Those who go in the summer - Strategy

[eporter66]

OK - for the duration of our DVC membership (since 2003), we have gone almost every October. We did one February trip (not presidents week), and we did go once in May (2004) when the first part of SSR opened.

So for those who travel in the summer - what is your strategy? Are the parks at peak during summer? My thought would be if you are going to the parks, hit them early and late, and hang at the hotel during those hot afternoons.

What are the patterns you see, are the parks actually less crowded in the afternoons because of the heat? How are the hotel pools?

Hope everyone has a great summer!! We are looking at another October vacation, but I am sure we are on borrowed time as DD7 will be getting too old to continue to take out of school (sigh...).

 

[got4boys]

On hot summer days, which we do often and will be soon....

We hit the parks first thing in the morning at rope drop...then take a break in the afternoon - go back to the room for lunch or when a storm comes in and come back later in the day when it is not too hot.

Yes, do expect that afternoon thunderstorm usually between 2:30 - 4 p.m.

 

[twinklebug]

Your strategy is perfect for summers at Disney. We've been in the summer many times in August (not this summer though... sniff sniff)

Our goal is to be back out of the parks before noontime. The crowds build all morning and by noon more people and kids are getting grumpy due to the heat and hunger. After noon we go back to the resort for a swim and a movie in the room and will head back out around 4-5 for the parks. The afternoon rain showers typically thin out the crowds.

The MK can get very crowded in the summer. I don't see it as much with the other parks.

AK is always beautiful early in the am and is a miserable place to be in the heat of day unless you're accustomed to the humidity. Due to AK's shorter operating hours and because typically there are no evening hours at AK we'll tough it out until we look like melted popcicles. When they offer the rare evening EMH we make sure to take advantage of them.

The summer evenings are wonderful.

 

[kikiq]

We go mid to late August. Follow pretty much what PPs have posted. Early mornings are essential. We were usually back in the villa by 1 pm for lunch. Nap and pool time. Early dinner and back into the parks. We usually stay at SSR Congress Park. The quiet pool isn't as crowded as the main pool. However, with the new Paddock pool opening, I don't know how crowded the pools will be. We aren't going this August...might go into withdrawals.

As far as crowds go, it's amazing how many people show up after 11. One day at DHS, we left my DB and DN at TSMM to go back to the villa at 11:30 to have an early lunch and to get out of the heat/humidity. We felt like we were going against the tide going to the exit.

Also every one has water all the time. If you don't want to carry around a water bottle, CS will give you ice water for free.

 

[TiffJ]

My kids are now too old to take out of school. We go the day they get out of school at the end of May-1st week of June. A lot of schools haven't gotten out yet so it isnt terribly bad.

Rope drop, rope drop, rope drop. That will be your best friend!!

 

[starbox]

We've done summer since my now-teens were toddlers! We used to do rope drop every day and then the afternoon break. We'd typically do a nice dinner in the evening and rarely did the parks full-force afterwards (we were TIRED from rope-dropping!!)

Now that the kids are older, we switched it up. We actually sleep in the morning, hit the park 10:30-11ish, get a fast pass to hold. Ride a few things or see a show, eat lunch around 1:00 and maybe use the fastpass and grab one for later then we are OUT. We swim all afternoon, eat dinner.

THEN - we go back to the park when the sun is setting and stay LATE - like till 12 or 3am. This is or serious riding time. Take advantage of EMH at night. Nothing quite like approaching the gates as people are swarming AWAY instead of coming in!! With older kids this works great. I actually think it's cooler at night than in the morning. The sun heats up FAST once it's out in Florida.

 

[mybabesuz]

RD is essential.
But DO have an alternate afternoon plan other than the pool.
The pools close quite frequently because of the storms.
There are lots of things to do inside at EPCOT too.

 

[disneychic]

We always go the end of August/beginning of September (this year we arrive 9/4) and we usually stay at the resort during the day and use the pool and have lunch. We head to the parks in the late afternoon/early evening. Sometimes we go to lunch at a different resort and pool hop (though not too often).

 

[Sammie]

Have done this many years. First off, dress for the weather, light weight materials and light colors. Lots of sunscreen and lots of water.

Go early, go early. Due to the heat and longer hours more people will go late then early.

By noon it will be so hot you will want to leave. Rest, use the pool, just do not get sunburned as that ruins the trip for the rest of the week. Don't forget your feet, they sunburn easily and then you will be miserable trying to wear shoes.

Honestly I think using the forumula of going early to the park that had late Extra Magic hours works better that going to EMH.

There is no way guests who stay at the MK until 2 or 3am will be there at rope drop.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...There is no way guests who stay at the MK until 2 or 3am will be there at rope drop.

Unless they go back to the resort for a five or six hour nap after they leave from rope drop.

 

[starbox]

One nice thing about going in the evening is that the afternoon rain will usually cool things off. But RD works too. It just depends on whether your family are early birds or night owls. One thing about summer - DONT FIGHT BIOLOGY. If you stay up till 1am and sleep till 10, do not try to switch that up on top of fighting the heat and humidity. Same thing - if you are up at dawn and in bed at 10 - don't force yourself to stay late.

Work around your own rhythm, realize you'll get tired faster in the heat and don't push yourself. Drink gatorade/powerade and not just water - with the fluid you use in sweat, you need the sodium/electrolytes as well as the hydration.

Pools may close for thunderstorms but usually reopen pretty quickly as by July the rain typically moves in and out fast - 4:00 - 4:30 usually.

We've had I think ONE summer experience where SAB stayed closed for hours. Community hall activities are nice if that happens and if the resort has one.

 

[JimMIA]

We do the mid-day pool/nap break sometimes, and it works fine for us. However, to really make that work I think you have to have a car (we always do). Otherwise, you spend your whole vacation on buses.

In the parks - probably because of my EMS background - we pay a lot of attention to safety.

As Sammie noted, light clothing (preferably wicking) is a must. Also hats and lots of sunblock, applied several times during the day. In central Florida, you are much closer to the sun than you are up north, and it does matter.

Water and/or electrolyte-replacement drinks are essential, and how you drink them matters. We start in the car on the way to the parks, and we sip water all day long -- the same pattern I follow at work. If you wait until you're thirsty, it's too late. And if you ever lose a day (or more) from getting overheated, you'll be much more careful next time.

Also, I loves my beer -- but I drink it at night. Any alcoholic beverage dehydrates, and that is just plain dangerous in hot weather.

Another good strategy used by many is frequent breaks indoors in air-conditioned venues -- restaurants, shows, etc. That allows your core body temperature to ease off a bit, which is better than having it building throughout the day.

Rain won't hurt you. We carry ponchos, but being from South Florida, we're so used to getting rained on we rarely use them. It rains, we get wet -- same rain plan we use at home.

Lightning is a different story. Getting the change in your pocket melted by lightning could ruin your vacation, so we go indoors at the first sign of a thunderstorm. Florida is the lightning capital of the universe, and trust me -- you don't want to even see a victim of a lightning strike, much less BE one.

 

[dairyqueenmom]

Once our oldest hit middle school three years ago, we had to stop pulling her and her 3 siblings out of school. We have traveled the 1st, 2nd, and this year the 3rd week of August. I think this I will continue until they are all out of school.

We do vacation in a new manner. We try to hit the parks early, hit the nearest pool to the park we are at and hang out. We have lunch pool side or at that resorts counter service. I bring a large 2 gallon ziplock to put all the wet suits in and we head back to the park for the evening.

We have a case of water delivered with our groceries. We freeze several bottles each night so we have cold water all day.

I love our summer vacations now. It signals the end of summer and back to school in our family.

 

[Sammie]

Another, we love Smart Water, all the good stuff that is in Gatoraid and Poweraid and no sugar. Disney sells it everywhere.

And as JimMIA advised heed the warnings about lightning. When the lifeguards say "Get out of the Pool" don't argue because there is no cloud in the sky. They know what they are talking about. We got caught one afternoon at Epcot between pavillions and had to make a run for it. The lightning struck so close, our hair stood up and we could smell the strike.

We saw a man at SAB argue with them one day about clearing the pool. When lightning struck the top of the windmill needless to say he got out quickly then, just hope he did not leave a toxic waste behind.

 

[JimMIA]

Another, we love Smart Water, all the good stuff that is in Gatoraid and Poweraid and no sugar. Disney sells it everywhere.

Be careful with that stuff, especially when engaging in more physical activity than you normally do in your everyday life. Your body needs two things to function -- oxygen and sugar. Take away either and you're in big trouble.

I've treated several people we thought had heat exhaustion, but it turned out their problem was low blood sugar. None of them had any prior issues with blood sugar and they were not diabetic. (Diabetics usually have high blood glucose, which is much less of an emergency, but a patient with low blood glucose can go downhill in a hurry.)

These people we treated were engaged in similar activities to what we'd do at WDW (walking around, but nothing strenuous) and simply hadn't eaten enough fuel to keep their bodies functioning. Their bodies stopped compensating and they went into shock. We treated them for shock and got no improvement at all.

Once we checked their sugar and gave them some oral glucose, they were fine.

 

[HookdonWDW]

I've treated several people we thought had heat exhaustion, but it turned out their problem was low blood sugar.

Once we checked their sugar and gave them some oral glucose, they were fine.

I'm hypoglycemic (low blood sugar), and this is one of the things I have to watch out for when I'm at WDW in the warm weather. I can't drink gatorade (too much sugar will cause me to crash), so I have to make sure that I hydrate, pack small protein snacks, find shady/ air conditioned areas to hang out in throughout the day, and bring along some hard candy just in case things start to go downhill fast. I can go from feeling normal, to "off" to out in less than a minute.

We usually do the go early/ leave and hang out at the resort in the middle of the day/ return to the parks after dinner strategy.

 

[Sammie]

Be careful with that stuff, especially when engaging in more physical activity than you normally do in your everyday life. Your body needs two things to function -- oxygen and sugar. Take away either and you're in big trouble.

I've treated several people we thought had heat exhaustion, but it turned out their problem was low blood sugar. None of them had any prior issues with blood sugar and they were not diabetic. (Diabetics usually have high blood glucose, which is much less of an emergency, but a patient with low blood glucose can go downhill in a hurry.)

These people we treated were engaged in similar activities to what we'd do at WDW (walking around, but nothing strenuous) and simply hadn't eaten enough fuel to keep their bodies functioning. Their bodies stopped compensating and they went into shock. We treated them for shock and got no improvement at all.

Once we checked their sugar and gave them some oral glucose, they were fine.

Thanks Jim but having to worry about me getting enough sugar will never be a problem.

I just do not care for the taste of Gatorade too much like Koolaid.

 

[twinklebug]

Water verses flavored sports drinks is an old discussion that can be found all over the web.

Ultimately it comes down to listening to your own body. If you're thirsty, you're dehydrated. Try not to let yourself get to that point. Keep a small bottle with you at all times because in Disney there will be times you're stuck in a line and realize you're horribly dehydrated. Water or Sports drink, doesn't matter - whatever you'll drink! (although do try to stay away from alcohol and, in my case, caffeine because they'll do you no favors)

Good Sunblock will help to keep you cool. (Careful! Not the waterproof/sweat proof type which will actually trap heat and make you hotter). Keep a small bottle handy to reapply throughout the sunny hours and refill it nightly.

If you're tired, go sit down - preferably in a cool, quiet spot for 15 minutes to recharge. No, we're not toddlers in need of a time out, but you'll be amazed at the difference you'll feel between sitting in a noisy, active location and the rest you get from a quiet, cool spot.

If you're sweating, don't try to cover it up and hide it. We're all human - we sweat! Let the air cool you down. Make sure to duck into the ac'd stores and allow yourself to cool down. With all our summer trips, I've found myself admiring the decor of the stores more than the merchandise.

 

[starbox]

Water verses flavored sports drinks is an old discussion that can be found all over the web.

Ultimately it comes down to listening to your own body. If you're thirsty, you're dehydrated. Try not to let yourself get to that point. Keep a small bottle with you at all times because in Disney there will be times you're stuck in a line and realize you're horribly dehydrated. Water or Sports drink, doesn't matter - whatever you'll drink!

While this is generally true - I will say that we learned the hard way that too much water can be a bad thing. DH is very good about drinking water and staying hydrated, and since it was hot and he was sweating, he kept drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated.

That evening he became deathly ill and had to be hospitalized and it turned out that all that water + sweat had depleted his body of sodium. He was told DRINK ELECTROLYTES if you are SWEATING. I had never heard of such a thing and thought we were being so good to keep well hydrated and drink plenty of water.

It was very scary for about 24 hours. Evidently people can die (they said hikers die this way).

 

[mecllap]

Get a spray mist bottle for DD -- with instructions to refill it often (keep an eye out for restroom areas) and spray it into her mouth (my DGS loves to do this, and it helps keep him hydrated), and on herself, but not on other people around her who may not like it (I do like having anyone spray water on me on hot days -- I volunteer). We use bandannas -- to keep damp around our necks, and to swab off wet foreheads. Don't overdo the salt and sugar intake, but do eat regularly.

The crowds do not avoid the afternoon -- they just get hot, miserable and unhappy (the parade is still in the afternoon). If you can do air-conditioned stuff early afternoon, and be ready to hit other stuff when crowds thin out from the rainstorms (get a supply of cheap dollar store ponchos), that can work somewhat -- but the general advice of go to rope drop and hit the highlights, then maybe come back in the evening is good (stock up on Fastpasses as well as you can early in the day -- you can use them after the time listed on them). Plan on inside things for the afternoon. Wear cargo shorts and carry as little extra stuff as possible. Use sunblock (as noted), "Bodyglide" on your feet and thighs can be helpful. Have some blister bandages available. Possibly use a small folding umbrella on longish walks in the sun (or waiting areas) (again, carefully -- don't bump it into other guests). Wear hats, visors, sunglasses.

Take it easy, don't rush around, enjoy the details, don't try to do everything, etc. Have fun (use Photopass -- we once had a hot, crowded trip that seemed rather unpleasant at the time, but looking back at the photos makes it look like a really fun vacation -- braving July/August again in a few weeks!).