See I guess I'm just the opposite. I've never understood the "well it's a different type of heat" theory.
I didn't say it was "a different type of heat." I said it gets hotter and more humid in Orlando than it does in NC. I could elaborate a little:
1. It hits the daily high earlier in the day in Orlando, and it lasts longer. Above 95 degrees from 11 am to 6 pm in Orlando is worse than above 95 degrees from 1 pm to 4 pm in NC, because it starts earlier and lasts longer.
2. The humidity is almost always higher in Orlando. It's a climate thing. Plus, hotter air holds more water, so when it's 93 degrees in NC and 97 degrees in Orlando, the total amount of water vapor in the air is higher in Orlando.
In any case, my bigger point was about how living in a hot, humid place still doesn't prepare you to spend 6 - 12 hours a day outside in the heat, walking around on hot concrete. In other words, even if NC was just as hot and humid as Orlando, that still wouldn't make running around the parks for hours on end any easier.
Why can't she get out of the heat in wdw? We do it all the time. In fact, we pretty much make it a point after every 2 outdoor rides, we pop into a great air- condititoned place and chill.
I did recommend that. But you're still spending most of the time out in the heat and humidity, with only an occasional short respite. How many times in one day are you going to visit the Hall of Presidents to escape the heat? Carousel of Progress is another good escape from the heat, but it eats up around 45 minutes of your touring day and not many people really
like it compared with other attractions.
Like I mentioned earlier, I did go to WDW this past August. I know it's possible to be there and have fun despite the heat and humidity. But I MUCH prefer visiting when the heat and humidity are lower. I would never spend the money to bring my family in August. (I was there on a business trip in August, and hit the parks on the weekends.)
I much prefer the sun then the cold spell disney just experienced. ugh, who wants to ride space mountain in a parka.
You have a skewed impression of the weather. It's really not a choice between sweltering heat and freezing cold. It's more a choice of sweltering heat vs. reasonable weather, most of the time.
The cold snaps always get lots of press and attention but that's because they're
uncommon. Seems it happens one or two weeks each year, sometime between December and February. Everybody freaks out about how it was cold. What people are missing is that for 8 - 10 weeks out of those same months, the weather is quite nice, on average. Average highs in the 70s, sometimes hitting 80. Evenings in the 60s, sometimes dipping into the 50s. Just nice weather, especially if you're walking 5 - 10 miles every day through the parks.
Now consider August -- or heck, the entire June through September time frame. It's
hot and humid every day, with very rare exceptions. The point is that hot, humid weather is pretty much the RULE in August. You
will be sweating and uncomfortable. With December - February trips, you
may be unlucky and catch a cold snap. Or,
more likely, you will have pleasant weather.
Of course this entire discussion is ignoring the other months -- October, November, March, April and May. Those months are usually a good bet for nicer weather, and you don't really have to worry about the slim chance of catching a freezing cold week. I'd take any of them over August.
David
