Dealing with the heat at Animal Kingdom in September

[lynn11222]

My husband and I thinking about going to Animal Kingdom during our visit to Orlando during the first week of September. We are worried that we aren't going to be able to deal with the heat since we know that it usually hot and humid in early September and we don't deal with heat well now that we are in our 50s. We aren't staying at a Disney resort so we won't have the luxury of leaving the park during the hottest part of the day and coming back later.

Does anyone have any strategies for dealing with the heat while at Animal Kingdom? Seeing the animals is our number 1 priority, so we plan on doing the Kilimanjaro Safari first. Does anyone have any suggestions on what we should do after the safari, before it gets unbearably hot?

I also have some questions about the free water at AK. Is the water at the bottle refilling stations and restaurants filtered and does it taste okay? If not, how much do bottled waters cost and what brand are they? If the free water tastes nasty, I think I won't bother bringing insulated water bottles and will buy bottled water at the park instead. I worry about getting heat stroke so my husband and I plan on drinking a lot of water while we are there and plan on adding Liquid IV or gatorade packets to the water occasionally, even though we hate the taste of it.

 

[DisneyMom93]

Have you tried these? Apparently they freeze in water as cool as 65 degrees if you re-wet them. I’ve never used them.

https://www.amazon.com/Cooling-Reus...2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1

Also, I recommend the two indoor shows, Lion King and Nemo. They are both really good shows and air conditioned.

The Asia water ride Kali River Rapids ride is really good for cooling off if you don’t mind getting wet.

 

[DisneyMom93]

You can also go directly to the drink pick up area at quick meal restaurants and ask for ice water.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I'd recommend getting there on the early side, before the heat really settles in. One consideration, perhaps, is a late lunch dining reservation at a place like Sanaa at the Animal Kingdom Lodge - a short, air conditioned bus ride from the park. Enjoy lunch in the cool, enjoy that break for a couple hours, and then head back to see what else you might want to do at the park. I totally agree with planning on one of both of the indoor shows.

 

[Uncle Coaster]

I’d also add taking the train to Rafiki’s planet watch. There is a petting zoo over there and the Conservation Station is air conditioned and a neat place to beat the heat.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Do the gorilla falls trail when you get off the safari and then proceed down to the Tiger Trail. The trails are a lot of walking so doing them earlier in the morning is key.

Yak and Yeti is a table service restaurant that makes a nice AC break. However, I really like PP’s suggestion of Sanaa for you. Anyone can take the Disney bus to AKV and back to AK, if you’re driving yourself you can drive to AKV if you have an ADR. This way you can avoid some of the heat of the day while inside and still watching animals. You can even go over to AKL and explore a bit, anyone is welcome to explore the lobby and viewing areas for the animals, both indoor and outdoor.

The bottled water is Dasani and SmartWater. Some people think tap is fine, I think they’re nuts. Enough ice can cover up some of the taste but personally I would not bring a refillable water bottle in your situation. Disney has very few refill stations, which I thought were filtered before I got bad tasting water out of the one in SWGE so idk. I start the day with my own plastic bottle and buy as I need. Dasani is sold at practically every cart and Smart is at a lot too. Don’t recall the inflated price.

 

[Draco0801]

We are going first weekend of September too we are from Fl and it's been crazy hot & humid and forecasting it to continue for a bit. How far are you staying off property because we do quick trips and stay at Disney Springs, and they have transport back and forth or other off property's I have seen offer shuttles.
We plan on arriving as early as possible to get in as many rides and safari early until it gets too humid or hot then do sit down some shows or lunch in AC then we decide on what rides have less wait times or inside stuff where we can get cool.

 

[zackiedawg]

Without leaving Animal Kingdom, there are a few spots for good AC breaks when you need them. First off, Rainforest Cafe at the entrance has a large store and restaurant, bar seating, etc - you could just go have a drink and chill at the bar when you need the cool-down. Nomad Lounge is always a favorite bar stop and cool off spot too - if you're into having a drink or appetizer - if not, consider Pizzafari - it's a large space with lots of rooms, and you can sit anywhere you want to relax and cool down. Of course, visit any of the stores or shops and browse for a bit to get additional AC time. And as another mentioned, the shows will give you nice AC time as well. Restaurantosaurus is still open and is another spot for some AC break, and parts of Satu"li Canteen are air-conditioned too.

If outside, there are lots of little seating areas throughout that have good tree cover or shade, or covered pavilions, and most have fans, so if you sit and relax with a water or drink, you'll cool off reasonably quickly even without AC. Frequent stops to sit and relax under a fan and in the shade will keep you from risking overheating.

AK is a park where you really want to wear light clothes - stuff that dries fast, maybe has UV protection. I love fishing shirts there particularly - very light material, vented throughout, UV protected, and dries in minutes. Lighter colors reflect the sun so avoid dark clothes like black or navy color that absorb and suck in the heat.

I'll be up there 2nd week of September - and was also there in June. Of course, I live in South Florida so I'm dealing with these temps and humidity at home anyway, so visiting Disney during the hot summer isn't as bad a decision for me as for someone coming from up north. Choosing between baking and sweating at home, or baking and sweating at Disney, might as well be sweating at Walt's place.

 

[lovethattink]

The hottest part of the day is 4pm to 6pm. I live in Florida and the heat has really been getting to me the last couple years. I was even sent by ambulance from Epcot to the ER from heat exhaustion a couple years ago and it was around 11am.

If you will have a freezer where you are staying, I suggest freezing water bottles and put them in your back pack. I usually freeze 3 bottles and stick them in a zip lock freezer bag so it doesn’t sweat all over everything. They usually last 2 to 3 hours in the back pack. Sometimes longer.

We eat meals indoors as a break. Can get small cup of ice water at any counter service.

Gorilla Falls and Majaraja Jungle Trek are best to do early as there is no air conditioning.

Nemo, Festival of the Lion King, Dinosaur, Navi River, Flight of Passage, It’s tough to be a big, are all air conditioned. If you place these between outdoor things you want to do, that will help.

 

[ars0525]

Go early. I find the best part about AK is for me it's a low key park meaning I take my time & just take in the atmosphere. You can sit down to watch or linger in areas. Take the animation class--that's inside so a nice cool down & sitting. Start early with drinking your water/hydrating (make sure to drink the day/night before so you don't start behind). Bring flavor packets to change it up. Try to plan the indoor AC things for the hotter times of the day or work them in during the day to give yourself a break from the heat.

 

[DisneyFive]

Animal Kingdom thankfully is pretty shaded, but our best solution for the heat in the parks are portable UV umbrella's. They are amazing if you need to be standing out in the sun. (and come in handy if it rains)

Other than that, free ice water at QS locations.

 

[loislane]

Do the animal stuff early - that's when they are most active anyway.
A hat is very beneficial in AK - even better if you can wear a cooling hat that you wet like the cooling towels- which are also good!
For hydration, I really like the Propel packets. I also don't like the LiquidIV or Gatorade ones, but really like the Propel ones.
If you can swing it, I'd definitely utilize Lighting Lanes - both multipass and single pass. I almost always do the single pass for Flight of Passage rather than wait in line. But the multipass will allow you to line up your must dos, hopefully at times that work best. (In my opinion, multipass also gets you seating in one of the two *better* animal sections for Festival of the Lion King. )
Otherwise, my best advice for AK is to take it leisurely. Do something outside and then do something inside, even if it's just browsing in a gift shop. Take in the shows - not only are they fantastic, but you're inside in the cool, dark air conditioning. Go to Rafiki's Planet and take the free animation class offered there.
Enjoy a long midday meal break in an inside location. Satuuli Canteen is my favorite, but there's also table service options at Tusker House, Tiffins, Yak and Yeti (which also has a quick-service location) or Nomad Lounge. Pizzafari and Restaurantosaurus are quick-service with inside seating.