How HOT is HOT??

[tkhkroberts]

My family went down last August from the 4-12 and it was hot. Being from Wisconsin, I am not sure we ever get that hot around here. Every morning the weather channel would talk about heat safety and the heat indexes would be about 105.

Be prepared that when you walk out in the morning it will hit you like a sauna, but your body will adjust to it within a few days. My husband had a harder time and would stay in the room until late afternoon, but my daughters and I were out at the parks at rope drop each day until 1 or 2 and then would head back to the resort for lunch with my husband. Seeing that you are staying at the WL, do not take the boat even though it might be sitting there. That is a very hot ride in the mid-day sun. Only made that mistake once.

We really did enjoy the trip overall and I would have no problems doing it again. WDW is the only place that you can be out at 2am and be sweating waiting for a ride. Pace yourself and drink plenty of water.

 

[brighteyes]

I was there aug 17-26th and nothing could have prepared me for how hot it was. We took water to the parks everyday but did not fill up as we did not like the tap water. Needless to say, all our snack credits were used up on drinks.

We also spent an extra 50.00 on drinks and water for the trip while in the parks. I was just too hot to carry a backpack full of water, so it was $$ well spent for me.

That said we did get used to it, and there were only a few days that were intolerable that we had to leave the park. Those days I think the temp was up to 110 or so.

It hardly rained while we were there till the end of our trip but when it briefly showererd we had no poncho and chose to get wet to cool ourselves.

I would go again though, cause afterall, we were at Disney.

Stephanie

 

[dizneyluv]

does a good job with a/c at many queus and places to rest in a/c. I think if acclimation or tolerance to heat and humidity is low it is something to re-think. Otherewise I think it's doable. We vacation at the beach and are from hot/humid climates so to us Florida is no "sweat".

In September we took long a/c lunches and cooled off in shady or a/c places while touring. We never felt hot, just took it easy and took breaks. I have to admit AK was too hot and we left!

Early morning entry is key, it's the best time we thought. Later at night too!

I think like anything else your going to get a range of answers!

 

[luvdisney00]

We took a small cooler bag (lunch box size) and stuffed as many water bottles as would fit in there, then we put in loose ice from the ice machine all around the bottles and added wet washcloths from the room. This bag stayed in the bottom of the strolller so we didn't have to carry it. When it got so hot in the parks we took the wet wash cloths soaked in ice out and washed our faces and laid them on the back of our necks. This worked better than the neck cooler that you buy, and we kept ziplocks for the used ones. It would be especially good for wiping down babies faces at the park.

I second the pp comment about the pools feeling like a warm bathtub, although my DH didn't put it as nicely. He said it felt like bathing in someone else's sweat! I did find though that some days the pools were cooler. I guess they sometimes pump in cool water or the rain cools them down.

 

[KNovacovschi]

When we went, August 12-18, 2007, it was literally 105 degrees the whole time...it did rain once for an hour and it only made things stickier...my suggestion would be to drink plenty of water and wear a hat...

 

[PatriciaH]

It is pretty bad here from May-November, but June, July, August and September are the worst. I am from NY and have lived in MA and Maryland. I have visited DC, PA and NJ in the summers. There is nothing like the Florida sun, heat and humidity. I grew up with no air conditioning in NY and was fine because it cooled down at night. Here I think we would die without it New Orleans in June and the jungle in Mexico (Coba) were the only places as hot/humid as Florida that we have been to The sun is very strong here too-wear very high sun block and hats/sunglasses. We like the heat but it is the sun that does us in after 2 hours or so. Even if you are sitting in ice water the sun will burn you to a crisp and you have to go inside. No one ever wants to go out anywhere in the summer here. It is like winter up north

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

I've been in July and will be going again this June. It is mighty freakin' hot.

Here is what I learned:

--Buy those little water misting fans at Wal-Mart before you go. They are $20 in the parks and you'll want one. You'll want one so badly you won't believe what you'll be willing to pay for it. And they do really cool you off.
--When you head back to the resort mid-afternoon to take a dip in the pool and cool off, the pool will feel like a warm bathtub. You will not feel cooled off until you will take a cold shower in the room.

You are so right! I remember in Aug 2006, I wanted one of those misting fans SO BAD. I used to stare at them with such longing, you'd think it was my long lost love! DD kept talking me out of buying one. In Aug 2007, the FIRST thing I bought when I hit Disney was a misting fan. Loved it, but sometimes the thought of having to carry it in the heat was a little overwhelming. lol.

Ah yes, the warm bathtub pools. That was disappointing. You couldn't get cooled off by swimming ever. I took 3 showers every day!

We've gone to Disney in Aug on five different occasions. Every year I SWEAR I will never go back in the summer. But with schedules and schools, sometimes you must. I try to avoid it whenever possible. It is such a different, more pleasant experience when we go during non-summer months.

 

[LoveKermit]

and the jungle in Mexico (Coba)

We were hotter at Coba in August than Orlando in August....hands down! For one--no AC (except in the car).....anywhere!

FWIW, I have a friend getting married in August at Celebration. She gets hot VERY easily. If a bride can do it (in a heavy dress) anyone can do it. Consider ourselves lucky that we can wear tank tops and shorts all day, everyday.

 

[Cindie-rella]

My friends went mid July and were told just to take afternoon breaks and such and they will be fine. She came back and said it really wasn't fine. They will never go again in the summer. She said it got extremely miserable at times making for a "not-so-magical" WDW vacation. She said pools were too warm to cool off, so they spent alot of afternoons back inside their hotel room in the a/c. I could not imagine spending a week at WDW parks mid summer! I would not want to "have" to take an afternoon break b/c of heat & humidity. You lose alot of precious time at the parks not to mention your money's worth. WDW isn't a very cheap vacation and I want to get the most of what I paid for. Being hot, sweaty & miserable does not strike me as having the time of my life!
I'd change my dates for any time between November and the 1st week of May. If heat and humidity might bother you even a tiny bit, well, you better start working on another plan. Good Luck!

 

[mommyluvsnoah]

Hmmm. . . We are planning a trip next year for end of September beginning October. I had heard that that was a great time of year to go due to lower prices, less crowds, MNSSHP, etc. Now I am wondering if we should go mid October instead. Would that make much of a difference?

 

[Guzzi]

We have made two trips to WDW, the first in 05 end of July - begining of August the second in 06 Mid July and are planning a third trip this July, 8th -15th and yes its hot, we are from upstate NY i grew up downstate and its much hotter and more humid in WDW in July-Aug then I ever remember in NY.

but we loved our tripsbanana: yes it was hot, yes it was humid and no we didnt take alot of breaks from the parks but we drank tons of water and had a great time. I dont know about your inlaws but the younger folks should be fine

 

[stemikger]

This August will be my 4th visit during this time. It is very hot and you really have to pace yourself.

However, other then Animal Kingdom, when you are at the other parks you can just escape into a gift shop and cool off. It really helps. Be careful with the kids, make sure they get pleanty of water and sun screen.

There really is no getting around it, you have to take it slow and just make sure you use common sense and you will be fine. Buy ponchos because you can count on heavy rains that last anyway from 10 minutes to 1 hour. The first year I went, I really got scared while I was waiting on line for the Safari in Animal Kingdom, I felt like I was going to pass out and had to leave the line and get somewhere cool. That is when I realized that the gift shops in Animal Kingdom aren't the same as the other parks. In keeping with the theming, they have ceiling fans and are all open. I did get scared and thought I might have to go to the hospital, but after putting pleanty of water on my head with a towel, I started to feel better.

My wife and 13 year old daughter are real troopers, they go gung ho all day and don't even notice the heat, so go figure.

On a side note, once the sun goes down, the heat is not half as bad and if you want to go to the water parks, go early cause they reach capacity fast.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

Hmmm. . . We are planning a trip next year for end of September beginning October. I had heard that that was a great time of year to go due to lower prices, less crowds, MNSSHP, etc. Now I am wondering if we should go mid October instead. Would that make much of a difference?

I think it would make a difference. DH and I have gone to WDW for the first weekend of the Food and Wine Festival in Epcot twice, which is the last weekend of September. I still find that time of year miserably hot. I think the weather is much better toward the middle or end of October.

I should add that I've lived in Florida since I was 4 years old, and have NEVER acclimated. I am very heat-sensitive and humidity-sensitive (I blame it on my fair-freckled-skin Irish ancestry! ).

 

[mommyluvsnoah]

Thanks, PrincessKitty. I am assuming it is still warm enough to swim mid-October. TL and SAB are what my DS is most excited to see.