Hot weather survival tips?

[we3travellers]

So I swore I would never travel south in the summer and here we are (myself, DH and DS5) booked at CSR for Aug 14-21! We do not do heat well and am wondering if any of you have strategies for managing hot days in the parks.

 

[wbeem]

My strategy is to avoid going to the park in the summer. It's miserable.

That said, drink plenty of water, protect yourself from the sun, and wander through the shops to get some cool air on you instead of walking down the hot street.

 

[minnie mum]

GET OUT OF THE PARKS IN THE AFTERNOON!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, this is my single biggest tip. Go back to your resort, chill in your room, swim in the pool. Drink lots of water

Get up in the mornings and be at the park for RD and morning EMH. Maximize your park touring by getting the most popular rides under your belt when it's cooler and less crowded. Drink lots of water.

Return to the parks for dinner (or right after dinner) and continue touring when the sun goes down. Drink lots of water.

Drink lots of water. Really. Not to be indelicate, but you will all sweat buckets and dehydration is a real risk. Free ice water is available at all CS places, and there are drinking water fountains around the parks as well

And don't forget the sunscreen, before you leave your room in the morning, and then every couple of hourse during the day: you will sweat that stuff off in no time, even if you're using the sports kind.

 

[DisneyB]

We went last year 8/15-8/26 and are going back this year from 7/23-8/3. It was hot for sure. The kind of hot that even though you know it will be hot you say "wow I can't believe it's this hot". But we managed just fine. Plenty of attractions and shows are indoors and the stores and dining are always nice and cool. So we would go in first thing in the AM and make sure we had plenty of water/gatorade with us and anytime we felt too hot we would stop and hit something inside. There were plenty of ice cream breaks and we just took it a little slower. As far as going back to the pool I didn't find that all that refreshing. The pool water was so warm that you didn't really cool down all that much. I would say don't let the fear of the heat ruin the excitement for the trip. There are lots of great things going on in the summer (longer hours, shows every night etc...) that it makes it worth sweating a little.

One extra tip I would give is bring plenty of extra clothes. We generally go through 2 outfits a day because you do get pretty sweaty and we like to feel clean for dinner.

 

[Mrs K]

We always go in the summer, and yes it is hot. We do ok in the heat I think because by July or August, we are used to it. As others have said, drink plenty of water and dress in light clothing. Be prepared to change clothes bercause you will sweat! We go back to the resort to swim and rest in the afternoons and head back out in the late afternoon or evening. Eat light meals and be patient.

 

[csm101]

We only go in the summer months and YES it hot. But....There is plenty of shops etc, to get out the the heat. A hat, Sunblock and lots of water is important. Forget the Coke, soft drinks they contain too much sugar and no value for your body. Soak face cothes over night in a freezer and you have a nice cool rag for your face and neck. Hump only what your will USE! Don't pack a backpack for every possible issue. Get it light and easy to carry. A good pair of sunglasses helps with eye strain. Final tip is a 30 SPF lipbalm. Sucks when your lips get sunburned.

Dont sweat it and enjoy the magic

 

[mydisneykids]

We have gone the last few years the same week as you after saying we would never go during the summer.
It is totaly manageable.
As others have said....
We make sure to be at the parks at opening and leave to go back and swim by lunch.
Go back out to the parks at dinner time and stay until closing. I love the warm summer nights.
Prepare for at least two outfits a day as you will sweat A LOT.
Drink a lot and break up outdoor things with indoor things.
And have fun. This is the only time of the year that the kids can get me on Splash and Kali!!!

 

[Murron]

I didn't see this mentioned, but some clothing companies (like Columbia Sportswear) sell ultra light quick drying pants, shorts, shirts that are fabulous. I found it mainly in sporting shops. If I find some links, I'll post again later.

 

[buffettgirl]

we're summer park people. I LOVE it.

Know that it's going to be hot. VERY hot but also very very humid (it's really not the heat, it's the humidity. ) Sometimes just mentally preparing for that is half the battle. Don't go down thinking 'oh maybe we'll have a cool week.' you won't. It will be hot, sticky, and gross. But it's so worth it.

Carry your own insulated water bottle of some sort and then stop often for FREEEEEEE ice water at any counter service restaurant (even some carts have water). Generally you're handed a large 16oz cup of ice water. yes, it's tap water, but it tastes perfectly fine. We just take the cup, dump it into our water bottles and off we go. Over the course of a week you can easily save hundreds of dollars if you consider that one bottled water might cost you $2.50 (or probably more) and you might need 4 or 5 or more bottles a day to stay hydrated multiplied that by how many people in your family.....

That is my biggest tip (learned here).

Hats, light clothing, sunscreen. This really isn't the time to care about wearing makeup or making your sure your hair is perfect. It won't be in 30 min.

Take the afternoon break and hit the pool. Yes, you'll probably miss every single mid afternoon parade. Oh well.

 

[Murron]

The Columbia sports selection is dreary this year. But Eddie Bauer has similar light weight technology materials (Travex). Try it...it's great for Florida heat. I cannot add a link because I'm under 10 postings

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Take advantage of the indoor attractions when you get too warm - Philharmagic, Carrousel of Progress, Movies in WS at Epcot...

Water is super important - not soda or alcoholic drinks.

I agree -the pool is too warm to really be refreshing, plus you're out in the sun...

 

[earthfaries]

We live here and try to avoid going to the park during the summer but sometimes we do go during the summer and this is what we do:

Take and drink lots and lots of water.
Wear sun hats
wear sunglasses
wear lots of sunblock and reapply often
Go to the park early in the morning and leave after noon, we find that about 5 hours is all the heat and humidity we can take before we start to get headaches and feel yucky.
Go back to the parks in the evening when the sun is gone. Still hot but that sun is a killer.

Have fun!

 

[Taja]

The humidity is much worse than the heat--for me, anyway! I live in the low desert, so that makes sense, doesn't it?

I take a mini battery-operated fan. Just the fan. No misting system. There already is far too much moisture in the air! *LOL*

If you decide to take fans, be sure to bring or purchase batteries off site--they are very expensive at WDW! Quite honestly, I prefer the old-style fan-fold manual fans. However, I could not find them at a reasonable price for our 2003 August WDW visit, so I purchased the mini fans.

Beyond that, expect rain pretty much every afternoon. It may last a few minutes or an hour or two. If you elect to stay in the parks in the afternoon, plan indoor attractions or shopping so you can duck inside.

Be sure to take several pairs of shoes/sandals to wear in the parks in case they get wet. My BFF can wear flip-flops almost anywhere, so she was fine. I, however, am very limited in footwear. I had three pairs of "park" shoes and two pairs of other shoes (very comfortable in real life but not in the parks). Two pairs of park shoes frequently were wet simultaneously--they required a day or two to dry. Glad I took the extra pair with me! I also learned after the first day to carry an extra pair of socks in a ZipLoc bag every day. Wet socks are worse than wet shoes! *LOL*

Overall, we had a good time. However, I really prefer early December. My BFF prefers October. August 2003 was my first WDW visit in 22 years and my BFF's first WDW visit ever! The August trip was to accommodate her work schedule.

 

[Rhongepooh]

We only go in the summer months and YES it hot. But....There is plenty of shops etc, to get out the the heat. A hat, Sunblock and lots of water is important. Forget the Coke, soft drinks they contain too much sugar and no value for your body. Soak face cothes over night in a freezer and you have a nice cool rag for your face and neck. Hump only what your will USE! Don't pack a backpack for every possible issue. Get it light and easy to carry. A good pair of sunglasses helps with eye strain. Final tip is a 30 SPF lipbalm. Sucks when your lips get sunburned.

Dont sweat it and enjoy the magic

Boy there are days that I WISH I was the tag fairy! I'm reading things ALL wrong today!

 

[summermac]

Yep, be there at park opening. Get as much done as you can. Eat lunch if you want. Get OUT by 1:00 and swim until about 4:00. Eat a nice TS meal around 5/6 and then go back to the parks.

 

[chigirl]

I've gone in June and Sept, both times it was 95-103 with high humidity, and I am from Chicago where it is super-humid. For the poster who said "do not bring a misting system", that is not correct....they help. We purchased some $9.99 mister fans at Spawlmart before our trip...priceless! Filled w/ice and water, even castmembers asked for a mist!!!

Your wrists, elbows, back of knees and back of neck are areas to hit w/cool water or ice...plus your armpits, as it will make you whole body feel cooler. My husband would freeze washcloths overnight and put them on his neck, that helped him.

Light-colored, cotton clothes are a must!

It is UNBEARABLE, BELIEVE ME...no mater what you do. I am a little chunky 5'8 and 155 pounds a size 10, my two kids are skinny (DD a junior size 3, DS 14 a mens 29/32) but my husband is big...like 5'10 and 285 and he swears by the frozen cloths! We are all pretty much hot, sweaty messes, but the mister fan and lots of water helps. Good news is, we barely eat anything because it is so bloody hot!

 

[songkat]

All excellent suggestions. Another one I suggest is that, when I get particularly warm, pouring a bit of water directly onto my head cools me instantly. It's not enough to splash my face or neck if my head is hot, so water on my head provides immediate relief.

 

[goofy4tink]

I haven't taken the time to read the previous posts....I'm sure you got good advice, including, 'don't go during the summer'!!!
I've been several times...and yes, it's hot. Surface of the sun hot!!! And the humidity is not to be believed. I went once during a hurricane...Charley. Interesting experience.
Then, our last trip, back in '10, we were there just about a week earlier than your time frame. And of course, Orlando was having record breaking heat. And the following Dec?? Record breaking cold...I just couldn't catch a break that year. And when Orlando is having record breaking heat? In August??? There are no words.

So, with this in mind...this is what we do...
1. hit the parks early, every single day. If the parks open at 7am..be there, early. You need to be there as soon as they open.
2. Leave the parks by noontime. Go back to your resort and relax. Swim (although the pool will be tepid), shower, and cool off. Get your feet up for a bit. Yep, watch some tv...whatever.
3. Return to the parks late afternoon/early evening. This is when we normally eat our dinner. We book a dinner ADR for table service. Your body needs fuel...even if it's 108 gazillion degrees!!! So, sit, cool off, and eat....slowly.
4. Drink more water than you think you could possibly need. Then? Drink some more. I like to try for a bottle of water every 90 mins or so if it's really humid. And be sure to make potty stops every 60-90 mins. You will need to potty more often, obviously. But you can also rinse off with some coolish water...that really makes you feel better.
5. Wear a wide brimmed hat...with a strap so you don't need to worry about losing it.
6. Wear short sleeved shirts. I know it sounds hotter than tank tops, but keeping that sun off your back and shoulders is a huge plus!!!!
7. Sunglasses...your eyes get really tired in that light for that many hours on end.
8. Drink some more water.
9.Stay in the parks as long as you want once the sun goes down.

But remember...your body is working overtime to stay cool. Don't push it too far or too fast. Take your time. Stop and relax in the parks. Find a park bench and plop yourselves down and people watch for a bit.
The summer time in WDW is not a time for commando style touring!!! Especially with a little one.

I know that when we were there in August '10, my dh left and went home on day 7..he had to go back to work. But my dd and I moved from BWV over to VWL for the next 4 nights. It was so hot for the first two days that we would go out and get breakfast at Roaring Forks, and go back to the villa and stay there all day, to stay cool. We went out again at about 5:30 for dinner ADRs. Now, I don't advise that to everyone. We have been to WDW more times than I can remember, so staying our rooms for those hours on end wasn't a loss to us. And we had some great bonding and discussions. Not often I get my teenaged dd (then 16) to myself when she can't really get away!!!

 

[alicia080979]

We go every September and I agree with everyone else but want to add something else. Stop by Dick's Sporting Goods and pick up some Froggs Toggs chill pads. These things are so nice to have when you feel as though you are standing on the surface of the sun, lol. All you have to do is rinse it under cool water and it is nice and cold again. So refreshing! They are large so you can cut them in half if you wanted. We were on the bus with a family whose little girl had overheated and was sick. We ended up giving them one of ours so they could use it the rest of their trip. DH & I just cut the other in half to use and it was fine.

We also stop and get a free ice water every single time we pass a place that has it. We don't carry any water bottles with us bc we always have a nice cup of ice water in our hands.

Rope drop and mid-day breaks are exactly how we tour also. We got very spoiled last November and after this next September trip, it may be our new time for our annual trip. The weather was just beyond incredible!

 

[buffettgirl]

one more: mid day, if you toss a bucket of ice into your tub and fill it with cold water and dunk your legs it will feel GLORIOUS. I do this a lot at night before bed too, just to take down the swelling that comes from the heat.