For those who go in the Summer

[DLgal]

We were there for two weeks beginning 10/6. It was at least in the 80's every day and most days were so humid you would have thought it was summer. So much for going after summer.
Maybe it will surprise us this time too, more favorably and stay a "little" cooler and lower humidity. Ya never know about weather these days!

I went in early August 2016 with my kids and it was so unseasonably NOT humid and highs were only in the low 80s. It was cloudy and breezy for 5 days straight. I felt like I was in the twilight zone. Weather can be very unpredictable, for sure.

 

[dizneefan13]

OMG I would love that kind of weather... wonderful pixie dust for sure!

 

[Elephantay]

Also, don't get disappointed if your evening or night time plans get drowned, literally. Last year we went in mid August, I had plans to see fireworks and/or outdoor shows, and I got rained out all 3 nights. Summer is the rainy season for sure!

This happened to us, too. If you have a must do evening show, plan for it early in the trip. That way you’ll have another chance if it’s rained out.

 

[pixiedustedme]

How do you handle navigating the parks in the heat and humidity? I honestly feel like I could not even consider a Summer trip because we would be so hot and uncomfortable. Curious for those of you who have BTDT, how you manage.

Summer is my favorite time to go. Here is how we enjoy summer trips to WDW:

• I take a small UV umbrella that creates my own shade.
• We schedule outdoor rides for the morning before afternoon rains begin.
• We don't do commando or all-day park touring in the summer. We spend as much time at our resort as at the parks.
• We stay at resorts with great pools like Stormalong Bay, and swim a lot during the trip.
• We wear sturdy waterproof sandals rather than shoes that will be miserable when wet.
• We never wear denim, which is hot and which shrinks and clings when wet.
• We're also from central Texas, which is hotter than Orlando in the summer (imagine "searing" rather than just "humid"), so we have good perspective on the weather.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

So, where would you go in AK to cool off in the worst heat of the day? Guess the only choices are indoor table dining?
I'm more bothered by the downpours than the heat. Although neither am I looking forward to. We usually go in the winter but granddaughter can only go in summer when school's out.
Next trip is for her.

The Nemo play is my favorite place to cool off. Good show and seated too. Dinosaur is indoors too, but you'll spend time standing in line.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

We've been twice in July and have had great trips. I find the humidity to be overpowering the first 20 minutes or so, then you get used to it.
1. Don't spend too much time on your appearance, you'll melt it all off in the first 5 minutes outside. Plus, EVERYONE looks the same way, we're all in survival mode there. If you have long hair, I like braids over pony tails. I felt more of a breeze on my head and it was refreshing.
2. I'm also a fan of the Frogg Togg Chilly Pads. They're better quality than the ones you can buy in the parks. My tips with those are to cut them in half as they're huge, then two people can use them. Also, the colder the water you soak them with, the better they work. My kids like to drape them over their legs in the stroller.
3. Drink water every chance you get. It's free at any food service location. Please don't be one of those people that fill up your water bottle from the spout at those locations that are self serve. Use the cups provided and keep them germ free.
4. Eat lunch at an indoor sit down location. It's a great break you'll need!
5. Thin cotton clothing is my favorite. I think you sweat more in the sweat wicking clothes, maybe it's just me?? I like that cotton breathes more.
6. For shoes, I like the Sketchers Go Walks. Good cushion and they dry really quickly when you get caught in the rain.

 

[Lacoccinelle]

We were used to going around Halloween and two years ago went in August and swore we would never do it again. Well, we are going again this August so it must not have been that bad.
I think if it is your first trip, it would be unfortunate as you want to try to fit a lot in, but if you have been before, you pick the things you really want to do and do them in the mornings. We had every intention of returning to parks at night after swimming and napping, but if it rained, we never went back. The only time we would go back was Epcot as we were at Beach club. I suggest getting there right away, start fast passes at 10am and make a late lunch reservation at 1 or 2 then go back to the hotel and see how it goes. That is what we are doing this summer. We also don't have the dining plan this time, so many places are cheaper for the late lunch anyway. Pick a hotel with a great pool or do a split stay so that you can experience more pools and hotel activities. We are splitting Boardwalk and Wilderness this time.

 

[Summer2018]

How do you handle navigating the parks in the heat and humidity? I honestly feel like I could not even consider a Summer trip because we would be so hot and uncomfortable. Curious for those of you who have BTDT, how you manage.

We only go in the morning at rope drop, and go to the pool after lunch. Sometimes we go at night. We drink lots of water, dress lightly, and wear baseball caps to block the sun. It is totally doable.

 

[kniquy]

3. Drink water every chance you get. It's free at any food service location. Please don't be one of those people that fill up your water bottle from the spout at those locations that are self serve. Use the cups provided and keep them germ free.

It boggles my mind that they wouldn't just install the water bottle fillers. Then we could fill quickly and not have waste cup after cup just to fill, because technically you should not be reusing the cup to get more water.

All great tips from everyone!! I am taking notes as we are planning on tackling our first summer trip in 2020. I was initally thinking mornings in the park/rest/pool and then back to the parks, but we actually want to enjoy the resort this time around and take things slower, so we might go with the hit the park by 4pm and go all night and sleep in. Plan less and enjoy more!

 

[arminnie]

I moved from San Francisco to New Orleans. So now I am more used to the heat and humidity.

 

[DisLiss]

We always go in late summer, and we come from the NE, so it's not like we're accustomed to Florida heat. We do get hot & very humid here, but for a shorter amount of time, and not quite as hot. Plus I'm not a big fan of being too hot. BUT we still like that time of year best. For one thing, it suits our style of visiting. It is a lower crowd time, so you don't have to feel as pressed to run around like a maniac to get things done. Plus, we're pretty chill and don't feel the need to get onto certain rides at all costs.

So we take it easy and slowly enjoy our days in the park. We don't use the towels because I fell like it's already terrible humid, I don't need a wet towel on my. But we do like the tiniest misting fans. We also always stop at any misting/splash pad locations in the parks. We drink water, water, and more water. Except for the kids trying a specialty drink here or there, we do not drink anything other than water. We be sure to hit indoor attractions. We seek out shade when possible to eat or take a water break. We wear quick dry clothing so that we can get wet, feel cooled off, but quickly dry so we're not being dragged down by sopping clothing. We likewise wear shoes that can get wet and then dry easily.

So, where would you go in AK to cool off in the worst heat of the day?

We tend to only do half days at AK. We go in the morning or the evening. If we go in the morning, then when we reach the point that we are just done, we go to a water park. Or substitute resort pool if you wish. Then we go back later in the week for another half day to finish off the park. While in the park we just try to alternate between indoor and outdoor rides/attractions, and that helps a lot.

It boggles my mind that they wouldn't just install the water bottle fillers. Then we could fill quickly and not have waste cup after cup just to fill, because technically you should not be reusing the cup to get more water.

I just recently saw a Tim Tracker video where he pointed out a new bottle filler station in one of the parks, but I forget where it was located! But, my thoughts are they aren't going to just install one of them, so I bet we start seeing them pop up throughout the property.

 

[DisLiss]

Oh, one other thing. V-neck shirts. I find I stay so much cooler in v-neck shirts than crew neck shirts. I tend to feel the heat in my face/head/neck the most, and in really hot weather the crew neck shirts start to feel like they're killing me. So only v-necks at WDW for me.

 

[bdiddy]

How do you handle navigating the parks in the heat and humidity? I honestly feel like I could not even consider a Summer trip because we would be so hot and uncomfortable. Curious for those of you who have BTDT, how you manage.

Barely! Lol....I hate it SO much but we are really locked into going then if we want to go for more than a few days. We actually just went a few weeks ago for a long weekend to see our DD perform with the band at MK and the weather was AMAZING! It was SO much more enjoyable. And don’t even get me started about the weather at Disneyland! We went a few summers ago and I was so jealous. It was like 80-85 with no humidity. Sure the sun was hot but I was 100% fine. It’s funny because we kept hearing locals complaining how hot it was and DH and I kept giggling at each other saying “Clearly these people have never been to WDW in the summer!” haha!

How we manage though is we try to alternate doing indoor/air conditioned things with the outdoor. And going in lots of gift shops to cool off. And timing your ADR’s at the hottest time of the day. We also like to take one of those squirt bottle/fans which helps a little. And go on Carousel of Progress a few times in a row to really cool down and take a quick nap! Lol