I'm from Orlando and we would swim and go to the beach during Christmas week, though we lived up north for a while. The Gulf is generally a bit warmer than the Atlantic side.
If it's truly cold, that's when you go see the manatees come in to the warm springs. Blue Springs is a particular favorite. |
We did a super last minute Disney trip last year at Christmas and it was fun! We always said we would never go to Disney đ but for a variety of reasons it just worked out. We only did animal kingdom and Epcot, and then we spent a day in the area, including Winter Park and Blue Springs to see manatees. I forget how much we spent, but while the park tickets were expensive, I donât think it was more than 2-3k all in because we chose to stay at the JW Marriott in Bonnet Creek instead of in the parks bc we brought our dog. I think as long as you go in with chill expectations it is fine. If you want to DO DISNEY and go on every ride at every park I expect it would be much less fun and require a lot more planning, but YMMV. I did spend a decent amount of time researching and figuring out which rides and in which order we would do them, but we never bought the Genie lanes and did all that nonsense and we didnât ride everything. We did have a big wait for the Avatar ride but that was the only one that felt onerous (& I canât believe Iâm saying this, but it was worth it, itâs incredibly cool.) |
If you go to Florida and want warm weather, go to the Keys. They all have their own vibe so pick which works for you and plop there. Miami is also super fun. Any further north and the weather will be iffy.
Also, I think Vegas is fun even with the kids (unless yours are very little) but I donât think there is enough to do there for a week and anything else is quite a drive plus if you go to Utah or somewhere else, itâs gonna be cold. If you are looking for other continental US choices, Southern California and Arizona will also be great weather. |
Vegas is never a good choice for families |
FL PP here. Yes, and the TECO manatee viewing center in Apollo Beach is open then too and free! |
Wrong |
Las Vegas will be COLD -- there is almost 0 chance of pool weather. I would much rather do south Florida. |
No itâs a dump Red neck city Old Gross |
We went to Marco island a few years ago. Definitely pool/beach weather! |
Tampa Bay pp here. Clearly, you haven't been to Crystal River in quite some time possibly decades. Crystal River and the county it is in, citrus county, is growing like gangbusters. It has a really cute quaint downtown and even a cute mini golf place there, which I enjoyed on my birthday last month. It's definitely not what previous poster says. |
Weâve done week on Hilton Head right after holidays. Weather may not be always âwarmâ but much warmer than DC. |
I wanted to give a shout out to Las Vegas at Christmas since it's not getting much love. We've been the last three Christmas holidays, although our son was in high school at the time. There are a lot of fun things for families to do in Vegas including shows, hiking, and attractions. Weather is normally very pleasant although the pools aren't usually open. Some of my son's favorite things in Vegas include Area 51, the shark reef at Mandalay, the arcade at NYNY, and the Pinball Hall of Fame. How old are your kids? |
YOU had pool/beach weather. Could also be highs in the 50âs and 60âs. |
+1 we did a Utah national parks trip and flew into Vegas before heading to Zion. Spent three nights, two days there. Kids were 11 and 8. It was awesome! We ended up wishing we had more time. Kids loved the restaurants, shows, pool, Adventure Dome at Circus Circus, Mandalay Bay aquarium, Bellagio Fountains, and children's museum. |