florida residents/reg december visitors - your opinion?

Racey

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 7, 2006
Messages
794
would you say this is acurate over the last couple of years?

decemberweatherinorlando.gif


also, can you give me some indication of how many days rainful you;ve had in december? would you say 50%, 25% .... more or less than those?

Thanks
 
we were there this past Dec 10-20th. I think it only rained one day during that 10 day period if I remember right. We had pretty good weather. It was mild most of the time. We would wear shorts during the day and throw on jeans at night and wear or carry a sweatshirt/hoodie. One night, it was a little windy and chilly (of course it was the night of our dessert party and we sat there freezing!). Otherwise, it was perfect the rest of the time.

a few years ago we were there the first week of December and again, it only rained like 1-2x. We did have a couple of chilly nights that year. In fact, the night we did the MVMCP, we wore gloves, scarves and hats, it was that cold- in the 30s.

it is really hard to predict in December sometimes. We just plan for shorts during day and jeans at night and always carry a poncho and a jacket or hoodie.
 
:thumbsup2 thank you.

the rain is my main worry

30's is still warm for me so i'm happy if it stays around that heat :cool1:
 
I think we're talking about the difference between Celsius and Farenheit here. When she said 30 she meant 30 degrees Farenheit.
 

Oh - darn it!

Mind you - i'm coming from england and our winters are alot colder than those in florida, so i'll probably be very warm! ha ha
 
Rain isn't generally a problem, but I do remember a very soggy NYE a couple years ago. I would say that there is rain about 20-25% of the time which is enough for me to bring rain jackets. I usually wear layers in December: a sweatshirt and a water/windproof jacket with a zip-in fleece liner. I also wear stretchy "Magic Gloves" which are small, lightweight acrylic gloves that stretch when you put them on. Disney sells them but they are quite cheap at places like Wal*Mart or Walgreens. The take very little room in your pocket and they keep your hands cozy and warm.

The biggest problem with December is that it can be in the high 70's in the day but get all the way down to the 40's in the evening. I can go from wearing a tank top to a sweatshirt in a single day.
 
Last year's winter (30's for us = single digits for you I believe) was particularly, and unusually cold. There was one night with the wind whipping across the lake at Epcot (we were doing Drink around the World) that was really cold.
 
I think the key for packing for December is to pack for the ability to layer. Like others have said it can be shorts (or jeans/light pants) weather mid-day but you might want to start off in a hoodie/pull-over and end in that too. Normally we'll wear long pants, short sleeved shirts and a pull-over to start the day. By mid-day the pull-over is being tied around the waist and by evening it is back on. As far as rain last year we had rain every single day we were at WDW (12/60-12/11) and I think one day it dropped 30 degrees F within an hour. Most of our Dec. trips we've had only one day of a quick afternoon shower.
 
Per the Weather Channel for Disney World Average Temps in December

High 73°F
Low 50°F
Avg 62°F
Rainfall 2.24 in.
Record High 90°F (1961)
Record Low20°F (1989)

Note: as previously stated: Plan for layers - Wind across the lakes can make it feel colder especially at night.
Last year during DAP at DATW - We had a wind chill making it feel 10 degrees colder then actual air temp upper 30's F with the wind blowing across the lake around World Showcase.
 
I've been several times in December over the years. The temperature can vary to warm (but not too hot) to cold (but not bitterly cold).

Rain should not be a concern for two or three reasons. (1) The weather folks can't predict whether it will or will not rain. (2) Only twice in my several December t rained off and on. Other times, it rained briefly and the sun then returned. (3) the locals and many guests stay away from the theme parks on a rainy day. It is a great time to go.
 
Oh - darn it!

Mind you - i'm coming from england and our winters are alot colder than those in florida, so i'll probably be very warm! ha ha

We went in 2008 and the day we got there it was pretty cold (frosty) and the day we left it was similar but in between it was nice. Sometimes we wore our coats but I also went in the pool some days. So it shouldn't be cold the whole time unlike here :goodvibes
Just allow for cold mornings and evenings as other had said :thumbsup2
 
Im asking because im actually planning my disney wedding for the first week in december, so i'd like to tell my guests what sort of outfits to wear for the arious points in the day and especially the dessert party at epcot.

I also want to see what probability there is for illuminations being called off due to bad weather - i want my goodies during the fireworks, not in a boring room because its raining outside.

I also wanted to know whether to spend money on a nice coat to match my dress

from what your all saying I will tell them all to bring coats/jackets and i will certainly be buying a nice coat/jacket

Thank you all:thumbsup2
 
Im asking because im actually planning my disney wedding for the first week in december, so i'd like to tell my guests what sort of outfits to wear for the arious points in the day and especially the dessert party at epcot.

I also want to see what probability there is for illuminations being called off due to bad weather - i want my goodies during the fireworks, not in a boring room because its raining outside.

I also wanted to know whether to spend money on a nice coat to match my dress

from what your all saying I will tell them all to bring coats/jackets and i will certainly be buying a nice coat/jacket

Thank you all:thumbsup2

Not sure what you mean by coat/jacket. I'm fairly warm natured but I have a zip up fleece jacket that I use almost exclusively for the December evenings at WDW. DD gets cold easily but she also uses a fleece jacket. Now, don't take this as saying fleeces are appropriate at weddings. Just as an idea of my past experiences in terms of evening wear.

I hope you have a very nice wedding.
 
I've been doing Disney in early December annually for 20+ years. IMHO, the chart reflects what we've experienced. Conditions are highly variable then. We have pictures from one year (1995 I believe) where we are wearing short's and t-shirts on Friday, and our heavy coats on Monday.

The key to dealing with the variability of the weather is to pack layers. Some combination of polo, sweatshirt/sweater, windbreaker should be good enough to get you through whatever conditions you actually encounter.

I've only encountered significant rain on one of those December visits so that should be a minor consideration.
 
thanks all. I can advise everyone whos coming on holiday now with us and what they should expect and what sort of attire to wear/bring for the whole wedding day
 
70's during the day 50's at night. Bring a light jacket or fleece. Very little rain.
 
Last year we had a very abnormal winter in Central Florida. Unnaturally cold. December was cold but January was even worse. I was working Marathon Weekend. Saturday was the half marathon. I was course monitor at EPCOT. Daytime high was 36 degrees and it rained (sleeted) most of the day.

Sunday I worked the marathon at Magic Kingdom. Left the house at 7 am and it was 21 degrees (that's Fahrenheit, not Celsius!). Got up to 40 but with a strong NW wind. It was so cold that the water stations had ice on the ground where water was spilled. When's the last time you saw ice on the ground in Florida?

Florida winters can be unpredictable. Bring warm clothes as well as lighter clothes. Dress in layers. That way, if it gets warmer during the day, you can shed a layer or two and then, when it gets colder in the evening, you can put more layers on.




_________________
Armand
 
Im asking because im actually planning my disney wedding for the first week in december, so i'd like to tell my guests what sort of outfits to wear for the arious points in the day and especially the dessert party at epcot.

I also want to see what probability there is for illuminations being called off due to bad weather - i want my goodies during the fireworks, not in a boring room because its raining outside.

I also wanted to know whether to spend money on a nice coat to match my dress

from what your all saying I will tell them all to bring coats/jackets and i will certainly be buying a nice coat/jacket

Thank you all:thumbsup2
well for daytime events, shorts, skirts or capris are probably fine and those that prefer to wear jeans are okay too. short sleeves totally doable (and even tank tops!). For evening, i would say plan on long pants/jeans and long sleeves- just depending on the actual forecast that week. I don't know that you need a heavy 'coat'. We typically bring a fleece or sweatshirt and wear it over our long sleeves and that is warm enough. I don't see a lot of people wearing actual heavy coats in december at WDW. i see a lot of sweatshirts, fleece and 'jackets' that are lighter, but layered over stuff.

given all the walking around the resort/parks, i would be sure they know to be comfortable too (like shoes/heels), unless there is transportation provided directly.

In all my years of going to disney and working there, I don't think I have ever seen Illuminations cancelled on any of my trips. so i think it is pretty rare. Usually the rain is in the afternoon, not at night (although it does happen). i just think the chances are really slim of it being cancelled in december unless there is really bad wind or something.
 
We go the very end of Dec beginning of Jan. and have found the weather to be inconsistant. One year it was 80's the next it was 30's with freeze warnings. We bring layers as others have said and that works out well. One year it was very cold, we were thankful for our winter coats! Although we would prefer warm weather, the upside to that year was the Parks were empty and we had a great time in our down jackets walking onto every ride!
 


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