November/December Visit

[leemanning]

Hi All

Potentially planning a visit for last week of November into first week of December and have a couple of questions:

- What's the weather like (temp & conditions)

- What are crowds like


We normally go in September, so have never been at this time of year!

Looking to book ASAP!!

 

[dixonsontour]

Been twice that time of year - great time to go.

As long as you go after Thanksgiving (4th Thurs in November) crowds are low.

We actually flew on Thanksgiving the second time and just avoided the parks until Sunday and that worked well.

Weather can be mixed - pack layers.

2007 is was 80 degrees - unseasonably hot no rain. 2009 more mixed - we thought it was fine being from not so sunny Lancashire - locals had woolly hats on! Last year was freezing apparently.

Pop warner s 3-10th december (kids football/cheerleading tournament) we didn't notice an effect in the parks but you may encounter large groups of kids at some disney value hotels.

 

[dixonsontour]

If you are a shopper the day after Thanksgiving is 'black friday' biggest sales day of the year - like our january sales.

Thanksgiving is 24th November this year.

Parks the week of Thanksgiving are busy like xmas (10/10 on touringplans.com - week after is mainly 2/10 i.e low crowds)

 

[leemanning]

Hey, thanks for your reply, very helpful!

We would be looking to arrive on the Saturday (two days after Thanksgiving) so should be ok by the sounds of it.

Weather wise - would you say it's sunbathing weather for us brits and t shirt/shorts generally, or would you say you will always need to be in jeans and maybe a jumper?


Thanks!

 

[jharrowell]

Hiya!

I always try to go in December (or failing that March for my B'day but I digress) the crowds are low and the Christmas stuff is a blast.

As to weather we found it pretty changable.

for the most part it's warm enough for us brits to wear summer clothing but it can get chilly, especially in the evenings so pack one or two sets of cooler weather clothes just in case.

Be prepared to see a lot of locals bundled up though, for them it's freezing compared to normal.

 

[penlanspice]

We love the beginning of December and it's probably our favorite time of year, hitting it just after thanksgiving is the best time as the crowds the first couple of weeks in December are low.

As others have said the weather is pretty unpredictable at that time of year we have been and its been shorts and t shirts and also been and you need warmer clothes, usually it's warm enough in the day for the pool etc, but need a jumper in the evenings.

 

[jackieleanne]

We did the exact same time as you are thinking last year and crowd wise it is the perfect time to go.

Weather is very interchangeable one day last year we had it reach 30 and it broke the record for that day according to weather but then next few days we had to wear jumpers/cardigans however a few days earlier had been in shorts, tshirts and swimming on some days although actually sunbathing it got a little cold.

 

[dixonsontour]

Hey, thanks for your reply, very helpful!

We would be looking to arrive on the Saturday (two days after Thanksgiving) so should be ok by the sounds of it.

Weather wise - would you say it's sunbathing weather for us brits and t shirt/shorts generally, or would you say you will always need to be in jeans and maybe a jumper?


Thanks!

It really does depend. 2007 was hot - pool/sunbathing weather.

2009 more mixed. I wore 3/4 trousers and a zip up hooded jacket as needed, DH wore shorts throughout. We sat outside to eat at Anna maria island with hoodies on - was fine but locals thought we were mad. But I also remember coming out of AK that same trip and being far too hot.

Overall it's more like a typical summers day here - I've just been to the sea front this afternoon at Cleveleys nr Blackpool in 3/4 jeans and a top and needed a hoody on. It's usually that sort of weather.

But it can also be very cold so taking 1 pair of jeans and a jumper is sensible.

It is ideal weather for park touring and the xmas decoraitions are stunning - take time to go to all the disney hotels.

We went Saturday after thanksgiving 2009 - it's a great time to go. I can remember waiting for Seaworld to open on the Monday - think there were 6 Brit's there and that was it!

 

[janeyb]

Hi there,

We went to Disney back in 2008 and like others have said the weather is changeable. I remember having to wear sweatshirts first thing in the morning and could sometimes see my breath, This didn't last long however as by around 10.00am it would be shorts and t-shirt weather. Looking back at photos my 2 daughters were often in suntops and shorts or summer dresses.

Evenings would usually be jeans and sweatshirts/t-shirts. In fact very much like a british summer, although it didn't rain once so maybe not! We had booked to go to Mickeys Christmas party one evening and we all set off in jeans, sweatshirts etc and were roasting even at midnight, people were still in sun dresses.

A few mornings we also had to clear frost off the car! something you don't expect in Florida!

All this said however it was a fantastic time to go and I enjoyed it far more than our usual humid trips in September. The crowds are very low (we went from Nov 29th to December 15th) but you get to experience Disney at Christmas which is magical.

As previosly mentioned beware of Pop Warner. We stayed at the Riverside on that particular trip and to be honest they spoilt our stay somewhat. The parents were just as bad and thought it was perfectly acceptable to impose themselves on everyone else. The foodcourt was a complete and utter waste of time at breakfast and certain times later on in the day as they would all visit en mass before or after tournaments, unless you wanted to waste an hour of your day standing in line then it wasn't worth bothering with.

The place was overrun by precocious , young girls each wanting to be seen and heard more than the next one and none of them showed any regard for the other guests... it was 'All about them'!! Our children were often woken late into the evening by the screaming girls and their parents. I wish now we had changed resorts, an error on our part.


My advice would be to book up, I would in a flash, as long as you take layers like others have said and check first that Pop Warner girls aren't staying at the hotel you're interested in the you can't fail to have a fab time!

Happy planning,
Jane.

 

[dixonsontour]

Yes if you are thinking onsite disney if you look on the main boards on here or have a google you should find the pop warner plans.

We stayed all star movies 2009 and avoided pop warner - they were all star sports I think that year.

 

[leemanning]

Hey, thanks for all your replies - extremely helpful!

I think weather wise we should be OK then, as I also noted from other sites that there is hardly any rain around this time too, so even if it is a little chilly we won't be wet.

One last question - do you find that the water parks are worth doing at this time of year? I love them, and would like to include them in the trip. I've already checked their refurbishment schedule and we'll be OK, just wondering if they are worth doing and are they fully open (all rides etc working)?

Thanks all!