Oh No! Not August again!

[corpcomp]

Spent a week at WDW last August and it was HOT! Promised never to go there again at that time so we set up a week at BCV for Presidents week. But with two weeks cancelled in school due to storms in late August and October, have to cancel that week due to uncertainty of what the school is doing for Spring Break (cancelling).

So she said lets go in August! I said are you kidding, after all the complaining to did about the heat last year? No way. But she is serious.

So what can we do to stay cool? The pools were in the 90's, Wet & Wild was just too "dirty" and going to Clearwater Beach - the ocean was at least 90. I need something cooler.

Any suggestions?

 

[Sandisw]

We go in August every year. We bring some frozen washclothes in a bag with us and that helps a bit.

But, mostly, we go for rope drop, stay until around 11:30 am, have lunch, and then head back to the room/pool. Those of us who don't mind the heat hang out at the pool for 3 to 4 hours with a nice cocktail and those that don't, spend the afternoon lounging around in the nice air conditioned room.

We also do the extra magic night hours and hit the parks then. It's a great way to see them--with the sun down and less crowds, its great! We closed down the MK last summer at 2:00 am and 3:00 am.

 

[supersuperwendy]

We went in August 09 and oh boy it was HOT!

We spent a lot of time in air conditioned places. Instead of walking up and down main street usa we cut through the shops. Enjoyed long cool things like small world, laugh floor, spaceship earth etc etc etc! We always swam a lot at night to cool down..not during the heat of the afternoon. We wore tanks tops and light weight shorts too!

 

[n2mm]

OP, can't really help after we swore off August this past summer. Like you we swore never again, but yet we did it several times later, but last summer we all swore never again - again. I agree, the water was just as hot as the air. I like the frozen washclothes idea. Since we took August off our agenda for 2012, we added an extra week to our May trip. All I can say is good luck!!

 

[quirty30]

Like some of the other suggestions, hit parks early. Plan TS lunches in nice air conditioned restaurants or head back to the villa for lunch. Afternoons at the pool (and if you're lucky you can find a shady spot.) Bring LOTS of sunscreen. Enjoy a nice dinner out or again in the villa. And spend more time in the parks after sunset. The key point is to NOT be in the parks in the sweltering afternoon heat. We've visited in June, July, August and September and find that any of these months can be unbearable. But we've learned to deal with it, because that is when the kids are off school and we visit most often.

 

[allshookup]

We go in August quite frequently as well, although this year we will be there in July. I agree with others about taking advantage of night time EMH & most rides to not have too long of a wait. However in order to stay in the parks till 2 or 3 am, we sleep in & relax in the villa before we hit the pool, have lunch, etc. Then we take showers & we don't go to the parks until much later in the afternoon, depending on where we are having dinner. We go often enough & we are not thrill riders so need for us to rush off & get any rides in.

If you are morning people, do the early entry & leave early & hit the pool. They may be warm, but at least they are wet. You could also hit Disney Quest, go shopping, have a long lunch or go to the movies during the hottest part of the day.

Also like others said, dress very light but DH carries a back pack so we can all have a sweat shirt for the A/C in the restaurants & ponchos for those late afternoon thunderstorms. Our backpack has netted cup holders on the side, so we freeze water bottles & by the time we are thirsty they have thawed enough to drink but are still cold.

 

[monorailmom]

I have to say that it's not the heat that bothers me, (I'm not going to say the humidity!!) it's the daily rainshowers!!!

We used to travel in November, which was our favorite, but as the kids got older, we just couldn't take them out of school anymore.

A lot of people like the ponchos, but I think August is just too hot to drape a big piece of plastic over your whole self!!! I found some very small umbrellas at WalMart that we've been using for the past few years that work out great. They fit into whatever bag we're carrying, and keep the rain from drumming on our heads!

Mostly you need to keep in mind that whatever your itinerary is, it's variable due to weather, and you may need to adjust. One year we had planned to go to World Showcase in the evening, and it was just downpouring. I know lots of folks to say to just go anyway, but that's not for us. We're DVC'ers, so we decided to stay in our villa. We went to Community Hall and rented the movie Hercules (one of our favorites) and went over to the gift shop and bought a few fun snacks, and spent the evening together watching the movie and snacking. Those of you with older kids will realize what a treat this was!!! No, it wasn't World Showcase....but we all remember this night and smile.

Just be flexible...wear light clothes...and an umbrella. We always have a magical time.

 

[beccasmom]

We're doing August again this year too.....we have a family reunion in Tampa and are combining the trips. It will coincidentally be my mom's 83rd birthday during that week, so we'll be celebrating that as well!

I am not fond of the summer weather either.....I just wilt ....but being with extended family that we rarely see will be really nice. And we can't miss WDW being so close..... It will also save on additional air fare.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Light, loose, natural fiber clothing. Wide brimmed hats, excellent sunglasses, and seriously good sunscreen that isn't sticky or tacky feeling (yep, cough up the money for the expensive stuff). Seriously comfortable footwear, with enough changes to keep your feet dry when they get wet.

Fabric lined rain gear is better than the ponchos as they don't stick to your skin. Umbrellas really help, unless the wind is too strong. Your own personal shade, as well as a protection from the rain.

Drink water, drink water, drink water. Seriously. Do what it takes to make the water there palatable to you (dry powder packets, lemons, whatever).

Skip the misting fans. They just add more dampness to you that won't evaporate in the humidity.

Keep the hair off your neck, and the makeup off your face (if that is a factor).

Go out in the morning. Come in for the afternoon (and I do mean ALL afternoon) and go back out in the evening. Be sure to use insect repellent (works best on clothes) with DEET.

August is do-able, but yes. It's viciously hot!

 

[Brian Noble]

We spent one summer almost entirely in the Disney water parks. It was late July (not yet August) but the water was fine.

ProTip: the Shark Reef pool at Typhoon is kept cooler for the fish, etc. that live there.

 

[rutgers1]

We go in August every year. We bring some frozen washclothes in a bag with us and that helps a bit.

But, mostly, we go for rope drop, stay until around 11:30 am, have lunch, and then head back to the room/pool. Those of us who don't mind the heat hang out at the pool for 3 to 4 hours with a nice cocktail and those that don't, spend the afternoon lounging around in the nice air conditioned room.

We also do the extra magic night hours and hit the parks then. It's a great way to see them--with the sun down and less crowds, its great! We closed down the MK last summer at 2:00 am and 3:00 am.

Aside from the washcloth part, I could have written this post.

I have absolutely zero problem with Disney in the summer. The only Disney trip that ever somewhat disappointed me was when we went in February two years ago. It was about 30 degrees in the morning, and we were miserable. For us, a huge part of our Disney experience is the mid-day swim, and with high temperatures around 50 degrees, that wasn't happening.

 

[sarahk0204]

What works for us:

Swimming at night: no need for sunscreen, and you don't burn your feet on the pavement.

Morning EH hours and TS lunch in the AC. then away from the parks for the afternoon.

Afternoon activities: A nap or CH or a movie. We did the Fork & Screen at DTD, and we really enjoyed the experience. This is also a little different than just watching a movie, which of course most people can do at home.

 

[dbs1228]

I can sympathies with you, with all the school cancellations! Our school calendar said if certain number of days were used for snow days then we would lose days off April break, "great" I thought we can proceed with our yearly Feb trip Disney. (already had BLT booked 11 months out but lets do the airfare) Well.... school decided to take the days from Feb even though the published calendar said differently so it looks like my DD is missing 4 days of school! grrrr She is happy!

 

[Anal Annie]

We almost always go in August. I don't get the big deal. It's really no different than going in mid-late June or July. Summer in FL is summer in FL and to be honest it's not a whole lot different than summer in Maryland. If I'm going to be hot & sweaty then better it's at Disney than on my back porch!!

Use common sense. Go to the parks EARLY & try to avoid standing in lines during the hottest sun. Take lots of sunscreen and hats. Drink lots of water (we freeze our water and / or Gatorade over night & take them frozen to the parks in the morning so they thaw slowly & stay cold longer). We almost always take a pool break in the afternoon then shower & go back in the evening when the sun is lower.

 

[corpcomp]

Thank you all for your great suggestions. I have to admit to the one poster I've never thought of frozen washcloths but it sould like a great thing to sit on at the pool

And to the CT poster, yes that is exactly what our school calendar says. But of course after two weeks without power across two storms, we installed a generator. I can guarantee now that we've spent the money, CT will NEVER lose power again.

But again thank you all. We will try some of the suggestions and the early morning / evening visits to the parks make a lot of sense. DS is now 16 and we don't have to visit a lot of rides any more, only the edgy ones (and of course Universal). Shhhhh!

 

[dbs1228]

And to the CT poster, yes that is exactly what our school calendar says. But of course after two weeks without power across two storms, we installed a generator. I can guarantee now that we've spent the money, CT will NEVER lose power again.

I know quite a few who did the same! We were given a generator when we moved to our house 12 years ago since the house is wired for a generator, never used it so when we lost power DH was leary to even try it since it is over 25 years old (although his dad went through it engine and all about 7 years ago) we were shocked purred like a kitten, only lasted 3 hours at a time due to small gas tank but it ran our furnace, hot water, 1 outlet near TV and refrigerator. We were very fortunate!

 

[scottashackleton]

August is definitely a tough time to go. You need to be ready to be uncomfortable as well as dealing with the massive crowds. Went in August a few years back and even standing out front waiting for the gates to open seemed unbearable at 8 AM!

Looking forward to our first early-May trip this year when I heard the crowds are light and weather is beautiful!