First trip and thinking of halving the days we go--should I?

[Tasscrapper]

Dh and I are going to Orlando mid August for our 25th anniversary we will effectively be there for 9 and 1/2 days. Flights and hotel are booked and there is no turning back. However, I am seriously worried about the heat. We live in Utah and are used to a dry heat in the summer, not the humidity. To give a bit of background . . . we have been going to Disneyland for about 10 years now and love it. We've been there during heat waves and dealt with the heat ok with various techniques but again it doesn't have WDW's humidity.

This will be our first trip to WDW and I was originally planning on getting 6 day base tickets. We would do each park once and then pick the two parks we enjoyed the most for our repeat days. It would be 2 days spent at the parks, 3 days with my sister and her DH (including an airboat ride, woot woot) and then 4 days at the parks with a half day free on the day we fly out.

Now I'm wondering if that is just way to much and we'll be miserable. So, is it crazy to cut it back to 3 days and just skip one of the parks? I think the park we would cut out would be Animal Kingdom. I know it has FOP and it is supposed to be the most amazing ride ever ect. but besides that there isn't much we want to do there. We would probably see festival of the Lion King, go on Kilamanjaro Safari, and EE although hubby doesn't really like coasters so he probably wouldn't even go on that. There is also the fact that AK is supposed to be hotter than the other parks and really spread out. We are staying off property so can only book fp's 30 days out so we might not be able to get a FOP fp anyhow and I am standing even an hour in any line in the Florida sun and humidity.

I'm not sure what we would do on the other days but the trip report I've been reading just sounds like it is going to be to much to go to the parks all those days in the heat. We want to enjoy it and not be exhausted the whole time.

Are evenings any better than the daytime with the heat? I don't know that we would get much sun relief because of the time of year. Sunset is probably way late in the evening anyhow. Does it help to go swimming?

 

[VandVsmama]

We were at WDW the week of 6/10 and the heat really sapped our energy. If we were to go again in the summer, I would do 1 park day followed by 1 non-park day (i.e., a rest day) and just repeat that throughout the trip. At most, I would do 2 park days in a row and then a rest day. For our family, what would absolutely NOT work would be going to a park day after day for several days in a row.

 

[Barbydoll8]

You will get lots of advice on this but from us locals I'll tell you this. Especially from CO, it won't be the heat, it will be the humidity that will kill you. But if you plan appropriately you can still achieve your full trip. Even though you are staying off property, if possible, take mid day breaks from the parks. From like noon to 6. If you want to do the parks I highly, highly recommend doing rope drop for each park you want. Leaving mid-day and then returning after 7:30. It's still hot but it will be more tolerable at night. Sunset here isn't until after 8:30 and by that time in August, still around 8 pm.
If you don't want to go back to your offsite, consider doing a WDW hotel tour mid day some days. Spend some time inside at some of the resorts around the parks. There really is a lot to do, see in them and most of the best restaurants on property are in the hotels. So maybe a monorail resort break with nice leisurely long lunch thrown in there?
Drink. Drink and drink. They usually have water stations out when the heat is bad but ice water is free from any counter service location on property so please drink more than your normally would. Dehydration is one of the #1 things that really zaps people when they aren't use to this weather.
If you choose to stay in the parks during mid-day be sure to schedule shows, meals and anything indoor you can.
I also recommend bringing extra socks/underwear with you and storing in a locker and changing mid to late day. I know it sounds weird but trust me, those that do it are happy they did.
Most of the ride queues are out of the sun but there are a few that are not or some that trail out into the sun of there is a long wait time.
Bring and reapply sunscreen multiple times through the day and/or wear a hat.
Remember to eat. Most people don't want to eat when it's hot out but it really is important to helping you stay healthy in the heat. There is lot of fruit/salad options in WDW if you can't do a "meal" while there.
Don't force yourself to do everything. Take lots of breaks. Sit down and drink the free water. Take the train ride around the park again and enjoy it.

 

[ultimatefans]

Days 4-6 on your tickets will cost a whole lot less than days 1-3, so I personally would keep the extra days. There are many strategies for combating the heat. There are many air conditioned attractions that you could spend time in. You can leave the park and go to a nearby resort for a while - grab a drink and people watch for a while. Drink lots of water. Bring a handheld fan or mister or Frog Togg. Take it slow. The heat can be brutal, but as long as you don't plan to go-go-go every second there is plenty to enjoy. We LOVE Animal Kingdom, in addition to Pandora the Finding Nemo show and Festival of the Lion King are fantastic (and inside). I personally wouldn't cut that park out.

 

[beccasmom]

I am not a fan of hazy/hot/humid either and we have often visited WDW in the summer. You really need to pace yourself and give yourself permission to rest when your body needs it. Pushing yourself is crazy, dangerous and just not necessary. My survival kit for summer in Orlando: ice cream breaks (and/or Dole Whips!), eating lightly, dressing comfortably, carrying a washcloth with me in a baggie for periodic refreshment (and not stressing over my makeup!), hydration (easy on adult beverages - your mileage may vary here), seeking shade and venues with a/c, mid-day pool or nap breaks and generally using common sense. And watch out for the others in your group too.

 

[a1tinkfans]

disliking Humidity, being hot, add in daily rain and Busy parks ...are givens for August coupled with an off site stay will seriously require you to be proactively prepared to combat each ..
Being off site makes it more difficult and imho, more expensive in the long run... ur adding daily parking fees and the likelihood that you won’t leave a park mid day to go back to ur hotel, takes time, n energy to do that) to take that much needed break u guys just may need.
Some suggestions to consider: plan ahead now.. ck Out a place to eat in each park for a cool respite ( having an idea makes less decision making when ur hot/tired etc) grab that free water at counter services thruout the parks, bring a washcloth in a ziploc and/or small mister fan to cool down, wear sandals and not socks n closed shoes/sneakers ( which will be heavy and get wet anyway), jump on the monorail and visit a resort mid day (ie: poly is a great choice: perhaps grab a drink or just sit and relax/peoplewatch in the comfy chairs, shop a bit..look around the resort) it will break up ur Park day, cool u down. ( AKL by bus is also a great one to visit)
Go Light with what you bring into parks.. don’t weigh urself down.
I’d never skip AK: it IS one of the warmest/congested But the animal trails, shows, entire Immersion is Amazing ( and not just the FOP area) which is AWEsome.

Bring a few cheapo ponchos.. u can use and ditch them rather than trying to dry them out ( they re super thin but do the job .. just a Pain to reroll.
Hydrate, eat light, relax and Enjoy.. space out park days, do a water park, perhaps even visit disney springs for a bite to eat.
Wishing you the very best time.. again I’d be prepared to avoid frustration, dehydration, and being soaked and miserable.
We used to do August and Loved it but it’s not for everyone.

 

[meagarunt22]

Noooooooo don't do it! Haha. Here's why...

It will he hit and humid, you are very right about that. So you'll want lots of breaks and maybe even leave the parks midday (sounds counterproductive but trust me, it's amazing), and you'll feel pressured and rushed to experience everything since you don't have much time and you will burn yourself out and leave a bad taste in your mouth for the World.

I definitely like your original plan. You can take breaks with some frozen coffee or ice cream and just chill out when you need to and you know you will have more time to do things you love again and to experience more. You don't want to regret spending all that money to feel like you didn't do near as much as you'd have liked. Plus you have some break days built in. I think you'll be fine as long as you don't fall into the trap of going so hard it kills you.

 

[loves to dive]

We used to go in August every other year because that was when my son was out of school and didn't have any summer activities planned. The heat and humidity weren't really a big deal for us but we live in Georgia so it's not really that different than home. I will say I've lived in the dessert and I've lived in the south east and to me, hot is hot and dry heat vs. humid doesn't really matter, if it's hot it's hot. As far as skipping a park, I would say no, especially if you have never been. There is no way you are going to know if you are going to like something unless you do it. We are not ride centric and we love AK, it might be our second favorite park with Epcot as number 1. The thing about AK is it's not all about the rides, it's a beautiful park with all sorts of little hidey holes and tucked away places if you are willing to take the time and stop and look. It's not a park you want to run through, you need to go slow and actually look. Having said that, it can easily be a half day park if you don't want to ride the big rides like FOP and EE, it might be worth doing the morning there, grabbing lunch then maybe going back to your resort and having a relaxing afternoon at the pool then maybe going back at night. Even if you don't want to ride the rides, Pandora is kind of cool at night and the tree of life awakenings are pretty cool.

 

[Summer2018]

Dh and I are going to Orlando mid August for our 25th anniversary we will effectively be there for 9 and 1/2 days. Flights and hotel are booked and there is no turning back. However, I am seriously worried about the heat. We live in Utah and are used to a dry heat in the summer, not the humidity. To give a bit of background . . . we have been going to Disneyland for about 10 years now and love it. We've been there during heat waves and dealt with the heat ok with various techniques but again it doesn't have WDW's humidity.

This will be our first trip to WDW and I was originally planning on getting 6 day base tickets. We would do each park once and then pick the two parks we enjoyed the most for our repeat days. It would be 2 days spent at the parks, 3 days with my sister and her DH (including an airboat ride, woot woot) and then 4 days at the parks with a half day free on the day we fly out.

Now I'm wondering if that is just way to much and we'll be miserable. So, is it crazy to cut it back to 3 days and just skip one of the parks? I think the park we would cut out would be Animal Kingdom. I know it has FOP and it is supposed to be the most amazing ride ever ect. but besides that there isn't much we want to do there. We would probably see festival of the Lion King, go on Kilamanjaro Safari, and EE although hubby doesn't really like coasters so he probably wouldn't even go on that. There is also the fact that AK is supposed to be hotter than the other parks and really spread out. We are staying off property so can only book fp's 30 days out so we might not be able to get a FOP fp anyhow and I am standing even an hour in any line in the Florida sun and humidity.

I'm not sure what we would do on the other days but the trip report I've been reading just sounds like it is going to be to much to go to the parks all those days in the heat. We want to enjoy it and not be exhausted the whole time.

Are evenings any better than the daytime with the heat? I don't know that we would get much sun relief because of the time of year. Sunset is probably way late in the evening anyhow. Does it help to go swimming?

My family are WDW veterans. Every time we have gone, we have learned important lessons and modified how we travel for the next trip. I believe we have finally found the sweet spot.

We now go to the parks early at rope drop and do as much as we can without fast passes, then use them. We spend the afternoon at our resort pool (Polynesian this time). In the evening, we eat at a nice restaurant and watch fireworks from either that restaurant (Cali Grill, Narcoosees) or from our resort. On our 25th wedding anniversary, we have booked the fireworks cruise so that we could watch the fireworks from an amazing vantage point all alone. We are returning to MK in the evening only on our very last day. We have an ADR at Crystal Palace. We will try to pack in anything that we missed and will leave before fireworks and the immense crowds all try to leave simultaneously.

On the day that my family is going to AK, I'm staying at my resort in my rented Cabana by the Oasis Pool for a relaxing day off. We also rented a half-day Cabana on our check-out day to spend a few hours before we have to actually leave (we like to stretch out our vacations as long as possible).

Doing the parks half-day allows for relaxation and true enjoyment for my family. We love to take full advantage of our resorts and enjoy all of the amenities. We manage the heat and humidity better; don't get as many blisters; don't feel overly exhausted; and truly have a wonderful vacation.

Do what makes you happy.

Happy Anniversary!!!

 

[Tasscrapper]

Thank you everyone for the replies! I am going to talk with my husband about it some more before we decide what to do. I had not seriously considered going to any of the resorts mid day but perhaps I should, particularly the AKL since that is the park I am worried about most. A lot of the stuff suggested we are already planning on doing either from what we learned doing DL and DCA or from my research here on the WDW side of the DIS. I truly love how helpful everyone is here.

Here are the things I am planning to deal with the heat (and when I say heat I really mean the humidity I think):
Wear light colored, loose clothing
Sandals ( I already bought new ones and broke them in but I think I want to get a second pair) (don't forget to sunblock the feet )
Cooling Towels ( we have the Disney ones which I actually like a lot better than the frogg togg type although I might bring one of those just in case it works better in the humidity)
H2O mini misting fan
hand held fan (like the accordian style)
light colored hat (at DL I would get it wet and that helped even more)
sunblock for sure
Water Bottle (not used to carrying one at DL, always get the free water but I think at WDW I need to keep water on me at all times. Just worried about weighing myself down.)
uv umbrella (yes I know to watch out for other people, and would use it where appropriate, it may be helpful it may not but I guess I will find out. Plus I'll have it for rain.)
Bringing flavor packets for water to help us want to drink more, lol
Gold Bond anti chafe (like Body Glide but cheaper. I love it!)
Moleskin in case of blisters not stopped by the Gold Bond

Touring:
Rope drop each day (that is normal for us)
Breaks each day (also normal for us)
Know shows to go to in each park to get out of the heat
Check out stores when hot
Stay out of lines in the sun for any length of time
Table service mid day if we are there? (I'm still researching this, maybe an early evening TS at a nearby resort would be better if I can get a reservation and then head back to the park) California Grill is a real possibility to be able to see fireworks that way plus I hear the food is amazing,
Take breaks when needed preferably with ac.
Try not to backtrack a lot. Not sure how easy this one will be. We are used to park hopping but with WDW being new for us I really want to knock out a section and then not need to revisit it again the same day. I don't want to be crisscrossing a park multiple times a day.
Take time to smell the roses! (Meaning don't rush so fast that we miss the small stuff that makes WDW unique)
Skip stuff if we want! (I really want to find the things that make WDW different than DLR and don't mind skipping stuff that is the same.)

I don't have a car rental right now which is somewhat scary all on it's own, lol. At the moment we are planning on using Uber/Lyft to get around. Still researching this too but I think it will be cheaper, less stressful, and I am hoping less time consuming with getting to and from the parks. On the days my sister and her dh will be there they will have a car since they are driving from Georgia. I'm keeping an eye on rates for the second half of our trip but I am really hoping the rates will drop some first.

Sorry it is all so long . . . it really has helped me to think things out though! I think I actually do have all the advice incorporated except for the change of undies which we would likely do on afternoon break and I do see the wisdom in that.


Do you guys find that it is good to have a water bottle as well as getting the free water? Maybe just take it into the parks for the mornings when it will be hotter with the sun? I have looked at collapsible pouches . . . . not sure which way to go. Maybe just using water bottles that can be thrown away if I want. We will do a grocery shop or delivery most likely our first day.

On a happy note we received our Magic Bands I ordered and it all makes it seem real!

 

[Mome Rath]

I do think it is good to have a water bottle, and you can also fill your bottle with the ice water from the free cups to take with you, and as you said you can toss it if it gets annoying or you don't want it on a ride with you.

And, I'd like to add, I too think you want to see all the parks. As a WDW vet that just went to DL for the first time last year, I will say you need to be prepared to walk a lot farther than at DL. Even at the MK, everything is a lot farther away than at DL. Also, I can confirm the heat is different mainly in the humidity. It also means when you go from outside to inside it feels a lot colder in the buildings (which can be a good thing, but can actually get chilly for some of us... until you go back out lol). As others have said, take your time, stay hydrated, take early/mid afternoon breaks, enjoy the mornings. When you can, walk through stores to cool off.

Oh, one other thing that I was surprised at was at DL there were a lot more benches and trees, which made it seem cooler, since there was more natural shade and places to sit right out in the park. There are places to sit at WDW, but you kind of have to scope them out.

 

[Tasscrapper]

Thanks Mome Rath! The bigger distances is part of why I don't want to be doing extra crisscrossing. If I remember correctly we normally do between 18,000-22,000 steps a day at at DLR. I'm not sure how that compares to an average day in a Florida park.

 

[wisteria1019]

Just a thought...because additional days beyond 5 or 6 are very inexpensive, have you considered a ticket to match the number of days of your stay and go for half days? Or for the first few hours of the day, then return for four or five hours at the end of the day?

 

[Mome Rath]

Thanks Mome Rath! The bigger distances is part of why I don't want to be doing extra crisscrossing. If I remember correctly we normally do between 18,000-22,000 steps a day at at DLR. I'm not sure how that compares to an average day in a Florida park.

You are probably within range; I've read other people's reports of steps, and it seems to average around 20,000 to 25,000 the added seems to be if you walk both EPCOT and Studios in a day. On a slow day I go just over 7 miles. I would guess 9 is my average, but I don't tend to rush. And, yes on the crisscrossing; if you can plan out your attack you can usually do a circular maneuver and minimize backtracking. It gets harder when you juggle ADRs and FP's.

I know the heat is intimidating, but I really hope you guys have fun! I love both WDW and now DL, they each have magic and they are different, but that makes it fun... Going into DL was like going into a parallel dimension, it is so similar yet so different than MK in WDW, it was really neat to have that experience.

 

[dreamit]

Thank you everyone for the replies! I am going to talk with my husband about it some more before we decide what to do. I had not seriously considered going to any of the resorts mid day but perhaps I should, particularly the AKL since that is the park I am worried about most. A lot of the stuff suggested we are already planning on doing either from what we learned doing DL and DCA or from my research here on the WDW side of the DIS. I truly love how helpful everyone is here.

Here are the things I am planning to deal with the heat (and when I say heat I really mean the humidity I think):
Wear light colored, loose clothing
Sandals ( I already bought new ones and broke them in but I think I want to get a second pair) (don't forget to sunblock the feet )
Cooling Towels ( we have the Disney ones which I actually like a lot better than the frogg togg type although I might bring one of those just in case it works better in the humidity)
H2O mini misting fan
hand held fan (like the accordian style)
light colored hat (at DL I would get it wet and that helped even more)
sunblock for sure
Water Bottle (not used to carrying one at DL, always get the free water but I think at WDW I need to keep water on me at all times. Just worried about weighing myself down.)
uv umbrella (yes I know to watch out for other people, and would use it where appropriate, it may be helpful it may not but I guess I will find out. Plus I'll have it for rain.)
Bringing flavor packets for water to help us want to drink more, lol
Gold Bond anti chafe (like Body Glide but cheaper. I love it!)
Moleskin in case of blisters not stopped by the Gold Bond

Touring:
Rope drop each day (that is normal for us)
Breaks each day (also normal for us)
Know shows to go to in each park to get out of the heat
Check out stores when hot
Stay out of lines in the sun for any length of time
Table service mid day if we are there? (I'm still researching this, maybe an early evening TS at a nearby resort would be better if I can get a reservation and then head back to the park) California Grill is a real possibility to be able to see fireworks that way plus I hear the food is amazing,
Take breaks when needed preferably with ac.
Try not to backtrack a lot. Not sure how easy this one will be. We are used to park hopping but with WDW being new for us I really want to knock out a section and then not need to revisit it again the same day. I don't want to be crisscrossing a park multiple times a day.
Take time to smell the roses! (Meaning don't rush so fast that we miss the small stuff that makes WDW unique)
Skip stuff if we want! (I really want to find the things that make WDW different than DLR and don't mind skipping stuff that is the same.)

I don't have a car rental right now which is somewhat scary all on it's own, lol. At the moment we are planning on using Uber/Lyft to get around. Still researching this too but I think it will be cheaper, less stressful, and I am hoping less time consuming with getting to and from the parks. On the days my sister and her dh will be there they will have a car since they are driving from Georgia. I'm keeping an eye on rates for the second half of our trip but I am really hoping the rates will drop some first.

Sorry it is all so long . . . it really has helped me to think things out though! I think I actually do have all the advice incorporated except for the change of undies which we would likely do on afternoon break and I do see the wisdom in that.


Do you guys find that it is good to have a water bottle as well as getting the free water? Maybe just take it into the parks for the mornings when it will be hotter with the sun? I have looked at collapsible pouches . . . . not sure which way to go. Maybe just using water bottles that can be thrown away if I want. We will do a grocery shop or delivery most likely our first day.

On a happy note we received our Magic Bands I ordered and it all makes it seem real!

You have a good plan! I'd add wearing a sun hat. Even my non-hat-wearing husband wears one at Disney. (We call it his vacation hat.) It makes such a difference to not have that sun beating down on your face

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

we usually do parks in the morning and then go back the resort during the heat of the day. THen later on in the evening we go back to the parks when it is cooler. We plan what park we visit based upon which one is open the latest so we can enjoy the park longer when the temps are cooler

 

[NothingisImpossible]

Each park has an air conditioned hotel within 10 minutes from the front gate (MK - Poly/Contemporary; EP - Boardwalk/beach Club; AK - AK Lodge, HS - boat to Board/Beach Club), where you can get a drink, sit down and cool off. When going in the heat, we try to get an early start (EMH or breakfast IN a park) and then stay in the park until 1ish..then head back to the room or nearby hotel. We try to plan dinner reservations early 3-5 or late 7-9 so that we can either go to dinner in the park or come back later on when the temps drop a little (and it isn't the middle of the day). You can always score a couple of extra fast passes for later on int he day as motivation to get back.

I also like to keep track of the air-conditioned, quieter, empty attractions where you can take a break within the park. Dark and quiet comes in super handy for hot and sunny.

 

[Pop Goes the Weasel]

IMHO, trying to cram your activities into the minimum number of (long, sweaty) park days is one of the worst WDW vacation mistakes. It is super fun and relaxing when you have plenty of time and you don't feel like you need to rush around or stay in the parks all day. I prefer to buy 9 or 10 day tickets even if it means staying off-site. Your cost per day is a lot lower, and you don't feel bad about spending fewer hours in the parks. Spend the heat of the day at the pool, hit up a nice restaurant while not all sweaty, and then head into a the park in the evening feeling fresh.

 

[Oneanne]

I would also recommend what some PPs have suggested... add days to your tickets (the more days the less they cost) and plan on doing some half park days and/or taking long afternoon resort breaks and then going out again in the evening.

 

[Tasscrapper]

So, we have finally decided to get the 6 day tickets as originally planned. W do have some non Disney activities planned for the weekend when my sister and her husband will be with us. We are going to do an air boat ride followed by going to Cocoa Beach for lunch and swimming and possibly jetskiing. We also have the Capone dinner show for one of the evenings. I talked with my husband about getting the 7 day pass and he really just can't see when we would use it and I am bowing to his wisdom on that. I really don't want to push to hard on this trip. If we end up falling in love with the world then we will be back sometime and there isn't much use in trying to do it all. We've picked which days we are going to be doing which parks for the first 4 park days and will get to do fp+ soon. It will be interesting to see what we are able to get. Thank you to all the advice. If we didn't have the three solid non Disney days I think I would have gone for the 7 day pass. We might still go to Disney Springs or one of the resorts to try and watch the fireworks with my sister and her dh.