What to pack for Orlando in December: theme parks with kids

In December, Orlando’s highs are around 23 °C (74 °F) and lows around 12 °C (53 °F), and after a cold front a few mornings drop below 4 °C (40 °F). Rain is light. For long theme park days with kids, pack layers you can tie around a waist, a warm jacket, ponchos, sunscreen, broken-in sneakers, and a stroller.

The story

You leave the hotel at 7:30 am with two kids in the back of the rental car, and the dashboard says 9 °C. A cold front came through overnight. In the parking lot, families from the north are in shorts; the kids from warmer places are in hoodies and jackets, and some are shivering anyway. Yours have a fleece each, and a hat for the little one.

By eleven the sun is out and the fleeces come off. By lunch it’s 24 °C, the sky is clear, and you’re putting sunscreen on noses in the line for a ride. The stroller carries everything you took off: two fleeces, a jacket, the water bottles, a bag of snacks. It’s also where the four-year-old falls asleep after lunch.

In the afternoon you get to the log flume. You pull plastic ponchos out of the backpack, the cheap ones you packed from home, and the kids laugh at how they look. The front row still gets wet. A family in the next boat didn’t bring any and spends the next hour in wet jeans as the shade gets longer and the air gets cooler.

The next day is at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, linked by a train. The week before Christmas, the lines are long and the paths are full: you walk more than 20,000 steps, and your sneakers are the ones you’ve already worn for weeks.

The sun sets around 5:30 pm. The parks light up for Christmas, with trees, garlands and music, and you stay for the evening show. By then it’s 14 °C and dropping, and the fleeces and the jacket come back out of the stroller basket. In the car, the kids are asleep before you reach the highway.

Orlando in December is warm in the afternoon and cool, sometimes cold, in the morning and after dark, with little rain. Pack layers for both, ponchos for the water rides, sunscreen, comfortable shoes, and what the kids need for 12-hour days.

What to pack for Orlando in December

Pack for two climates in one day, and for carrying it all around a park.

Clothes

T-shirts and shorts or light trousers for the afternoons, which are often warm.
A fleece or hoodie for each person: you’ll put it on and take it off twice a day.
A warm jacket for the cold fronts: mornings can drop to 4 °C or lower, and that’s cold for kids from warm countries.
Long trousers or leggings for the evenings and the cold days.
A hat and gloves for small children if a cold front is in the forecast.
A swimsuit if your hotel pool is heated: check before you pack one for everyone.

Shoes

Sneakers you’ve already broken in, for 15 to 20 km a day on foot.
A second pair, so one can dry after a water ride or a shower.
Extra socks, packed in the day bag.

For the day

Ponchos for the water rides and the odd shower: cheaper from home than in the parks.
Sunscreen, sunglasses and a cap: the midday sun is strong in December too.
A small backpack, and zip bags to keep phones dry on the water rides.
Refillable water bottles.

For the kids

A stroller, from home or rented in the parks: it carries the layers and gives small children a place to nap.
A car seat or booster, from home or rented with the car (see Good to know).
A full change of clothes for each child, in the stroller basket.
Snacks and something to do in the lines.

Documents, money and tech

Passports, and the ESTA or visa each traveler needs.
Your driver’s license, and a credit card in the driver’s name for the rental car’s deposit.
A plug adapter if you come from outside North America: sockets are types A and B, at 120 V. Check that your chargers and hair tools work at 120 V.
A power bank: park apps for maps and wait times drain the battery by mid-afternoon.
An eSIM for US data, so the park apps work everywhere.

Good to know

Weather: in December, highs are around 23 °C (74 °F) and lows around 12 °C (53 °F), by NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for Orlando International Airport. About one night in three drops below 10 °C (50 °F), and two or three below 4 °C (40 °F); on about nine days it passes 27 °C (80 °F). December brings about 63 mm (2.5 in) of rain, with about four days above 2.5 mm (0.1 in).
December or January: January is a little colder, by the same normals.

Month	High	Low	Nights below 10 °C	Rain
December	23 °C (74 °F)	12 °C (53 °F)	about 12	63 mm (2.5 in)
January	22 °C (72 °F)	10 °C (50 °F)	about 16	63 mm (2.5 in)

The Christmas season: the parks are decorated from November into early January, and the weeks around Christmas and New Year are among the busiest of the year. Arrive when the parks open, and rest in the hotel at midday if the kids are small.
Getting around: the parks are spread out, so most families rent a car. The expressways around Orlando are cashless, so ask the rental company how it charges tolls. Parking at the big parks costs extra.
Kids in the car: Florida law requires a car seat for children through age 3, and a car seat or booster for ages 4 and 5 (Florida Statutes, section 316.613). Rental companies rent them; book them with the car.
Plugs: types A and B, 120 V.
Money: US dollar (USD). Prices usually don’t include sales tax, and tipping is expected: around 18 to 20% in restaurants with table service.
Entry: travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries need an approved ESTA before they fly; Canadian citizens need neither, and most other travelers need a visa. Children need their own. Check which applies to each of you (checked October 6, 2026).
A colder December: what to pack for New York in December.

Questions

Is it cold in Orlando in December?

In the afternoon, rarely: highs are around 23 °C (74 °F). Mornings and evenings are cooler, with lows around 12 °C (53 °F), and after a cold front they can drop below 4 °C (40 °F) on two or three nights a month.

Does it rain in Orlando in December?

A little: December brings about 63 mm (2.5 in) of rain, with about four days above 2.5 mm (0.1 in). Ponchos cover the showers and the water rides.

What should I wear to the theme parks in December?

Layers: a T-shirt for the warm afternoon, a fleece or hoodie for the morning and the evening, and a warm jacket when a cold front is forecast. Wear sneakers you’ve already broken in, and carry a poncho and spare socks.

Do you need a car in Orlando?

Most families rent one, because the parks are spread out. Ask the rental company how it charges tolls, and book car seats for children through age 5 with the car.

Do I need a visa or an ESTA for Orlando?

It depends on your passport: travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries need an approved ESTA before they fly, Canadian citizens need neither, and most other travelers need a visa. Children need their own.