Water rides in December?

[Luv Daisy]

I am going to WDW at the end of December until Jan 5th. Are water rides a good idea? Even with a poncho? I have never been to WDW during the winter months (I'm from Chicago) and so I don't know what to expect weather wise. What does early January look like in Orlando?

 

[FastPass Dad]

We've gone the last 3 years in Dec, Jan and Jan. All 3 times it has been in the high 70's during the day which is plenty warm enough with the sun for the water rides. It does cool down at night so I would plan on doing them during the mid day. Even with the cooler temps at night, I was still in shorts. I maybe threw on a zip up hoodie when the sun went down but that was it.

That being said, the possibility does exist that it can get cold so have a contingency plan just in case.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

It completely depends on the weather. During a 2 week trip in late December/early January one year, we had everything from 30 degrees to 75 degrees. The water rides ran the whole time with the squirters in Splash turned off on the coldest days. We weren't expecting really cold weather (it wasn't forecast), so we didn't bring heavy coats and ended up buying light jackets to go over our warmest clothes.

 

[hakepb]

High temperatures can range from 50’s to 80’s (with lows from 30’s to 60’s)

Last year, I did Splash at 10pm on 12/30 when it was 52F..because DS wanted to
I was bundled in a warm hoodie and light jacket. Fortunately they don’t run the cannons, so it was fun without getting too wet.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

It is tougher to pack for a winter trip than a summer trip in Orlando. You have to have all the required layers to survive during the cold times and the warm times. Things like Splash Mt are always possible during your trip. Bring all your gear and keep your fingers crossed.

I will give you the usual caution about Kali River Rapids over at AK. You may get splashed, you may get Soaked!! Be prepared for a worse case scenario.

I have been down there in the winter and one day it was about 80, then a front came through, and the next day had a high in the 50's.

 

[jjjones325]

We went last December. We did not ride Kali River Rapids. Would also suggest not riding in the front on Splash Mountain. Got wetter than I wanted at night. Had some shivers for a while afterwards.

 

[Klayfish]

Fortunately they don’t run the cannons, so it was fun without getting too wet.

I'm not 100% certain on this, hopefully someone with more knowledge will chime in, but I agree with this. We've done December twice and it seemed to us there was little to no splash at all...which was fine with us. Same with Kali. We did it one day when it was unseasonably warm, like 80 degrees or something. There was no real splash at the bottom. Just minor misting.

 

[MomOTwins]

We went in December, and the weather varied quite a bit. Our MK day was in the low 70s, but we wore a poncho on Splash and it was no problem. On our AK day, it ended up being in the 80s and we were melting so we didn't even use the ponchos we brought for Kali and the water felt amaaaazing.

 

[gatorlisa]

I've been in December and January when we've had high 70s and shorts one day and mid/low 40s, overcast and rain the next. Weather in Orlando that time of year is quite varied. I'll ride Splash Mountain any time, no matter the weather. I have also observed that in winter months the cannons don't fire, so there's less water involved in the drop. Kali, for me is another story. I've gotten drenched from head to toe on that nearly every time I've ever ridden it, so if it's cold or even a bit on the chilly side, I skip it.