Orlando at Christmas
Discussion
Matt Harper said:
It's pretty much the same, except they are celebrating the arrival of Jesus, instead of him snuffing it.
Lots of festive lighting and longer lines at the parks. Otherwise, business as usual.
I was hoping you would reply actually Matt so thank you! Lots of festive lighting and longer lines at the parks. Otherwise, business as usual.
In terms of weather how 'cold' does it get? We did the Disney parks this time so would probably concentrate on Universal and just do the Disney parks if we have time.
I went last Christmas, had three or four days of fairly cold weather, last few days was kind of April ish Uk equivalent, ie warm in the sunshine but the air was cold elsewhere. Fine for the parks, bit nippy for the late night fireworks shows.
However we swam in the outdoor pools and it was fine. mid 60's but coldest days were low 50's
Was it particularly festive ? Well it was ok, the parks are obviously going the whole hog, but round the actual town - not much Christmas in evidence.
However we swam in the outdoor pools and it was fine. mid 60's but coldest days were low 50's
Was it particularly festive ? Well it was ok, the parks are obviously going the whole hog, but round the actual town - not much Christmas in evidence.
We did exactly what you are planning in 2008. We flew out Christmas Day and stayed until mid-Jan. We flew with Virgin, who tried to be as festive as possible, though some staff thought better of coming to work that day so they were a little stretched. As long as you aren't high maintenance I'm sure you won't notice the difference!
The weather over there is beautiful that time of year; no where near as humid as the summer time, but whilst we were there temperatures hit mid 30's regularly. It only rained once the entire time we were there, and within two hours it was bone dry again.
The parks go festive, seeing a 30 foot tall inflatable snowman bobbing around outside Universal studios whilst I was staving off heat stroke was a unique experience!
If you are going for the parks, make sure you get a flex ticket. Universal and Islands of Adventure now come under the Sea World flex ticket, if you google it I'm sure you'll find out more. It allows two weeks unlimited access to the parks above (plus the affliated water parks). Disney run a similar scheme, so which ever floats your boat. I can't remember the price exactly but £150-200 per adult sounds about right.
I've just come back from my sister's wedding in Clearwater, having spent two weeks in and around Orlando beforehand. The next time we go will undoubtedly be over the winter period. The weather is too volatile and unpredictable at this time of year, and not a great deal warmer, though it is far more humid in the summer!
The weather over there is beautiful that time of year; no where near as humid as the summer time, but whilst we were there temperatures hit mid 30's regularly. It only rained once the entire time we were there, and within two hours it was bone dry again.
The parks go festive, seeing a 30 foot tall inflatable snowman bobbing around outside Universal studios whilst I was staving off heat stroke was a unique experience!
If you are going for the parks, make sure you get a flex ticket. Universal and Islands of Adventure now come under the Sea World flex ticket, if you google it I'm sure you'll find out more. It allows two weeks unlimited access to the parks above (plus the affliated water parks). Disney run a similar scheme, so which ever floats your boat. I can't remember the price exactly but £150-200 per adult sounds about right.
I've just come back from my sister's wedding in Clearwater, having spent two weeks in and around Orlando beforehand. The next time we go will undoubtedly be over the winter period. The weather is too volatile and unpredictable at this time of year, and not a great deal warmer, though it is far more humid in the summer!
Edited by smith_oli on Friday 15th July 21:38
Sorry mkopc, for my flippancy. Regarding temps, the last 2 years have been a little chilly over Xmas. Ordinarily you can expect day time temps in low-mid 70's. As others have said, 'winter' is our dry season, so very little rain or cloud cover, which makes it cooler/cold at night, compared to daytime.
Thanksgiving is actually a bigger deal than Christmas, in terms of family get-together and celebration. Boxing Day does not exist, so Christmas pretty much ends on Dec 25th. Nothing like as much hullaballoo over New Year either.
Pretty much everything is open on Christmas Day, as far as tourists are concerned. US Xmas day fare is ham, not turkey. Gifts are dished-out on Xmas Eve evening. I get completely and utterly ring-bolted and pretty much abide by my British upbringing.
Thanksgiving is actually a bigger deal than Christmas, in terms of family get-together and celebration. Boxing Day does not exist, so Christmas pretty much ends on Dec 25th. Nothing like as much hullaballoo over New Year either.
Pretty much everything is open on Christmas Day, as far as tourists are concerned. US Xmas day fare is ham, not turkey. Gifts are dished-out on Xmas Eve evening. I get completely and utterly ring-bolted and pretty much abide by my British upbringing.
Personally I would avoid xmas in Disney, have been loads of times at various times of year, christmas was by far the busiest I have ever seen, had to queue to get into carpark and again to get into actual park, once in all the rides were too busy to get on without waiting for ages. Bailed out of the park early as it was just not worth the agg
One of the employees in Disney told me that they take more money on christmas day than any other day of the year
One of the employees in Disney told me that they take more money on christmas day than any other day of the year
We alternate Xmas between Florida and California (family of theme park/Disney junkies). Most years it's pleasantly warm during the day and no summer-style mid-afternoon monsoons. But evenings require a fleece at least. However, one year - maybe 2002? - it was cold as hell. On the day we arrived it was warm, then for the rest of the time frost/ice in the puddles in the morning, rain, and just plain bitter cold. OK, being that cold/wet is unusual but not totally unheard of so pack warm clothes and waterproofs as well as tees and shorts.
California is slightly more consistent with better weather, and a nicer park (with less Brit tourists), but obviously fewer parks.
It's hard to keep a dry eye when the artificial snow starts with the castle lit up in the background and the soppy songs on the PA. In the parks at least it's all rather more focussed on Santa than JC and far less 'religeous' than the UK....which suits me fine. We always plan to have xmas day in a Disney park and book up somewhere decent for our Xmas dinner. You WILL need to book for a decent meal probably no later than by September if you want to eat at a reasonable hour on Xmas day in a park in one of the decent restaurants - otherwise it'll be burgers or hot dogs. Grand Floridean has a couple of nice restaurants but they will get booked out months in advance. Links are all off Disney website.
California is slightly more consistent with better weather, and a nicer park (with less Brit tourists), but obviously fewer parks.
It's hard to keep a dry eye when the artificial snow starts with the castle lit up in the background and the soppy songs on the PA. In the parks at least it's all rather more focussed on Santa than JC and far less 'religeous' than the UK....which suits me fine. We always plan to have xmas day in a Disney park and book up somewhere decent for our Xmas dinner. You WILL need to book for a decent meal probably no later than by September if you want to eat at a reasonable hour on Xmas day in a park in one of the decent restaurants - otherwise it'll be burgers or hot dogs. Grand Floridean has a couple of nice restaurants but they will get booked out months in advance. Links are all off Disney website.
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