How Bad Is August?

[luvindisneyworld]

We had reservations for June 6th-June 13th but we had to change them because school got pushed back because of all the snow we got here in Western NC.
We have been in Sept, June, May, Nov, Dec, Oct but never in August.. Im getting really worried but our reservations are the 9th-15th, this is the week before the kids start back to school. We were thinking that the crowds would be lower but we are really, really worried about the heat..
I am thinking go in first think of the morning and leave about lunch time go back to AKL for a few hours for swimming and if anyone needs naps. Head out again about 5 or so and have dinner and then hit the EMH. It is going to be 9 adults and 3 kids.
Any August travelers out there I would love to hear from you.. Again, I don't know if I am as worried about the crowds as much as I am the heat...
I want to make sure my Sister in law is going to be okay, she is a breast cancer survivor and just had a total hysterectomy last month. The last time we went with her 2 years ago we rented her a scooter because she just tires so easily so I am thinking this would be the thing to do for her again...

Please any input...

 

[kmv]

I lived in Florida for 6 years and in MA the rest of my life. I will be honest, August in Florida is like January in MA...everyone stays inside where the temperature is tolerable.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

rent the scooter. It will be hot and crowds can be sizable even into the third week of august. Bring plenty of fluids. I love hot weather so I see no issues with august.

 

[TinkerElsasMom]

I'll be going at the end of July so I imagine the weather will be somewhat similar. I planned to have air conditioned lunch breaks at TS restaurants at all of the parks I'm doing. Our MK day we are having lunch at CRT then doing some air conditioned shows during the heat of none day. Drink LOTs of water and take advantage of evening rides and breaks as much as possible.

 

[abja09]

I go to WDW every year in mid-August. This year I will be there the end of August. It is hot but as long as you plan for it you will be ok. We always get to the park first thing and leave by 1/2pm to get out of the heat just as you are planning. I works well! I find the crowds to minimal that time of year. Sometimes we just walk on rides with very little wait. Have fun and drink lots of water!!

 

[mortimor]

We have went every August for a great number of years and will be doing it again this year on a bounce back with free dining we booked on a previous stay! It is hot, but we plan accordingly by getting to the parks in the morning and taking mid-day breaks to swim and then back in the evening for more fun in the parks. For us, there are enough attractions that have AC to break up the heat during the day. We seem to take in more shows when we visit in August than other trips and enjoy sitting down inside to cool off.

One horror story that I can still vividly remember was a stay at All Star Music years ago when we were still pushing a stroller. It was time for our mid-day break and the heat and humidity were beyond terrible. The bus showed up for All Star Sports (neighbor to Music) and we elected to grab that bus to get out of the heat rather than wait outside for our bus to arrive. Pushing that stroller across the vast All Star parking lot from one resort to another in the blazing sun and sun soaked asphalt parking lot was almost the end of us. Get the scooter for anyone that may need a little extra.

 

[squirrel4569]

We went last year in August and a few years ago in September and while it was hot it wasn't unbearable for us. We wore light clothing, comfortable shoes and had Brita bottles and Frogg Toggs chilling towels to keep cool. The pools were great and we found A/C attractions during the heat of the day often. It does rain about 3pm everyday, but not for long. The ponchos keep you dry but are also like sitting in a greenhouse for the 15 minutes that it's raining. Hats also help with the heat. Enjoy!

 

[ArwenMarie]

We go every August, the last week.

It is hot. Hotter than the hottest hot. Definitely rent the scooter.

But, it can be done. Here's what we find helps..

Lots of water obviously. Bring loads of clothes or plan to do laundry because you will need to change a few times a day. Frogg Togg Cooling Pads are lifesavers for our family. We cut them in two in a diagonal and wear them around our necks and down our tees kind of like a scarf. Some people like those Misty Mate misters too.

Get up early, start out early, plan to be back at the hotel to rest in the afternoons for the brutal midday heat and daily storms.

Take the heat into consideration with your touring plan, alternating in air-conditioned attractions. Some parks feel hotter than others. World Showcase feels like an oven during the day and since it doesn't open til 11, that's a good one to do at night. Future World isn't as bad because you are in the buildings for a while. MK isn't bad because there are a lot of A/C anytime attractions you can rotate in (CBJ, HoP, CoP, Philharmagic) and lots of stores. Animal Kingdom for some reason feels really hot, I think it's because of the lack of A/C attractions. We've actually skipped it on some August trips. DHS has a lot of indoor stuff if you plan it right.

We like to have our TS meal during the day at the park (usually an early lunch) because we find it really helps us cool off and relax. Then we eat QS for dinner. The parks are better at night when the sun goes down.

Good luck! You can have a great time in August, you just can't get as much done as in the cooler months.

 

[Julylady]

We went three years ago from August 17 - August 24th. Those dates were selcted because my brother wanted to spend his 50th birthday at WDW. I won't kid you....it was HOT. Hotter than any of us imagined.

We would start each morning at rope drop and then go until about 11am or so. Then, back to the hotel for swimming or just resting in the AC for the afternoon. We would then return to the parks from about 5 to 10pm.

There are two things I remember most:
1) I showered/changed my clothes 3 times a day. Luckily for us we were in a villa with a washer/dryer. We did an awful lot of laundry on that trip.

2) The heat made me so much more tired than normal. I was just exhausted by about day 4 of our trip.

I hope you have a great trip!

 

[CaptainEO71]

We've gone twice in August & are returning this year, 2nd week. It is HOT. I mean hotter than the surface of the sun hot & total humidity. I HATE heat & humidity, but it is do-able. Here are my "rules" for our family for August trips:

No parks until 6pm at the earliest. We have AP's & parks are often open late in August, so this works well for us. Might not work if you're paying for a full day ticket & want to get your money's worth.

Stay CL on August trips - that way we an have breakfast inside in the AC after we sleep in til 10am! Lunch is the snacks on CL, then we head out around 4:30 for a nice TS dinner, in the AC. Then hit the parks til closing (which is sometimes 2am for MK in August!)

Pack lots of cooling items - you'd be amazed how many things they make, found in the personal hygiene aisle. Cooling deodorant sprays, wipes, gels, etc. Even just washing your face a few times a day in the restrooms will help.

ALWAYS have a bottle of water on you & drink even when not thirsty. I couldn't believe how much water we went through that 1st August trip. We went to Hess by Boardwalk & got 2 cases of 24, went through that in not even 3 days.

No waiting in an outside line for ANYTHING while the sun is still out. Just not worth it.

And just remember EVERYONE is stinking hot & sweaty and wet! There's so much inside the AC, you just need to get inside somewhere if you start to feel overheated. have fun!

 

[jacks1023]

We went at the end of August for the first time last year, at least since I was a kid. I remember only a couple of times feeling like I was almost to my breaking point and then, thankfully, it rained! It cooled things off just enough. We used frogg toggs (ok but not the miracle i was hoping for lol) and handheld sprayer fans. Like the others stated - water water water! continuous drinking! You can get free ice water at any CS. I would say get the scooter for your SIL, to make sure she is comfortable. I agree with pp, don't wait in (long) outdoor lines unless its early or late in the day. I think standing still in the heat is the worst!
This will probably be 'our time' for the coming years with the kids in school. I will take it!

 

[AngiTN]

Urgh. I can't say I'm looking forward to August trip but it is what it is, with school and all. We have to go while school is out, and there is no football to work around. That leaves summer. We settled on pushing our trip so we return home the day before school starts, which is Aug 8. We arrive July 29 and leave Aug 6. I can't say I'm looking as forward to the trip as I did our trip last March but I hope by touring only early mornings, heading back to the resort at lunch and then later evening, we'll survive. It's do that or not go back again for 12 years till school is out.

We do live in the south so extreme heat and humidity is not foreign to us at all. And by Aug we are as conditioned to it as we can be. If we can sit for hours in a football stadium in Aug/Sept we can manage Disney. At least I tell myself that.

 

[AngiTN]

We've gone twice in August & are returning this year, 2nd week. It is HOT. I mean hotter than the surface of the sun hot & total humidity. I HATE heat & humidity, but it is do-able. Here are my "rules" for our family for August trips:

No parks until 6pm at the earliest. We have AP's & parks are often open late in August, so this works well for us. Might not work if you're paying for a full day ticket & want to get your money's worth.

Stay CL on August trips - that way we an have breakfast inside in the AC after we sleep in til 10am! Lunch is the snacks on CL, then we head out around 4:30 for a nice TS dinner, in the AC. Then hit the parks til closing (which is sometimes 2am for MK in August!)

Pack lots of cooling items - you'd be amazed how many things they make, found in the personal hygiene aisle. Cooling deodorant sprays, wipes, gels, etc. Even just washing your face a few times a day in the restrooms will help.

ALWAYS have a bottle of water on you & drink even when not thirsty. I couldn't believe how much water we went through that 1st August trip. We went to Hess by Boardwalk & got 2 cases of 24, went through that in not even 3 days.

No waiting in an outside line for ANYTHING while the sun is still out. Just not worth it.

And just remember EVERYONE is stinking hot & sweaty and wet! There's so much inside the AC, you just need to get inside somewhere if you start to feel overheated. have fun!

How do you fit in Epcot or Animal Kingdom?

I think we'll use that rule for our return time but I'm not sure how we can skip mornings and get much of anything done.

 

[Aminiman]

The couple of weeks before Labour Day is our usual go-to time for WDW. Your plan for rope drop/afternoon breaks/park evenings is exactly what we do. It really is very hot that time of year - just being in the crowd waiting for the "Good Morning" song at the MK is a sweaty, uncomfortable time. I couldn't imagine doing a full day at the park.

I just want to add that you shouldn't discount the crowd levels that time of year. It's really busy. Maybe not Christmas week busy but I'm sure they're 8's, as opposed to the 4 or 5 crowd levels the last week of August. Be prepared to face hordes of sweaty tourists!

 

[Disfan1968]

How do you fit in Epcot or Animal Kingdom?

I think we'll use that rule for our return time but I'm not sure how we can skip mornings and get much of anything done.

I have been in August and I would urge you to do what makes sense for you. For me it was...

Parks from about eight or nine to eleven in the morning, then lunch (Quick Serve) at 11:00 before lunch crowds build.

Then back to hotel from noon to four. Then back out at four to make a five o'clock dinner reservation at a sit down restaurant (Air Conditioning!).

Then into the park in the evening from after dinner on (about 6:30pm to 10:00pm).

We found that getting some time in at a park in the morning worked fine for us. Heat really starts to build in earnest from about 11:00 to 6:00.

 

[Disfan1968]

Of course the schedule I posted above assumes you have plenty of days at the park and don't feel like it is an issue to give up that huge chunk of afternoon time "sitting idle."

We are going again this august for 12 days and the above daily schedule works great for us, especially considering how good AOA looks to be for "chilling" with the little ones by the Big Blue Pool or just hanging in the suite during the hottest part of the day.

 

[ratt1345]

I hope that I am not repeating what someone has already written!!!!

I am a native Floridian. I am 47. What others have mentioned is correct. August is the 3 H's as we say in FL. Hot, humid and hazy. I believe someone had mentioned to leave the parks by about 1 or 2 pm. Good advice. Also, if we are in a typical summertime weather pattern...around 3 or 4 pm we have severe thunderstorms. Most only last at most 30 minutes to 45 minutes. if you happen to be out and about, take an umbrella or a rain poncho or get to an inside store or ride.

 

[squirrel4569]

One thing about the heat is that it's all relative. I live in Texas and August is routinely in the 100's with moderate humidity. Florida in August was much more humid but only in the 80's. We didn't think it was too bad except that we were sweating more, so the misters, Brita bottles and cooling towels were helpful with that. By contrast, we went in November and thought the pools were freezing, but the folks who were visiting from Canada thought it was heaven!

 

[luvindisneyworld]

Thanks everyone. Sounds like we can do it for sure. We have been there in April one year and we thought we were going to die it was s hot. That is the hottest we have ever experienced there...
The kids love pool time we go during afternoon and then after the parks at night... Lots of water and rest I think is going to be key.

 

[AngiTN]

I have been in August and I would urge you to do what makes sense for you. For me it was...

Parks from about eight or nine to eleven in the morning, then lunch (Quick Serve) at 11:00 before lunch crowds build.

Then back to hotel from noon to four. Then back out at four to make a five o'clock dinner reservation at a sit down restaurant (Air Conditioning!).

Then into the park in the evening from after dinner on (about 6:30pm to 10:00pm).

We found that getting some time in at a park in the morning worked fine for us. Heat really starts to build in earnest from about 11:00 to 6:00.

Thanks. I do think that is going to be our general plan. We are staying CL at AKL and plan to spend almost as much time enjoying the resort as we do the parks. It's our 4th trip in 3 years so other than the new Mine train, there isn't anything we haven't done numerous times. But we haven't stayed at AKL so we have full intention of enjoying the resort to it's fullest.

Florida in August is slightly hotter than SE TN in August, but not much. We don't even get the afternoon storms to break things up. We usually go with zero rain in August.