So, Cali experts..what do we pack?

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

For the first week in December?

Being from Utah, we're used to having to wear warm at this point (Cuz for us there's usually a foot of snow on the ground).

We'll be gone for 7 days and I'm having a tough time thinking about how to keep our baggage under 50 lbs with winterwear for 2 kids haha.

Are we talking..coats, or sweatshirts?

 

[Tasscrapper]

Subscribing here . . .

Emmer that is a good question. Are you guys flying or driving? We'll be driving and I wonder what we'll decide to take . . . the winter coats can just be so space consuming. We are planning on going to a beach while there even if it's to cold to even wade although if the kids want to I'll be ok with that I think. I'm really wondering if it is going to feel like capri weather to us. I guess it will depend on how cold it has been in Utah and how warm in Cali.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Subscribing here . . .

Emmer that is a good question. Are you guys flying or driving? We'll be driving and I wonder what we'll decide to take . . . the winter coats can just be so space consuming. We are planning on going to a beach while there even if it's to cold to even wade although if the kids want to I'll be ok with that I think. I'm really wondering if it is going to feel like capri weather to us. I guess it will depend on how cold it has been in Utah and how warm in Cali.

We're flying! Even LESS room!! I guess if we need coats I can have the kids wear them on the plane right? We're DEF going to the beach. I don't care how cold it is LOL

But yeah I also wondered if it'll feel like..April to us? I mean, by nature, Utahn's start wearing shorts when it hits 50 right? LOL

 

[Tasscrapper]

But yeah I also wondered if it'll feel like..April to us? I mean, by nature, Utahn's start wearing shorts when it hits 50 right? LOL

You've got that right! I'm going to take jeans but I'll also be taking my capris and short sleeved shirts. I'm thinking sweatshirts are going to be fine for the evenings. Especially since the parks won't be open really late. I imagine we'll be wanting to take the big coats . . .even if we don't need them in California we'll need them when we get back to Utah.

 

[JaneJetson]

If you go to http://www.wunderground.com/tripplanner/index.asp
and type in your dates and anaheim....it will give you historical weather info from the last few years.

According to weather.com....the average high for November is 74. The average high for December is 70. Average low for November is 51. December is 46. But it typically won't hit those low temps until the middle of the night. Record high for November is 99. Record high for December is 89.

I know you won't be there in November but since it's so close to November, I listed those temps too.

December is the 4th rainiest month there.

We went at the end of November/beginning of December last year. I wore a sweatshirt a bit. And I wore a jacket at night a little. Also, it rained a lot one day we were there.

 

[JaneJetson]

We're flying! Even LESS room!! I guess if we need coats I can have the kids wear them on the plane right? We're DEF going to the beach. I don't care how cold it is LOL

But yeah I also wondered if it'll feel like..April to us? I mean, by nature, Utahn's start wearing shorts when it hits 50 right? LOL

You aren't going to swim in the ocean though, are you?

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

no. I have a feeling we'll be hard pressed to even wade in it.

Thanks for the link and temps!

I can handle 75 haha

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

oh and this means I should pack an umbrella huh

 

[Tasscrapper]

Emmer I was at Shopko the other day and they had Disney raincoats on clearance for $1.99. I didn't get any but I thought about it.

Long Beach Weather & Climate



The beaches and cities along southern California%u2019s Pacific Coast enjoy a Mediterranean-type climate of sunny, warm summers and mild wet winters. The rainy season runs from November through March and usually produces no more than 12 inches of rainfall per year. Due to a stable marine layer, any type of precipitation is rare between May and October. The average annual humidity is 64.7 and the average year round temperature is 62 degrees. In summer, temperatures rarely exceed 85 degrees. In the morning and evening there are often strong ocean breezes. In summer, low clouds and fog along the coast give way to sunshine by early afternoon. Frost occurs in the area less than once every ten years.

Here's a link to the annual temp. history for Long Beach to give us a clue of the water temps.
http://www.californiavacation.com/regions/Long-Beach-California.html


Even if the temperature is 60 degress in December that is stil only two degrees less than the temperature of the North Sea in August and I have swum in that before. So will we swim in December . . . it will depend on the outside weather the day we go and how brave we are. I definately see some wading in our future though.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

I talked with my friend who grew up in Huntington. She advised short sleeve shirts, long pants and sweatshirts.

And not to bother with umbrellas and to buy one there if it gets out of control. Maybe I'll do the same with raincoats..tho the fact that they're disney...... Maybe I'll check that out. I'm willing to brave rain if it means less crowds haha. I just wanna stay as dry as possible.

When exactly are you going? first week too?

 

[Tasscrapper]

Dec 1-5 is our hotel dates in Anaheim. We'll break up the drive on the way to and from though. Hubby and I will have ap's since we are going for our anniversary but the kids will be getting 3 day park hoppers. In the back of my mind I keep wondering about upgrading them to ap's but that will have many deciding factors like how well they travel that far, gas prices, behavior in general, and of course how much we can save up. I am very determined that although most of the trip will be put on a credit card we will have enough saved to completely pay for it by the time we go.

Are you planning on doing the Photopass thing? I think we will for the family trip since it will be the first time any of our kids have gone.

 

[Mugglemama]

We were born and raised in the area, and lived there until 5 years ago. We had annual passes to DLR the last two years we were there, and went during cooler weather 60-70 times during that time period.

The only time we ever needed real coats, was late at night in january. I learned over time that it was much easier to dress the kids in several thin layers under a sweatshirt, rather than bring a bulky coat. I would bring knit gloves and hats too. This is when my kids were still really small, from baby to age 9.

But we have pics from a time we went for the Christmas parade on December 22nd....I'm wearing just a hoodie over a t-shirt, my daughter is wearing a jean jacket unbuttoned over a t-shirt, and my son who was under 2 at the time was wearing just a pair of sweatpants, a turtleneck, and a sweatshirt.

If you can pack layers that the kids can peel off (it might be cool in the morning) as the day warms up, and then put back on one by one as the night cools off, it might be easier on you as far as packing is concerned. We live in Boise now so for the first time in my life, I KNOW what real cold is, lol. And we would never need the Winter gear we have here back home.

I wouldn't expect early December to be that cold, honestly, especially not inland where you'll be. At the ocean, it may be breezy and chilly, but Disneyland is far enough inland to be much warmer.

I wouldn't really expect rain, either. I can't remember one single instance of rain on Thanksgiving or Christmas in the 30 years that I lived there. I lived ON the beach for the first 25 of those and there were Christmases that we went boogie boarding, lol. The rain usually starts to hit in January and February.

I don't know where you are in Utah, but for a weather comparison, I can say that by Halloween or a few days after in Boise, it's already colder than any day I ever experienced in my whole life in Southern California. Being used to snow as you are, I would seriously doubt that you would find a coat necessary on any day of the year at Disneyland.

If you've got soft, thin, comfortable long-sleeved shirts that you can pack for the kids, with a t-shirt to go over it, and a hoodie to go over that, I can't imagine you guys being too cold. You might still want to bring the knit gloves and hats, just to keep everyone extra toasty at night, but like I said, being used to snow and cold weather as you are, you may find that a bit overkill.

hope that helps!

 

[JaneJetson]

Last year, on November 30th, it rained almost all day. We were soaked. The odds are that it won't rain...but there is a chance that it could. We bought ponchos. But by the time we found a store that had adult sized ones left, we were soaked.

But the rain did make the Christmas lights look awesome!

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Dec 1-5 is our hotel dates in Anaheim. We'll break up the drive on the way to and from though. Hubby and I will have ap's since we are going for our anniversary but the kids will be getting 3 day park hoppers. In the back of my mind I keep wondering about upgrading them to ap's but that will have many deciding factors like how well they travel that far, gas prices, behavior in general, and of course how much we can save up. I am very determined that although most of the trip will be put on a credit card we will have enough saved to completely pay for it by the time we go.

Are you planning on doing the Photopass thing? I think we will for the family trip since it will be the first time any of our kids have gone.

Maybe you should get the kids 4 day park hoppers? They're cheaper online. That's what we did and it was cheaper than other options we explored!

I hadn't thought a lot about the photopass thing. I didn't understand it until recently. Maybe I should consider it

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

hope that helps!

It REALLY does. Thank you so much! This may make packing less of a chore!

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Last year, on November 30th, it rained almost all day. We were soaked. The odds are that it won't rain...but there is a chance that it could. We bought ponchos. But by the time we found a store that had adult sized ones left, we were soaked.

But the rain did make the Christmas lights look awesome!

So I shuddered at that first picture, but the second one made it seem worth it LOL.

Perhaps I"ll buy some cheap ponchos here and bring them so I don't have to run around trying to find some!

 

[Mugglemama]

I'm trying to post a photo for you, so you can see what we're wearing at times of the year close to when you'll be going, but it isn't working, lol.

anyway, i found some pics from when we went to disneyland on christmas eve, my kids are wearing long pants and long sleeves, but only one layer of each...even the baby. this was in the daytime when the sun was out. later on at night, we put sweatshirts on the younger two, but that was it.

found another pic of a 5 day trip we did at the end of october a few years ago, and everybody in our pics are wearing shorts and t-shirts. (i remember that trip, it was in the 90's all week).

i suppose there's the possibility of rain, but honestly, fall is not typically the rainy time out there. the majority of the year's rain falls in jan/feb. in all the years that i've been going to disneyland on a regular basis, i've only encountered rain one time, and that was in january of 1993.

before you go, check the weather channel's website and look for the 10 day forecast for anaheim. that should give you a fair idea of what weather to expect while you are actually there. that way if there is a storm expected, you'll be prepared. chances are, the weather will be beautiful, maybe a tiny bit crisp. at any rate, MUCH better than the snow and freezing temps you'll be leaving behind, lol.

 

[JaneJetson]

Layers, layers, layers. Seriously...it's all about layers for Disneyland. It'll probably be warm during the day. T-shirts and jeans. But then cooler when the sun goes down. Sweatshirt or a jacket if you're like me and get cold easily. (I'm a midwestern girl but I still get cold easily...even in California...haha.) We typically put a jacket or something in a locker or in our car in case we need it. Or just tie a sweatshirt around our waists all day.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

ok cool. I won't stress about rain then. I'll def check the reports before we leave.

 

[shishigirl]

Emmer I was at Shopko the other day and they had Disney raincoats on clearance for $1.99. I didn't get any but I thought about it.

Thanks for the tip! We are going later this fall and i ran to Shopko to get the raincoats! Totally got the last two! We probably wont need them, but they are way cute for 1.99! Thanks!