August Do's and Don'ts

[WeLoveLilo05]

I figure that if you go, expecting the worst as far as heat is concerned, you might have one of those "wow-that-wasn't-as-bad-as-I-expected" experiences.

hahaha, this is what I keep saying. Everyday when I get into my car and its so hot and humid and nasty in there I say "this is a simulation of our Aug Disney trip" lol

 

[vampirechick]

SHOREDAD, I'm in the same boat as you! We are going in August (10-20) for the first time. We have been there in June several times, November and most recently this past December. I figure we'll just start out early, go back to resort during day to swim or nap, then back to park in the evening. I would rather be at WDW than at work anytime of the year. So just remember to slow down and enjoy. Have a great time!

 

[jdd]

The other thing about August is that you're already "accustomed" to the heat, since it's the end of summer. We get days here that are just as hot and humid as Orlando (though not our whole summer!) so once you're kind of used to that, it doesn't seem as bad. We were there in early May one year when it was in the 90s and that seemed worse than the 90s in August...

 

[amtag]

hahaha, this is what I keep saying. Everyday when I get into my car and its so hot and humid and nasty in there I say "this is a simulation of our Aug Disney trip" lol

I do the SAME thing! Especially with how humid it is here today, I get in my car and wonder if that's what the air will be like at WDW in August!!! And then I try to convince myself that it's not THAT bad!!

 

[3smithboys]

I have a question for those who have been in August before.... we have only been over Winter Break (the past 3 years) so we have only those crowds to compare to. How will the crowds compare to that time of year?

Now, we are RD people. So, we have not found Christmas week to be horrible because we usually leave at lunch time and then come back in the evening with FP to use.... but the evening crowds are nuts for parades are fireworks. The one time when we did not follow the "plan" and let the kids sleep in and hit MK late it was a zoo!!!! We got nothing done... it was so crowded, we couldn't move through the park...ugh - never again!

 

[PearlySwan]

Do take a mid-day break from the parks for some pool time back at the resort (and/or nap for the kiddos).

Don't try to go from Rope Drop to closing without taking a break from the heat and the crowds.

 

[RN01]

Just curious... is the heat of the 2nd week of Sept as bad as the heat of August?

 

[SmallWorld71]

I have a question for those who have been in August before.... we have only been over Winter Break (the past 3 years) so we have only those crowds to compare to. How will the crowds compare to that time of year?

Now, we are RD people. So, we have not found Christmas week to be horrible because we usually leave at lunch time and then come back in the evening with FP to use.... but the evening crowds are nuts for parades are fireworks. The one time when we did not follow the "plan" and let the kids sleep in and hit MK late it was a zoo!!!! We got nothing done... it was so crowded, we couldn't move through the park...ugh - never again!

People seem to have differing opinions on August crowds. I've never been the first half of August, but I don't find the second half to be busy. I would call it moderate. Comparing it to President's Week in Feb. and then the April vacation week it is definitely less crowded. We tend to avoid the morning EMH parks in August as those seem to be particularly crowded with people trying to get out early in the day. On the downside, because of free dining, the restaurants are a madhouse. I've seen people turned away left and right at many places, so make sure you have your ADR's. We also find it easier on the more crowded weeks to see Spectro and Fantasmic because they tend to have them more often and often have a second show which is easier to get into. I would still recommend getting there for RD partly to avoid lines and partly because of the heat. Although, we did sleep in and get to Epcot around noon and that worked well for us. There were still FPs for the rides and we were able to enjoy WS in the evening. But, we did Epcot 2 days so we did not feel rushed.

 

[3smithboys]

Thanks SmallWorld! We are going to follow TGM best days like we do during Winter Break and have always been happy with what he suggests. The plan is to go to the parks for RD for a few hours, swim/nap in the afternoon, then go back in the evenings. We usually follow more of a "commando" type of a schedule during our trips, but with the heat I know there is no way we can do this. I also am starting to realize that we really are WDW people - this is our 4th trip in 4 years....we don't have to "do everything" - we will be back! We actually have a cruise on the Dream planned for next summer, so I'm sure we could fit some park days in there!

 

[g-dad66]

I have a question for those who have been in August before.... we have only been over Winter Break (the past 3 years) so we have only those crowds to compare to. How will the crowds compare to that time of year?

August crowds will definitely be less than Christmas/New Years, even the first two weeks of August.

By the end of August, crowds will be relatively light.

 

[Disneygirl 792]

I've lurking on these boards for some time and gotten some really great advice...especially the one about "tweeking" the thermostats. Anyway like the pp said, expect it to be hot and humid...if you need a break take one...Disney will still be there when you get back!!

 

[g-dad66]

"Co ngay viec lam tai vieclamtuyendung voi 5000+ viec lam luong cao, hap dan. Tim viec lam phu hop cho tung ung vien.
trang viec lam tuyen dung online hang dau ho tro gui ho so cho NTD ngay sau 1 gio dang tuyen voi 500000+ ho so ung vien uu tu.
Dung bo lo co hoi co ngay viec lam tai vieclamtuyendung voi 5000+ viec lam luong cao hap dan."

That's easy for you to say.

 

[t-roy]

I find it interesting that people have mentioned how hot it is in AK. I agree 100%. It is the hottest park there. Very steamy. But I swear when I look around it doesn't seem to bother other people as much as it does for me. Man, I feel like I'm going to explode every time I'm there. But I digress..

I agree with everyone especially staying hydrated. You can get ice water all over at every park. I don't remember if it tasted terrible or not. We were just happy to have something cold and wet to drink. One of our best things to do is putting ice water in our fan misters. It makes a world of difference on a steamy day.

 

[Greta]

I find it interesting that people have mentioned how hot it is in AK. I agree 100%. It is the hottest park there. Very steamy. But I swear when I look around it doesn't seem to bother other people as much as it does for me. Man, I feel like I'm going to explode every time I'm there. But I digress..

I agree with everyone especially staying hydrated. You can get ice water all over at every park. I don't remember if it tasted terrible or not. We were just happy to have something cold and wet to drink. One of our best things to do is putting ice water in our fan misters. It makes a world of difference on a steamy day.

Not just you, AK exhausts me! I am dragging my feet to get from place to place there, I think all the lush foliage makes it even more humid than the other parks? but who really knows? I just know that I take AK in small doses and enjoy the Nemo show sitting in the air conditioning!

 

[Tara]

The thing that most people forget about being in WDW in the summer is that there is a huge amount of pavement under foot. That summer sun beats down on the ground, which makes the surrounding area much hotter than you can imagine. I know that one trip in August, it was about 104 in the MK. Why? All the pavement. I thought my soles were going to melt right off my shoes!!!

This is so true! When it's really hot, I try to always make a point to stand where my feet are in the shade. It isn't always possible to have my whole body in shade, but there are plenty of items around (trash cans, signs, etc) that cast small shadows. It's amazing what just a little bit of shielding from the sun can do.

Also, when you want to cool down, try rubbing an ice cube or two over your wrists, along the back of your knees and on your neck (if you can stand it) along your pulse points.

 

[jdd]

I find it interesting that people have mentioned how hot it is in AK. I agree 100%. It is the hottest park there. Very steamy. But I swear when I look around it doesn't seem to bother other people as much as it does for me. Man, I feel like I'm going to explode every time I'm there. But I digress..

That's so funny, because to me AK is the coolest of the parks!! There's always shade, and so many great shows to do in the A/C. Worst for us was DHS - the only ride where we got any relief was the Great Movie Ride. All the shows there are outdoors, and most of the ride queues too.

 

[SHOREDAD]

It will be okay!! We went for the first time in August last year, and had a great time! We certainly weren't as "commando" as on previous trips - took things slower, and enjoyed the resorts more. The crowds were definitely less than spring crowds (two trips in late April/early May - well past Easter break), so that was great!

You'll have a wonderful time!

I know we'll have an awesome time. We are beach people here in south jersey and we love being out in the heat of the summer. My kids love to swim, so we will def. be going back to the pools in the middle of the day. We have to remember we are on vacation, we will relax, eat, and be merry!

One post earlier on this thread suggested bringing a lot of shirts to change halfway through the day after a nice shower. I plan on doing this.

We will definitely not go commando. We will probably get a touring plan from UG for each day or maybe make one on ridemax and try to follow it. If not we will do our best to utilize fastpass. We will not do EMH most likely due to the fact I can never get my family anywhere on time and I know from our past trips to WDW and other places this will not happen. We know we will be in WDW again so we will do what we can do! I am so glad I started this thread cause I have gotten awesome advice from everyone! I like hearing everyone's opinions and advice.

 

[WiscMomof2]

We went last August and it was HOT. Try to go as early as possible take pool/rest breaks in the afternoon and go back out when it cools off at night. And just remember air conditioned rides are your friend!

 

[erinsmom]

We are tentatively planing for Aug. We will have 4 kids ages 5-11 with me and my mom, 2 kids who have not been before and really have no idea about Disney . They will be happy just to go on vacation. Anyway, we were thinking that we would hang out at the pool in the morning, eat some lunch, nap and then head to the park in the evening. It's not a priority to see everything or ride everything. Has anyone ever done this, does it work? It's seem like the best for us. What do think?

TIA

 

[katytrott]

I've lurking on these boards for some time and gotten some really great advice...especially the one about "tweeking" the thermostats. Anyway like the pp said, expect it to be hot and humid...if you need a break take one...Disney will still be there when you get back!!

What's "tweeking the thermostats"? It's probably something really simple I am missing, but as I have got some awesome tips already, I didn't want to miss this one.[/I]