****December 2020 Thread****

[deedeew80]

How is the weather in December? Is it warm enough to swim? Last time I went, it was in March 2018 and I basically froze at night.

This is my only worry. We went first week of December 2018 and it was so cold!! We are from NJ and it was actually colder in FL than in NJ that week. They said it was an unusual cold front that came in. So fingers crossed!

 

[AngelDisney]

I went during Christmas in 1997 and it was much colder than expected. We were not prepared for the coldness in Orlando. I had a fleece sweatshirt and a windbreaker but still I was shivering when staying outdoor for a while. Didn’t have gloves and DD was six months old at the time. My hands were red from the cold.
Then I went to Miami in January 2019. I was prepared with a light down jacket from Uniqlo and a waterproof jacket as a shell over the down jacket. The down jacket is light weight and can be compressed to a very small size. We only had carry-ons for the one week trip. But it was much warmer than expected and we didn’t need to wear the down jacket. However, it’s good to have it when returned to Toronto in the cold.
I am going again this December and I will pack layers of clothing including the Uniqlo down jacket and a Christmas fleece. Weather is unpredictable, so be prepared for both warm and cold.

Have fun planning!

 

[Candycane83]

I’ve been in December twice and usually some days are hot, some are cold, some are rainy! We went last year during Christmas, rained almost every day we were there.

 

[Eeyore daily]

How is the weather in December? Is it warm enough to swim? Last time I went, it was in March 2018 and I basically froze at night.

I live in Florida and usually it feels down-right freezing at night. Maybe during the day it might be warm enough to lay in the sun but it might be too cold to actually swim. We went to Indiana for Thanksgiving, came back and went to Disney, and we were saying how much warmer it was in Indiana!

 

[twinklebug]

I’ve been in December twice and usually some days are hot, some are cold, some are rainy! We went last year during Christmas, rained almost every day we were there.

This.

We went in 2018 December and were able to swim comfortably the first full day, but the remainder of the trip the temperature dropped and it felt like it was freezing. 50 in Florida's humidity feels like 40 up north. I was immobilized by the cold the day we went over to Universal and wished I had my parka from home.

In December 2019 it was so hot that I wished I had brought shorts. Loved the warmth, but again I was ill prepared.

Bring layers and take advantage of the warm days as they come.

 

[EsmeCullen]

Thanks all. I’ll make sure to pack a hoody or something so I don’t have to spend $45-$50 on one at the parks. In March of 2018 I went thinking it would be warm so I did not pack a jacket. I had to buy a sweatshirt.

anyways, I’ll be staying at the Pop. I’ve never stayed there so I am excited and also excited to try the skyline.

 

[dachsie]

Thank you to all who responded!! I finally have parks reserved, now I see I may have to change hotels, but at least I can say I am going to Disney!

We're booked for French Quarter, but I haven't seen that on the re-opening list so far... going to be super sad if we can't stay there

I had one night at ASMu before my GDT trip - I couldn't get the extra day. I was able to change it to GDT and keep the price of $136 for that night

 

[finleyd]

If you have reservations for December in a non opened resort, are you calling Disney or will they just reassign a room to an opened resort. I booked online myself for POFQ, so I don't have a TA.

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

If you have reservations for December in a non opened resort, are you calling Disney or will they just reassign a room to an opened resort. I booked online myself for POFQ, so I don't have a TA.

I called this past Tuesday and was on hold for over 2 hours on my second attempt at getting through. The first call was disconnected after waiting about 40 minutes. It took over 200 times calling the second time to finally get through again.

We had a family suite at All Star Music booked for the first 10 nights in Dec, and they switched us to a suite at AoA at no extra cost to us. If we would have switched to a resort of our choosing (for us that would have been SSR or OKW), we would have had to pay the difference. This will be our first stay at AoA so hopefully we like it. Normally we stay on DVC rental points, so this was already going to be a much different trip for us. It does look like AoA has really good reviews.

As far as I know, if you wait and do not call to switch, Disney will cancel your reservation at 7 days before arrival date.

 

[EsmeCullen]

I called this past Tuesday and was on hold for over 2 hours on my second attempt at getting through. The first call was disconnected after waiting about 40 minutes. It took over 200 times calling the second time to finally get through again.

We had a family suite at All Star Music booked for the first 10 nights in Dec, and they switched us to a suite at AoA at no extra cost to us. If we would have switched to a resort of our choosing (for us that would have been SSR or OKW), we would have had to pay the difference. This will be our first stay at AoA so hopefully we like it. Normally we stay on DVC rental points, so this was already going to be a much different trip for us. It does look like AoA has really good reviews.

As far as I know, if you wait and do not call to switch, Disney will cancel your reservation at 7 days before arrival date.

Dang. I should have waited before voluntarily changing to the Pop which was about $30 more per night. They could have moved me at no additional cost. I had originally booked All Star Movies.

Oh well.

 

[firedust]

Hmmm... so I guess I had better call. We are booked for POFQ. My issue though, is that I booked FQ because it's small and easy to navigate for my mom who has had two hip replacements.

Of the open resorts, what do y'all think might be the best option for our situation?

 

[agamble]

I was able to book 9 days betweend 11/30 and 12/9 for our party of six with no problem this morning. Here's hoping my husband's vacation change is approved. We were supposed to be in FL the last two weeks through this week. We had to make some adjustments since he can only put in for 2 weeks now due to changes in policy. We'll rebook our timeshare once his time is approved. Flights, tickets, room were all paid for. We know this trip will not be what we planned, but I believe we will have a magical "first" trip anyway. DH and I have been once 12 years ago, Grandma and the kids have only been to Disneyland. I'm not holding out for parkhopping and plan to call for a refund on that part of the ticket, but I'm hoping some live shows may open by then. And we're really hoping the parks are still decorated for the holidays even with things being scaled back and likely no parties.

 

[Amunet]

The Dining plan just dropped off my reservation a few days ago. Was able to assign park days easily. We have AoA booked so no need to rebook.
So, for November/December All-Stars and Port Orleans resorts are not open, right?

 

[dachsie]

Hmmm... so I guess I had better call. We are booked for POFQ. My issue though, is that I booked FQ because it's small and easy to navigate for my mom who has had two hip replacements.

Of the open resorts, what do y'all think might be the best option for our situation?

I would try for GDT at CSR. It has elevators so less walking for her and right next to the dining areas

 

[firedust]

Tried today and after waiting on hold for 2 hours was only given the option of a regular room at CSR... guess we are just going to wait a bit longer and see if FQ gets added to the list of openings.

 

[twinklebug]

Has anyone had luck purchasing new or updating expired passes to reactivate them? While it's nice that Disney is opening up reservations for 2021, They're still leaving many of us 2020 folk out. I just want a park reservation for my son.

 

[dachsie]

Tried today and after waiting on hold for 2 hours was only given the option of a regular room at CSR... guess we are just going to wait a bit longer and see if FQ gets added to the list of openings.

Would she use a scooter? You could rent one for her and she wouldn't have any problem. I have rented one for myself when my feet hurt so bad i could barely walk. I think i may do it in Dec as i have tendonitis in my right foot and dont want to aggravate it

 

[firedust]

Would she use a scooter? You could rent one for her and she wouldn't have any problem. I have rented one for myself when my feet hurt so bad i could barely walk. I think i may do it in Dec as i have tendonitis in my right foot and dont want to aggravate it

We tried to get her to use a scooter last time (before her hip surgery) and she totally refused. She's very stubborn. Which is why she totally kicked butt after both of her surgeries, but, still has a pretty good limp and needs frequent breaks.

 

[Becki Quoss]

Booked an off property hotel for Christmas week. Now I just hope to get tickets (praying I can) and reservations. This is my kids Christmas present and my graduation present to myself. I am ready to plan, but it is hard to get excited not knowing if I will even be able to get tickets.

 

[dachsie]

We tried to get her to use a scooter last time (before her hip surgery) and she totally refused. She's very stubborn. Which is why she totally kicked butt after both of her surgeries, but, still has a pretty good limp and needs frequent breaks.

My mom was like that and one day we went to the grocery store and I told her I couldn't help her and guide the cart as well so she tried the scooter and then she loved it. Maybe do a trial in the grocery store with her. Be firm. Disney is not conducive for limps, trust me on that