Coping Strategies for the Heat

[beachdreamr1229]

When I was a kid, we always took at least 1 trip to DL in the summer. That being said, we've avoided it like the plague for over 15 years now. But, my stepmother's 83rd birthday is this weekend and we're taking her for one day and one night at PPH. She does not sweat and we need to keep her cool. She has health conditions, so she will not be going on rides like Splash Mountain or Grizzy River Run. So...what are some good ways to keep her cool, or even just in general, ways to stay cool, since we'll have our 3-year-old and ourselves complaining about the heat, too? It's suppose to be 90 degrees on Sunday...ugh!

So far, I have...
bring water bottles/refill as available
spray bottle/fan
Tiki Room
dress for hot weather
ice cream!
possibly going to hotel mid-day for a swim/nap before returning in the evening

Thanks for any ideas you have!

 

[cmpeter]

We went to WDW this past August and were really worried about the heat. Somethings we used to keep cool:

Drinking lots of water...we took full advantage of the free cups of ice water from the counter service locations.

Frogg Toggs Chilly Cooling Towel - these were OK, I think they would work better in a less humid climate...like DL vs. WDW
http://www.amazon.com/Frogg-Toggs-Chilly-Cooling-Towel/dp/B00B4ITYZE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369785712&sr=8-2&keywords=chilly+pad+frogg+toggs

Coleman Handheld Fan (bought at Target for $5..this was seriously my favorite thing, inexpensive, light and easy to carry)
http://www.coleman.com/product/cool-zephyrtrade-mini-fan-red/2000009219?contextCategory=5850#.UaVGAUCTjKA

Mist & Sip Water Bottle (my kids loved this...they would also spray me and then I would use my little Coleman fan)
http://www.amazon.com/O2COOL-Mist-Hydration-Bottle-BLUE/dp/B002VEDG7M/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1369785942&sr=1-2&keywords=water+bottle+with+sprayer

 

[cmpeter]

ETA...ice cream didn't do it for us. When we got that hot, we just didn't want to eat.

Oh...I also made a list of all the "rest & cool down" rides and attractions. Which shows had indoor seating and air conditioning, which counter service restaurants had indoor seating with AC, etc.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Definitely drink as much free ice water as you can. Even if it hits 90 at the heat of the day it will still be relatively cool in the shade and won't last for long. It's not called June Gloom for nothing.

That being said another great place to hangout in and keep cool is the Animation Building in DCA. There's music and video clips always playing and the it has Turtle Talk with Crush and Animation Academy. Great place to hang out when it's hot or cold.

Go on Nemo but don't ride on a sub-go into the observation room. It's always cool/cold in there and can accomodate wheelchairs and strollers (if you have them) Just as a CM how to get there-it's located by the exit to the Monorail.

Check out Innoventions at DL when it's hot. Pick an inside location to eat.

I just checked weather.com says it will be 84 on Sunday and 91 on Saturday. The low will be around 65. Once the sun goes down it will get cool (or downright cold to us So Californians!) We are going tomorrow and it should be perfect. High of 82.

 

[ArchOwl]

We went to WDW this past August and were really worried about the heat. Somethings we used to keep cool:

Drinking lots of water...we took full advantage of the free cups of ice water from the counter service locations.

Frogg Toggs Chilly Cooling Towel - these were OK, I think they would work better in a less humid climate...like DL vs. WDW
http://www.amazon.com/Frogg-Toggs-Chilly-Cooling-Towel/dp/B00B4ITYZE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369785712&sr=8-2&keywords=chilly+pad+frogg+toggs

Coleman Handheld Fan (bought at Target for $5..this was seriously my favorite thing, inexpensive, light and easy to carry)
http://www.coleman.com/product/cool-zephyrtrade-mini-fan-red/2000009219?contextCategory=5850#.UaVGAUCTjKA

Mist & Sip Water Bottle (my kids loved this...they would also spray me and then I would use my little Coleman fan)
http://www.amazon.com/O2COOL-Mist-Hydration-Bottle-BLUE/dp/B002VEDG7M/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1369785942&sr=1-2&keywords=water+bottle+with+sprayer

I have used the Frogg Toggs in DL and they work great! Probably because the humidity is lower. I got a small one to tie around my neck and used in conjunction with the Coleman fan, it really helped. They also have bigger ones you could use for the face, arms, legs, whatever!

 

[beachdreamr1229]

Yay! Thank you. The Frogg Togg sounds especially good. Will definitely be purchasing one. Thanks again!

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

We love our Misty Mate, you can find them at Wal Mart or Walgreen's.

 

[Califlove]

I second the Misty Mate recommendation.
We went last July and it was hot but we were never uncomfortable with our Misty Mates. We purchased them through amazon. We bought two smaller ones (4oz I think) and an 8oz. I like the smaller ones better b/c they're lighter.
We also bought mini fans from a local drugstore but found we used the misty mates way more.
There is surprisingly a lot of shade at Disneyland that I didn't notice our first trip, as we went at Easter and it was warm but not hot.
Good Luck
Kim

 

[Califlove]

I second the Misty Mate recommendation.
We went last July and it was hot but we were never uncomfortable with our Misty Mates. We purchased them through amazon. We bought two smaller ones (4oz I think) and an 8oz. I like the smaller ones better b/c they're lighter.
We also bought mini fans from a local drugstore but found we used the misty mates way more.
There is surprisingly a lot of shade at Disneyland that I didn't notice our first trip, as we went at Easter and it was warm but not hot.
Good Luck
Kim

 

[PullmanHokie]

Great ideas! I'll be adding this thread to my planning file for our August trip!

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

We talked about keeping cool in the Parks on last week's podcast.


Listen:

Keeping Cool

Download:

DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition 05/23/13

 

[heybets30]

There's a surprising amount of shade and benches behind the corn dog stand by the baby care center. I took my 3-yr old in the stroller to nap to get away from the sun. Because they keep the walkway open, there's also a decent viewing if the parade route!

Small world and purate 's hands down for a cool down. Would it put DL in financial stress to put up a few canopies by rides? Like dumbo and small world in particular?

 

[llump41]

Seems like one of the best A/C places is Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.. Almost arctic like. Get to the parks at opening. You'd be amazed at how many rides you can get accomplished before the park gets busy. Then leave for an afternoon nap/ swim when the heat is greatest.

Without being nosy, since your step-mom has a health condition stop by City Hall and explain your situation. She may get a GAC which may cut down on the waits.

 

[Disney Dory]

Another great place to keep cool is at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. We always stop in there to enjoy the show, watch the film clip and look around at all the interesting things on display there. Another relaxing thing we like to do is to go for a ride on the train around the park. The breeze is nice and its fun to watch all the people having fun in the park. I hope you have a really nice time

 

[Disney Dory]

Oh, and It's a Small World is a nice cool ride and it is pretty long too. The only thing about this one though is the line to get on the ride is outside and if the line is long, it can get hot while you are waiting to board the boat.

 

[wadisneydad]

A few things my family and I have done in the past to stay cool:

Seems like this one gets forgotten, pay attention to the color of clothing you are wearing. (wore a black t-shirt one time, big mistake)

My son and I both like to wear baseball caps and soak them with water.

Umbrellas work great at keeping the sun off.

 

[Kittyskyfish]

A few things my family and I have done in the past to stay cool:

Seems like this one gets forgotten, pay attention to the color of clothing you are wearing. (wore a black t-shirt one time, big mistake)

My son and I both like to wear baseball caps and soak them with water.

Umbrellas work great at keeping the sun off.

Very good advice! Direct sunlight really heats up the body and a parasol or umbrella is great for portable shade.

Years ago I wore a long black cotton dress to a sunny outdoor event and ended up in the emergency room due to heat exhaustion. Oooops!

 

[sherilaine]

Our first three days of our visit this year were high 90s and I know it can get even hotter in the summer months. We were amazed though as the CMs and often even guests that on days where it was so hot I felt my sneakers were melting, they were wearing coats!
Advice: If you wear a coat in California when it's 95 degrees do not visit Canada in the winter, you will freeze!

Our ways to cope:

-- everyone wore a hat, it makes a huge difference keeping the sun off the top of your head, one day we saw a security guard with a wet towel between his head and his hat and my son said "I'm using that!"
-- wear light colored clothing that reflects heat and does not absorb it, also something that is not 100% cotton, there are many materials now that are great for keeping you cool if you sweat, normally for working out but they are great for the parks and wear a t-shirt, not a tank top - to avoid those shoulder burns I see so many people fall victim too
-- everyone drank lots of water, and you can tell it's a hot day when you drink lots and do not take the bathroom breaks you'd think you would need to
-- do dark rides, surprisingly they were not in high demand - these are perfect days to watch shows, do Animation Studios etc
-- we found that many ride lines are shaded, which is great, as it's keeping out of the direct sunlight that helps with the heat, so we realized that even if you are in a line, if it's shaded that is better than wandering around looking for a ride with a shorter line
-- take a mid day break, sometimes you do not realize how much you needed it until you are back at the hotel and by the pool
-- get FPs for the water rides as they really do cool you off and on hot days you dry off just as quickly
-- when you come off California screamin - head over to the the carousel and splash yourself with the water feature that surrounds it

We also found we were not as hungry on hot days and never did invest in the spray fan water bottles, although we saw a few. The good thing is, once the sun goes down so does the heat - so taking that mid day break can keep one out of the hottest and often busiest part of the day!

 

[GenGen22]

I always wear a visor to keep the sun off my face as I burn easy also make sure to see the Aladdin show it is a refreshing treat as its air conditioned & a great show. Maybe eat a frozen lemonaide...

 

[gunka]

We love our Misty Mate, you can find them at Wal Mart or Walgreen's.

These look like a great idea. Checked them out on Amazon and saw lots of different styles and good and bad reviews.

Anyone have a specific model they like and have good experience with?