Tips on avoiding the heat

[bouds]

We're heading to Disneyland tomorrow and it looks like it's going to be very hot by Wednesday (97°). We are not good hot weather people! Any special tips you have for avoiding the sun and heat? I thought of doing character meals and going to see Aladdin during the hottest times of the day, as well as an afternoon hotel/pool break, and hitting the water rides, of course! What else? What should we be sure to do on our first two days that are supposed to be a little cooler? What should we avoid on the hot days? Thanks!

 

[Girimama33]

Invest in a good mister fan.

 

[scrapshappen]

We invested in Cool Cloths and they were great. They are cloths made of tech material that you wet down and then snap and wear around your neck to cool you off. I bought ours at Costco a few months back.

 

[meggles]

Frogg togg cooling towel, take a swim break in the middle of the day, get there early to get a bunch done before the heat really hits, a/c long lunches or animation academy. Water rides or bugs land puddle play area are nice.

Lots of cool drinks and water!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Be there at rope drop for entering the parks as early as possible. It's not hot early in the morning so I would hesitate to take valuable cool early morning time at a character meal. The only character meal that's non-breakfast off the top of my head is Goofy's Kitchen and you'd have to hike to the DLH rather defeating the cool down purpose. Aiming to eat lunch at an air conditioned restraunt is an excellent idea though! Enjoy grizzly river rapids or splash mountain before returning to your hotel for your afternoon break as you plan to, try to get FP for GRR to avoid standing in the long line as EVERYONE wants to cool down at the same time. Animation academy is also air conditioned in DCA. Aladdin is a blast, definitely see that! Mickeys Magical Map is cute and in a shaded area but not air conditioned. While the tiki room is air conditioned it can get quite popular during the hotter times of day. Don't be afraid if it looks really crowded to get in, the theater seats a lot of people! Return later in the evening as it cools down nicely late at night. Oh- if anyone wants to see Tom Sawyer Island go earlier in the morning, that one can get hot...

I'm taking it your crew isn't used to hot weather so also this: stay hydrated! Avoid the sodas during the day and opt for water, ice cold soda can be so tempting (at least to me) but in the long run they are just dehydrating. Put sunscreen on first thing in the morning.

Honestly you already have the most important thing figured out: afternoon hotel/pool break!

 

[BadPinkTink]

pasty Irish girl here, my country does not go over 65c 65F so my body is really not able for the California sun!

I get there early to do as much as possible before 12pm.

I use a really high factor sunscreen (factor 50) and reapply through out the day, as it just melts off my face.

In rest rooms I splash cool water on my face and use facewipes before re-applying my sun screen. I also run cool water over the insides of my wrists to cool my body down.

Make sure you hydrate ALOT but I would have to disagree with pp about drinking soda. I drink soda and isotonic Gaterade. My body sweats alot more in the California heat than here in Ireland. Therefore I lose alot more body salts and sugars. Drinking soda and isotonic Gaterade replenishes the salts and sugars lost through over sweating. I find when I drink only water in California I dehydrate faster.

Also I love the fresh fruit in ice snacks, especially the pineapple spears sold throughout the park. A great way to snack and hydrate with something cool.

Having a meal in an air conditioned restaurant or going to a show is another great way. Also park hopping out of the main park to California adventures in the afternoon, as it is more open plan and less crowded than the main park.

I also bring a mister and a hand held fan.

 

[SixteenFeet]

I hate the heat and don't do well with it, funny since I'm a native Texan. Anyway last year we were at DLR during the heat wave and oh, man was I complaining every day!!! Drink lots of water, alternate with the nice cool drinks like the lemonade icees or the apple juice ones Avoid caffeinated beverages. Yes to taking a break in the pool during the hottest part of the day, which I felt was more like between noon-3pm. When the sun just starts to go down the air begins to cool so we found that 4-5pm felt better than noon (this is different from TX where 5pm is considered the hottest part of the day. Breeze tends to pick up in the late afternoon too which helps a ton. Be sure to apply lots of sunscreen at the start of the day.

You can't necessarily count on getting soaked on Grizzly...only one of our party of 8 this year got wet enough to describe as "soaked". But if you want to ride, FP for sure!

We were not opposed to filling a bottle of water and then just pouring it over our heads That helped the kids out a ton. I prefer quick-drying sport sandals rather than tennis shoes/socks for this reason - you can dump water on yourself to cool off and still walk around in comfort. Same with clothing, pick quicker-drying fabrics.

Sun hats!!! We all have dark hair and it's amazing how much cooler you feel with a good wide-brimmed sunhat. We got ours from Costco (as did 50% of the others in the park, LOL, so be careful when watching your kids - don't go by their hat color!) but they worked GREAT. You can even wet the hats, wring them out, and wear them. Aaaahhhhhhh, feels so good.

We personally found the mister fans to just be a pain to carry around.

 

[offwithyourhead]

Frozen water bottles, or at least cups of ice water if you can't manage bottles. If you start feeling sick or overheated, put one on your neck, chest and forehead. It'll cool you down right away. This is coming from someone who is most comfortable at max 75 F overcast weather, anything beyond that makes me sick, so I end up using this technique a lot.

Also keep very hydrated. Super important. Heat fatigue and heat stroke happen a lot faster if you aren't hydrated really well.

 

[DWillowBay]

Another vote for Frogg Toggs cooling towels. We actually bought the big one and cut it into wash cloth size. Then we put it in a ziplock bag with ice and we are cool all day!

 

[4Mickeys]

We were also there in the heatwave last September. Agree with many of the suggestions already posted. Ice-cream for lunch. Grizzly River Rapids definitely. The mister fan can be a pain to carry but we could not have done without it, we just took turns carrying it.

Also if you find you are getting particularly over-heated and the other suggestions haven't helped you could drop by the first aid room at DL. I ended up having to go there due to worry over my swollen legs and weird pains in foot - it was from the heat and the walking. But the first thing they did was to give me and my 3 kiddies ice cold wash cloths (from the fridge) to cool off with. There was another little girl laying down for whom the heat had become too much also. They were fantastic and said I could pop back any time should I need some ice or to elevate my legs for a while.

 

[Sherry E]

I can empathize with you, bouds! I am not a hot weather person at all. AT ALL. In any way, shape or form. I dread summer every year for that very reason. It doesn't even have to get to 97 degrees for me to be too hot. I can overheat at 72 degrees. I've also gotten really nasty sunburns on cloudy/overcast days, as well as on super sunny/hot days.

It's worth noting, too, that 97 degrees is actually going to feel a few degrees warmer than that in the parks. There is no way around it. The sun is harsh when it beams down on Disneyland, and a lot of time is spent standing out in that sun while waiting for rides and things.

I agree with BadPinkTink about the pineapple spears! I wholeheartedly endorse those. They are cold, juicy, refreshing, delicious..... they drip everywhere and can be messy, but they are a fantastic treat for a summer day. Many people swear by Dole Whips too.

I know you know to drink lots of water and/or other cold liquids -- but even that can't alleviate the feeing of the sun searing into one's skin. Try to cover up as best as you can. Bring cooling towels, cooling sprays, etc.

If you find yourselves overheating and just generally uncomfortable, don't force yourselves to stay in the heat and sun. Find somewhere to relax and rest. If you don't want to go back to your hotel room or pool, try sitting in the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel for a while. It is cool and calming. The lighting is dim, which is great for weary eyes. The chairs and sofas are comfortable.

 

[sheetz]

pasty Irish girl here, my country does not go over 65c so my body is really not able for the California sun!

Now, it can get hot in California but it's not quite that bad! (65C = 149F)

 

[BadPinkTink]

Now, it can get hot in California but it's not quite that bad! (65C = 149F)

ooopps, I meant 65 F which is 18 C

 

[DebbieB]

I was there 2 weeks ago and it was hot. My advise is to get there early, we did the EMH park.

 

[ADLFAN]

I am bringing my Adventureland straw fan and my NOS parasol! Plus the oversized and overpriced Disney spray fan and Frogtogg scarves. And a break in the pool and/or air conditioning at the hotel mid day. Hopefully that will be enough!

 

[kaoden39]

I love Great Moments With Mr Lincoln when it's hot. That theater can be so cool on a hot day.

 

[Ashlotte]

Definitely get Frogg Toggs! We used them last August in WDW (yes, WDW in August) and they saved us. It would have been unbearable without them.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Disneyland doesn't do a very good job of shielding people from the sun; nowhere nearly as well as WDW does. The worst place is Cars Land; that baking hot asphalt street running down the center with no trees or shade is a killer. I don't know why they didn't plant trees down the middle, or provide some type of shade covering.

 

[kaoden39]

I am bringing my Adventureland straw fan and my NOS parasol! Plus the oversized and overpriced Disney spray fan and Frogtogg scarves. And a break in the pool and/or air conditioning at the hotel mid day. Hopefully that will be enough!

Sounds good to me!!

 

[KiwiMouseGirl]

I would totally recommend buying one of those mister fans. I was at Disneyland in May last year during that ridiculous heatwave and was too frugal to spend $15 on a mister fan but looking back those $15 would have been the best investment of the trip! Make sure you stay well hydrated. but keep in mind that any cold drinks you bring with you/buy will be warm in like, 10 minutes after being in the heat. So if you are bringing your own water and want it to keep cool I would try to bring in an ice pack