Anal Annie
at least I KNOW I'm a kook...I just can't help it
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2006
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.
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