August Heat

[Dakota731]

You may get lucky. Our August trip was cooler than our May trip. Sometimes it’s luck of the draw. Temps were in the low 80s - it was hotter at home!

 

[Ava]

We went August 27-Sept 3 this year with our 8-year-old and our 4-year-old. It was very hot and rained most afternoons (and on the days it didn’t rain we wished it would to cool us off!) but we still had a great trip. We didn’t bother with fans or cooling towels, as we didn’t want to carry a lot of stuff around the parks, but I did purchase a Disney poncho for each of us on our first day and carried those around. We’ve tried cheaper ones brought from home on previous trips & they tore after one use. The Disney ones are good quality, and their children’s size ones are actually short enough for a younger child to wear and not trip over. We also all had shoes/sandals that could get wet, and quick-dry clothing as much as possible.

We used FP+ so we didn’t have to wait in any long outdoor lines, and when we started to get too hot we ducked into an indoor show/attraction or shop to cool off. We also skipped all the outdoor daytime shows, and the afternoon parade at MK. It was just too hot to stand around outside for that long. Just be prepared for it to be hot, and for rain. Be flexible and willing to change your plans if someone needs a break from the heat, and you’ll have a great trip.

 

[kboo]

We have done May...but have also done August pretty much every year since 2009. May is much more pleasant, but that doesn't make August unbearable.

I pretty much always give the same advice, but it's true: go to the Parks at rope drop. Either have lunch there, then leave for the resort pool, or have lunch at the pool. Enjoy your resort, the pool...the pool activities, etc., and come back to the Parks around or after dinnertime. It will be less crowded and once the sun goes down, less hot.

Wear what works in heat and humidity! Some prefer that dry-fit fabric, we find we do better in light colored cottons. My DD's and I honestly think sundresses with slip shorts underneath are far cooler than anything else. Sandals (the good supportive kind) work much better than socks and sneakers. Drink lots of water, slow down, and take air conditioning breaks often. We love our August trips! We can stay for 10 nights with no one missing school or busy times at work, and the Parks don't seem that crowded to us.

I will say, we had to go in July of 2016 instead of August, and I found it much worse! I was very happy to return to August this summer! Enjoy!

This was us last August, we did short stays on either end of the cruise. The first short stay was super hot (100+) and sunny with not much rain, the second part was not as hot but had torrential rains every afternoon. For both, a midday break really helped a lot. We found on the super hot days that we'd actually just forgo going back into the parks and spend time at the pool and eat dinner at the pool. Kids are little, so they went to bed by 7:30-8 and DH and I hung out at the resort.

We went August 27-Sept 3 this year with our 8-year-old and our 4-year-old. It was very hot and rained most afternoons (and on the days it didn’t rain we wished it would to cool us off!) but we still had a great trip. We didn’t bother with fans or cooling towels, as we didn’t want to carry a lot of stuff around the parks, but I did purchase a Disney poncho for each of us on our first day and carried those around. We’ve tried cheaper ones brought from home on previous trips & they tore after one use. The Disney ones are good quality, and their children’s size ones are actually short enough for a younger child to wear and not trip over. We also all had shoes/sandals that could get wet, and quick-dry clothing as much as possible.

We used FP+ so we didn’t have to wait in any long outdoor lines, and when we started to get too hot we ducked into an indoor show/attraction or shop to cool off. We also skipped all the outdoor daytime shows, and the afternoon parade at MK. It was just too hot to stand around outside for that long. Just be prepared for it to be hot, and for rain. Be flexible and willing to change your plans if someone needs a break from the heat, and you’ll have a great trip.

Agree with this wholeheartedly too. I went many times in the summer as a kid, and have gone with my kids in Feb/March, April, May, and 2x August. August is definitely hotter, but crowds in late August helped make it pretty bearable. We used FP+ for the usual suspects, and then wouldn't do any ride that had a longer than 15 minute wait. We did get popsicles and have lots of water handy, but we weren't out too long without some respite from the heat and ducked into stores to get a break.

Also, I would not bother with bringing sneakers and socks at all. I did that on our 1st trip and between the heat and the rain, it just isn't practical.

Disney ponchos rock. Also, if they rip, bring them to a shop and they will replace them. So IMO they're worth the extra expense. They're also a little heavier so they don't blow around so much in the wind. The ponchos will also help with keeping you a little warm when you are getting blasted by AC and your arms/legs/head are wet.

Finally - if you will have a stroller or stroller rental - make sure you also have a good rain cover, and put it on the stroller whenever you park it. We went into Akershus for dinner one evening when it was sunny, and came out to torrential downpour. No joke, there was 2-3" of water in the basket under the stroller seats.

 

[luvmy2babies]

We did our first August trip this year. Our previous summer trips had been in June. It wasn't a long trip. We had a misting fan and personal fans that did not mist. And water, water and more water. Eating light helped as well. Our days were park opening to about 2, then back to the resort for pool time. One day my son and I went back to MK in the evening for a couple more rides. Another day we went to Blizzard Beach and closed the place. We made sure to take breaks in the Air conditioning. And never tried to be in a park all day. On our last day when we wanted to see the night time fireworks at MK, we relaxed at the resort and had some pool time then went to the park around 4pm. We actually ended up being at our resort whenever it rained so we did not have to deal with any. First time that ever happened.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Hi everyone! I just booked a trip staying at AOA for the first time. I will be traveling with my parents and my 2 5-year-old son's in late August of next year. We have never gone in the summertime because of the heat but because I have a new job summer is my only option. I plan on going back to the resort for afternoon pool time and relaxation but in all honesty how hot is it going to be?

We usually go February and again in either July or August. It is hot, there is no way around it and it's humid, end of story. It's relative to where you are from but the length of time you're exposed and the walking will get you. There will likely be afternoon pop up storms but you can keep on trucking through and they are usually short lived. We usually always book a lunch ADR to get a guaranteed heat break, we always do try to be sure to get into AC when we are just hitting that boiling point and we take breaks as needed, whether we do pool breaks or breaks from outdoors all together. Even though the pool can be nice, sometimes you just need to get inside all together. Wear cool dry clothing, don't carry more than you need to and do make sure you drink lots and lots of H2O---but it's all doable and can be very fun.