Traveling in August need some help please...

[Mickeyistheman]

Just joined up on the boards, I have been browsing for quite some time but now I need your help. I have never traveled to WDW in the summertime. I now will be taking my DS (15) DM and DD who haven't been there since the 25th Anniversary. Any advice would be most helpful!

 

[ziggystardust]

First, Welcome! You will find everything you need here.

If you can give a few more specifics. Like what are you looking for advice on?

I'm sure everyone here would be more than happy to help once we know what the questions are!

 

[Mickeyistheman]

Thanks so much for the warm welcome. I will be traveling Aug. 20-29. I ususally travel in November and March when there are no crowds and the weather is very pleasant. How bad are the lines? How can we keep cool? We are staying on site at Coronoado Springs! One of my favorite resorts. I also am trying to figure out what to see first when we go to the parks. Thanks for your help!

 

[jenbren]

One of the best things we had with us when we went in the summer were those spray bottle fans - ours are Squeeze Breeze brand. They have a strap so you can carry them on your shoulder and they were a lifesaver! It was so nice when standing in hot lines to have your own personal breeze! Another thing is to plan a break in the day to go back and swim or have a nap in the a/c. The heat is more bearable early in the day and in the evening. I think if you plan for the heat and know that you will have to take more breaks then I think it is manageable. We are going in August and I'm already stocking up on hats, sunscreen and fans!

 

[Disney Gator]

Sunscreen! I'm always amazed at the people walking around with sunburns. What did you expect? This is Florida!

Buy suscreen, at least SPF 15, and use it everyday. Put it on early. This is very important in August. November and March you can get away with not wearing it, but August sun is brutal. OK done with my rant.

 

[Leota]

As well as the great advice above, be sure to Drink,Drink, Drink....then Drink some more. Not sodas either - your body needs water & maybe some Gatorade type stuff.,.... Even if you don't think you're thirsty, drink. You will dehydrate in FL summer pretty quickly - Make sure everyone in your party is drinking constantly.....

Also, those gel filled bandana's that you soak in cold water & wear around your neck are helpful. I found mine at Walmart in the camping dept. cheap (like $2.00) Before I had the gel bandana, I just rolled a couple ice cubes in a regular bandana to tie around my neck - it worked great, but was drippy.

I also beleive you have to adjust your mind set - going in knowing it's going to be hot, being prepared for it & being Optimistic about it (thinking "Isn't this great?" instead of "Argh, I'm dying in this heat") makes all the difference in the world....

Have Fun!

 

[Mickeyistheman]

Thank you all so much for your great advice, I have to agree with going in the right frame of mind. I know its going to be hot so we should enjoy it and be prepared. I will definatly try to get those spray fans and also those gel bandanas sound really great! Sunscreen is also a must for me, my freckles will be out and about if I don't slather that on! I am getting so excited now.

I also felt that because the parks are open later if we start fairly early in the morning by 1 or 2pm we can head back for a swim and relax and then late afternoon head back to the parks for dinner and some more rides.

Both of my parents are coming with and I don't want either to get ill from the heat.

Thanks again everyone!!

 

[enchantedny]

I see you live in northern Jersey....The weather we are having right now is very similar to the weather we experienced in August of 2003. We are going back this August and I keep telling my family "this is how it will be when we go to Disney World!" Follow everyone's great advice here. We got an early start every morning and found that the closer you get to a park to opening the easier it is to get on lots of rides. Our morning at EPCOT (NOT an EMH) we walked on to everything! We would drink a lot of water. We also went back to the resort every afternoon to swim and then went back out later. Remember that most of the lines, rides, and shows are in air conditioning. Have a magical trip!

 

[SeattleMark]

The best advice I can give you is to subscribe to www.tourguidemike.com . We went in August last year and it is just sweltering hot, but using his advice we never waited in ANY lines for more than 10-15 minutes, even when it was packed!

Highly recommended.

 

[twotoohappy]

We love August! We'll be there the same time as you. We hit the parks in the morning and then head back for swim after lunch. We go back after dinner for Spectro/Wishes. It's been the same parade for so long, the snow globe one, that we usually miss it. The spray misters are great. Fill them with ice in the morning. I usually freeze a few water bottles too. The only downside to August in WDW is sometimes people forget their deoderant Stay an arms length away That's the only downside that I've found. We usually do an outside attraction and then an AC attraction, but there's lots of fans blowing everywhere. Have fun!

 

[kilee]

Welcome to the DIS!!! You'll find a wealth of info here. We are taking our first official summer trip this August too. We did go last September and it was low to mid 90's everyday and very humid-- so I'm expecting about the same.

Anyhow, just try to be flexible with your plans. I think during the HOT months it is a must to stay onsite. This will make getting back and forth much easier to take breaks.