Disney in December...what is the weather like?

[moaddi]

Is swimming out of the question?

 

[Momvic5]

No, swimming is not out of the question. My family and I went this past December, and the temperatures were in the low 80s during the day. My children enjoyed the pool every afternoon or evening.

We also went in December in 2005. The temperatures were very different. The highs were in the low 60s, and the lows were in low 40s. We did not swim at all. Loved this weather!!

Both visits were very nice. The skies were clear and blue for the most part with very little rain. My DH and I prefer the cooler weather, but my childen enjoyed the warmer weather. You really can not predict the winter weather in Florida. You could expereince both extremes within the same week. Go prepared for anything.

 

[5 for WDW]

December weather can vary greatly. I was there December 17-19th and it was freezing. It was 34' when we landed. We wore winter coats, jeans and gloves all day.
But, the week before was in the upper 80's.
Pack a little of everything and you should be safe. We are heading down December 7th and my kids are really hoping they are going to be able to swim.

 

[dbarker]

When we went in Dec: The first part of the week was warm (jeans & t-shirts). The last part of the week was cold (thermal underwear, jackets, hats, gloves, & scarves)

The weather varies greatly from one day to the next. Go prepared for both extremes.

 

[rt2dz]

When we were there last year the second week of December the highs were supposed to be in the mid to upper 60s all week. Wrong. That was the lows. The highs were in the mid to upper 80s. I wish I had brought the swimsuits. I had been watching the weather through various, usually reliable, sites and figured some layering, short sleeve shirts and jeans mainly. Learned my lesson. The layering part was good (I have boys), but next time I will bring the suits just in case, and a mix of shorts and pants. Southern states off the water can change on a dime.

 

[TinaLala]

We went in 2006 for Dec 1 -10. On the 1st it was hot, we were in shorts and went into the pool. BUT by the 9th it was cold and we were in our sweatshirts. So I'd say to pack for anything.

We went in January and it was comfortable, not swimming weather, but shorts and t-shirt weather.

 

[thegroovypad]

Its been a while but we went in Dec. '04. It was COLD! We wore pants, and coats the whole time. Oh, it also rained, downpours, everyday, all day. You know what though? The parks were so crowded. It was unreal. We arrived on Christmas Eve (it was my oldest daughters surprise Christmas present) and stayed until New Years. If I remember correctly by around 11 on a couple of the days the parks were filled to capacity and they weren't letting anyone else in. Never again will I do that. Good for you for braving that. Glad its not me. Oh, we still had a wonderful time but it was a really hard trip.

 

[Momvic5]

Its been a while but we went in Dec. '04. It was COLD! We wore pants, and coats the whole time. Oh, it also rained, downpours, everyday, all day. You know what though? The parks were so crowded. It was unreal. We arrived on Christmas Eve (it was my oldest daughters surprise Christmas present) and stayed until New Years. If I remember correctly by around 11 on a couple of the days the parks were filled to capacity and they weren't letting anyone else in. Never again will I do that. Good for you for braving that. Glad its not me. Oh, we still had a wonderful time but it was a really hard trip.

You should try going earlier in December! The crowds are lower on average, and you can still enjoy the feel of Christmas. My family and I have fallen in love with this season and can not bring ourselves to go at any other time.

 

[thouton]

You should try going earlier in December! The crowds are lower on average, and you can still enjoy the feel of Christmas. My family and I have fallen in love with this season and can not bring ourselves to go at any other time.

That's great to hear. That's why my family is going the 1st week of Dec.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

If we go in Dec we prefer the first week as well,the 2nd week is still okay but a definite pick-up in the crowds. We have swam and worn t-shirts and had to have gloves and tobaggons in the same trip!! Just keep checking that weather forecast!!!

 

[Taja]

Think variable weather and layers of clothing and you'll be set to go!

I usually visit WDW in early to mid December and the weather has been all over the place. Usually at least comfortable (60s to 80s) during the day, sometimes closer to freezing at night, and last year (same day a PP arrived--December 17th) it was 35 degrees at 1:00 p.m. when we left WDW for MCO! *eek*

Last year the weather was quite warm (December 7th - 14th), even in the evenings. I did not even wear long sleeves, except a couple of times in air conditioning. That's highly unusual for me! Weather was in the 80s during the day and did not cool off much at night. However, the night of the 14th the jet stream began dipping further south, and it became colder each day until the day we departed. I was glad I was going home--although the weather wasn't a lot warmer! *LOL*

Definitely take swimsuits--WDW pools are heated and you'll want to be prepared if the weather cooperates the least little bit. I know when I was a child, I didn't mind swimming when the temperature was in the high 60s (made sure I had a towel and something to bundle up in when I emerged from the pool, though). As an adult, I'm a complete coward!

 

[pyrxtc]

I think how the weather feels in Fl will depend on where you are coming from. When I am leaving NH in December, we leave our winter coats in the car and our kids like shorts down there while I like jeans and a tank top. Swimming is in for us, probably cuz we are going down to a low of 60 or even 40 but it's not the 5 we left at home.

 

[ajh88]

I was there in December 2005 (like a PP!) - we found it to be much chillier than we expected (we were thinking 70's during the day/50's at night, but it was more like 60s/40s). We still wore shorts and t-shirts during the day, but had sweatshirts/jackets - we also had long-sleeved t-shirts a couple of days. On that trip, it wasn't the temperature itself so much as it was cloudy/drizzly/dreary/windy that made it unpleasant at times (60s and sunny would be GREAT!).

As for swimming, the pools at Disney resorts are heated, so even though it was 40 degrees one night, we went swimming and found it quite delightful! The only thing NOT delightful was the RUN back to our room after we got out of the pool!