I'm scared.

[MnkyGirl]

Layers layers layers! My family vacations at WDW every January, and even if the forecast says one thing, you aren't guaranteed that is what you will get. We have experienced everything from high 70s to highs in the low 40s. My rule of thumb is to wear layers and take full advantage of the lockers so you don't have to carry your layers around with you. As a rule of thumb, usually a tshirt underneath a hoodie and either jeans or shorts. (p.s. this is the absolute best time to hit the waterparks. The water is heated and there are no lines.)

 

[Airb330]

My husband and I are scheduled to go to the World this Saturday for a week. We usually go, been there many times, when it is hot and this time it will be a during a cold spell. Be both get cold easily and I have packed long johns, hats, gloves and various layers of clothing. Should I buy us windbreakers?

We can reschedule this trip without any penalties and we're now considering to reschedule.

Any thoughts?

The forecast does not look that bad. Unless you're from the equator I think you'll be fine even if you get cold easily. If you have various layers of clothing and a jacket, you'll be fine!

Bring what you think is best. We went in December in 2010 and it was so cold we needed winter coats, gloves, hats extra shirts and socks, we were still cold! But it was a record cold that year so I don't think it will be that cold. I would not cancel your trip just pack a little bit of everything even clothes for warm weather. Maybe check the weather and then decide.

Yes, December 2010 was SO cold. We luckily had snow in PA so we already had some cold clothes with us. Because the forecast said 60s all week we didn't pack too heavily. We ended up with 1 day of 60 and 4 days of 20-30 degree weather during the day! It felt like Christmas! If we didn't have snow on the way to the airport that day, we likely would not have had the thick clothes we needed. As Magpie also showed in the photo....you needed layers in 12/2010! It seems a lot of us on the disboards remember that year well!

 

[shh]

highs in the 60's sounds much better for park time than 90's, humid, and an hour of storms a day!

1,000,000 times yes on this. I feel for others from cold climates who just want a bit of warmth, but selfishly as a Floridian sweating in practically year-round heat and humidity, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this cold spell. Actually FEELS like the holiday season.

 

[Moliphino]

What about bringing a packable down puffer coat- LL Bean has great ones that are super warm but very light and squish way down so easy to stuff into a backpack once it warms up.

That's what I'm bringing. They have Eddie Bauer ones at Costco that even come with a pouch to stuff it in.

 

[Gracie&7dorks]

OP here. Since my 'Happy Place' is the lazy river at Typhoon Lagoon, I guess I overreacted! We will go with layers and bathing suits, and enjoy the holidays with lower crowds. Thank you all for your comments.

 

[Pigletpal40]

My husband and I are scheduled to go to the World this Saturday for a week. We usually go, been there many times, when it is hot and this time it will be a during a cold spell. Be both get cold easily and I have packed long johns, hats, gloves and various layers of clothing. Should I buy us windbreakers?

We can reschedule this trip without any penalties and we're now considering to reschedule.

Any thoughts?

Dress warm, you'll be fine. Like others have said, this should keep the lines down. We took a January trip and the temps were in the 40's and windy.
We had less than 5 min wait for most attractions and Characters were walk right up. We're from NH and had our Winter
clothes with us, but I wore a couple of layers with a sweatshirt and a windbreaker most days and was fine. Dress warm and Enjoy!

 

[Shanti]

My husband and I are scheduled to go to the World this Saturday for a week. We usually go, been there many times, when it is hot and this time it will be a during a cold spell. Be both get cold easily and I have packed long johns, hats, gloves and various layers of clothing. Should I buy us windbreakers?

We can reschedule this trip without any penalties and we're now considering to reschedule.

Any thoughts?

If you're able to reschedule without penalty, I personally would reschedule rather than tour outdoors in the cold for a week. We toured during a severe cold snap in January '16, and it was miserably cold. You spend a lot of time outside at WDW. If you hate being cold & it's really cold at the parks, that will negatively impact your trip. Imagine being bundled like a mummy, yet still cold, while sitting still outdoors for an hour to watch fireworks. It isn't very magical.

If you decide to go for it anyway, definitely bring windbreakers.

 

[Hope Soda]

I'm nervous about the cold temps, too (leaving tomorrow!!!), but also really excited about it. I love temperatures in the 60s, and 50s are okay, especially walking around. The lows in the 30s have me a little worried, especially since we'll be up early for rope drop the first several days. I figure we'll be a bit chilly while waiting for the park to open, but much better when we're walking around. Our park evenings are toward the end of our trip, and I hope it's warmed up by then.

 

[robinb]

Yes, I would bring a windbreaker as your final outer layer. We go for NYE every year and it's gotten as cold as the 40's at WDW. I dress in a tee shirt, jeans, a fleece or sweatshirt and a waterproof windbreaker. I also bring with me a few pairs of "stretchy" lightweight gloves. My daughter always says she doesn't need them and then she "borrows" mine so I keep two pairs on me. I don't bring a hat, but my jacket (and sometimes my fleece/sweatshirt) will have a hood. I live in Wisconsin so I wouldn't bring the longjohns. I save those for sub-zero weather.

 

[Amcd33]

We went this January when the high was in the 50s/ lows in upper 30s the first few days of the trip. We live in the Midwest, so we are used to cold, but the difference between Disney cold and Midwest cold is the Disney wet windy cold that seems to blow right through you. I can’t stress enough the importance of a windbreaker. I didn’t bring mine to the park that first day assuming a warm fleece/hat/gloves would be enough because we were used to cold weather. I regretted that and brought it the next day. The parks were so empty we got Frozen ride FP as the fifth FP. People who didn’t dress warm enough were canceling Fastpasses and leaving the park. We were dressed for the weather and loved every second of it. We even did four parks in one day and rode all the headliners at every park.

 

[focusondisney]

I don’t agree with those saying temps in the 30’s isn’t “that bad”. Umm, yea, 30’s with 60-70% humidity is gonna feel cold. I’m from Buffalo, I live in cold weather at least 3 months a year. I know what those temps feel like when you are outside for extended periods. It certainly is cold. And I guess Disney thinks it’s cold too: Typhoon Lagoon is closed Friday & Saturday.

I am going to WDW on Saturday too. I totally understand your concern OP. I’m not cancelling & I’m hoping it will keep the crowds down. But I am definitely nervous about the Christmas party Sunday night & sitting for the CP Monday. I am also packing layers, including cuddle duds, just in case. My biggest problem is figuring out how many long sleeved & how many short sleeved shirts to bring.

As far as temps being back in the 70’s by Thursday, that’s not really helpful on Saturday & Sunday. Saturday to Thursday is a big chunk of someone’s vacation week. I certainly understand if someone doesn’t want to spend what it costs to take a Disney vacation & be miserable most of the time.

 

[annemce118]

I was there in July and it was SO terribly hot. I am looking forward to it being cooler next week when I go. The heat zaps your energy, so I find I can do more when it’s cooler! The last time I went in November it was very chilly, but I liked it. I wouldn’t reschedule your trip, just pack layers! It was always in the mornings and evenings that it got cold. When the sun was out and about 70 degrees, it was great! Go and have fun!

 

[TinkSassy]

I prefer the cooler times as well as heat can be an issue for me (did July once and never again). Layers is the key and light layers - we bring long underwear for under tops and bottoms. The locker is key unless you plan on spending time in the room each day. We dress warm in the morning - strip off layers to the locker once the sun is high and then back to the locker to add back layers as the sun goes down. I find the underthings are warm, light to pack and small for the locker - we like cuddle duds and my favorite is winter silks but they can be pricey. Do remember gloves and either a hat or ear band - we took beach towels for parades so we didn't have to sit directly on the cold concrete.

 

[lvdis]

You might want to get some toe warmers and hand warmers to have with you. I was very thankful to have them when we went in December of 2010 and the temps got pretty cold. I find if my feet are warm I can tolerate a lot more and you can get really cold being outside all day standing in lines / waiting for parades. Luckily we had packed almost as if we were going on a ski trip which included the toe/hand warmers!

We had to bundle up for most of our trip. Wouldn't you know, on our last day, when we only had a 1/2 day in the parks before flying out, it got up in the 70's and was absolutely beautiful. So hard to leave! I hope you have a great trip!

 

[srwarden1928]

I might skip Kali River Rapids with those temps, but I sure wouldn't skip the whole trip. It sure is going to be warmer in Florida than at home, even if it is colder than usual.

 

[robinb]

I might skip Kali River Rapids with those temps, but I sure wouldn't skip the whole trip. It sure is going to be warmer in Florida than at home, even if it is colder than usual.

I know it's a shock, but my DD rode Splash Mountain alone on 12/30/2016.

 

[GusGusTheMouse]

We went in March and it dropped to the low 40s at night. As New Englanders, we thought we were getting away from the cold weather but it followed us! We did bring our fleece and winter jackets and I am glad we did! The days were comfortable in the 60s but the nights were cold. We still did all the water rides and enjoyed ourselves, but we drank a lot of hot coffee and hot chocolate. Beware though! The Mickey snuggies and all sweatshirts were completely sold out by the time we left because Texas school vacationers did not pack appropriately, so do not rely on buying warm clothing there!

 

[galaxygirl76]

We were there in November of '14 and at night we were wearing shorts while people around us were complaining it was cold. I would love to go with temps in the 60's because right now here at home it was 25F and that felt like 6F this morning. Like previous posters said, don't reschedule because it will scare the locals away. Bring what you deem necessary, but odds are you won't need all of it. Better safe than sorry

 

[Pooh2]

We were in Disney this past weekend. Wore capris and never took our sweatshirts out of the luggage. It was pretty warm and humid during the day and nice swimming weather. Hard to say which way it will go until you get there! Check the 7 day forecast before you head out and adjust your bag accordingly.

 

[missnic]

I'm in Jax also and I'm hoping that the cool weather stays around until next weekend for a quick trip. It's SO much better than sweating to death in the heat.
Keep in mind that thousands of your closest friends will be there as well, generating a good bit of heat. Plus, unless it's overcast, the sun can be really warm even when the temps are low. Honestly, if I was going this week, I'd probably be in jeans and a tshirt.. probably complaining about the cold until it warms up a little, just because I don't want to carry a jacket or anything.