Those that have gone during December

[ckret01]

Whenever I have traveled to Disney I have always gone in Sept/Oct and this time I will be there in December the second week. I know the weather will be colder and sweatshirts and jackets will be required. I see lots of pics that are on these threads with people wearing hats and scarves as well.

My question is.... when you are in the parks during this time of year when it's cold.....do you ever get so cold that you have to go into a store to warm up? Do you find it uncomfortable to wear a jacket when you are riding the rides? Feeling bulky or anything? Or a pain when you get hot and now have to carry a jacket around ontop of everything you are carrying.

I am used to wearing shorts and t-shirts when I go so this time will be different possibly wearing a jacket when I am walking around. Would like to hear your experience or thoughts. Thanks

 

[LoriZH]

You know, in the day it really wasn't that bad, but at night especially if it rained, it was really cold and we made short nights of it. On the other hand, the parks were almost empty and we still had beautiful days and only had to wear sweathshirts and were very comfortable. It's not freezing to the point where you have to go find a fire to hang out by, but it's chilly and you defnitely need a warm jacket at night.

 

[BubblPopElectrc]

When we went in December I would wear a polo and at night I would get a bit chilly. Not so cold that I had to leave, but I was still a bit cold. Just take a few sweaters and you should be fine.

IMO it's the best time to go.

 

[klmall]

We've been in late November (2x), December (1x), January (1x) and have never been really, really cold. We've worn light jackets over turtlenecks and jeans but it didn't make the rides uncomfortable or awkward. But DH and DS did ride the Kali River Rapids on a mild day and got soaked on purpose and wished they had brought clothes to change into but it made a great picture!

The January trip was chillier but still very nice and I did put on little stretchy gloves at night. Since I am definitely not a hot weather/climate person these months are my favorite at Disney.

We will pack shorts, jeans, sweatshirts/hoodies/light jackets and light gloves for our December trip. One really great idea is to wear the zip-off cargo pants. That way you have light, wind-proof pants that can function as shorts or pants.

 

[roxannensteve]

I second what everyone has told you. I usually wear short sleeve shirts, jeans & a light jacket at night.

 

[dizneedrmr]

I can't remember every being really too cold, either. We usually dress in layers and can get away with a light jacket/sweatshirt/long-sleeve t-shirt under a short-sleeve t-shirt so I can display my latest Disney t-shirt apparel/sweater and pants. When I was younger, we wore jogging pants/wind pants over our shorts because it was easier. Honestly, we've been really lucky and usually been able to wear shorts into most of the night. I would say be prepared for "chilly" weather, but not for "I-think-it's-going-to-snow" weather.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

Weather in December is extremely unpredictable. Please don't listen to the "sweatshirt and light sweaters" folks! There's just no way of knowing!

I've worn jeans and a t-shirt during the day in Epcot in December, and I've had to wear a heavy jacket with hood over a sweater, plus gloves another time. Once we were so darn cold we just went back to our resort. That inspired DH to bring long underwear the next time we went in December (which of course, we turned out not to need--Murphy's law!).

Bring a sweater, a warm jacket, hat, and gloves for the evenings. You may not need them, but you will be MISERABLE if you happen to be at WDW during a cold, windy spell, without warm clothes.

 

[mytwinklestar]

We, too, used to love our October Disney vacations. We have been in October, November, December, February, May and June. Our December trip was our most favorite to date. We are going to be there with you. Our dates are Dec. 7-16. The weather was absolutely beautiful when we went last time in December. Cool and comfy in the day and chilly at night. Grab a hot cocoa and a jacket and enjoy! I would much rather bundle up than to be miserably hot, though. But that is just me. The crisp air only adds to the thrill of all the Christmas decorations and ambiance. I did buy a Tink sweatshirt at the Emporium one afternoon because I was warm in the morning and once in the park, caught a chill. Aw shucks... had to shop! I love my Tink sweatshirt and each time I wear it, I have vivid magical memories. AND... when we were there in December, the pace was much slower because the crowds were so thin. We were able to take our time. There was no hurry up to get to the next ride only to wait for 30-60 minutes. Most were very minimal waits... 10 - 15 minutes and some were walk ons. This is the best time! IMHO

 

[mytwinklestar]

Sorry - duplicate entry

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Whenever I have traveled to Disney I have always gone in Sept/Oct and this time I will be there in December the second week. I know the weather will be colder and sweatshirts and jackets will be required. I see lots of pics that are on these threads with people wearing hats and scarves as well.

My question is.... when you are in the parks during this time of year when it's cold.....do you ever get so cold that you have to go into a store to warm up? Do you find it uncomfortable to wear a jacket when you are riding the rides? Feeling bulky or anything? Or a pain when you get hot and now have to carry a jacket around ontop of everything you are carrying.

I am used to wearing shorts and t-shirts when I go so this time will be different possibly wearing a jacket when I am walking around. Would like to hear your experience or thoughts. Thanks

The weather in December can be wacky to be sure. We often go to WDW for Christmas vacation. We've also been there as early as the second week of December.

One year when we were there for Christmas vacation, on the day we arrived at the Contemporary, the windchill was 30 degrees. I have video of us riding the monorail and we were in winter coats, hats and gloves. By the end of that week, the temperature hit 80 degrees.

That's the one drawback of going to WDW during that time of year, you have to pack for all types of weather.

And yes, it's been cold enough that you will want to go into a store to warm up. And if you are staying at the Y&BC they serve free hot cider at night (unless they took that away) that will warm you up.

One area that I definitely feel the chill is at EPCOT during the Candlelight Processional. Because it's by the water it feels colder and damp there. We usually had to bring extra blankets for my parents who were in wheelchairs.

I usually bring my leather jacket because it's not bulky and it's good to have in case it rains, and you can layer under it as needed.

Unfortunately, last Christmas it wasn't that cold but it rained for days. It rained so hard the night we had tickets to the CP, that we ended up giving them away to a couple of families standing in line because no one wanted to wait out in the rain for the show to begin.

Sorry I'm rambling and to answer your question, no it's not a problem wearing a jacket on rides. During the day you can store your things in a locker if you don't want to go back to your room or maybe in your car if you have it at the parks.

 

[ckret01]

The weather in December can be wacky to be sure. We often go to WDW for Christmas vacation. We've also been there as early as the second week of December.

One year when we were there for Christmas vacation, on the day we arrived at the Contemporary, the windchill was 30 degrees. I have video of us riding the monorail and we were in winter coats, hats and gloves. By the end of that week, the temperature hit 80 degrees.

That's the one drawback of going to WDW during that time of year, you have to pack for all types of weather.

And yes, it's been cold enough that you will want to go into a store to warm up. And if you are staying at the Y&BC they serve free hot cider at night (unless they took that away) that will warm you up.

One area that I definitely feel the chill is at EPCOT during the Candlelight Processional. Because it's by the water it feels colder and damp there. We usually had to bring extra blankets for my parents who were in wheelchairs.

I usually bring my leather jacket because it's not bulky and it's good to have in case it rains, and you can layer under it as needed.

Unfortunately, last Christmas it wasn't that cold but it rained for days. It rained so hard the night we had tickets to the CP, that we ended up giving them away to a couple of families standing in line because no one wanted to wait out in the rain for the show to begin.

Sorry I'm rambling and to answer your question, no it's not a problem wearing a jacket on rides. During the day you can store your things in a locker if you don't want to go back to your room or maybe in your car if you have it at the parks.

Ohh Great advice on definitely bringing something warm for CP and I never even thought about putting my stuff in a locker if I didn't want to carry it around. I actually forgot they had them. Thanks so much

 

[buzzgirls&dad]

I also think your version of cold is due in part to were you live and what you are used to. Being from Wisconsin 60-70 degrees is shorts weather(we were with a family from Naples in an elavator and they were freezing) We did have a couple of freezing days in Feb. once. We were in jeans and sweatshirts but since we were walking so much we really didn't mind and it did warm up rather quickly. Dec. is a mixed bag just check the weather before you leave to have a better idea of how it will be for your trip. HTH

 

[roxannensteve]

I think that too, that the area you're from & what you are used to mat affect how you describe things. Because we every other year in December & have never had to go in a store to warm up. We may have huddled alittle. I may remember wearing gloves, my hands get cold fast. But thats all for us. In one of our MVMCP pictures, I'm in a short sleeve shirt & jeans (I had a light windbreaker type jacket that I took off), DH had shorts & a short sleeve shirt & DS! had jeans, & a fleece jacket. Made for a weird family picture

 

[Dan Murphy]

As said many times above, December, as well as late Nov, Jan-Mar, can be extremely variable. I have been many times that time of the year and very much agree with what said. A good thing to also do is check a few weather sites to get a bit of an idea of the weather trend as you approach your trip. Certainly not foolproof, but it can give you an idea of what you might expect.


Enjoy, I think it the best time of the year.

 

[MichelleVW]

I've been 4 times in Dec/Jan and never once was it cold. Guess we got lucky, we were cold one night watching Illuminations, but that was our own fault for forgetting our sweatshirts because it was 80 during the day and we didn't expect to stay that long.

 

[labattblue]

No better historical weather resource than this...


http://www.wunderground.com/history...ernational&req_state=FL&req_statename=Florida

I encourage everyone to bookmark it for future reference!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

We went prepared for anything. I have bought for the girls jackets that are windbreakers with Fleece zippered inserts; that way, it can be a light weight jacket or a warm jacket. DH and I usually do layers so, we should be ok, but we always go prepared just in case. We wore shorts and swam last year too, then one night everyone had on their big jackets (and we were at Candlelight Processional, so on the water, we were really cold).

 

[Ciao Mickey]

I also think your version of cold is due in part to were you live and what you are used to. Being from Wisconsin 60-70 degrees is shorts weather(we were with a family from Naples in an elavator and they were freezing) We did have a couple of freezing days in Feb. once. We were in jeans and sweatshirts but since we were walking so much we really didn't mind and it did warm up rather quickly. Dec. is a mixed bag just check the weather before you leave to have a better idea of how it will be for your trip. HTH

Some of my family lives in South Florida and we always meet them at WDW for our Christmas vacations. They are in heavy jackets, sweats, hats and gloves when it hits a low of 60 degrees.

WHen it gets cold in Florida during that time of year, it doesn't stay that way for long. What's a bigger pain is the variation in temperature over the course of the day. There were many times when we started out in shorts and by night time, had to buy heavy sweatshirts because we left the jackets in the room and didn't feel like going back for them.

It also depends on which park you are in. MK, AK, and MGM doesn't feel as cold as Epcot. Epcot can get really chilly because of the lake and it's so open. It reminds me of San Francisco during the summer. That chill can go right through you.

I'm from NJ so I'm used to the cold.

 

[lustergirl]

<<<<< another upstate new yorker so I am used to the cold. We have always went in september before and boy was the heat a killer!! My younger son and I enjoyed a short trip this past december and it was absolutely beautiful out. We wore light clothes during the day and at nite just added a sweater or light jacket. My hubby and I are going again this year during the first week of december so I will now know what to pack.