Tips to Beat (Or bear) the Heat

[Squishie]

It’s going to sound crazy but our family is going in September, which I’m hearing is miserably hot, and a couple of us overheat easily and also get really crabby when hot.

What are you must haves in the park bag and tips to beating the heat, while not taking too much time away from activities?

 

[sponica]

For me it's not the heat but the humidity layered on top of the heat. Early entry will be your best friend if you're staying on site. Knock out as much as you can before lunch time and then do a table service lunch or a counter service lunch in air conditioning.

We've used cooling towels, and my kids have those battery operated fans that spray water, but I think those work better in the dry heat than the swampy humid heat.

 

[SheSingsAlong]

My husband and I went on a very short August trip last year and were NOT prepared for 112 degree "feels like" temperatures. Before our next trip (May 2024 during a heat wave) I bought handheld fans, a UV blocking umbrella, and made sure we all had moisture wicking clothing. I knew the fans would 100% help, but I worried the umbrella would be a waste or too cumbersome. Nope. It was a HUGE benefit! My best recommendation: cooling towel wrapped around your neck, handheld fan blowing on your neck, standing under the UV umbrella.

But there's only so much you can do to make the heat/humidity feel more tolerable, so I also second the recommendations for rope dropping to get as much done before the heat of the day sets in and then either take a long, air conditioned lunch break or head back to your hotel for a longer mid-day break (showering back at the hotel does wonders to make you feel human again). Head back out to the parks for the evening.

 

[dvczerfs]

All of the above. Florida in September is not only in the middle of hurricane season but it’s still hot and humid. If the heat and humidity is a real health risk, I would really consider a different time of year. The heat is no joke, dehydration happens fast, I see it every day here, even in people who are in excellent health and shape. If you ever noticed in the summer months the parks parking lots are just about empty, that’s because most locals stay home, and they use to the heat.
Early mornings and after the sun starts going down is the best time to be out.

 

[tom1944]

Water, frozen water bottles, getting into rides or stores with AC, sitting in a restaurant during peak heat and going under water sprays that were set up all helped.

 

[gottalovepluto]

It’s going to sound crazy but our family is going in September, which I’m hearing is miserably hot, and a couple of us overheat easily and also get really crabby when hot.

Are you serious about this or exaggerating? If you’re serious this will probably be the vacation from hell then. If you overheat easily & get really crabby when hot there is no product or plan on planet earth that will make WDW an enjoyable trip in Sept. Cancel it or schedule later in the year. Why in the world pay all that money so you can all be miserable? One “really crabby” person can ruin a trip, much less multiple crabby people.

Sometimes on past Sept trips I start sweating as soon as I leave the room early in the morning because it’s so hot & humid.

 

[tom1944]

Are you serious about this or exaggerating? If you’re serious this will probably be the vacation from hell then. If you overheat easily & get really crabby when hot there is no product or plan on planet earth that will make WDW an enjoyable trip in Sept. Cancel it or schedule later in the year. Why in the world pay all that money so you can all be miserable? One “really crabby” person can ruin a trip, much less multiple crabby people.

Sometimes on past Sept trips I start sweating as soon as I leave the room early in the morning because it’s so hot & humid.

In all our pictures my wife, daughter and granddaughter look fantastic, and it looks like someone dumped a bucket of water over my shirt because I was sweating so much.

 

[Squishie]

Are you serious about this or exaggerating? If you’re serious this will probably be the vacation from hell then. If you overheat easily & get really crabby when hot there is no product or plan on planet earth that will make WDW an enjoyable trip in Sept. Cancel it or schedule later in the year. Why in the world pay all that money so you can all be miserable? One “really crabby” person can ruin a trip, much less multiple crabby people.

Sometimes on past Sept trips I start sweating as soon as I leave the room early in the morning because it’s so hot & humid.

Well, yes and no….my daughter is cranky a lot and will be cranky either way….but would be nice to mitigate it as much as I can. The one that tends to overheat is me - and I just deal with it as best I can. I guess when I said a cpl of us - I mean her and I. Lol

Just looking for the best ways to deal with it. We have been in the heat in the past but it’s been almost 10 yrs now. Looking for the best tips you all have to help!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Well, yes and no….my daughter is cranky a lot and will be cranky either way….but would be nice to mitigate it as much as I can. The one that tends to overheat is me - and I just deal with it as best I can. I guess when I said a cpl of us - I mean her and I. Lol

Just looking for the best ways to deal with it. We have been in the heat in the past but it’s been almost 10 yrs now. Looking for the best tips you all have to help!

In that case my list in order of importance

• early morning, late night, LONG afternoon break back at hotel
• moisture-wicking clothing (think not cotton, especially moisture wicking shorts with a built in liner was down right game changing. I wear Lululemon hotty hots, my Mom prefers one from Patagonia as they have a longer inseam)
• UV umbrella (joined this bandwagon for my just completed June trip, it was great)
• Cooling hat (I use a Mission cooling hat from Amazon- get it wet when you get hot, wring it out and snap like a cooling towel)
• Cooling towels (I like Alfamo from amazon as they don't harden up)

 

[Rogue1677x]

I'm going in August and to help me with the heat, my husband bought me a neck AC. Not cheap and it feels a little weird to wear around my neck, but it has helped me keep cool so far (it's a Torras neck AC).

I also wet a hat to keep my head cool, using cooling towels and bring plenty of Gatorade packets to help with hydration.

 

[miksicnarf]

I find carrying things, especially wearing a backpack, makes me feel much hotter so I try to go bag-free and hands-free as much as possible. Buying water in the parks is the tax for that. All clothing is moisture-wicking, including hiking shorts with zippered pockets for CC, ID and phone. Cooling towels do help, along with a hat (I have a wide-brimmed hiking hat but will also look for a cooling hat as mentioned above). The umbrella is tempting and I'm sure it helps but again, I hate carrying things. Since I'll be solo it's easier to just duck into A/C as much as possible. I'm going in Sept. too and hoping it'll be better than the preceding months. For many years when the kids were in school our WDW trips happened in July and Aug. so I know what that's like.

 

[jelona]

Not sure where you are from.... but I consider myself a Humidity Sauna like weather pro! I from the deep south, so I'm used to the wet soggy heat. Good thing about WDW is there is no mosquitos to add on top of it. (Thats like real Disney magic... its seriously amazes me)

Get you those neck fans... they look silly, but they help. If you have a stroller kid. Put more than one fan on them. I will be there again this month and I've bought her like 3 fans for her Stoller. She tends to get hot quickly and there is no air circulation in those strollers.
Cooling rags are also a must. We will take a cooler with us keep frozen bottles of water and keep our towels in there to stay cool. I have one that hangs on the stroller, and then I take a casserole carrier and use it as a cooler as well. Its insulated and slim to where i can fill it with frozen water bottles and keep in under the stroller and it doesn't get in the way. We hardly leave the parks for a break. Thats a personal preference and I know people thinks that's crazy. I kind of get anxious and feel like I'm wasting money if I'm at the resort during a park day.(but we do plan rest days) We plan our sit down meals during the hottest parts of the day to cool off. It helps!
DO TOYSTORY LAND AT NIGHT....... I REPEAT.... TOYSTORY LAND AT NIGHT.
its literally the surface of the sun during the day with no shade or escape from the sun. I feel like that's the biggest tip I can give you.

We take UV umbrellas. You can find some good compact size one amazon to keep in your bag, and you can get one that can clip to a stroller or wheelchair/Scooter. I have a cooler I use and attach to our stroller. Its really meant for the back of your seat in the car. But it works perfect for our stroller and gives us some extra cupholders for water bottles.. It also has a place for a tablet to go, but since we use it for the parks. I slide a piece of cardstock in there with our name on it. The best water bottles I have found to use are the 8 dollar Walmart brand water bottles. They are slim and hold 24oz. They also keep ice a while and have a straw cover

We take the octopus stroller fans, Neck Fans, and I bought a fan that you can wear on your neck or clip on your waist band. Its amazing and blows really hard.

I've attached some amazon purchases below! hope they help!

Stroller Umbrella
Cooler
Waist Fan
Walmart Waterbottle

 

[Specter]

If changing dates is really not an option, in addition to neck fans, cooling towels, and meals in indoor restaurants in the AC, I would also strongly advocate for midday breaks.

My family lives in the greater Houston area so we know hot and humid just like Orlando, and we flat refuse to go to Disney in the summer months. We take trips in March, November, and December because DW is a teacher so we go around her time off, plus DD will be entering kindergarten/on the same schedule and I can take time off pretty much whenever I want. Even in March (early March at that) on Spring Break trips we often have days that are in the upper 80s to mid 90s at times. November is a little cooler on average but even then you can easily get into the mid-high 80s if the weather is "just right".

We have found that rope dropping and going until lunch, then a midday break, and head back out around 4-5 and go until we collectively are done without getting cranky works very well for our family. That, plus trying to have lunch in a quick service restaurant with indoor seating and a sit down dinner indoors has served us well. Above all, don't just hydrate but remember to eat/replenish electrolytes. Refillable popcorn buckets can be your friend! Good luck and enjoy the trip.

 

[beccasmom]

We have often visited in the summer due to school schedules (teachers in the family). We can now visit at other times - I booked our 2025 trips yesterday and chose late January and early May. However, we visited in early May this year and it was very warm. So I guess I’m taking a leap of faith on that one or maybe will re -evaluate it.

We are visiting in September this year due to dovetailing attendance at a nearby family event (making the best use of already-purchased airfare). I am a fan of both the hand-held and wearable fans and the cooling towels (not so much the umbrellas, but I know many folks love them).

Hydration is so important and I always recommend water over other options. I
also find that eating fruit helps a lot in that regard. Lately I have found that I need to ensure I use an electrolyte tablet in my water as well (drinking Powerade or something similar works better for some people). And staying inside in a/c or in a pool is a great idea during the hottest parts of the day. The humidity will still feel like someone threw a wet blanket over your face, even in the evenings.

I recommend eating lightly - salads, sandwiches, yogurt, ice cream. Dress in light, moisture-wicking fabrics and use plenty of sun protection. Watch out for each other - dehydration is no joke.

Summer is not IMO the optimal time to visit WDW, but I understand many families have no other choice (we were one of them). Be prepared to pivot when necessary to ensure you are comfortable and safe.

 

[katyjeka]

We are also going in September, by choice! We've enjoyed every September trip we've taken. It's hot and humid but we've never had an issue. We take an afternoon break and enjoy the pool. Crowd levels are down so your able to get a lot done in less time. My advice, go inside to cool down for a few minutes and drink often.

 

[saraheliz]

We were there last August, and those storms/clouds that move in most days? Not a one. We saw not a drop of rain until we were heading back to the airport, which meant straight sun and days that felt over 110 (this was much different than the previous August, which was totally manageable).
We decided on day two that we could no long stop to talk in the sun. We needed to decide where we were going and get there, and if we had to stop it would be in the shade or stepping into a store. We barely walked on Main Street in MK, choosing instead to walk through AC stores. We used cooling towels and hand held fans, but of which helped, but really capitalizing on early mornings and evenings was key. Also, don't walk around world showcase between noon and five.

 

[Peaseblossom36]

We went last year right after Labor Day. I’m also very prone to overheating (getting sick, fainting, etc) and my daughter was 2.5 when we went. I brought two handheld fans, cooling towels, made sure everyone was constantly drinking water and reapplying sunscreen constantly. Another big thing that helps me is making sure I’m eating some decent food (not fried or sugary) while out in the heat - got this one from paramedics one of the times I overheated. I have recently seen cooling hats which I think I would try next time too.

It was definitely hot but not as bad as everyone here was saying, we are used to being hot in the summer since it is also pretty hot where we live. We did also try to make sure we were spending some time outside at home when it was hot the summer leading up so it wouldn’t be a shock.

Ultimately, we ended up just going with the flow and staying in the park until we felt like it was too warm (1pmish) and then heading back to the hotel to nap/swim. Our original plan was to go back in the afternoons but we never did that, our toddler generally just wanted to swim so we just enjoyed the hotel.

Also, know what to watch for when it comes to overheating. If you aren’t sweating at all and don’t need to use the bathroom, you need a break to cool down and drink water.

 

[shh]

Curious: has WDW's ac been working well lately overall? We never visit in summer, but I've read quite a few complaints on these boards and FB that the stores and indoor attractions felt much warmer the past few years....vs ice cold the way they used to be.

 

[dreamer17555]

UV umbrellas, neck fans, cooling towels, and bring in cold (frozen if you can) beverages with electrolytes.

Go back to the resort during the hottest part. Know where in each park you can get into AC quickly (bonus points if you can sit).

Book table service meals to get out of the heat but I suggest you avoid Prix Fixe menus as the heat might impact your appetite. It is completely okay to have just a drink and an appetizer (I always suggest tipping well if not getting an entree) and often is just what we need to recharge in the AC.

Get ice water (for free at any quick service selling fountain drinks) and drink water like it is your job.

Cut through shops when walking but be aware of others and remember you are using this to get out of the heat, not to beat a speed record.

Sunblock. So much sunblock. If you get sunburned, cool compresses on the skin (changing out when they get warm) until skin is cool to the touch and after that after sun lotion or 100% aloe.

It is often really hard to tell when you are over heating. Know the signs of heat stroke.

Give yourself and those you are traveling with permission to call it a day when it is too much. Pushing through causes more issues and hot, unhappy people are often quick to argue.

 

[dvczerfs]

Curious: has WDW's ac been working well lately overall? We never visit in summer, but I've read quite a few complaints on these boards and FB that the stores and indoor attractions felt much warmer the past few years....vs ice cold the way they used to be.

They are still the same. My guess is what people have been experiencing is the record breaking heat this May and June. Even on the 4th, the real feel temps are getting into the 117 range. The AC in the buildings never shuts off this time of year. You can hang meat at 6am and once the doors start opening and closing and the sun starts beating down and thousands of people come through, the temps go up. They don’t have units with compressors outside like you find in your house, those buildings are fed by huge cooling towers. Sometimes if a sensor drops out the zone will get warmer. It’s a complex system. But no, they didn’t turn up the AC or shut it off. My wife still brings a jacket into most restaurants with her. lol.