What to wear.....what to wear?!?!?

MyPrince&Princess

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Hi!!! So we are leaving soon and never having been to Disney in the winter I have NO idea what to pack. All of our previous trips have been in the warmer months. I have read things like “it’s super cold because of the humidity “ or “pack lots of layers”, but what does that translate into clothing? Will I be cold in a sleeveless dress at night? Can we wear sandals? Or should I take this all to mean I should pack as if it’s a Canadian fall?

As you can see I haven’t a clue. .

Right now I’m pulling out my kids long sleeve ts and pants. Would they be okay in shorts and dresses all day?

Thank you!!
 
Will be in FL for NY and we’re bringing summer clothes and fall clothes as it can be 0-10C or 20-30C in December.
 
I went last week and needed pants, socks, and a sweater. I went on Sunday in a tank top and shorts and rode Splash Mountain.
You will be cold at night if sleeveless I think. I would bring pants, shorts, short sleeved tops and sweatshirts. Some sandals, some closed toe shoes
 
i looked back at pictures from my first trip, which was during the christmas/new year stretch. early morning/evening were all wearing sweaters, cardigans, etc. mix of shorts, capris, pants.

so as i’m packing for our next visit, i’m packing similar stuff. light layers. so a sleeveless dress might be comfortable during the day, but i’d throw a light sweater in your bag for the morning/evening time.

oh, and we’re still bringing swim suits. it might be december, but the pools are heated!
 


Thank you all! It looks like we’ll be bringing a lot more than we planned .

So if my kids are in shorts and a t shirt during the day and I’m in a tank dress do you think we’d be ok if we all had sweaters for the evening? Or are long pants a must for the evenings. It’s so weird to think if Disneyworld as cold. I’m usually packing tonnes of sunscreen. Now I’m thinking we won’t even need it .
 
Right now WDW are cancelling outdoor events like the Luau because of a cold snap and last year the marathon was cancelled because the forecast was for 0C. I would have some pants in my luggage to be safe. Clothing is EXPENSIVE at WDW... Light gloves and hats are also on my list. Luckily we are driving so I don’t have to worry about the weight of my suitcases and we’re hoping for warm weather for our Fort Lauderdale portion of the trip since in more south than Orlando.
 


Right now WDW are cancelling outdoor events like the Luau because of a cold snap and last year the marathon was cancelled because the forecast was for 0C. I would have some pants in my luggage to be safe. Clothing is EXPENSIVE at WDW... Light gloves and hats are also on my list. Luckily we are driving so I don’t have to worry about the weight of my suitcases and we’re hoping for warm weather for our Fort Lauderdale portion of the trip since in more south than Orlando.

i didn’t realize it was this cold right now! brrrr. guess we’ll add some hats and gloves to our lists too...
 
Right now it’s 22C in Orlando but tonight the forecast is 10C and for tomorrow night it’s 6C!!
 
We were there this time last year and the first couple days we wore shorts and tee shirts but the rest of the week we were in jeans and hoodies all day with vests for added heat. It was COLD the night we waited for Candlelight. We were huddled together for warmth sitting and waiting (we almost bought a blanket). I grew up in Ontario and was used to damp cold but a decade in Calgary and it's super dry winters certainly changed that - any wind just cuts right through you. I would suggest one of two pairs of shorts, jeans, tees, hoodies, a jacket that breaks the wind, mitts and something to keep your ears warm. We've had one very cold Disneyland December trip and last year in WDW - I'd rather have too many warm clothes than not enough FOR SURE.
 
Will I be cold in a sleeveless dress at night? Can we wear sandals? Or should I take this all to mean I should pack as if it’s a Canadian fall?

We're usually there some time during the first two weeks of December. We try to minimize our packing as much as possible while accounting for unpredictable and wide swings of temperatures. While there may be some days, or portions of days, that are warm enough for shorts or dresses, I don't think you get enough use out of them to justify the luggage space. So we usually take only long pants in a mix of lightweight and slightly heavier khakis or similar, no shorts or dresses, and a mix of long and short sleeved shirts with some (but not all) of the long sleeved ones being slightly heavier material. I travel in a zip-up fleece/thermal jacket (I often use an Icebreaker mid-weight merino wool jacket), a rain jacket and jeans so as not to have to pack them yet have them available if necessary. I never bring a winter hat (I do bring a Tilley sun hat) but I always have lightweight gloves in my rain jacket pockets. I like the zip-up fleece as opposed to a sweatshirt since I can leave it open for a bit of air flow, zip it up for more warmth or take it off and tie the arms around my waist or purse strap if it gets really hot unexpectedly. That pretty much covers all possibilities - short sleeve, long sleeved, heavy material, lightweight materials, waterproof, thermal, and I can mix all of them depending on the weather any day plus being warm enough when leaving and returning home. I wear good walking shoes to travel and tour in - no additional luggage space required for shoes. I only bring sandals if I've brought a fancier dress to go to Victoria & Albert's; I would personally never be comfortable to walk around for hours in sandals regardless of the temperature but if the temperatures drop, you will definitely wish you had closed shoes, especially if it rains and is cold.

Some days will be 30 or so degrees Celsius but only for a few hours during the day, colder early in the morning and very chilly after dark. Sometimes it can be 30 during the day and not much cooler at night but still not really shorts weather. Other times it can drop to 10 degrees even though it was 30 earlier in the day. We've been some times when it was about 15 degrees one day and then 28-30 the next day. It's just very very changeable and difficult to anticipate ahead of time. This is our first year going between Christmas and New Year's so I'm still figuring out myself how to modify my usual packing for December.

I’m usually packing tonnes of sunscreen. Now I’m thinking we won’t even need it .

You will still need it. Even if it's colder, it will still likely be sunny and you can still get burned. You might also have warm days where you might be wearing shorter sleeves and/or be in the pool. The pools are nicely heated (and there are hot tubs too). We wear swim shirts - I sometimes wear a long sleeved swim shirt over a bathing suit tank top and capri or full-length swim pants - both for warmth and to protect from the sun. While I would never travel without sunscreen, a proper UV-protective swim shirt is much easier than ensuring you get full coverage with sunscreen and you don't need to reapply afterwards. It also helps to withstand the wind when getting out of the pool. A couple of years ago, we went back to our resort pool by about 1 pm because we were just dripping sweat. The next day we decided to go back to the pool. There was about a 15 degree downwards swing between the two days and we were only able to withstand about 45 minutes and that only because our swim shirts helped keep us a bit warm. Both days very bright and very sunny. Definitely needed sunscreen on neck and face.
 
I got here on the 27th... it was freezing for 3 days. I needed to wear my scarf I’d worn to the airport and a sweater. If I’d had a toque on the first night, I’d have worn it. Then it became nice. Then it turned hot and SUPER humid. It was tank top weather. Today... I’m back to a sweater.

Just pack everything

Oh, it also rained in a random heavens opening up sort of downpour one day. I’m very thankful for the waterproof runners I invested in :)
 
Check Accuweather for your trip days. I’ve gone lots in winter, usually January, last year in Dec. winter in Orlando can be anywhere from warm and sunny to cold with frost on the ground. One time it was colder in WDW than home (B.C.)
Pack bathing suit. I love to go in the hot tub for a good soak.
 
I learned my lesson last year in March. The weather the previous two years in March had been HOT(27-30c) but last year it started out hot and on our last two days turned cold...even to a northerner. Our last day the day time high was only about 12c. When we checked out of our room in the morning it was about 5c. So the lesson learned is in winter months you have to pack a little more and have some cool weather options. The weather changes quickly in FL so you can't really trust the forecast.
 
Cool windy days at WDW can be downright COLD, as in hats/mitts cold. You also need to be careful about packing based on the forecast before you leave for FL, because the forecast can change overnight (and often does). Bottom line, if you're going in the winter, you need to pack for hot, cool and cold temps. It's a nuisance to have to bring so much, but better to be prepared.

EDIT: Just saw the date of OP's post...probably already home by now, lol.
 

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