I must be crazy……AUGUST?!?!

[anniemae]

Thanks so much! Temperature wise, I was thinking late September was better than early, as well as sunset/sunrise times meaning less sun exposure. Now I feel my odds for meeting a hurricane are actually less. No guarantees, I know, but better odds.

Yeah, it's a gamble going any time during hurricane season, but especially in Aug, Sept, and Oct. Those seem to be the months of the most hurricanes. Some sites say Sept has most chance some say Oct, some say Aug. There is just no way to know for sure if a hurricane will hit so if you are going during this time, just keep an eye on the weather while you are there.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Regular summer travelers here. I dunno - I kinda like it. What's Florida without Florida weather? The key is pace - take it slow, don't let the heat get ahead of you. Carry lots of water. I wear a Camelbak and drain it every day, sometimes twice. Bring umbrellas, forget ponchos. An umbrella can be deployed quickly for those PM storms and can be used as shade if needed. Hit the outdoor rides early since those shut down for T-storms. You can also rule out hitting the swimming pool in the PM since that is 50/50 at best most days.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Yeah, it's a gamble going any time during hurricane season, but especially in Aug, Sept, and Oct. Those seem to be the months of the most hurricanes. Some sites say Sept has most chance some say Oct, some say Aug. There is just no way to know for sure if a hurricane will hit so if you are going during this time, just keep an eye on the weather while you are there.

<knock wood> WDW has never taken a direct hit from a hurricane and the weather the day after the storm is amazing. I would never let a hurricane cancel my WDW trip. YMMV...

 

[Anthony1971]

We have gone most every month. July and August (we mostly go in August) can be very hot, Very average or rare nice. We had one week in early July years ago where it was in the high 70's and breezy 6 out of the 7 days. Another week it was 90 and did not rain 5 days straight. For the most part including last year there are hot days and decent days. A 90 degree day is hot but still ok it is 91-94 that it seems multiple time hotter don't think I have seen a day above 94 and that was one day last year which made being in the sun mid afternoon unbearable but this was offset by 2 days that were in the mid-high 80s and breezy. A lot will depend on where you live and your normal activity through the day.... We work in NYC and walk a lot the summer is just not that much different here or in Florida. NYC may be a few degrees cooler most of the time but the heat from all the concreate makes up for it with the lack of rain. For us the least enjoyable times have been late April-May the mornings are nice but the afternoon sun makes it feel far hotter than July or August. The perfect weather for has was October but the park hours are shorter. The summer you can take breaks go back to the park and have the night. The best advice in summer is plan a sit down late lunch around 2 finish around 4 and you will miss the hottest part of the day.

 

[tinkerbellmamma]

Well you already know its going to be HOT!! so just go with it - you can't change the weather lol. Split up the day and get some pool time in and go back to the park in the evening when its cooler.

We last went in September and it was HOT HOT!! Lots of water and breaks!!

 

[SleeplessInTO]

I think it’s all about expectations. If you go expecting it to be hotter than the surface of the sun, well, the trip will either be as hot as you expected, or you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

We usually do long weekend trips (fly in Fri night, fly out Mon afternoon) between July to September. There’s definitely been a few trips where we felt “cooked” by the heat. But we keep going back! Key is to take it easy, enjoy indoor shows/meals/activities, drink lots of fluids, and just go with the flow. Sounds like you and your son are both Disney pros already!

 

[kevtlas]

Disney is usually a big extended family trip in my family (moms, sisters, aunts, cousins, etc). We’ve always gone during summer months, usually in August, because of trying to match all the kids school vacations up. As others have said, it’s crazy hot and humid, but still a great time.

We’ve done a couple Christmas trips, which was great weather for the parks (it even got so chilly we even needed pants and jackets at night a few times), but then we found ourselves missing the pool, minigolf, etc. My two cents; you’ll have a great time no matter what!

 

[AngieInOH]

Just popping in to say, your are indeed crazy!!!

 

[leebee]

Not TMI at all, I actually go as far as packing 2 outfits per day for summer trips and shower/change during that midday break. Goes a long way to making you feel like a human being again! (I also swap shoes too, and I swear it's why I never get blisters)

Yeah! I don't think people realize how "wet from the skin on out" you get in the heat and humidity at Disney!
I find if I spray my feet with antiperspirant and then use a foot powder (sometimes baby powder, but usually something from Dr. Scholl's) my feet do better. Unfortunately I have to wear socks all the time, and that helps keep them blister-free, too.

 

[tommygunn]

Go in August friend it will be great. It’s always hot down there. Suggest the usual trick of getting to rope drop followed by some pool time in the afternoon helps a lot. Genie plus is also a must in August imo (even though it aggravates me as it should be free). Just don’t marathon the parks.

I’d also suggest staying on site if it’s in the budget. Love the feeling you get at the Disney resorts. I’ll bet the Riverside is comparable in price and it’s an amazing place to stay.

 

[RysMomma]

I'm 45 years old and all the times I went as a kid and all the times I've been as an adult have always been in the summer, either July or August. My parents would never take us out of school for a vacation, and being a teacher myself, I can't take days off and I will not pull my kids out (even before they were 13 and 16 like they are now). Anyway, does get hot. We went last year during the Florida heat wave and it was pretty hot. BUT, that being said, we know how to handle it. We are one of those that go early in the morning, spend as much time as we can, and when we get too hot, we go back to the room to chill out. Then we go back out after that. It works for us and we've done it like that for a long time now. It's totally doable. Pace yourself out and know you won't see everything in one day and you'll be fine.

 

[clm10308]

I would go in August, but only I could go late nights. Stack Genie+ and get to parks about 7pm and/or pay for after hours events only. Save day time for the pool, shopping in the AC, bowling and maybe the movies.

 

[olafgypsy]

We have gone most every month. July and August (we mostly go in August) can be very hot, Very average or rare nice. We had one week in early July years ago where it was in the high 70's and breezy 6 out of the 7 days. Another week it was 90 and did not rain 5 days straight. For the most part including last year there are hot days and decent days. A 90 degree day is hot but still ok it is 91-94 that it seems multiple time hotter don't think I have seen a day above 94 and that was one day last year which made being in the sun mid afternoon unbearable but this was offset by 2 days that were in the mid-high 80s and breezy. A lot will depend on where you live and your normal activity through the day.... We work in NYC and walk a lot the summer is just not that much different here or in Florida. NYC may be a few degrees cooler most of the time but the heat from all the concreate makes up for it with the lack of rain. For us the least enjoyable times have been late April-May the mornings are nice but the afternoon sun makes it feel far hotter than July or August. The perfect weather for has was October but the park hours are shorter. The summer you can take breaks go back to the park and have the night. The best advice in summer is plan a sit down late lunch around 2 finish around 4 and you will miss the hottest part of the day.

Yep, I used to live in NYC and I remember those muggy NYC summers. The worst was the un air-conditioned subway platforms. I don’t know if anything can be worse than that heat-wise.

 

[olafgypsy]

Just popping in to say, your are indeed crazy!!!

LOL you sound like my sister. I do think I must have a screw or two loose!

 

[olafgypsy]

Hi, just thought I’d pop back I. To give a little update on the highs and lows of our quick August 10-13 trip.

Um, yes, it was hot, but we knew that going into it, so no surprises there! The thing that helped us the most was the cooling towels. I got Frog Toggs and those things were amazing—they stayed cool for such a long time! It was heaven to wipe it all over my face and then do a blast of the fan. We got the fans that squirt water. Next time, I would skip the water and just do a smaller folding fan paired with the cooling towel so it would travel better.

Overall we had fun, as we always do at Disney, but I would not do this time of year again unless we had season tickets. That’s because I would skip the parks entirely during the day and just hang at the pool, do an early dinner, then head to a park from 6 to close, the only time that’s remotely bearable weather-wise.

Oh and also, the rumors are true: the worst park in the summer is Animal Kingdom, because it closes before dark and almost everything is outside. That was by far our toughest day.

Overall, I am glad I did this at the heavily discounted ticket price because I now know what works and doesn’t for us at this time of year.

At some point in the next 5 years I plan to do a year of Disney: buy season passes and experience the parks at all times of year. Summer will be included with the caveats listed above.

Oh, and PS, we had dinner at Narcoosee’s one night and it was ahhhhhhmazing. First time and it was oh, so good!

 

[butterscotchcollins]

So glad you had a good time despite the brutal heat! We are heading down next week and I can’t wait to sweat off 10lbs of water weight and bake under the unforgiving sun like a loaf of banana bread

 

[beavismom]

<knock wood> WDW has never taken a direct hit from a hurricane and the weather the day after the storm is amazing. I would never let a hurricane cancel my WDW trip. YMMV...

There was a direct hit in 2004 with Charley and closed two more times for Frances and Jeanne that year. That's why they started Free Dining for Fall of 2005. I still wouldn't cancel my trip though.

 

[Blue32]

It still baffles me that WDW does not keep their parks open later than they do. Doing this would really help with trying to avoid some of the heat of the day. I get that the demographics are different, but DL is open until midnight now most days in the year. MK is the most visited park in the US...it's hours should at least rival DL's.