August - tips on keeping cool PLEASE

[MelodyMack]

I hate the heat....love mickey....hate the heat.....love goofy.....decisions, decisions!

Unfortunately, August is the only time we could schedule a quick trip back to WDW before the Fall madness begins at our home. Fortunately, it's WDW so who can complain about getting a chance to go back, right?

Because I'm a Floridian I understand the humidity issue, but am intimidated about the long days at the parks. I am desperately seeking any advice to help me and especially my DD4. Any products you can recommend that worked particularly well in beating the heat for you and yours?

TIA -
Mel

 

[julfre]

The only way I can deal with the August heat is to get to the parks early. Do lots of rides. THen either have lunch in a sit down restaurant or go to some of the theater indoor shows. By this time is is about 1 or 2 and the heat and crowds are miserable so I go to my room and nap for a few hours and go back later in the evening.

 

[Harambe]

I know you know to drink, drink, drink that water. But I also always feel cooler when I where a ball cap and sunglasses to keep the sun off my face.

 

[SeattleMark]

Be sure to check out all the great tips from Deb's site: http://allearsnet.com/pl/sunsurv.htm

 

[gigi1313]

dh swears by the 'walk on the shady side of the street' and 'use the stores as your thoroughfare' methods... mister fans make you think you are cooling off, but imo don't really do much except give you one more thing to carry... alternate outside hot rides (i.e. dumbo) w/cooler inside attractions (i.e. mickey philharmagic)... my fave sunscreen product is www.spwipes.com...

hope that helps a little bit...

 

[CleveRocks]

I decided to go with loose-fitting short-sleeve button down shirts that you don't tuck in -- think Hawaiian shirt, but it doesn't have to be decorated that way. It's not tucked in to your shorts, the collar is open, there are lots of openings around the buttons -- in short, these shirts allow breeze to go right through to your skin to keep you as cool as possible.

I never wear these things in real life, but I figured in WDW I wanted to be as comfortable as possible, I didn't give a hoot if I looked like a tourist.

-- Eric

 

[Bruce in PA]

We've never been to WDW in August, but we're going this year, same as you. Just couldn't schedule it any other time.

But we have been there in late June, when the temps and humidity were pretty bad. And we're vets of the Jersey shore in July & August, which can be just about as brutal as anything Florida can dish out.

So here are few things that have worked for us; hope they help:

-- we always carry a soft-sided collapsible cooler bag into the parks with us. Yes, it's one more thing to carry, but it's worth it. We fill it with juice pouches, fruit and (this is the best, IMO) a zip-lock bag filled with ice and a washcloth. As the ice melts and saturates the washcloth, we use it on the back of our necks from time to time...it really helps to knock down the body temp and makes you feel great.

-- buy or bring bottled water with you & freeze it (if you have access to a freezer); as it melts during the day, you will always have ice-cold water to drink.

-- I see where some folks don't like mister fans. I love 'em. Drop a few ice cubes in these, too; it cools down the water and makes it feel even better.

-- Of course, hats are a must. And extra sun block, to re-apply throughout the day. Nothing is as bad as scorching heat, high humidity and a painful sunburn.

-- Get out of the parks during the worst of it. Go early, then scat back to your room for lunch, get off your feet, take a nap, go to the pool...but give yourself a break. You feel refreshed and ready to go again in a couple of hours. We've had some of our worst experiences when we've tried to cram too much activity into a hot day with no breaks.

None of this is original with me, but I can vouch that all of it works, at least it does for us. Good luck!

Bruce

 

[LilMagic2000]

A few years ago, when we all went as a family, and my DisneySister was just a toddler, my mom came up with a few ideas to help her stay cool in the heat.
First-all she wore was sun dresses. They are light. We all wear shorts and spaghetti strap shirts.
Second-any opportunity that she had to get wet (in a fountain, on a ride) we let her. So what if she ran around the rest of the day looking like a ragg-a-muffin, she was cool and wasn't grouchy. We even let her stick her hand in the water during It's a Small World and splash herself until my mom yelled at my middle sister and me for letting her put her hands in "dirty" water.
Us older folks do the same-sit up front for Splash Mountain, and allow yourself to get wet. When you're wet, and breeze, however small, feels soooo good!
Third (and this one is a weird one)-my mom brought a small towel, no bigger than a dish rag, to the park with us, and whenever we passed a water fountain, she wet the towel, and "wiped" my little sister's chest and legs down. At first, we all made fun of her...I think one of us made a comment about cats licking their young...anyway-she was the butt of all our jokes all morning...and well into the midday...then noon rolled around...then 1:00-peak heat times.
I tell you what-that nice cold, wet towel was looking pretty good right about then, but nobody wanted to admit it, as my mom wasn't sharing after all of our snide comments.
We have been much nicer in recent trips.
Hope some of this helps! Enjoy your trip anyway-heat and all, it's the World!!!

 

[Leota]

One thing no one has mentioned are those cooling bandanas filled with silica crystals - You soak them in cold water & wear them around your neck to keep you cool. You can get them in the camping dept. at Wal-Mart.

On our trip in Aug. 2001, I used just a regular bandana with some ice rolled up in it - sure it dripped & I looked a little dishelveled, but I was comfy. This Aug., I'll use the non-dripping one....

I agree with the other suggestions, we also go early, return to the resort for swimming, napping, eating before heading back to the Parks later in the evening. Drink constantly, even when you aren't thirsty. Alternate A/C rides with outdoor rides. If you do AK, do it early for a couple hours on a couple days. Don't even THINK about being in AK in the high heat of the day - it's always at least 10º hotter in there than anywhere else.

Along with all those suggestions, I think Mindset is an important part of dealing with extreme temps. I just put my mind in the frame of "Yep, it's going to be hot....like a big cozy comforter & I'm going to love it" It sure makes it alot easier than going in with a mindset of "Ugh, I hate the heat, this is miserable". Mind over matter.....

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Obviously, a big one is to drink a LOT of water. Even if you don't think you're thirsty, try to keep the water coming. As you sweat, you need to replenish the water lost.

 

[beattyfamily]

I went August last year for the first time and after getting lots of tips here we brought a Misty Mate, a misty fan, a cooling bandana, and hats.

Of all those things listed, I used the Misty mate and gave up on it after a couple of days cause we were tired of carrying it. What did work well for us, which we saw others do while down there, was take a face cloth from our room and use that to cool off. We kept getting it wet at water fountains. My DD4 loved this. She'd cover her head with it, cover her face with it, rub her arms with it and sometimes just keep it on her lap.

We also started our days early, and ended our time at the park when it was the hottest (around 1:00p) and either ate in a restaurant there or went back for a swim break, and then headed back to a park in the afternoon/early evening.

We took AC breaks as much as possible by going into shops.

We drank ALOT, water, not Coke. I tried to get my kids to wear their hats but they didn't want to.

We had all our snacks and counter services IN DOORS.

That's about it! Oh and don't forget the sunscreen, especially your feet if you wear sandals and your head if you have thining hair!!

 

[slk537]

Those silica bandanas are a lifesaver!!! We bought them at the MK last May 2004 and have used them many times since. Sharper Image also has battery operated "personal air conditioners" that you clamp onto the back of your neck that does pretty much the same thing. Amazing how when the back of your neck is cool, so are you.

We also buy the small battery operated fans at the Disney store - I'm sure Target has something similar. They are small and have a cord to hang around your neck and are much more portable than the misters.

Bodyglide is a terrific product that really can help keep your feet and other parts of you cool and not sticky. It's like a non greasy deoderant and you can get it online or at Scheels. If you use it on the bottoms of your feet, it also prevents blisters.

Drinking water and lots of stops in the air conditioned shops is a must.

Taking the hottest part of the day as a rest period back at the pool really helps too. Evenings are so much more pleasant, and after a good rest our DS really has a lot more energy too.

Oh and I'd like the second the sunblock on the feet and hats on the heads. I remembered my feet (and ended up with the oddest tan...) but I wish I'd have had a hat. I burned my hairline something fierce.

Enjoy August at WDW!!! You are a brave, brave family!

 

[Goofy's Muse]

Those silica bandanas are a lifesaver!!!

Yep, Leota mentioned these, too. I gave my DH grief for this purchase, but the 5 of us became believers in these "Cool Guardies"! No dripping and somehow when you turn them over, they are just as refreshing as when you first put them on your neck.

We did also use misting fans, lots of water, and strategic planning of lunches and shows in places with A/C. We are not early risers but did "force ourselves" to go early and hit our top attractions first... were pleased that lines were minimal early.

One thing that foiled a few of our plans for afternoon pool breaks were those famous August thunderstorms -- it didn't always rain, but even lightning watches can close pools, so be prepared for that possibility.

My DH really is not a humidity lover, but afterall, this was Disney! I was shocked to hear that he really didn't think it was all that bad and would do it again in a heartbeat!

 

[snyderla]

These are all really great tips! One thing I discovered during a July trip was that shirts without a collar are better than those with one! That extra material on the back of my neck seemed really hot and bothersome. But I did have to make sure I put sunscreen on my neck when there was no collar.

Lori

 

[MaryFMac]

We went just after the 4th of July last year, and we're going the last week of July this year.

I can't remember being excruciatingly overheated. Disney pumps in air conditioning magic at any available time or place.

Another good tip:

My boyfriend wore a camelbak backpack that we filled with ice in the morning and sipped on through out the day. It was always a sad moment to have to refill at the water fountains *blech*. I'd offer to wear it to give him a break, and he'd never let me b/c it was his personal air conditioner, as the ice cooled his back all day.

 

[duck_adoo]

Hi,
We've gone in August twice. For dd's we bought denim Mickey hats and whenever we were in the park we would wet them in water fountains,squeeze out the excess, and put them back on our dd's heads. Similar to the face cloths strategybut w/a twist (literally ) We'll be doing the same thing this August! woohoo!!
Cheryl

PS We also did the afternoon break just about every day..not only did the kids need naps,but we did too!
Cheryl

 

[marcbelt]

I personally think It's a Small World is a lifesaver. Usually the wait is short, the air conditioner is great, and it give both my wife and I a rest break with the kids.

 

[rgo772]

Here in N. Texas we get some heat also about 96 today. I was at my kid’s field day at school on Friday it was so hot. The nurse at the school had this little pump called a mistymate. That thing work so good at knocking down the heat that I went out and bought one for our trip in 3 weeks. We got the big one that was $20 at academy is you want to see what it looks like go to www.mistymate.com I so can't wait to try it out at Disney.

Also, anyone here from N. Texas that can tell how the heat is at Disney compared to our heat in June (feels hotter, not as hot) thanks for your help on this I just want to know what to expect.

 

[snowy76]

Even drinking LOTS of water sometimes doesn't replenish your body fast enough. Drink a powerade in the afternoon. I find I need one whenever I'm at AK especially.

 

[stonecreekboys]

We went in August in 2003. It was drizzly so the parks weren't that crowded but we made the best of it and it actually made the weather very pleasant and tolerable so that we were even chilly at times or in air conditioned spaces.