Ladies who wear dresses in the parks, any tips?

[jpessa]

I want to wear a summer dress and sandals at the park this trip (next week) but have never done that before. For those of you that wear dresses, what should I keep in mind? Do I really need to wear bike shorts underneath? I already know my sandals are comfortable enough for the whole day, just wondering if I need to consider anything for the dress.
Thanks!

 

[HappyGrape]

I don't wear shorts underneath to be honest. My dresses are knee length and comfortable to wear. The only ride ever that I felt little concerned about it is space mountain in MK but you get in the dark anyway so not an issue

no white dresses if doing wet rides

here is picture of my theme park uniform from WDW

and another very comfortable dress

 

[Delilah1310]

I wear cotton, t-shirt type material skirts a lot.
No shorts under, but in the fall/winter sometimes i wear leggings under, but that's mostly just for a style I'm going for.

Knee length, so I don't have concerns with it being too short or riding up when I sit.
I can't think of anytime when I was concerned about it blowing up or anything like that.
Sometimes there are big stretches to climb in or out of a ride ... Jungle Cruise and Grizzly Rapids come to mind, but there may have been others ... but even then I don't recall it being a problem, just a passing thought as I was getting out.

I say, wear what is comfortable and you can't go wrong!
Have fun!

 

[Westcoastwild]

It's good to have some runners "grease" if you sweat a lot. That's the only reason I'd wear shorts but the runners stuff actually prevents chafing much better anyway.

And remember to throughly coat yourself in sunscreen. Some of my dresses are not cut like my tshirts, so my arms burn more is I'm not diligent about sunscreen.

 

[jpessa]

Thanks everyone, this helps a lot! I'm excited to finally look cute in the park. Lol.

 

[YukonMommy]

My daughters and I wear a lot of summer dresses when we vacay. No problems. They vary in length from just above the knee to maxi dresses. No shorts underneath. Cool, comfortable and dry easy on the wet rides!
Have a magical time!

 

[bumbershoot]

A post about this a few weeks ago resulted in a link to very cute and comfy-looking shirts to wear underneath. I think the shorts were from Nike or maybe underarmour. Thought I saved the link but I guess not. Look around the board for a similar post though.

It's the getting in and out of rides that I want the shorts for.

 

[Sun_soakin]

I always wear dresses to the park when it's warm... no shorts under, I just don't pick super short dresses. It's only a little bit of a challenge getting on Space and Splash...I just get on/off carefully.

 

[jpessa]

I always wear boy short type underway under summer dresses in case of a gust of wind. And always to the knee or longer. My days of minis are long gone! Seems I should be fine, and I truly appreciate the first hand knowledge you all shared with me!

 

[DDhunter]

I don't wear shorts underneath to be honest. My dresses are knee length and comfortable to wear. The only ride ever that I felt little concerned about it is space mountain in MK but you get in the dark anyway so not an issue

no white dresses if doing wet rides

I absolutely love that black and white dress in your pic. There is nothing more comfortable than a light summer dress for a park trip.

 

[The Hunchback]

I wear maxi length dresses all the time. My first tip would be to remember to gather the dress together about your waist when you use the bathroom. The back of the toilets tends to be damp in most amusement parks. Too much flushing I guess.

The second would be that boat rides can be a challenge if the dress is long or tight. Think before you climb out about where you can step safely. Since I wear long dresses, I have to watch the hem and the dock to avoid getting them stained.

I love wearing my dresses at Disney. They make me feel like a princess.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I always wear either leggings/footless tights or bike shorts/cheer shorts. This covers modesty, peace of mind, and temperature control issues. I never thought about the shorts (my dresses are pretty much always to tne knee or longer) until one of my friends got stuck on SM and had to be escorted off. She said that everyone (!) got a pretty good view of her underwear as she was exiting the vehicle, but there was no way around that. Now I always make sure that I have something under my dress, even if it is pettipants. The leggings are really helpful if we are in the parks at night. Be careful on POTC -- the back seat can hold water that stains. I think the seats get greasy from people stepping on them all day to get in and out of the boats. This can happen on IASW, too. If you ride side saddle on the carousel, you must face inward. CMs will make you turn around if you face outward. And be careful about your hem getting caught in ride vehicles with doors, like Pooh.

 

[cinderelly828]

I love wearing dresses in the parks and now that's pretty much all I'll wear. I feel cuter and it's just less restricting and more comfortable than shorts IMO. I've found that bringing a small thing of baby powder with me helps with any thigh rub issues throughout the day. Also, not sure if you're into meeting characters and princesses and such, but it's fun to hold your skirt in photos just like the princesses do!

 

[disneyxica20]

sometimes i wear bloomers underneath, sometimes i just wear boy short underwear. and i usually take leggings to slip on underneath if it gets chilly at night.
it's funny- i'm always so mindful about making sure i wear the appropriate undergarments, everything is covered the way it should be, etc. and then i get to the park and i see boobs and butts hanging out everywhere, and i always wonder what i was so worried about. every single time, lol.

 

[RedStars]

I wear a lot of dresses. I swear by body glide and danskin 'dance' shorts.

 

[starshine514]

I nearly always wear skirts/dresses in the park. Mine are typically tea length. If I wear a maxi skirt/dress, then I make sure it is full enough to get on/off rides easily. I typically wear something underneath, always a half slip, usually tights or leggings, but sometimes (July-Oct) just bike shorts and a slip, or my favorite, a slip made into shorts (not sure what these are called). Of course, I'm always traveling with three kids, so I have to make sure I'm covered bending over and such.

 

[l4dyj8]

I don't wear shorts underneath but I have worn leggings with a few dresses. Depends on the dress/style. I generally wear midi or maxi length. Usually a sundress flowy style. There's just a way you have to board boat rides (and autopia/RS) to keep things covered. Even if you have a long dress, people are seated below you as you climb in. I'm usually aware that I won't be riding anything that day that requires me to straddle the seat. I stick with cotton/jersey fabrics in dark or printed colors.

 

[Verstehen]

Since no one's mentioned it, try the Monistat chafing gel powder. It's awesome. I usually wear bike shorts with dresses but it's a good substitute for when I can't or when I'm wearing other types of shorts.

 

[BarbieGal457]

sometimes i wear bloomers underneath, sometimes i just wear boy short underwear. and i usually take leggings to slip on underneath if it gets chilly at night.
it's funny- i'm always so mindful about making sure i wear the appropriate undergarments, everything is covered the way it should be, etc. and then i get to the park and i see boobs and butts hanging out everywhere, and i always wonder what i was so worried about. every single time, lol.

In WDW last summer, I had on a cute tank with a "summer checklist" of things like books, sunscreen, beach towel...realized when I got to MK the last item was tequila. I asked a CM at the gate if it was ok my shirt said tequila and I am really sorry, I didn't realize it. The CM told me "thank you for being concerned but it's okay, trust me it wouldn't even register on the list of inappropriate tops we see!!"

As for your question OP, I tend to wear boyshorts under my dresses when in the parks. Not a full bike short, but a tight, fuller-coverage short-type undergarment. I am very mindful about entering/exiting ride vehicles, but at 5'9" a lot of dresses that are normally an inch or so above the knee end up very short if I raise my arms and don't realize how much it actually did go up. I do try to always be conscious of my summer dress length (I don't like maxi dresses on myself) but sometimes it still turns into a bit shorter of a dress than I think it is. I think I am also just used to this habit, as I take the subway daily at home and you don't want to get caught in that wind gust as it enters the tunnel! If you're worried I would look at your local Target or similar for a pair like that, that way it's not a thicker/longer bike short but might still provide some reassurance just in case.

 

[NewbieMouse]

It's good to have some runners "grease" if you sweat a lot. That's the only reason I'd wear shorts but the runners stuff actually prevents chafing much better anyway.

What's a brand name for "runner's grease"? That could come in handy!