air conditioning at wdw

[jbrnhrt]

are the indoor rides air conditioned (pirates, soarin, tiki room, etc)? also have a dumb newbie epcot question. at world showcase it says "pavilions" does that mean they're inside? i'm asking cuz my son can't be in the heat too long cuz he doesn't sweat, and i'm trying to figure out how often we'll be able to get him in the cool air. thanks!

 

[Suellen]

We'll be there there same time as you!!

Pavillions are outdoors but there are plenty of stores you can scoot into that are ac'd

The rides ARE ac'd as well.

 

[livndisney]

are the indoor rides air conditioned (pirates, soarin, tiki room, etc)? also have a dumb newbie epcot question. at world showcase it says "pavilions" does that mean they're inside? i'm asking cuz my son can't be in the heat too long cuz he doesn't sweat, and i'm trying to figure out how often we'll be able to get him in the cool air. thanks!

The countries of World Showcase often have an air conditioned ride or Movie.
Norway-Ride
China-Movie
Germany-Shops
Italy-Shops
Japan-Anime walk through
France-Movie
UK-Shops
America-Show
Mexico-Ride
Morocco-not sure
Canada-Movie

 

[pickles]

animal kingdom is the worst one for heat I find.

as one person said many times you can work your way thru shops to get where you want to go..like to get down main street Mk you can walk thru shops

disney does a great job of having a/c and misters all over the place.

 

[vicki_c]

Everything that is truly inside is air conditioned. Things that are not are the outdoor theatres - Lights, Motor, Action, Beauty & the Beast, Indy show, Flights of Wonder. I can't think of any at Epcot or MK that are not air-conditioned.

Also rides with outdoor queues or totally outdoors are not A/C (thinking of Kali River Rapids or Safari as a few examples - the whole queue and ride are outdoors).

 

[hookedonears]

uuuuuuuh, WDW's in Florida. Everything indoors is air conditioned. Almost everything that's not is covered.

 

[carrie1626]

I just got back from a very hot and humid week 8/14-22. We ducked into the gift shops often for relief. There are outdoor ques but most of them are designed to be shaded often. Let me give you an example from MK off the top of my head from the attractions we did.

MK
Pirates - all inside que- very cooliing
Peter Pan's flight-all outside -mostly covered
Mickey's Philharmonic- all inside que
Splash MTN- outdoor, then covered but if you use FP you'll avoid the outdoor wait
Big Thunder MTN- outdoor, then covered, but the outdoor portion is ALL SUN. Again, if you get FP all indoor (WE RODE AT NIGHT)
BUZZ Lightyear- outdoor, then inside AGAIN FP will eliminate the outdoor wait
Space Mtn- outdoor, then inside (ONLY if there's a long stand-by time will it be outdoor)

BYW, I DON'T THINK YOU'LL HAVE BIG CROWDS- WE DIDN'T. WE ACTUALLY WALKED ON SOME ATTRACTIONS, WAITED 10/15 MINUTES FOR OTHERS AND USED FP ONLY FOR BTM AND SM AND BUZZ BETWEEN TWO DAYS IN THE MK. Sorry, I'm, assuming you're visiting soon!

AND WHEN THE CROWDS ARE LOW- THOSE OUTDOOR QUES WILL BE EMPTY AND YOU'LL GO RIGHT INSIDE OR BE COVERED

 

[carrie1626]

As the OP stated - the AK is the park where heat would affect you the most. There are indoor shows that are excellent and not to be missed. I would plan AK for an early arrival to avoid the strongest heat of the day

 

[Erin12303]

Hi there-
I don't have any medical conditions related to the heat but I had to duck into every store and cue with a/c this summer as we toured the parks. It was hot. Next time I will get one of those neck wraps that are supposed to help keep you cool. With this help at all keeping your son cooler in between a/c attractions/stores?

 

[Kmango]

Most of the rides in the Magic Kingdom have outdoor (though usually covered) queues, at least some of the time. You may get a breeze there, but it's still quite hot on warm days. You may need to get a Guest Assistance pass for your son for the rides with outdoor queues, since heat is an issue. Off the top of my head, here's the Indoor/outdoor situation for both rides and queues (as you'll generally spend more time in the queue than on the actul ride).

MAGIC KINGDOM
Buzz Lightyear: Indoor ride, indoor/outdoor queue
Carousel of Progress: Indoor ride, no queue
Space Mountain: Indoor ride, indoor queue
Astro Orbiters: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue
TTA Peoplemover: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue
Tomorrowland Speedway: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue
Stitch: Indoor ride, indoor queue
Monster's Laugh Floor: Indoor show, indoor queue
Mad Tea Party: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue
Pooh: Indoor ride, outdoor queue
Dumbo: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue
Cinderella's Carousel: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue
Snow White: Indoor ride, outdoor queue
Philharmagic: Indoor show, indoor queue
Peter Pan: Indoor ride, outdoor queue
Small World: Indoor ride, outdoor queue
Haunted Mansion: Indoor ride, outdoor queue
Hall of Presidents: Indoor show, indoor queue
Country Bears: Indoor show, indoor queue
Splash Mountain: Indoor/outdoor ride, indoor/outdoor queue
Big Thunder: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue
Pirates: Indoor ride, Indoor queue
Aladdin's Carpets: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue
Jungle Cruise: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue
Tiki Room: Indoor show, Outdoor pre-show

ANIMAL KINGDOM
Kilimanjaro Safari: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue
Everest: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue
Flights of Wonder: Outdoor show, no queue to speak of
Nemo: Indoor show, outdoor queue
Festival of the Lion King: Indoor show, outdoor queue
Bug's Life: Indoor show, Indoor/outdoor queue
Dinosaur: Indoor ride, indoor queue
Primeval Whirl: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue
Kali River Rapids: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue

Hollywood Studios:

Beauty and the Beast: Outdoor show, outdoor queue
Fantasmic: Outdoor show, outdoor queue
Tower of Terror: Indoor ride, indoor queue
Rock and Rollercoaster: Indoor ride, outdoor/indoor queue
Toy Story Midway Mania: Indoor ride, indoor (and sometimes outdoor) queue
Star Tours (closed): Indoor ride, indoor queue
Muppets 3D: Indoor show, indoor queue
Lights, Motors, Action: Outdoor show, outdoor queue
Backlot Tour: Outdoor ride, outdoor queue/pre-show
Sounds Dangerous (mostly closed): Indoor show, outdoor queue

EPCOT

Spaceship Earth: Indoor ride, outdoor queue
Nemo: Indoor ride, indoor (sometimes extending outdoors) queue
Living with the Land: Indoor ride, indoor queue
Circle of Life: Indoor show, indoor queue
Soarin': Indoor ride, indoor queue
Imagination: Indoor ride, indoor queue
Innoventions: indoors
Ellen's Energy Adventure: Indoor ride, indoor queue (usually)
Mission Space: Indoor ride, indoor queue (can extend outdoors)
Test Track: Indoor/outdoor ride, indoor queue

The World Showcase attractions have already been covered by OPs. Most of the shows in World Showcase (Off-Kilter, acrobats, taiko, etc) are outdoors, as is the America Gardens Theatre.

Hope that helps!

 

[jbrnhrt]

thank you for all he replies, and for taking the time to break down each ride for me. we are planning to get some of those neck wraps for ds and already purchased a personal fan, and he'll spend most of the day in his stroller with the big canopy to cover him. since this trip is his wish from.make a a wish foundation he receives a gac, we also used touring plans to figure out which parks to go on which days, so that will help reduce out wait times. thanks again!

 

[r&kmommy]

IMVHO I'd avoid Animal Kingdom... although there are shops that are "air conditioned", they are barely air conditioned. We are a healthy family of 4 and we had to leave the AK early due to heat exhaustion! We took frequent shade breaks, and had a jug of ice water with us. It was just SO DARN HOT when we were there.

Although, it was the second week of August. You'll be there mid-September, maybe it won't be so bad? Maybe someone else can give you insight to the AK and weather during your specific time.

The other 3 parks you will be golden though! Rides and TONS of shops with real a/c

 

[pigletto]

are the indoor rides air conditioned (pirates, soarin, tiki room, etc)? also have a dumb newbie epcot question. at world showcase it says "pavilions" does that mean they're inside? i'm asking cuz my son can't be in the heat too long cuz he doesn't sweat, and i'm trying to figure out how often we'll be able to get him in the cool air. thanks!

I will echo the others that said Animal Kingdom feels hottest for some reason. You'll want to be careful there. Every other park seems a bit better for AC options.