hi.
We have the opportunity to go to the parks for our very first visit (first time to WDW, first time to Florida) this July. I know it will be very HOT and humid. From a few posts on the Disboards people have told me to drink lots and lots of water, take a mid afternoon break, use sunscreen, wear hats. But i have a few questions.
1) WATER: is the FREE ice-water you get at Counter Service locations filtered tap water? Does it taste ok? and do you have to purchase food to ask for ice water, or can we just go and ask for cups of water? are there any filtered water fountains in the parks?
2) SUNSCREEN: i know it will be hot and sweating and sunscreen may "run off". so what sunscreens do people recommend for this type of weather?
3) since its hot we are thinking of wearing shorts. but then i thought about the seats on the outdoor rides. are the seats hot from the heat? or are they covered in material?
TIA
I suppose it depends on how you tolerate heat, but I think WDW is really quite enjoyable in the summer. I avoided it years because I imagined it to be much worse than it actually is.
It is humid, and it often goes up to 91 or so, but then it rains. The best approach is simply to plan a short break right around storm o'clock. After the storm, the parks tend to be fairly empty and very enjoyable.
1. ) FL water used to be swampy, but these days, most all of it is filtered. The old water fountains are all gone.
The trouble with (only) getting water at the CS is that it is simply too inconvenient for us. That said, we do a combo. We bring bottled water, but also ask for extra water every time we eat. Keep everyone well hydrated. I also find, that once in a while, an apple juice or lemonade is best. DO limit your alcohol! Oh, Universal has the new Coke unlimited machines, but to use the ones in the parks- you have to buy one of their refillable mugs (Grr!).
Oh, among bottled water....I avoid Zephrhills. It is Florida spring water, which = that swampy taste you describe.
2. Suncreen - except for swimming, water parks and Epcot- you really aren't really out in the sun all day. We spend most of the day out an about. mind, I do have a few pointers....in summer, I'd never stand 45minutes in the sun waiting for anything. We prefer to skip things like the AK Nemo show, thanks. I also said above, taking an afternoon break in the peak heat of the day is also very important. folks who try to slug it out are exhausted by 7pm. The heat just does that. If you take a break, you'll be rewarded after dark. So the brand of sunscreen isn't all that important, just be certain to wear some every day. Er, so long as you don't suffer any reactions to heat/sunscreen. Some of the sunscreen chemicals aren't al l that good for your skin.
OH, and I just saw a warning last night about possible ovarian cancer risk of using talc. That was new to me!
Avoid runny mascara!
We tend to apply sunscreen in the morning when we are getting dressed. We re-apply if we go swimming/Epcot days or if we were offsite and couldn't easily take an afternoon break. Otherwise, I carry a small tube of chapstick-style sunscreen (in case we forget) and maybe re-apply just to like our noses. I only carry a bigger bottle on beach days, Epcot days, or if we were staying offsite.
3. We wear shorts. I've never really given this subject much thought at WDW/US. It isn't much of an issue though because most rides are shaded/indoors or are heavily occupied. That said, we tend to avoid very short-shorts. Mid-length and longer shorts are more comfortable. For males, cargo shorts were always the way to go in the past. These days, they buy you a trip through the metal detectors.
The other big wardrobe consideration is to assume you will get wet. Wet denim can be miserable. (think Kali and rainy days).Summer rain is unpredictable and very heavy. Wear water tolerant shoes with good treads. Some fabrics become transparent when wet.
then again.....fabrics that are silk-like are great: thin, dry quickly, can be hand washed, compact in luggage. Even in summer, we happily layer summer tank-style tops. Also consider athletic-style wear.
And do your fellow park-goers a favor--when you reapply that sunscreen, do the same with the deodorant LOL It seriously does make me feel human again.
