First time going in August..what do I need to know?

[pixiechick77]

Hello Fellow disney addicts.....my mom, sis and bil are going in August!!!!! This is the first time we will be going in the heat of the summer (have gone multiple times before) Any different things that we should know or be preparied for? We are use to going in the fall so I am anticipating that the crowds will be heavier then we are use too. Any other advice would be great!
Pixie chick

 

[goofy4tink]

It will be hot/humid. But, if you take it slow and don't try to do everything you should be fine. We went mid-Aug. last year and are going same time this year. We like to get going in the morning, stay in the park until about 1ish, go back to the resort and swim and relax. Then we head back to the parks about 5ish. Or we will book a late lunch/early dinner around 4:30 at one of the park restaurants. We drink a lot of water and rest our feet a lot during the day. It will rain...sometimes torrentially. For our last 4 days last year it rained from 3:00 until late night. Bring ponchos with you or be prepared to buy them in the parks. Then, keep right on going. It only gets to be a problem if it starts thundering and lighening. Then they start shutting down the outside attractions, especially the water ones.

So, water, rest, swim, eat. That should do it!!

 

[Dopey's twin Dippy]

yep, just make sure to drink alot of WATER cause it will HOT HOT HOT.........we usually go in the mornings, then either head back to all stars and eat lunch and swim, or we will go to another hotel for lunch. just for a break. it gets very tiring with the heat and crowds. but all in all if you just relax, enjoy , drink and FP you should still have a great time. We hav e been going the last 4 - 5 years in august. last year was the RAINEIST,,lol... but we just put the ponchos on and kept going. just watch the ligt. storms thats all. . we are supposed to be going this summer in aug. but it depends on DD schedule for track. so we will see. hope you have a great time..

 

[maine_jennifer]

August is

very hot

very humid

rains every afternoon, usually less than an hour

crowds depend on what part of August you're going
this summer seems busier than "normal"

So, drink lots of water, take it slow, and have fun!

 

[Pirate-Jeff]

Drink lots of water and don't forget the sunscreen.

Wear cooler clothes, I have found that T-shirts are hotter than you think, wear something loose fitting and light in color, also don't forget hats. If you think you are getting overheated go into 1 of the counter service restaurants, get a drink and sit in the a/c for a while.

The first days of our trip are be the worst with the heat. We must get use to the heat the longer we are there.

I usually carry a hiking /fanny pack that holds 2 16-24oz.water bottles and has room for my camera and rain gear. In August you will need rain gear or ponchos on most afternoons.. I take the pack in to the parks almost empty and buy 2 bottles of water during the morning and refill those for the day. Water can get expensive at $2.50+ for a bottle of water. There are water fountains near most of the rest-rooms so you can refill your bottles.

This year we will try a break in the middle of the day. We will go back to the resort have lunch, a swim and relax than return to the park around 5.

Do an E-ride night if one is on when you are there.

Make use of fast pass often

Don't go to the parks that have the early entry day as they have the most crowds. if you do go to an EED park hop to a differant park when the crowds get heavy (usually around 10)

If you go the water parks plan on arriving before opening time,and don't forget the sunglasses and SUNSCREEN!!!

See you there

Jeff

 

[bobcat]

The later in August you go the lighter the crowds are but also the park hours are shorter. As others have said August is HOT!!!
Take a water bottle and even a mister fan.
Also it rains every day. Ponchos are a must so you can continue to enjoy the parks while everyone else is running for cover.

 

[michygoomy]

Ditto to what the rest of the poster said....plus:

If parades are a priotity for you, catch them when you can. Last August most of the parades got rained out (that's when the storms seemed to come every day) and if I were to do it over again, I'd make sure to make the parade a priority when the weather holds instead--instead of trying to hop to three different parades on the last day!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

This is the first year we are NOT going in august, we went in april this year and will go next april too. We are also now from NY. and the weather was brutal. As the other posters said last aug. was so rainy. They even shut down the disney transportation due to a tornado warning. Our sneakers were so soaked we walked around the parks with our water shoes on. If you plan on going to a water park you must get there when it opens. If you want to eat somplace special or popular make a priority seating. Many times we saw people being turned away. I was so happy we had our ps made well in advance from home. We always take an afternoon swim and rest break. Its really too hot to eat. We just do granola bars for breakfast and usually have lunch as our big meal, its cheaper also. We bring gatorade or koolaid into the parks as we dont like the taste of the water. If you are staying on site buy a refillable mug. A mister fan is a must, it really helped keep the temperature tantrums away and at lunch we usually had a buffet and asked for another round of drinks before we left. We poured all of those into our rubbermaid chuggers in our backpack and we were good to go until about 2, 3 if we wanted to see a parade.

 

[tinkerbella22]

I have gone three times in August and will be going again this August. From mid August on crowds are lighter. Heat is super hot and humid. As mentioned before last August was more crowded and RAIN RIAN RAIN. We got caught in a tornado touch down in MOrrocco and they stopped the transportation....funny now...scary then. Even so since I am a teacher the end of August I never have long wait times.

Go early. Bring sun block to re apply at the parks...don't bother with make up ( you will sweat it off before the bus shows up to tke you to the park)....go take a break after lunch....enjoy it is magic!!

 

[mickey12810]

We are going Aug 22-31. I am hoping that most of the schools will be in session by this time and the crowds will be lighter. I'm not to worried about the heat. We use to go in July when I was a kid. Since I have been married we usually go in either October or April. This is my ds graduation gift and last hurrah with the family before he starts college. So I'm hoping the heat and the rain won't be too bad.

 

[HeatherAnn23]

Keep in mind that just because the kids go back to school at the end of August doesn't mean the heat does! It will still be hot, muggy with t-storms. You just won't have as many hot stinky bodies around you - which is a blessing of a different kind!

 

[SkylarKD]

Originally posted by HeatherAnn23
...You just won't have as many hot stinky bodies around you - which is a blessing of a different kind!

Amen!!!

 

[westjones]

I haven't read everyone's responses (so I may be repeating info here), but we just got back and my 'advice' is:

1. buy the kids those water spray bottle/fans BEFORE you go (they are $17 in the park and only $3-5 in the discount stores). It will be very HOT and your kids will want one of those. Last time we didn't buy them, and I didn't want to spend $17 for them so my kids just had to suffer (and complain a lot). This time we bought them at Target ahead of time and the kids were MUCH happier!

2. Remember that you can go up to any counter service and ask for 'a cup of ice water' and it is FREE! My DDs really appreciated being able to do this when they were hot and thirsty.

3. Buy some cheap ($1) ponchos to have if it rains. It rained every day last week when we were there (so you may want extras).

Hope you have a great trip!
DJ

 

[beattyfamily]

OK, I think we all know it will be hot, humid, rain a lot and more crowded than the fall and winter.

Can anyone please tell this (and other) first timer, August goer (end of August) any POSITIVES about going the end of August rather than all the negatives?

Or is it all bad and I should just cancel my trip??

 

[westjones]

Well after completing our first summer trip, the positives seem to be later hours at the parks. There were 2 shows scheduled for Fantasmic at MGM the day we went.

We won't be going again in the summer because we are from the north and the Florida heat was too much for us (especially for our DD with asthma, we had to take her back to the room in the afternoon and use her inhaler a few times when she had problems).

If you are use to the heat and no one has medical problems, you should be fine and will have a good time. We had a good time, we just know that it isn't the right time of the year for us.

NOW, we did go to Disney's Vero Beach Resort at the end of our trip and we all really enjoyed that. My DD with asthma has NO problems there and she was 'on the go' all day. The humidity wasn't as bad there as it was at WDW.

Anyway, it is always fun at Disney. Just prepare for your trip and understand what the weather will be like when you get there. Believe me there was LOTS of people enjoying the parks while we were there.

DJ

 

[HeatherAnn23]

#1 positive about WDW in August:


You're in WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!!

 

[deltachi8]

Positives about August:

1) Lower Crowds (longest wait last year was 15 mins - and only "had" to use FastPass once).

2) Off Season Rates for hotels, airfare, etc...

3) It is Disney World....

 

[ncmvp]

We have been going to wdw in late August for the past 8 years.

Yep, its hot, but I rather be hot in WDW than at home in New York.

The pluses, shorter lines, last hurrah before summer is over, we are having fun as a family, WE ARE IN WDW!

Our DS has asthma. He has never had a problem with the heat, we pace ourselves and I carry his inhaler. If we get tired we go sit down in an air conditined ride (hall of presidents, HM etc.). As long as you don't make a marathon out of your trip, you will be ok. Pick up a park map upon entering the parks, it will tell you all you need to know about your day in that park. Don't forget to drink lots of water.

Also we have never needed to leave the parks in the middle of the day. Are we super people? No we just don't kill ourselves because we know we will be back.

 

[westjones]

Sounds like August is better than July. Like I said, we were there last week (week of July 4th) and there were VERY long waits and lots of people there.

Now I wish we had went in August instead!
DJ