Northerners, how do you pack for a Disney vacation in the winter?

[Anal Annie]

Just wondering how people who are used to actual cold temperatures pack for a winter vacation at Disney World. How do you dress/plan for a long day at a park where the temperature may be in the 70/80s during the day but go down to the 50/60s at night?

We were just there Jan 3-9 and had a huge mix of temps. It was our 4th January trip. We're from Maryland. We've only ever hit the pool (well, HOT TUB) once on a January trip. I really need 80's to go to the pool. I only pack 1 suit each if the forecast right before we leave looks somewhat hopeful. But it never works out.

The last few trips we've worn our lighter weight "packable down" jackets which we could take off as the day warmed up & stuff into their little bags in our backpack. I think on our first winter trip years ago we wore 3-in-1 ski jackets so we could break them down as needed but those don't store in a backpack if it warms up. This trip right before we were leaving the forecast looked like we would have low 80's to start & the lowest temps we would have were at night at the end of the week and that it would be about 47 at night. Well, that changed WHILE WE WERE THERE and I wished I'd have brought at least 1 pair of long johns. It got down into the 30's at night and there was a lot of wind so I was freezing at night (one night was a "feels like 28")!! Due to this late unpredicted change I will never take another January trip without bringing hats, gloves & long johns & wool socks in reserve somewhere "just in case". Of course it was a lot colder than that at home BUT at home I wouldn't be out in it standing in lines for 4 or 5 hours at a time and I would be inside at night. When you're standing around the lake in Epcot waiting on Illuminations or you want to eat a quick counter service meal & it's cold out it's another matter IMO.

You have to know your own tolerance for cold too. I also bring a vest or two (DH & DS don't (or won't) wear them). I wore crops & flip flops with short sleeve or 3/4 length sleeves for the first 4 days this trip with layers to put on early in the morning & at night. Then when the weather turned cold I was in about 4 layers and I bought a scarf (all the hats were sold out in Mousegears that night - this was the "feels like 28" degree night). My DS goes to college in Western NY now and he has acclimated to the cold and will wear shorts & maybe a hoodie even when it's 45-50 out. I'm freezing at that point if I'm not in jeans and a jacket. Even he finally broke down & wore jeans & broke out his hoodie AND his jacket that night. BRING LAYERS!! Short sleeves, long sleeves, a good fleece & a jacket. It sounds like a lot to pack but you can re-wear crops & jeans & shorts if you have warm enough temps. We packed in 3 carry-ons and 1 checked bag for the 3 of us to share for 6 nights. (We were flying SW so bag checking wasn't a problem.) I wore 1 pair of crops on the plane going down & packed 1 more pair + 2 pairs of jeans & 2 pairs of shorts. I wore everything but the shorts.

 

[angierae]

I'm from the north, but I still get cold. Last January when we were in Orlando, a couple of days the high was 60/61, and I was cold. I wore jeans and a thin insulated hoodie for running. Mostly because even here, when it's that temp, I don't tend to spend the entire day outside. Plus because Orlando is so wet, it feels even colder than that. And it was overcast.

For me, sun makes a huge difference. Last weekend it was 30 here, but sunny, and I went for a walk in a fleece hoodie. If it were overcast, I'd have been in a winter coat.
But for me, even if I left a foot of snow here, 50/60 outside all day is not remotely "warm".

 

[nco91590]

From Upstate NY and last February we had an amazing first half of our trip weather wise, and the 2nd half was highs in the low 60's and around 45 for the low. It was COLD. I brought my winter coat leaving NYS but only used my North Face fleece and jean jacket while I was there. I also brought my winter hat and gloves for nighttime fireworks and rope drop. Bring jeans/leggings and a cardigan to wear over any tee shirts/dresses that you bring.

I was especially cold on the boats though. So maybe make sure you're dressed warmly if that's your main mode of transportation.

 

[kniquy]

Depends upon how well you handle the cold. Once you are coming from 30 degree weather - 50 is almost shorts weather!!

I am someone who as long as the top of me is warm my legs can handle 50 degree evening weather. That is pretty much what we encountered for our NYE trip a couple years ago. We happen to hit an unusually warm time so days were warm and wore shorts during the day and evenings we just had our sweatshirts.

The best thing to do is check the weekly forecast a day before you are leaving -- pack what will be appropriate. Pack and extra pair of pants and sweatshirt in case things change. I guess worst case you have to buy a souvenir sweatshirt while you are at the park.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

A caveat about the "true northerner" thing. Back home, you usually don't sit outside on a curb or a bench for an hour waiting for evening entertainment to start. Unless it's a sports game and then you actually would dress warmly, maybe even bring a blanket, because sitting still you would get cold. That's what you can't forget at WDW in winter. In December waiting for MVMCP at MK on Main Street, we two Chicagoans thought we were warmly enough dressed for the evening's temps in the low 50s. But an hour of sitting on a cold concrete curb under the fake soap snow blowers and we were freezing.

 

[Anal Annie]

I'm from the north, but I still get cold. Last January when we were in Orlando, a couple of days the high was 60/61, and I was cold. I wore jeans and a thin insulated hoodie for running. Mostly because even here, when it's that temp, I don't tend to spend the entire day outside. Plus because Orlando is so wet, it feels even colder than that. And it was overcast.

For me, sun makes a huge difference. Last weekend it was 30 here, but sunny, and I went for a walk in a fleece hoodie. If it were overcast, I'd have been in a winter coat.
But for me, even if I left a foot of snow here, 50/60 outside all day is not remotely "warm".

Yes! This! At home you're only outside for short periods of time and the sun (or lack of) makes a huge difference. At Disney you're out for hours at a time! I only brought thin short socks and my feet got cold. I doubled up one day! I was LOL that I was wearing 2 pairs of socks in FL!!

 

[msb578]

This has probably been mentioned already. But, please look at more than average temperatures. We had a December day there with lows in the mid 30s and a high of 50 with a steady wind.

Although we had actually prepared for it, it was departure day and most of our stuff was already on its way to the airport. We still had fun, but it was pretty uncomfortable.

 

[kwdw]

Really be sure to keep checking the forecast for your trip - and be prepared to modify at the last minute. And then realize the forecast will still change.

I was there January 7-11 - and I wore a bit of everything - shorts and tee-shirts - jeans with a couple layers (T-shirt and hoodie) with a hat and scarf. You will definitely need a layering approach when looking at 40/50's at night and as high as 80 mid-day.

Yes - if you are from the north you will laugh at the Floridian's and South American tourists in their winter coats when it's 55 degrees. That said - I also saw a LOT of people very cold in the evening who clearly wished they had brought something warmer. Disney does a great job of putting out extra racks of sweatshirts in their stores to tempt you to buy one when you are underdressed. It's SO Nice of them to do that.....

The hard part is remembering that because you are basically outside all day - cool temps might get to you more than you think.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

We've been incredibly fortunate the past few years during Christmas, but in 2009 and 2010 we had very low temps (50s in the day, 30s at night.)
This past trip, we had a cold front that blew in 12/30, but it only lasted one day.

The good news is, you're coming from the North. If you're flying, you're gonna need a coat or jacket going to the airport and when you get home. If you're driving, you're even better off when it comes to packing.

I take this opportunity to layer, as I always do on the plane (it could be cold on the plane or sometimes I feel too hot - easier to peel off layers.) This year I worse joggers (easy to roll up) a t-shirt, hoodie and my Patagonia jacket over that. I took the jacket off and was comfortable in my hoodie.

Going off this, I pack in layers.

My base for weather in the 70s is t-shirts, shorts, jeans and a few long-sleeve light collared shirts if we do a nice dinner.
I have the hoodie I wore down in case it gets chilly one night and the Patagonia jacket incase it gets very cold. I usually pack one sweater to wear over the shirt if we're going to a nice restaurant and it's gonna be cold.

I do pack gloves and a hat. I have this "condition" where when it gets below 50 degrees my finger tips go numb. I'll usually pack one heavy pair of socks as well.

We used to drive ourselves nuts packing with "will it or will it not" scenarios... The truth is, Disney Springs has been a fantastic addition. I know people tend to want to avoid spending unnecessary money in Disney, but if it truly gets way too cold or way too hot (like a cold front unexpectedly rolls in) I'll just go to Uniqlo, which has very low prices for its quality of clothes.

As someone who usually dresses pretty nice and keeps up with their appearance, you need to take a moment to stop and look around. Disney isn't a runway. When a cold front sweeps in, if you need to wear black with brown, no one will judge. But I do typically try and bring colors that go with everything in the event I have to layer (gray, black or navy sweaters and sweatshirts)

 

[Anal Annie]

Almost forgot that on our recent trip on the days it got so cold they actually closed the pools from the Saturday evening until Monday morning! They left a message on our phone in the room. That was a first for us on our January trips!

 

[W.E.D.]

We pack like we would for a summer visit. I'll admit we're pretty warm blooded, but it doesn't seem to bother us. When we arrive we usually pick up the latest WDW hoodies so we have something for cooler weather, but otherwise it's shorts and tees for us!

 

[Trap]

it is what you are use to I worked outside all winter for years. now I am still outside a lot of the time. for me if it gets over 60 it is hot.when we go to wdw I tell my wife all the time living in fl must be like living on the face of the sun in the summer. we went in sept once never again we go now late nov

 

[baildrk]

A caveat about the "true northerner" thing. Back home, you usually don't sit outside on a curb or a bench for an hour waiting for evening entertainment to start. Unless it's a sports game and then you actually would dress warmly, maybe even bring a blanket, because sitting still you would get cold.

Yes "true northerner" is subjective both will tolerance to cold and what "northern" state you are from, but today was almost 40 in MN where I live. You would have thought it was May today, I sat out with my neighbors for a few hours talking and having a few drinks it felt great. I would have sat out all night, but had to get to work. Again, I know most of it is individual tolerance but as long as your prepared it really shouldn't matter.

 

[onetoescape]

I pack for a Northern Ireland summer a little bit of everything. 50/60 are still ok for me

 

[labdogs42]

I usually go with capris, tee shirt, hoody. I pack a couple pairs of jeans, a fleece jacket and a scarf and gloves, too. We have been in February and have needed all of those items in varying combinations throughout a one week vacation! But don't worry, if you didn't bring enough layers, Disney will sell them to you! It is also a great time to buy those cute fleece blankets they sell there.

 

[Nancyg56]

If they are true northerners, as I was for many, many years, 50/60s are still warm enough to not require anything special. We do bring a small amount of cold weather stuff with us, because we leave home in cold weather. Once we get to Florida, most of that goes out the window and summer gear is our friend. We might bring a light weight jacket just in case the temps. drop into the 40's or even a morning frost, but, it is just temporary.
.

I am from the Nutmeg State, and used to the cold. I almost never keep a coat on, have been known to wear my flippies to run an errand in Winter, and hate a hat. With that said, four years ago, I froze! My DH and I both wore our hoodies, and I have my mittens, and had to buy my special pink Minnie Ears hat. Cold is cold, and that breeze blowing in off the water can really go through all your layers. The WC can be very uncomfortable if you are there on a windy cold day, and evenings are much worse.

A caveat about the "true northerner" thing. Back home, you usually don't sit outside on a curb or a bench for an hour waiting for evening entertainment to start. Unless it's a sports game and then you actually would dress warmly, maybe even bring a blanket, because sitting still you would get cold. That's what you can't forget at WDW in winter. In December waiting for MVMCP at MK on Main Street, we two Chicagoans thought we were warmly enough dressed for the evening's temps in the low 50s. But an hour of sitting on a cold concrete curb under the fake soap snow blowers and we were freezing.

Yes. We were standing in line for the Candlelight processional and though I was going to turn into an icicle. The evening parade in the MK sent me in to buy a hoodie. I agree, if you are not moving and it gets cold, you get cold.

 

[goofy4tink]

I was there Jan 2-8. The start of the trip was much warmer than other Jan trips I've had...wore skorts and capris, with short sleeved tees. But, by the end of the week, I thought I was going to freeze to death. Fri and Sat nights were brutally cold. Sat night, as already mentioned by AnalAnnie was 'feels like 28'!!! I had a sweatshirt on, but I was frozen while waiting for the bus at DS!!!
I'm flying down in a week. I'll be flying in jeans, turtleneck, sweatshirt and flannel lined windbreaker...I'm from central Mass, so no telling what the temps will be when I leave and when I head home! I'll be taking capris with me and a few skorts, short sleeved, and long sleeved tee shirts, and socks. No sandals for me when it's winter time. The mornings can be chilly, then it warms up, then as soon as the sun goes down, it gets chilly again.

 

[LvsTnk]

A caveat about the "true northerner" thing. Back home, you usually don't sit outside on a curb or a bench for an hour waiting for evening entertainment to start. Unless it's a sports game and then you actually would dress warmly, maybe even bring a blanket, because sitting still you would get cold. That's what you can't forget at WDW in winter. In December waiting for MVMCP at MK on Main Street, we two Chicagoans thought we were warmly enough dressed for the evening's temps in the low 50s. But an hour of sitting on a cold concrete curb under the fake soap snow blowers and we were freezing.

Nailed it. I can't say enough about the packable down coats perfect for Disney. But we swam too.

 

[4GoofyCrew]

My favorite item to pack is a pair of zip off pants (we are outdoorsy people, so we already own them). They pack light and weight nothing. They can be handwashed in the sink, if necessary, and be dry and ready to go again by morning. They are great for a chilly AM/PM in the park. They dry quickly if it rains and they protect from bugs, if they are out. The zipped off 'legs' take up practically zero room in the backpack. Even better - the pairs for me and my DD roll up into capris too, so it is like three options in one!

 

[stinkpickle]

As long as I can keep my neck warm, I'm fine. Damp and/or windy cold sucks. I always bring a hoodie and often wear it. However, I still always wear shorts. I just don't feel cold on my legs until the wind chills dip below 0.