What parks in Florida for roller coasters?

I have been going to California (MM) and Texas (SFOT) the last three winters at Christmas time. What parks in Florida have the most roller coasters open in December? I know that some parks close some of their coasters at this time of year....That is why I am asking this question. I am going to travel to Florida for Christmas time if their is a decent roller coaster park to visit......Thanks!

After the first week, I doubt any coasters have scheduled downtime in December. The attendance is too high to have stuff closed.

If you're going strictly for coaster count, Busch Gardens Tampa is going to be your best bet.

If you go before 12/20, you'll probably have fiarly-empty parks, and a good amount of riding. After that day, the State will be completely full of wall-to-wall people...the parks likewise.

Sometimes I think we should have a max capacity and not let more people into FL until some of them leave....

Are you sure we shouldn't just do this to Florida?

Hey, I like Florida! It's a great place to visit. Occasionally.

It's also a good place to live (offer valid from October thru April).

It's 73 degrees and I have all of the windows open right now, at the end of October. I feel like I can live with that.

^I can live with that too, what I cant live with is four straight months of 100% humidity, high in the upper 90s and a chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

Give me snow any day.

The humidity is not 100% all of the time, and frankly I found the weather to be similar to Midwest weather, only a few degrees warmer. Besides, hot weather might be uncomfortable, but you can be out in it and do stuff. Cold weather can kill you and largely forces you inside most of the time.

I agree with Jeff. I can take the heat way more than the gray skies, cold, and even more-so, snow and ice.

That's funny how we all see it differently. I've always thought of it exactly the opposite - I feel like the high temps most of us see have a better chance of killing us than the low and I've always found it easier to keep warm than keep cool. I definitely skew towards a preference of cooler weather.

Regardless, for a few months of the year parts of Florida easily beat much of the country if you like 70 degree afternoons. The summers are WAY worse than the midwest though. Long stretches of dewpoint in the 70's are just...blech! Of course you adapt over time. Suddenly, those oppressive summers don't seem like much. The flip side is that those late fall days that entice the northerners at first soon start to feel colder and colder.

It's nice when you vacation during the colder parts of the year, but for residents, well, those are still the colder parts of the year.

With all of that said, my problem with Florida (and a basis of choosing where to live) has never been the weather. It's America's stinky wang for so many other reasons.

Florida - I'm a two time resident and not remotely a fan.

Jeff said:

The humidity is not 100% all of the time, and frankly I found the weather to be similar to Midwest weather, only a few degrees warmer. Besides, hot weather might be uncomfortable, but you can be out in it and do stuff. Cold weather can kill you and largely forces you inside most of the time.

I don't know what parallel-universe version of Florida you've visited in the summertime, but it's intolerable to be outside for more than 10 minutes if you're not in a swimming pool. It's usually 90s-100s and very high humidity. And you definitely can die from the heat or from the daily afternoon lightning storms.

Yeah, but you rarely ever have to worry about slipping on ice and driving into a telephone pole in Florida.

I'd choose heat over cold any day. I am not a winter girl. If I never saw snow again, it would still be too soon.

I am a huge fan of visiting central Florida during the first two weeks of December (especially the first week); my wife and I do it annually.

The weather is always decent, the crowds are relatively low and all of the Christmas stuff is up. Usually, there are pretty good resort deals going around, both on and off property. Call it corny, but I just love departing a 30F airport and a few hours later walking onto the jetway and feeling the warm rush of air (even though it is probably only 72F, still feels great!).

I will say that over the years, it seems that the early December crowds have grown a bit, probably because more and more people are figuring out that it is a perfect time to go (lots of UK/internationals). But all things considered, I think it is the best time of the year to visit, especially if you don’t have kids. There is nothing better than strolling around the parks in a pair of shorts with Christmas in full swing.

bjames said:
I don't know what parallel-universe version of Florida you've visited in the summertime, but it's intolerable to be outside for more than 10 minutes if you're not in a swimming pool. It's usually 90s-100s and very high humidity.

I live here, dude. The highest temperature in all of July was 93, average 89. The highest in August was 96, average 91. It almost never hits 100 here... it's too well regulated by the gulf and Atlantic. And with the normal summer 3:30 p.m. thunderstorm, the temperature typically drops 15 degrees for a period of time.

Well, ya know, seasons come and go and differ, sometimes greatly, from year to year no matter where you live.
This summer season in Ohio gave us cooler temps than, say, last year when everyday seemed like we were on the surface of the sun. I always look at our run of the Ohio State Fair for reference, which comes at the end of July. In 2012 everyday was in the high 90's and was so humid. This year it was much cooler with temps in the 80's and we had record attendance.

I have another friend who lives in Orlando and he said a couple of summers ago they died from the heat. When they set out for a Halloween party at 10pm it was still in the 90's outside and they were so sick of it. Finally in November sometime it got cooler, maybe in the 60's and 70's and you know he complained about that too. This year sounds like it was a little more temperate, just like it was here.

I'm kind of a fan of changing seasons and I really like the fall, nothing better than putting on that first hoodie and warm jeans for a cool evening at the football game or the amusement park. And autumn here is our best season weather-wise I think.

But then comes cold, harsh winter and I hate it. I like to visit Florida in February. One time I got there and it was in the high 60's. The girl at the hotel said "I'm sorry you had to come down for all this cold we're having" and I said "Right. Where's the pool?" Then at the theme park I was walking round in cargos and a t shirt and the locals were dressed for skiing. I guess it's all relative.

I think in the long run I'd never like living in Florida though. They got bugs as big as your head.

Crap! That was my 2000th post and I didn't know it. For the occasion I always intended to put something down a little more meaningful and a little less anecdotal. Dammit.

:-)

My last Winter up North (and I sincerely hope it turns out to be the LAST) was 1987-88. I lived on the Eastern Shore of MD, where it rarely snowed in any appreciable amount. That year, it snowed before Thanksgiving, and stayed SO cold for so long that the ice and slush were still around after New Year's. By April, my car was loaded and I was on I-95 south, vowing to return only during summer months....

I find summers to be like the hottest part of the Midwest, just longer. I'll take twice as much summer and the rest of the year being like fall/spring.