crowds and temps in August?

[Schmeck]

I think a light, water repellent windbreaker might be handy, the kind that rolls up into its own pouch?

Just remember that August is hurricane season in Florida, and while WDW is inland it can still be affected. Our first August trip was the day after Hurricane Charlie hit WDW...

 

[fairymagick08]

so do you even bother packing sweatshirts? I always travel with a couple sweatshirts per person and may be a jacket.... may be I will cut back to just a light wind breaker style jacket per person and forget the sweats

I would bring a light sweater at the lest. You won't need it when your outside durning the day, but it does gets cold inside the a/c sometimes. Plus we do have those freaky times when the weather decides to be crazy and in the early morning hours it could 60 degrees or so. It's FL you never know what's going to happen when it comes to the weather down here.

 

[Praying Colonel]

The only way you'll need a sweatshirt is if you get cold in A/C (like DW does). The August heat and humidity is like an alien being, enveloping you and squeezing the sweat out of you. DW is cold-natured, but even she's sweating before rope drop.

 

[LAS321]

We've been going every August for years...yes, it's really hot and you sweat like crazy. Just remember though that you're going in and out of air conditioned attractions, restaurants and stores so you get relief. I understand your sweatshirt question and there are times in the AC you might feel chilled but the problem is that you would have to carry that sweatshirt around with you in the heat....I always bring a light long sleeve sweatshirt type article for the plane. I would suggest that if the heat bothers you or anyone in your family you get a hat. My daughter always had to wear white baseball hat in the Florida heat or she got very bad headaches. And plan some pool time in the middle of the day when it's the hottest.
Don't worry!!! You're going to have a great time!

 

[amyy]

I grew up in northern Maine so I am not use to the heat. We went last year in August, around the 13th, and I loved it. I loved being in the pool which I usually never get a chance to do. We ended up with two days still left on our park tickets because it was too hot for me. But we are going again this August (thought about going in October) and I am so excited. The two days were because we spent one day at the pool and renting a boat etc. Another day we decided to do a Segway tour and DTD. I do't think it rained once. Don't let the two lost days scare you. It was the best Disney trip ever. We slept in most days, no crowds when we went to breakfast, didn't have the pressure of having to do every ride etc.

I would bring a sweatshirt. I am sure I wore it on the plane some. Or of course you can always buy one if you need it

 

[nessz79]

We've been in August twice - really didn't seem to be much worse than August in New England! There's AC everywhere- blasting out the open doors of the shops, in all the restaurants, attractions, buses, bathrooms, etc.

A PP described our very successful touring plans - get to the parks early, leave early, rest/swim at resort, then go back to the parks until closing. And drink lots of water!

I think that if you just mentally prepare yourself for extreme heat, you'll know what you're getting into.

I would also suggest "training" yourself for the heat. Go for a walk a the hottest part of the day where you live and build yourself up. I doubt you'll need to be in the heat at the MK for more than 30 minutes at a time, but it depends on the lines you get in, shows you see, etc.

Sometimes if we weren't sure where we wanted to go next and we just needed to sit down, we'd go on rides like Small World, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, etc, just to get out of the heat.

 

[Disney8704]

Theres a big difference between August and November. While I have never been to FL in November, it does get chilly at night from what Ive been told. But in August...trust me, you wont be needing that sweatshirt or jacket. Sure you might go into an AC place for a ride, show or meal, but you dont wanna cover yourself up. You need your body to cool down in those places, not stay warm. You wont be doing yourself any good by constantly staying warm. But hey do what you want. But honestly, I highly doubt you wont be needing your extra clothing. Oh yea and as for buying one in Disney, Im not sure if they would actually be available in August. September, maybe..but August?

um cuz thats how I travel - I come from Ohio. I often add an extra layer at night or while going into AC

If you read my initial post, you'll see I've never been to florida in august.

When I was there in Nov, I wore a sweatshirt nearly EVERY eve - I'm just asking to help me plan the packing this time - sorry!

oh, and, I don't do spaghetti straps

 

[clutter]

We've gone the last two Augusts. It's hot, but there were only a few days that were really bad. The hottest I've ever been in Disney was May 2003. After that, August was cake.

 

[imthatgirl]

Theres a big difference between August and November. While I have never been to FL in November, it does get chilly at night from what Ive been told. But in August...trust me, you wont be needing that sweatshirt or jacket. Sure you might go into an AC place for a ride, show or meal, but you dont wanna cover yourself up. You need your body to cool down in those places, not stay warm. You wont be doing yourself any good by constantly staying warm. But hey do what you want. But honestly, I highly doubt you wont be needing your extra clothing. Oh yea and as for buying one in Disney, Im not sure if they would actually be available in August. September, maybe..but August?

of course you can buy a sweatshirt in disney in august.

i go every august and i always bring a sweatshirt, just a light weight one. some of those shows are quite cold. hoop dee doo comes to mind, definately need a sweatshirt in there. also lion king can get chilly and theres many more. its so not good for your body to go from extreme heat to extreme cold back to extreme heat. you will stay cooler by controlling your body heat.

 

[zefyr]

so do you even bother packing sweatshirts? I always travel with a couple sweatshirts per person and may be a jacket.... may be I will cut back to just a light wind breaker style jacket per person and forget the sweats

Um...no...I would pack some extra clothes, unless you plan on doing laundry.
Everyone was sweating to death. I didn't even bother doing makeup or drying my hair.

At night you didn't have the heat of the sun but it was still humid and there was not need for jackets, etc. But I would definitely pack some cheap ponchos (like you can get at $1 stores). The Disney ones aren't cheap for what you get but are made cheaply. I went to the PPP with my sister and the poncho didn't last the night.

 

[zefyr]

Theres a big difference between August and November. While I have never been to FL in November, it does get chilly at night from what Ive been told. But in August...trust me, you wont be needing that sweatshirt or jacket. Sure you might go into an AC place for a ride, show or meal, but you dont wanna cover yourself up. You need your body to cool down in those places, not stay warm. You wont be doing yourself any good by constantly staying warm. But hey do what you want. But honestly, I highly doubt you wont be needing your extra clothing. Oh yea and as for buying one in Disney, Im not sure if they would actually be available in August. September, maybe..but August?

No they are...I bought a figment hoodie. They had some sweatshirts too, but the thought of one made me hot.

 

[esdras]

I just wanted to echo the comments of those who suggested getting there early and leaving in the afternoon for a break before returning to the parks later - but with a couple of extra details. These generally help you to be where everyone else isn't. Really, people on these boards who do their homework before going are the minority - there are a lot of first timers and even repeat visitors who just go... and go, and go... and eventually drop. These will be the 2:30pm families waiting 90 minutes for Splash Mountain (with maybe) over tired crying kids. Don't be them!

So, your plan should be:

1. Get there for opening - unless you want a chance to be the family who "opens the park" - 15 minutes before the park opens will be fine.
2. Try to ride the "headliner" rides first, but mainly, just do the rides until NO LATER than 11:30 am. In fact, as soon as restaurants open for lunch (many around 11:00am), consider stopping for lunch. By this time, the sleeper-inners are getting to the parks and the lines are getting long. You'll also beat the noon lunchtime rush.
3. Lunch should be done by 12:30pm - perhaps on the way out you'll see a "shortened" line due to a lot of people stopping for lunch - maybe do another ride, but leave the park by 1:00pm at the latest. It's too hot now anyway, go back to your resort for a nap and/or swim to cool off.
4. You ate lunch early, right? So, beat the dinner crowd and have dinner (best choice is to eat at the park you are going back to see) by 5pm - even 4:30pm if you can handle it. This means you are done dinner by 6:30pm - when most people are now wanting to eat. The lines will get shorter.
5. At 6:30, with lines getting shorter, have fun. Those who tried to plow straight through the middle of the day, even after taking a dinner break, might not have the energy to stay. Enjoy the slower evening, perhaps sticking around for the evening entertainment at your particular park.
6. If you have another park visit scheduled for the next day, don't stay out too late - if you have an off day instead, stay until closing.

Most planning sites say that 11am to 4pm is the time when the parks are the busiest - with the 1pm to 2pm time being the peak. Just DON'T be there at that time!

Have a great time!

 

[Lil'Simba]

I would suggest that if the heat bothers you or anyone in your family you get a hat.

Great suggestion! I'll take that one! LOL I'm going in August too - I want to be prepared!

 

[nessz79]

I just wanted to echo the comments of those who suggested getting there early and leaving in the afternoon for a break before returning to the parks later - but with a couple of extra details. These generally help you to be where everyone else isn't. Really, people on these boards who do their homework before going are the minority - there are a lot of first timers and even repeat visitors who just go... and go, and go... and eventually drop. These will be the 2:30pm families waiting 90 minutes for Splash Mountain (with maybe) over tired crying kids. Don't be them!

So, your plan should be:

1. Get there for opening - unless you want a chance to be the family who "opens the park" - 15 minutes before the park opens will be fine.
2. Try to ride the "headliner" rides first, but mainly, just do the rides until NO LATER than 11:30 am. In fact, as soon as restaurants open for lunch (many around 11:00am), consider stopping for lunch. By this time, the sleeper-inners are getting to the parks and the lines are getting long. You'll also beat the noon lunchtime rush.
3. Lunch should be done by 12:30pm - perhaps on the way out you'll see a "shortened" line due to a lot of people stopping for lunch - maybe do another ride, but leave the park by 1:00pm at the latest. It's too hot now anyway, go back to your resort for a nap and/or swim to cool off.
4. You ate lunch early, right? So, beat the dinner crowd and have dinner (best choice is to eat at the park you are going back to see) by 5pm - even 4:30pm if you can handle it. This means you are done dinner by 6:30pm - when most people are now wanting to eat. The lines will get shorter.
5. At 6:30, with lines getting shorter, have fun. Those who tried to plow straight through the middle of the day, even after taking a dinner break, might not have the energy to stay. Enjoy the slower evening, perhaps sticking around for the evening entertainment at your particular park.
6. If you have another park visit scheduled for the next day, don't stay out too late - if you have an off day instead, stay until closing.

Most planning sites say that 11am to 4pm is the time when the parks are the busiest - with the 1pm to 2pm time being the peak. Just DON'T be there at that time!

Have a great time!

Great plan! More detailed than some touring plans I've seen on web sites.

 

[Guest-expert]

Hot and humid....and don't foget the daily 3pm thunderstorm. People get a little testy too, when it's that hot. I find that On super Hot days, epcot is the best option....almost everything is indoors, and the world of coca-cola has free drinks....(free, but foreign...I like the watermelon soda on a hot day)

 

[RoseRoni2]

Yea, its hot but the crowds are managable! Especially if you plan right, go in early morning and leave by 11 then go back around 5 and stay the rest of the evening. Take advantage of EMH mornings and evenings. Most important just HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[esdras]

Great plan! More detailed than some touring plans I've seen on web sites.

Thanks.

I know some "touring plans" that you get tell you exactly which rides to go on in a particular order. This might be necessary during the early summer or holiday times, but the OP is going in later August - when a lot of the southern U.S. schools have started for the year. My own opinion is that the crowds will likely ease off enough that you just need a general plan for the day rather than a step-by-step touring plan. In that way, you get (hopefully) the best of both - a strategy to avoid the worst of the crowds, but with the freedom to improvise when you want to.

 

[pta-mom]

Thanks esdras for your plan!! I'm taking my two boys in late August & I love your suggestions!

Question though...I'm thinking of getting the water park option...do you think it would be plausible to do a park in the morning from opening until 1 & than go to BB or TL for the afternoon? Most of our ADR's are for 7:00ish so I'm thinking maybe this would work.....leave park at 1:00 for waterpark; stay until 5ish, go back to ASM for quick clean up & than dinner for 7:00. Does that sound like enough time?

 

[PictureJumpr]

To thoroughly enjoy a water park, I'm thinking you'll need more than the two hours you'd have with your plan.

Considering the transit times involved, park-to-resort-to change-to-waterpark and then waterpark-to-resort-to change-back-to-park for ADR would be cutting it too close. If it were me, I'd plan on opening a waterpark on a day, staying there several hours until mid-afternoon, and then going back to the hotel to change and head for the big park.

 

[esdras]

Thanks esdras for your plan!! I'm taking my two boys in late August & I love your suggestions!

Question though...I'm thinking of getting the water park option...do you think it would be plausible to do a park in the morning from opening until 1 & than go to BB or TL for the afternoon? Most of our ADR's are for 7:00ish so I'm thinking maybe this would work.....leave park at 1:00 for waterpark; stay until 5ish, go back to ASM for quick clean up & than dinner for 7:00. Does that sound like enough time?

To thoroughly enjoy a water park, I'm thinking you'll need more than the two hours you'd have with your plan.

Considering the transit times involved, park-to-resort-to change-to-waterpark and then waterpark-to-resort-to change-back-to-park for ADR would be cutting it too close. If it were me, I'd plan on opening a waterpark on a day, staying there several hours until mid-afternoon, and then going back to the hotel to change and head for the big park.

I would tend to agree with the above in response to your water park question - but for another reason on top of the transfers.

This is August - and it's gonna be hotter than blazes, and you are thinking of going to a water park at the time of day when people need to be cooling off in the water the most. The lines for the slides mid-afternoon will be awful - unless there's a thunderstorm that lasts for more than half an hour, encouraging some to leave for the day.

Since I don't know your trip schedule and whether you have any "break" days planned, I don't know if the Water Park option is good for you. For August, if you want to do BB or TL, I would dedicate the better part of a day for that.

If you want to skip a break back at the resort and do most of a day at a Water Park, I would suggest going to TL for opening and stay until just after lunch. Ride all the water slides as early as possible, and then spend the rest of the time in the wave pool or the lazy river. You are then close enough to DTD and that resort area - do dinner and the rest of the day there - wandering around the shops and stuff. Maybe go to Disney Quest that day if you are interested in that.

But, a theme park, then water park, then ADR - you'll wipe yourself out.