I just read a thread on December weather and what to pack, and now I'm worried about what the weather will be like in mid-November. There will be five of us - Me, DH, DS13, DD9, and DS7. We will be there for 4 nights, 5 days, flying out from Chicago O'Hare to MCO.
I have purchased one checked bag for our flight, which I was planning on using for a lot of our clothes/toiletries/etc. It will be a rolling 60" piece of luggage. We will also each be taking one "personal" bag with us on the plane, which can be the size of the average high school backpack or large 16" laptop case (no actual laptop, though - I am *not* going to work on this trip!!!). We are surprising the kids with the trip the morning we leave, so I was planning on packing the 5 carry-on bags with one-two complete changes of clothes each, plus a couple airplane-appropriate snacks, and whatever else will fit, like an extra change of clothes, hairbrush, flip-flops, etc. Everything else will have to fit into the 60" suitcase, including shampoo, toothpaste, sunscreen, etc that will be too big to go through security as a carry-on item.
Here's my dilemma - I've read that November weather can fluctuate from being very hot, to being very cold. If I have to pack a lot of winter clothes, I don't think I will have the room that I think I will have in the bags.
From those that have been/live in Florida in Nov - other than exceptions for extreme heat and cold, what is the average day and night like?
Will I need to pack pants, coats, heavy sweatshirts, etc?
We are flying from Chicago - I was kind of hoping that the weather when we leave would be mild enough that we could leave our heavy winter coats at home - we are more than likely going to have a family member driving up to the airport, which will mean curbside drop off and we won't have to walk in the cold from a parking deck. Will we need winter coats in Florida in November?
Will we be able to swim at all? Other than the day we arrive, and the day we leave, any swimming will have to be done in the evening. Will it be warm enough, on average?
Last time we were in Florida, we went the last week of March - is November weather similar to March weather? It was pretty much in the 70's that whole week, and mostly sunny with clouds.
Lastly, in order to save luggage space, we were thinking about renting a car down there (DH works for Hertz corp and a 5 day rental will be under $100 for us) and going to Walmart for snacks and water, etc. Would it be better to save the space and just buy shampoo, sunscreen, toothpaste, etc once we get down there, and just leave it there/throw unused portions away when we leave? i hate to waste it, but one small bottle of shampoo/conditioner for 5 people for 5 days won't really have *too* much left, anyway.
Thanks!
I have purchased one checked bag for our flight, which I was planning on using for a lot of our clothes/toiletries/etc. It will be a rolling 60" piece of luggage. We will also each be taking one "personal" bag with us on the plane, which can be the size of the average high school backpack or large 16" laptop case (no actual laptop, though - I am *not* going to work on this trip!!!). We are surprising the kids with the trip the morning we leave, so I was planning on packing the 5 carry-on bags with one-two complete changes of clothes each, plus a couple airplane-appropriate snacks, and whatever else will fit, like an extra change of clothes, hairbrush, flip-flops, etc. Everything else will have to fit into the 60" suitcase, including shampoo, toothpaste, sunscreen, etc that will be too big to go through security as a carry-on item.
Here's my dilemma - I've read that November weather can fluctuate from being very hot, to being very cold. If I have to pack a lot of winter clothes, I don't think I will have the room that I think I will have in the bags.
From those that have been/live in Florida in Nov - other than exceptions for extreme heat and cold, what is the average day and night like?
Will I need to pack pants, coats, heavy sweatshirts, etc?
We are flying from Chicago - I was kind of hoping that the weather when we leave would be mild enough that we could leave our heavy winter coats at home - we are more than likely going to have a family member driving up to the airport, which will mean curbside drop off and we won't have to walk in the cold from a parking deck. Will we need winter coats in Florida in November?
Will we be able to swim at all? Other than the day we arrive, and the day we leave, any swimming will have to be done in the evening. Will it be warm enough, on average?
Last time we were in Florida, we went the last week of March - is November weather similar to March weather? It was pretty much in the 70's that whole week, and mostly sunny with clouds.
Lastly, in order to save luggage space, we were thinking about renting a car down there (DH works for Hertz corp and a 5 day rental will be under $100 for us) and going to Walmart for snacks and water, etc. Would it be better to save the space and just buy shampoo, sunscreen, toothpaste, etc once we get down there, and just leave it there/throw unused portions away when we leave? i hate to waste it, but one small bottle of shampoo/conditioner for 5 people for 5 days won't really have *too* much left, anyway.
Thanks!