December weather - is it safe to assume...

[Dawnie]

It is also good to keep an eye on the weather forcast while you are down there too, and to be flexible if you need to be!

On one of our December trips, I had a waterpark day scheduled later in the week. After watching the forcast we changed it to the first part of the week. So, during that trip it was warm enough to swim AND we had to scrape ice off from our rental van windows a couple days later!

Be prepared for anything!

 

[Sandy55]

We've been to Disney twice in December (and are going again this year!)

The first time we went we had beautiful weather - 70's-80's, were comfortable in shorts and were able to swim.

We went a couple of years ago and had a totally different experience. Several nights with below freezing temperatures (It's amazing how quickly they remove frostbitten flowers and plant new ones every day!) During the day we were happy to have our winter coats but had to buy Disney gloves and scarves. They were hard to find but very necessary! We also had only packed two pairs of jeans so we had to do a lot of laundry on that trip. On a good note, they had delicious hot chocolate stands throughout the park as I recall and there were no lines anywhere!

This year we will be prepared for anything!!!

 

[roxmic]

Normally, it would be ok for most of the day. the morning and evenings can be a bit chilly. Beware, The weather can be a little unpredictable and you may experience temps in the upper 30's. We went for New Years last year; the first 2 days the temp was in mid 80's (the pool was nice!) the next 3 days Orlando experienced the coldest temps in 10 years!

My advice: take a change of winter clothes including a jacket, just in case!

Have Fun!

 

[goofy4tink]

I head to WDW every Dec, early in the month. I'm coming from NE so it's cold here, and not so cold there! I fly in my jeans, socks, Crocs, a long sleeved tee shirt, sweatshirt and lined windbreaker. I pack a second pair of jeans, some capris and a few pair of shorts. And for shirts I bring a lot of shortsleeved tees.
When I'm on the plane, if it's cool, I'm fine. But as it gets a bit warmer, I can peel stuff off. Usually, the socks come off, the windbreaker comes off..and into the carryon bag.
When I get to MCO, I usually change into a shortsleeved teeshirt, and the sweatshirt joins the windbreaker in my carryon. That way, if it does get coldish in WDW, I have something to wear, as well as when I head home. Nothing worse than getting on a plane in Orlando, where it's 80 degrees, in shorts and then have to get to your car in Boston when it's 32!!!

I've had Dec trips where it was cold enough to wear mittens in WDW...now that's a strange thing. But, I've also been when tank tops were just fine. The weather is very variable at that time of year.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I'll try not to repeat what others have said too much. In '06, we saw flurries and 80's.

If you packa mix you'll probably be fine. If the weather veers too much, you can always do a load or two of laundry. Jeans are a must.

EVen if it is warm during teh day, often at that time of year, the evenings are cool. I think a good general plan is to make a quick trip back to the room to change. This is one reason why staying deluxe onsite is such a big plus at that time of year. We also like layers. If you've got stroller, your golden,otheriwise, you might need a lightweight backpack.

 

[khertz]

We're going next December, and plan to pack about half a trips worth of warm clothes and half for colder clothes, and we'll do laundry as needed based on the weather. We went in February of 2004, and in pictures (all during the day time), there's some of us in camisoles and shorts, and others in jeans and sweatshirts! So be overprepared for both types of weather, and you can't go wrong.

 

[dvc guy]

Safe to assume that you cannot assume anything

We have been at WDW 7 of the last 8 years and have seen everything. As a general rule it should be warm enough for long pants and/or shorts and a tee shirt depending on the person during the sunny part of the day 10-5.

When the sun goes in you may want to move to long pants and jacket.

We usually go to the parks with a complete change of clothes if we are staying all day.

 

[jaysmom4285]

Princessfionasmom, yes, checking the ten day forecast just before you go is a good way to figure out how to pack. Of course they can't be completely accurate about rain or sun for more than a couple of days, but it will generally give you a good idea about what the temperature trends will be for the next several days. if it looks like it's going to be warmer than usual most of the time, you can pack fewer warm clothes. If you're going at the start of a cold spell, you'll know to bulk up on the fleece. We were at WDW the first two weeks of December 2007, and there was only one 36 hour period when I wore a sweatshirt and long pants. The rest of the time, it was shorts and tees, even in the evening. So it can easily be warm enough for swimming and sunbathing.