Starting to get nervous about our trip in August.

[runnerdad02066]

I’m not sure if I am posting this in the right spot. But, we are going mid-August and staying at the Bay Lake Tower for 7 days. It is my wife, myself and our two daughters 8 & 2. Because of our schedules August was the only feasible time to go. I am getting a bit nervous reading all the posts that say August is unbearable and will be miserable with the heat. Do any of you have suggestions to make the trip more enjoyable and to help keep cool? Thanks in advance. I have not been to Disney World in 25 years.

 

[keepswimming76]

Small personal misting fans and frogg togg towels can help you stay cool. Plan so that you take a break during the hottest part of the day. Either go back to the hotel, swim, relax in the cool room - or if at a park plan for indoor attractions. And try to wear light weight or moisture-wicking clothing.

 

[MHDTS]

Relax! While the summer months in Florida can be hot and sticky, if you pace yourselves, you should be fine. The best advice is to start early, and after lunch go back to your resort and enjoy the pool and some quiet time. Then head back out for dinner and an evening trip to another fun time together. Park hopper tickets are the way to go, pr even the DVC annual pass if you're DVC members.

Bay Lake is wonderful, being near the MK, the monorail, and excellent bus transportation to anywhere in the world.

 

[Seoulbro]

We go every August. In fact, I've never not been during the summer. I'm from Ottawa, so we get the humidity (except this year summer hasn't started yet), but it's still hot. As someone said in an earlier post, summer = heat. Keeping that in mind, we always have an amazing time! Just follow some basic summer rules and you'll have the trip of a lifetime!

1. Rope drop. Seriously, rope drop. Not a morning person? Tough, now you are. Rope drop. It will still be hot at 8:15 ( yes, get there by 8:15), but you'll get to do the headliners and the other rides will be walk on. This is important as the more you do in the first 2 hours, the less planning and more relax time you have later on in the day.

2. Mid-afternoon break. You will hear from both sides of the camp on this issue, but in the summer, it's extremely beneficial. We like to book a sit down lunch, plan our afternoon/evening ( based on what was accomplished in the am), then go and swim/nap for about 2 1/2 hours at the resort. This really helps break up the day. Then back to the park or hop to a new one that evening.

3. Drink lots of water and go with the flow. Stay hydrated and let your plans fall apart if need be. Colortopia was an hour detour last year, and 1 day we swam and slept longer, but it was needed.

As for the rest, I do frog togs, my wife doesn't. Dole whips cure almost anything, and book your next fastpass right after your 3rd is finished. Smile at everyone, wish those with birthday buttons happy birthday, and pinch yourself every now and then, because you're at Disney!

 

[whiporee]

I just got back. It was very hot -- no way around that.

I live in Colorado now, but I grew up in Orlando and worked summers drilling holes in swamps and managed two summers in Gainesville (even hotter than WDW) without air conditioning. Here's what I've learned:

• The worst part of the day is between 10 and 11:30. The sun's brightest then, and it's evaporating the morning dew into pure nasty. So try to find something to minimize your exposure then. Maybe a late breakfast or brunch at whatever park you're at, or plan for longer waits or shows.
• You're going to sweat. A lot. So wear something that either absorbs it or dissipates it. Cotton may be breathable, but it also holds water, and once that shirt starts gripping your body, things will get worse from there.
• Bring something to wipe the sweat off you with -- either a washcloth or a frog towel or something to keep the sweat from dripping from your face to your clothes.
• minimize what you carry.
• Hats are better than nothing, but visors are better than hats.
• To paraphrase the movie: The first rule of dealing with the heat is do not complain about the heat. The second rule of dealing with the heat is DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE HEAT!. If you have to, make a game out of it -- say you are only allowed to talk abut the heat between 17 and 19 past the hour. Then everyone has to blurt it all out quickly and it becomes sort of a game.

It'll be fine. You'll sweat, but that's part of the experience. Have fun!

 

[disneyvoice]

You will be fine and have a great time! Yes, it is hot and humid but it's only unbearable if you don't pre-plan for the heat.

As far as touring schedules - we have found in the heat it is best to do rope drop every morning and try to ride as many of the rides that are most important to you then (prioritizing any headliners), excluding any large capacity attractions (or those that are always pretty easy to walk right on) that are air conditioned. That way when you feel like it is getting too hot you have already done the most important stuff. As the park starts to heat up, if you are all still going strong, switch your touring plan over to the large capacity, easily walk on air conditioned attractions (primarily the shows). This way you are out of the sun and heat/humidity but still checking things off. By this point we are hot and tired so we head back to the resort - you can nap and/or hit the pool. Then you can decide if you feel like going back to the parks at night or if you would rather just hang out at the resort.

For FPs - we usually schedule our FPs for late afternoon/early evening so we aren't stuck standing in long lines during blazing heat and sun. However, during the hottest months we will sometimes schedule some FPs for late morning/early afternoon in case we decide we are too tired to return to the parks after our mid-day break. Often during the hottest months we only return to the parks for dinner and the evening fireworks/show. The most important thing is to plan for some way to limit the amount of time you are either walking around or standing in an outdoor, un-airconditioned line during the hottest times int he afternoon. Keep in mind that I think WDW can feel brutally hot even though the early evening hours (not just the typical 10-2 times that are usually quoted as the prime heat of the day).

It will be a big help if you can dress in moisture wicking material - I always feel so much hotter when my clothes are drenched with sweat. Wear lots of sunscreen - the heat is literally unbearable at the time of the year if you are sunburned. Drink TONS of water - it sounds crazy but we actually schedule when we need to get water. It's really easy to not realize you are thirsty and getting dehydrated so you have to help yourself out and drink water even if you don't think you need or want it. We also try to eat less than normal when it's super hot. Typically the heat decreases our appetite anyway but to me I am miserable when I feel full/stuffed walking around the parks when it ISN'T hot but when it is hot it can make me feel physically ill. The spray fans can help, I just find them burdensome to carry.

I think the most important thing is to give yourself permission to call it a day even if it is still early and you haven't checked off a good portion of what you had hoped to accomplish in the parks - especially when you have kids. The ultimate goal of a WDW trip is for everyone to have fun, many people interpret that as accomplishing as much as possible, but if everyone is miserable trying to get everyone "done" it won't be a very happy trip.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We've done August twice. Midday breaks work best for us. We do RD, leave the park around 11:30 for a midday break by the pool and then PM park with FP+ starting around 5. Yes it's hot but very doable. Drink tons of water and wear comfortable shoes.

My kids sleep until noon in the summer but when at WDW they prefer waking up in the morning and hitting RD. They know how hot it gets and beating the heat is important.

 

[kaybird]

We went in August only for years and years when the boys were in school. Yes, it is hot, but still super fun. We either do Waterparks for the afternoon and most of our TS meals we plan smack in the heat of the afternoon. We hit the parks early on while the lines are shorter, and show and indoor lines later on.

 

[holden]

Definitely do rope drop, leave around lunchtime and return after dinner or when the sun goes down. That sun is brutal!

Keep hydrated and don't drink too much alcohol.

Reapply sunscreen.

Don't beat yourself up if you can't accomplish everything you want to do. Better to take it easy than exhaust yourself trying to do it all.

 

[Ava]

The other tip I would add for an August trip is to be prepared for rain. There are usually afternoon showers year round in FL, but August is during hurricane season so can see more/heavier rain than at other times of year.

Keep an eye on the forecast each day and dress accordingly. Water sandals, such as Keens or Tevas, are a must for us for our August trips. Bring two pairs of shoes for each person so you always have a dry pair to change into at the room. Lightweight, quick-drying clothing is better than cotton which will take longer to dry and be heavy when wet. Carry a plastic poncho for each member of your party and a gallon ziploc bag to put it in after use. Presuming you'll have a stroller for your 2-year-old, make sure you have a good rain cover for it. And cover it if you leave it outside to go into an attraction or restaurant! Nothing worse than going back to retrieve your stroller only to discover it rained while you were inside and your stroller is soaking wet.

Just be prepared for the heat & rain and you will have a great trip. Go slowly, stay hydrated, and be flexible to change plans if necessary. We'll be at Bay Lake Tower 8/27-9/3 so we're right there with you in planning for the FL summer weather!

 

[poohgirl6]

I feel ya....we'll be at GF Aug 12-19 It's literally the only week we could get all of our kids and grandkids together. Planning early rope drop, afternoons at pool, lots of water and breaks.

You'll have a great time!

 

[finedice]

Also going in August. I think I have seen 15+ threads on this in various places- always pretty much the same. I understand a slight worry, but seriously folks, millions of people live in Florida and don't melt! Just be smart!

 

[anniemae]

You just have to be careful. The FL heat in the summer is no joke. We saw people pass out from dehydration. Make sure you drink, drink, drink water. Make sure your kids stay hydrated. Lots of sunscreen and big hats. Take breaks, the heat radiates off the pavement so seek the AC when you can. Also watch the weather as storms pop up quickly. We went in Aug twice and twice we had hurricanes bearing down on FL so be mindful of that. Hurricanes seem to like Aug!

 

[cutigerlady]

Also plan your touring plan to hit indoor attractions that will get you out of the heat strategically. We usually go in September and it's just as hot.

I freeze some of our bottled water and then it's easy to get help carrying our string bag because it's nice and cool against the carrier's back!

 

[ArielDreams]

If August was truly unbearable, no one would go! My 1st advice is to not worry about it - get excited!!!!

Anyway, like the previous posters have said - rope drop, afternoon breaks (to cool off in the pool if sunny, to avoid the afternoon rain shower if necessary) and park hopping are our strategies. Disney also has a ton of indoor attractions and shows to cool off in. We went to Universal in July once and found it was not the case there - I find Disney much more manageable and it naturally has a lot more shade.

Have a great trip!

 

[runnerdad02066]

Thank you for all the responses so far. My in-laws and sister in law are also meeting us there. So if the young one needs to go back to the hotel during the day there is always someone to take her. We are planning pool time every afternoon after lunch. One reason that we picked Bay Lake was it was close to the monorail and MK. We have early breakfast reservations every morning so we plan to be at the rope drop every day if possible.

 

[Ambehnke]

It's not that bad... ha! We will be there Aug 5-12 and were there at the end of July last year too. It is hot, very hot. We walk out of our rooms and are instantly in sweat, no need for fancy hairstyles or makeup. But it really isn't horrible once you are in the parks. Lots of fans, air conditioned activities, shops, or queues. Drink lots of water, let your kids get a misting fan to spray each other (and you) with, wicking fabric clothing, rope drop and pms with a midday break, same stuff everyone else has suggested. But don't let all of the talk scare you.... it is definitely doable. Last year our travel bottles and deodorant melted in our car when we left our things in the parking lot on check out day... I remember thinking come on it's not THAT hot.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Bay Lake Tower will be great for August. Easy walk over to MK, easy walk back.

Other than that, get out early every day. The best hours are in the morning (coolest and most settled regarding storms). Stay hydrated! Take advantage of air-conditioned shows as much as possible. Pace yourself.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

We go every August for years now once our children's schedules are different. It is hot - some years hotter than others. We take it slow and take lunch ADRs to be in air conditioning.

One other thing we do in MK is to stay in 2 lands near each other to not be walking across MK. It keeps the walking to a minimum. We do go to MK several days. We also are prepared with rain ponchos so when it rains we keep going. It will be fine.

 

[disneyshan]

We went in August 2015 and were worried about the heat and humidity too. We stayed hydrated, brought frogg toggs towels (which we didn't use once) and took advantage of free ice water and had pool breaks in the afternoon and we did great. The only time I felt overwhelmed and sick was standing in the early afternoon sun and heat waiting for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin for an hour (the outside part of the line is completely uncovered). Ever since, we hit that ride early in the morning because it's a must-do for my 5 and 7 year old boys!)