had no idea what to expect and it was rushed because we were kind of herded through quickly with the flow of traffic. Now we really know to take our time and step off to the side to take photos and enjoy the ambience. Common sense I know but it really is indescribable.

*Do not miss the Magic Kingdom Castle Lighting. Stake out a good seat about an hour prior and enjoy.

*Holiday Illuminations is very touching and a do not miss show for us.

*Take time to enjoy the spirit of Christmas at Disney. It will stay with you through the season once you return home.

 

[starwarsdisney]

Like others have said, December in Florida can be totally unpredictable, so it is best to pack clothes for ALL weather just to be safe. We were there for 10 days last December and experienced cold and rainy weather for the first couple days, comfortable days in the high 60's and low 70's the next couple days, another cold snap, and our last couple days were in the mid-80's and we were sweating in short & t-shirts!

As for crowds, our experience was great! We did not stay onsite, so we avoided parks with EMH. We stayed pretty close to the recommended parks from TP and avoided the parks they said to avoid and experienced minimal wait times all over every park. Occasionally a line would build up, but we would just FP that ride and come back later. There seemed to be a lot of people in the park at times, but the wait times were still low.

As someone else mentioned, during this time of year you are contending with shorter park hours and limited showings of the nighttime shows. However, we found that with 7 parks days where we got there at rope drop or a little after and stayed till closing, we were able to do everything we wanted and then some. IllumiNations still runs every night, but Fantasmic will only have a few shows during the week, and you can only catch Spectro & Wishes on non-MVMCP nights. We planned a night for each, and had no problems seeing everything we wanted at night. The Osborne Lights at DHS and the Candlelight Processional at Epcot are not to be missed!!

I agree that the Osborne Lights and the Candlelight Processional should not be missed. These were highlights of the trip for us. The Castle lighting and the Gingerbread house at the GF we awesome too. Give yourself some time to check out the resorts too. They all have different decorations and look awesome!

One word of advice...

Avoid the Christmas parade filming at MK. If those are the dates you are going, then they will probably be filming the parade. While it was cool to see, it was a pain to get around and very crowded. We actually planned our park days to avoid it, but the weather did not cooporate and the recording spilled over a day or two after they hoped to have it done.

 

[HeatherBelle614]

We've been during that time period twice. A few years ago, it was really nice (70s during the day, with a light sweatshirt at night.) Last year, the weather was awful. It was cold and rainy for most of our trip, but of course our last day, the sun came out and it was going to be in the 80s. The weather is all over the board, but the (low) crowds are great and the decorations are gorgeous.

You will probably hear a lot of negative things about Pop Warner being during that time period, but we had absolutely no issues with them. We stayed at POP! (which I had read they stay at mostly values), but only saw about 20 players/parents at parks the entire week. The ones we did encounter were really polite. I'm not sure where the nightmare kids/parents that I had read about on the boards were, at all!