Help me keep cool in Disney

[Tbella]

We are heading to the world on 9/14. I did a search and can't find any of the threads relating to keeping cool . What are your ways of beating the heat in Disney?

 

[guitarob]

Drink lots of water, and relax at your resort pool in the afternoon when the day is at it's hottest.

 

[francie57]

Since we always go in Aug. we have some experience. We go to the parks at opening, head back to the resort for the afternoon and enjoy the pool. We then head to Epcot since that is where most of our ADRs are, and then go to whichever park we feel like. Drink plenty of water or sports drinks, walk through the stores whenever possible, take a washcloth from the room to wet in the bathrooms to cool off your neck with, use plenty of suncreen, and even take a hat.

 

[nadiakim]

We are heading to the world on 9/14. I did a search and can't find any of the threads relating to keeping cool . What are your ways of beating the heat in Disney?

We also purchased the spray bottles with the fans from walmart before we left. They were great. We were down there Sept 17-26 2011 and it was hot. We also tried to save some of the indoor rides or attractions for when it got too hot. Like Mickeys Philharmonic, its a small world, carousel of progress. Maybe you book an ADR to get you in the AC. And def like OP we sometimes would leave when it got too hot and go back to the resort for dip and a nap. And then back to the park like around 5..

 

[hakepb]

Wear technical shirts. (light colots in the sun,of course) They wick moisture and breathe much better than cotton t's. I think they give a feeling 5-10 degrees better than cotton.
it's not unusual to buy store brand technical shirts at Kohls or Target in the $10 range, which is a lot better than the $50 range the Nike and UA shirts were.

 

[DakotaRose]

We've had a hot summer here. I've been getting outside for a good while each day while it's hot - walking, yardwork, etc - to acclimate to heat. We'll see.

 

[ShannonMB]

My mom swears by something called the chilly towel. I think she said she got one at a sporting goods store. Anyway, she bought one for her boyfriend who was working with a friend on replacing his roof this summer and he said it "saved his life" in the heat we've had this summer.

 

[kramerzoo]

We bought these towels called FroggToggs Chilly Pad at Bed Bath and Beyond about a month ago...They are awesome!
As long as it stays wet, it stays really cool...really helped us here in the heat in NOVA....
I will probably pack them for our October trip...

 

[kramerzoo]

My mom swears by something called the chilly towel. I think she said she got one at a sporting goods store. Anyway, she bought one for her boyfriend who was working with a friend on replacing his roof this summer and he said it "saved his life" in the heat we've had this summer.

HAHA You must've posted as I was typing about the same thing!!

 

[Amunet]

My tip is the same as the others about the cloth ... but DH and I just brought a regular bandana and cloth (bandana for him, cloth for me). We used these to keep the sweat from running into our eyes and we also soaked them with water and put them on our heads/back of our necks. It REALLY helped us.
Also bought mini fans that we could fill up with water and squirt.

We are used to going in late July, so we usually always have to deal with the heat.

 

[hfuellgraf]

Tom Sawyer Island Rocking Chairs; Sitting at the bakery and having a cinnamon roll; shopping in the AC; Going to the parks after 5pm! Froggs towels and water! Have fun and beat the heat!

 

[Bonniec]

A lot of good advice so I'll add some other stuff. Wear clothes and shoes that you don't mind getting wet in. Then find places and wet yourself down. Worse case scenario, find a fountain and splash water on yourself.

MK has the new splash pad, Epcot has some misters and fountains, AK has the rapids ride, HS doesn't have much for getting wet.

In the midday heat, find AC rides as mentioned above. Shows are great if they are long lasting. Lastly, just take breaks midday if you have that option.

And drinking water is worth mentioning again. Ice water is free from vendors. Drink it, pour it on yourself, whatever. It's easy to get dehydrated.

 

[MIKE101067]

I freeze a water bottle the night before and carry it around with me. Feels great in my hand and the ice melts at the perfect rate to give cold sips throughout the day. I also keep a cooler in my car with other frozen water bottles (and a wet wash cloth) so I have another cold drink waiting for me.

 

[ppony]

We bought these towels called FroggToggs Chilly Pad at Bed Bath and Beyond about a month ago...They are awesome!
As long as it stays wet, it stays really cool...really helped us here in the heat in NOVA....
I will probably pack them for our October trip...

I just bought one of these after reading about it on a tips thread. That thing is AWESOME!!!! GREAT invention! It even feels cool coming right out of the package just barely damp. Dry, yet cool. LOVE IT! My oldest wanted to steal it, but I told him you can cut it up and he can have his own. They are pretty big and the package even says you can cut them up for smaller sizes. I think a family of 4 easily could have one of their own from one single Chilly Pad.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

I buy a fan in Epcot (Japan or China) and carry it with me at all times! Sometimes you just need to feel some type of breeze across your skin.

 

[Tbella]

Thanks for all the great advice! I saw the frog toggs at BJ's wholesale club last week. I'm going to have to take a trip back to pick some up. I have picked up some Under Armour clothing and similar brands whenever I find them on the sale racks. I'll keep hoping for temps in the mid 80's and below.

 

[DisneyDetective]

I bought a Camelpak and found just drinking throughout the day very beneficial.

 

[artemis4]

We've had a hot summer here. I've been getting outside for a good while each day while it's hot - walking, yardwork, etc - to acclimate to heat. We'll see.

We acclimate too, living without air conditioning. We are heading to Disney is just over a week, and temps should be right about 90 based upon what I'm seeing. When we spend too much time in air conditioning, then it is so much harder to be outside for a long time in this heat. Upper 80's and 90 are still nice summer days for us. Shade during peak sun times and lots of water are our best strategies for the heat other than our bodies being used to it.

 

[Schmoodle]

We were there mid-August last year and as it was our first full-summer trip, I was worried how we'd deal with the heat. I had a friend who'd gone the previous August and suffered terribly. Granted, it was a heat wave when she was there. I was surprised that it was much less of an issue than I expected. I had planned a bit longer trip (10 days) just for that reason, so we could take it slower and take breaks, and that really helped. Getting inside out of the worst heat of the day was good. And really, even in the parks you're inside a lot, unless you're walking around Epcot. I will say acclimating is a good idea - we don't have central air conditioning in our home, so we're pretty used to summer weather.

The thing about the fan-misters and neck wraps, cooling towels, etc., is that I feel cooler if I don't have to lug all that stuff around. If it's very humid and you spray yourself, it might feel good for a moment, but then you're wet AND hot, and you don't ever really dry off. One thing I did find that I would definitely buy again were some little packaged Cool Off Towelettes. I think they were witch hazel with some kind of eucalyptus or menthol in them. I had my doubts, but they did give a very cooling sensation, and freshened us up too. And they were small enough to just stick in a pocket.

Don't worry too much. If you don't have health issues, just make sure you hydrate and wear sunscreen, don't push yourself, and when someone needs a break, nip into the AC for a show or a snack or shopping.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We just got back from an early Aug trip and used these techniques to help stay cool:

1-Tour early when it's cooler, that means rope drop and using morning EMH's
2-take a break/swim/nap during the heat of the day. We took a break everyday from about 1-5
3-Go back and tour when the sun is down. Less crowds and cooler
4-Cut up Frogg Toggs towels into smaller pieces that can be put in a small ziplock bag and then into your fannypack/bag. These can be cut up and then used to wipe down your face, neck and arms. You have to keep these wet, but there are lots of bathrooms or drinking fountains to rinse and keep wet
5-I don't like the large mister fans, I try to keep the things I have to carry to a minimum. I like the small personal Coleman fans, in the camping section. They are small and fit into a fannypack/bag and create pretty good wind flow
6-carry a bottle of water or gatorade with you as much as possible. Keep hydrated!
7-body glide. I got soaked on Splash Mountain at night. It was very humid that night and I could not get my shorts dry. Chaffing!! I bought a small bottle of body glide, it was very helpful
8-Moleskin-lots of it. I have some great Reef shoes and Keen sandals, wore them lots of times. I still got blisters this year. I pre-cut moleskin and applied a couple times a day.