Some other items that have come up on discussions on the disABILITIES Board and we have used personally that I don’t think were mentioned yet -
1) Wear loose fitting clothing made of light weight, light colored fabrics. The fabric should be breathable (sticky polyester won’t keep you cool and summer in the hot sun is not a good time for black or navy).
2) Even if it is not raining, some people find an umbrella helpful in keeping the sun off of them. Some people rent a sunshade with their
ECV, but experience with those is kind of inconsistent. They protect most when the sun is directly overhead (but it is best to be inside between 10 or 11 and 2 or 3 anyway, when the sun is hottest). Many people find that the sunshades are cumbersome and get in their view enough to be annoying.
3) For parades, have other members of your party hold a spot for you if you can’t find a spot in the shade. Stay in air conditioning in a nearby spot until soon before the parade starts. Some people may suggest using the Handicapped viewing areas if you are using an ECV or wheelchair, but you need to be aware of a couple of things - some of those areas are in direct sun and sometimes there is a lot of demand for the areas and you may need to be in the area an hour ahead of the time (or even longer) to get a spot. The person using the ECV or wheelchair needs to stay in the handicapped viewing area during the wait. The wheelchairs and
ECVs are usually parked very close together in a line across the front of the viewing area and your family will be asked to stay behind you. If the area is quite crowded, there is often a double row of wheelchairs/ECVs across the front of the area.
4) if you are really especially concerned about the heat, consider a cooling vest - you can do an internet search to find one. Many people with MS or other conditions that don’t reach well in heat and humidity use them.
5) I think someone mentioned cooling neck wraps. These are cloth tubes filled with beads that turn into a gel when they are exposed to water. The tubes are fairly long so you can tie them around your neck (the beads are positioned to stay in the part that goes around the neck). These can be useful, but the higher the humidity, the less well they work.
6) Avoiding added salt to food was mentioned, but I will add that diet soda pop usually has significant amounts of sodium and someone drinking diet pop for hydration may be getting a lot of sodium.
7) First Aid is available in each park - you can lie down in a cool place, get water to drink and generally chill out. The Nurse CMs in First Aid stations are used to treating people with heat related problems. They are very nice, so don’t feel shy about going in there, even if you don’t think you have a big problem. We use First Aid in each park at least once on every trip, whether it is for DD to just get out of her wheelchair for a few minutes and stretch, recuperate after a seizure or just use their wheelchair accessible bathroom.
8) Be aware of the signs of heat exhaustion so you can do something about it before it hits you and not end up in a crisis.
9) If you want to get out of the sun and heat, but don’t want to go back to your own resort, consider the resorts that are close to the park you are in. Midday is a great time to hop on the monorail at MK or the boat at WS in Epcot and visit one of the nearby resorts. All have nice grounds where you can pick a spot out of the sun and just sit for a while or get inside entirely and check out the gift shops or sit in the lobby. If you are in MK, you can walk right to the Contemporary.
10) If you elect to stay in the park the whole day, plan the things where you will be outside for the early morning or late afternoon. For example, the Fantasyland rides are usually less crowded in the morning and even during Spring break, we have gotten on them with a 15 to 20 minute (or less) wait early morning. There are some longer activities in MK like Hall of Presidents and Country Bears - do those in the afternoon when you need to get out of the heat.
Now the taste of water at WDW, that to me is a medical emergency, what with a the gagging and spitting...
