Disney in December

[maxiesmom]

I'm debating booking a trip for the first week of December this year. It is the only possible weekend I can take off that time of year, and I would really like to see Disney World in all of its Christmas glory. But I have a couple concerns:

First off, it will be Pop Warner time. If I book we will stay at a Deluxe resort, so no worries there. How much does the Pop Warner visit effect the parks themselves? Will the parks be paked with PW people?

Second, is it too cold in Decmeber to enjoy the pools? And would we need to pack things like coats and hats instead of shorts and tee shirts?

Any tips for a December newbie?

 

[wdwgirl03]

I can't comment on Pop Warner since we've never been there during that, but we have gone several times after Christmas, which is peak season. Really it is not that unbearable if you use EMH/take breaks. Again, I don't know how that compares to PW but I'm sure it would be fine.

As for the weather it really depends. When we were there in Dec. '08 the weather was really nice (sunny and in the 70s and 80s) but in Jan. '08 it was in the 30s. So it can be all across the board. Be prepared for anything!

 

[New Wave Dave]

We were there this year from Dec 18-23. We had to wear hats and gloves for the first part of the morning every day. 2 days, we had to wear jackets the whole day. But we have also been in December and had to wear shorts.
I would check the weather before you pack, and then you may know what to expect.
We were there at rope drop and got alot done before noon. The one day we slept in, we regretted it. No fastpasses for Soarin, and an hour wait for Test Track. Highly recommend getting up early!!

 

[kimysbug]

Been there at pop werner never a problem
and we have swam in Dec

enjoy your trip

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I'm planning on going next year solo Dec 1 and leaving on Dec. 5.

Pop Warner doesn't bother me at all. Since you are staying Deluxe, you'll only run into them in the parks. I think that's normally the weekend of the parade taping in MK so you'll want to be prepared for that.

As far as clothes go, I'm planning on 1 pair of shorts, several t-shirts and then long sleeve shirts, one sweatshirt, 2 pairs of jeans besides what I would wear there. Then my gloves, scarf, hat and I'm still working on the coat issue. I could layer shirts, have my hoodie and my lighter coat that's good to 50 degrees (and would be fine in colder weather if I use my hoodie with it) and it's great when it's windy. Or I could haul my heavy winter coat. I'm just not sure about that yet.

Swimming in Dec.? I couldn't. I prefer to swim when it's at least 80 degrees out. The pools are heated but getting out of them might be tough.

 

[philadelphiadad]

We stayed at CBR from 12/6/2009-12/13/2009. We saw plenty of pop warner kids at the parks but they weren't a problem. You only knew they were pop warners because they had it printed on their shirts. In my opinion they were great kids and i'd go back to disney during pop w/o hesitation. They didn't seem to affect the parks much if at all. I would NOT stay at the same resort has them based on posts i've read though.

 

[MHSweb79]

Cold is a relative term. Here in New England, a 50 degree day in December is considered warm!
When we visited in early December (twice) the mornings were chillly - 40's and 50's, then by 11 a.m. we were peeling off the layers as it was warm and muggy. My DH and DD did swim (as did quite a few other Northern families) but the attendants were cleaning the pool area with hats & mittens on. It was pretty funny.
So my advice is to bring clothing that you can layer for varying temperatures.

 

[cruisingkat]

We were at Disney Nov 12-20 and Dec 1-4. It was actually colder in Nov (at least at the beginning of our stay - it was in the 30's when we arrived) than our Dec trip. So your really never know about the weather. We pack for all kinds of weather - think layering - ever since a number of years ago we went down to Florida for a Caribbean cruise and pre-cruise stay one Nov and had a cold snap hit and we weren't prepared.

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

We were there Dec 12 -16 this year -- we had beautiful weather (heard it was colder the next week). Mid 70s to low 80s. Be prepared for colder though. We wore shorts and tee shirts during the day with a sweatshirt for the morning, and long pants and sweatshirts at night. Basically, layer. And yes bring shorts. Bring one of everything! The kids swam - the water is heated. I didn't - I'm a whimp! The wet rides weren't a problem (Kali River Rapids, etc) but we didn't do water parks. It was really a beautiful time of year to be there! ENjoy the planning fun!

 

[Joshua.Thomas]

Definitely take a swimsuit. We live 1.5 hrs. north of WDW and have learned to always take our swimsuits. In December you need clothes for cold and hot weather. It's the month of all kinds of weather. You don't know what you're going to get, except it's not a rainy month. I've been down there in shorts during the day (not usually the case in Dec) and then bundled up with a coat and sweatshirts at night. Even our family from MN was cold when they met us at WDW for Thanksgiving.