When you think of Florida winter you think of shorts and t-shirts, not winter coats and gloves. That’s why snowbirds are a thing, right? Wrong, kind of. I took a week-long trip to Disney World this December and needed everything from shorts and t-shirts to winter coats and gloves. When packing for Disney in the winter, you’re going to need a little bit of everything. Read on to hear my tips on what to pack for Disney World in the winter.
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The Weather Varies
When we landed in Florida it was 82 degrees, two days later the high was 50 degrees, and the temperature averaged around 70 degrees during our trip. For me, it definitely wasn’t shorts weather for the majority of the trip. Some days I wore short-sleeved dresses and others I wore a sweatshirt underneath my winter coat. There’s no such thing as packing light for a winter trip to Disney World, because the weather varies so much you have to be prepared for anything. However, I would recommend waiting until right before you leave to pack and checking the weather. If it looks like it’s going to be in the 70s and 80s the week you are going to be there, throw in a few more pairs of shorts.
Layering is Key
From my experience, it was usually colder in the mornings/evenings and warmer during the day. If your plan is to go to the parks from rope drop to fireworks, you’re going to need layers to get you through the day. I’m not a huge fan of shorts so I usually wear pants,, but if you think you would get hot wearing pants all day, you may even want to throw a pair of shorts in your bag to change into as it warms up throughout the day. Depending on how chilly it gets at night, a sweatshirt or jean jacket might be fine to bring to layer. During my week there however I definitely needed something heavier on some nights.
Disney Winter Packing Essentials
- Packable Puffer Jacket – The best thing I can recommend for a winter trip to Disney World is a packable winter coat like this one I got from Amazon. It was the perfect weight to keep me warm, but not too warm because I mean we were still in Florida. It also folded up nicely so that I could easily fit it in my Loungefly mini-backpack along with my other park essentials
- Hand Warmers – On those long chilly nights, these things can really come in handy. If it’s only going to get into the 60’s at night while you are there, you can leave these at home. But I had nights where it was in the 40’s and these came in handy at MVMCP.
- Touch-screen gloves – Along with the hand warmers, if you lucked out and you have a warmer trip these won’t be necessary. But you’re going to want to make sure you’re able to keep your hands warm while taking photos of the castle lit up with the dream lights and these gloves will allow you to do that.
- Sweatshirt – It won’t be cold all the time, so there may be times where all you need is a sweatshirt to keep you warm at night. Check out our sweatshirts that will be perfect to pull on when the sun goes down.
What are your must-haves for what to pack for Disney World in the winter? Let me know in the comments below.