Tell me about August

jockey

Runs for Wine!
Joined
Apr 25, 2004
Messages
7,814
We are regular visitors to WDW and travelling from Ireland. This year due to schooling and exams we have booked the first two weeks in August. People are telling me it's so bad with crowds and heat, just hoping we wont melt! We have been in September and May and never in summer. Can you guys share your experiences and any tips for us please.
 
The humidity is killer and it will likely be HOT. Checking weather.com, looks like average highs will be about 32C with likely 80% humidity, for a heat index of 44C. Brace yourself.... and bring some Anti-Monkey-Butt powder. (I never really understood the term "SwampA$$" until I was in FL in that kind of humidity.)

It will be doable, but bring lots of water, gatorade packets for said water, cooling towels, and plan on either returning to your room during the worst of the midday heat or at least an air-conditioned TS meal. Good luck!

I used this site for the conversion, btw: https://www.calculator.net/heat-ind...ureunit=celsius&humidity=80&ctype=1&x=73&y=27
 
Bring Xtra socks to the park, wet feet and getting blisters hurts. Bring a light plastic poncho rather than umbrella/s, they are not bulky and after shaken can easily roll up in a ziploc. Use that sunscreen before leaving resort and perhaps bring a small one for touch ups/face as the day wears on.
and…
get to the rides as people flee the rain and the park, lol. best time for rides not affected. Unless there’s lightening they will be Open.
It can be crowded, it can rain.. more like POUR, but it often stops and that Fla sun dries things up rather quickly. It can feel sticky n hot but dressing Light n comfy works, really! I used to bring a wash cloth just to dry off faces etc.
No longer “ have to” visit in August but I have Tons of great Trip Memories of those rainy time visits. I think earlier Aug will be better overall anyway. Take advantage of the rain… while everyone runs lol. Pixie dust ur way for a Great visit!!
 
Bring Xtra socks to the park
Excellent point! And bring at least one pair of extra walking/park shoes with you. It is far better to have a dry pair to rotate out than to have to pay for a dryer or use a hair dryer to ensure you can wear dry shoes the next day in the park!

We also typically take a pair of flipflops to use when we know we'll be on a wet ride or to try to keep our tennies dry in the event of rain.
 

The humidity is killer and it will likely be HOT. Checking weather.com, looks like average highs will be about 32C with likely 80% humidity, for a heat index of 44C. Brace yourself.... and bring some Anti-Monkey-Butt powder. (I never really understood the term "SwampA$$" until I was in FL in that kind of humidity.)

It will be doable, but bring lots of water, gatorade packets for said water, cooling towels, and plan on either returning to your room during the worst of the midday heat or at least an air-conditioned TS meal. Good luck!

I used this site for the conversion, btw: https://www.calculator.net/heat-ind...ureunit=celsius&humidity=80&ctype=1&x=73&y=27
Brill thanks, I ran the Dopey challenge in Jan 202 and it was very hot and humid I said to DH if I can do that we can do the parks!!! Thx for the weather link too!
 
Brill thanks, I ran the Dopey challenge in Jan 202 and it was very hot and humid I said to DH if I can do that we can do the parks!!! Thx for the weather link too!
Yeah, if you can run in that kind of heat/humidity, a regular old visit to the parks will be a walk in the ....well... park! :crazy:
 
Bring Xtra socks to the park, wet feet and getting blisters hurts. Bring a light plastic poncho rather than umbrella/s, they are not bulky and after shaken can easily roll up in a ziploc. Use that sunscreen before leaving resort and perhaps bring a small one for touch ups/face as the day wears on.
and…
get to the rides as people flee the rain and the park, lol. best time for rides not affected. Unless there’s lightening they will be Open.
It can be crowded, it can rain.. more like POUR, but it often stops and that Fla sun dries things up rather quickly. It can feel sticky n hot but dressing Light n comfy works, really! I used to bring a wash cloth just to dry off faces etc.
No longer “ have to” visit in August but I have Tons of great Trip Memories of those rainy time visits. I think earlier Aug will be better overall anyway. Take advantage of the rain… while everyone runs lol. Pixie dust ur way for a Great visit!!

Brill tabs, being from Ireland we see a lot of rain at least the Floridian rain will be warmer!!!
Excellent point! And bring at least one pair of extra walking/park shoes with you. It is far better to have a dry pair to rotate out than to have to pay for a dryer or use a hair dryer to ensure you can wear dry shoes the next day in the park!

We also typically take a pair of flipflops to use when we know we'll be on a wet ride or to try to keep our tennies dry in the event of rain.
Brill tip on the flip flops thx
 
Brill tip on the flip flops thx
You're welcome! If you've never tried them before, I highly recommend checking out Vionic flipflops, especially if you need arch support. They are the only flipflop I can wear and I mostly just buy their shoes anymore. This is the flipflop that fits me best.
 
My fam and I were there the 3rd week of August this year...it was hot and humid but bearable. As far as crowds the week we were there wasn't bad...a lot of schools in the southern US return in mid-August so crowds shouldn't be as bad as, say, July or December.
As far as the weather, invest in a waterproof park bag as well as a water proof bag within that bag (such as a bath suit bag) to house your extra socks/flipflops/undies so if you get caught in the rain they will be dry in your bag. I found good ones at container store and bed bath and beyond...search for wet bags or bathing suit bags. They will obvioualy keep anything wet separated as well so you dont have to worry about those wet socks dripping on everything else. The rain only really came down about 3 times while we were there so we lucked out. But come prepared as others have said with plastic ponchos...we got a box of 10 real cheap on amazon.
Lots of water is a must, I'm sure you've seen the free ice water at the quick service and food carts take advantage. And cooling towels, best travel related investment. They sell them in the parks but much more affordable on amazon or at a sporting good store. A glass of water, fresh cooling towel and 5 mins in the shade was enough to rejuvenate my travel party most days.
Not sure your food approach but with heat/humidity in FL in the summer frequent mini meals may serve you better than sit downs (pun sort of intended?). A heavy meal in AC then right back out into the heat is rough. Either eat and then take a break or eat a big meal in the evening as opposed to lunch. Obviously a big meal then jumping on TOT or RRC is ill advised but a heavy meal and then stepping right into the midday heat will do some unpleasant things too.
Biggest thing in August all things considered is packing your patient pants...take it easy especially if planning on being there two weeks.
 
We often visit in late August (from Canada) and plan to again in 2022. Our motto for the week is to be prepared for daily rain where it pours for a brief but intense amount of time and also, be prepared for melt-your-face-off heat!

Personally, if the people in your travel party can handle heat and humidity, go for it! If someone is unable to do that I would recommend considering another time. We went with a friend once who told us over and over she could not handle the heat and she was right, she was miserable the entire trip and in turn, made us miserable at times. Lesson learned. Not everyone can handle the heat so their concerns should be considered.
 
August and September are the hottest most humid months. Every day is in the 90’s. There’s usually a daily thunderstorm or rain. Cools things off for a little, but within minutes everything in dried off and hot again. It’s also hurricane season, but Disney is where many Floridians go to wait out a hurricane.

Be sure to hydrate prior to park days and while at the parks. Dehydration can feel like a really bad stomachache at first.

Just walking from my front door to the car, I can end up full of sweat, it’s that hot.

We still go to the parks in the summer. Usually morning or nights. We live in central Florida, so we’re use to it.
 
Lots of good advice . The one thing I would die without is a sun umbrella. Seriously it is so necessary. Also , I know the spray water bottles seem overpriced but the Disney ones are very helpful and worth every penny for us . Of course take breaks , lots of water and go back to the resort during the day to swim or nap . Bring extra clothes or plan on doing laundry because you will want 2 outfits a day, trust me . It can be done if you just prepare for the heat ! Have a blast!
 
We’ve gone often in August due to schedules but the worst heat we had was a freak heat wave May. You’ll be fine. 😀 I just accept the fact I will get wet when it rains and wear Tevas or other waterproof sandals. I find ponchos unbearably hot and the rain to be nice when I feel like I’m melting. As others have said, plan on lots of sunscreen, water, and multiple outfits per day (or laundry as needed). Go very early, stay very late, and nap, do that laundry, or have a nice meal in the middle of the day.

In other words, expect to do what you’d normally do in May. Just drink a bit more water and be ready for storms.
 
We went in August a couple years back. We had a very nice time. That said...

It gets extremely, extremely hot and humid. You could luck out and get low 90s, but we certainly did not. Every day was 98 with a couple days creeping into triple digits. We did a lot of work in parks before 11 AM, went back to the hotel to nap and swim, and then hit the parks again after 7. We are bad with that kind of crazy heat. Maybe you are not and will enjoy it. Heck, I saw people buying hot coffee at Joffrey's at Epcot when it was 97. Maybe that'll be you! 😃

As for the crowds? It will be busy, but it's always busy, and it won't be xmas or spring break or holiday weekend busy. I think you'll be fine from that POV.
 
We spent the first two weeks of August of this year in Disney and we had a blast. The heat really didn’t bother us. You already got a lot of great advice, but again, take breaks, drink lots of water, wear hats, sunglasses, suntan lotion, bring extra shoes and umbrellas. If you plan accordingly and are prepared, you will have an awesome trip.
 
Accept that you’ll be sweating from the moment you walk out the door, plan for mid-afternoon thunderstorms every day (so hit the outdoor rides in the AM), and pack plenty of sunscreen and drink lots of water! Otherwise it’s a fabulous time to go :) You can get great use out of the pools/waterparks, the AC feels extra heavenly, and in my opinion it always feels just a tiny bit less crowded.
 
Brilliant guys that you . So many tips I have my note book and I am writing them down. Ha not sure I will be drinking coffee in that heat...do love Joffreys coffee though and order it on line to ship here to Ireland. We have been in May too when there's been a freak heatwave, also got caught up in a hurricane in 2004, think it was hurricane Jeanne, Disney looked after us really well.
 
We regularly go in late August and are booked in 2022. Midday swim breaks are great but I also like to do shows or longer rides like it's a small world to escape the heat when we're in the parks. We often will do the water parks in the afternoon as well and then hit the parks in the evening.
 




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