Visiting in August and dealing with the heat

[Aflyingbuttress]

im thinking about booking a trip at the end of August. I know it’s going to be blazing hot so I’m thinking we’ll do water parks and hotel pools during the day and go to the theme parks at night. What is the temperature and heat like in the evenings, once the sun sets? On average, I understand it will vary and there are no guarantees.

Is this a bad strategy? Will we find the heat inescapable? This is our 3rd trip to Disney so we’re not concerned with doing everything. We’re fine with only doing a few rides and shows.

Thoughts?

 

[Disneylover99]

Still super hot at night. No need for long sleeved shirts outside in the evening. But yes, touring in the evenings is always a good strategy. Keep in mind that the MK will close early several nights in late August for MNSSHP and food and wine at Epcot may start at the end of August, possibly making night time touring a bit more crowded there.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Average is 92 during the day and 72 for overnight lows.

Personally I'm not one to do water parks and pools especially in the middle of the day.

I like to get to the parks early and do as much as I can before it gets too hot.
Then I just try to plan some attractions in AC in the heat of the day.
Plus I find that I only get really hot when I walk from one place to another and then I cool down.
I'll take a break and grab lunch/snack and relax for a few.

 

[cgattis]

Honestly, every time we’ve spent a day at a water park, we’ve been too pooped to do anything but shower and crash afterward. But sleeping late, lounging in the pool, then hitting the parks later does sound fun. You can still feel the heat radiating off the asphalt at night, but it’s certainly cooler and no direct sun. Please report back on how much you accomplish if you tour that way; I’m definitely intrigued!

 

[UncleMike101]

im thinking about booking a trip at the end of August. I know it’s going to be blazing hot so I’m thinking we’ll do water parks and hotel pools during the day and go to the theme parks at night. What is the temperature and heat like in the evenings, once the sun sets? On average, I understand it will vary and there are no guarantees.

Is this a bad strategy? Will we find the heat inescapable? This is our 3rd trip to Disney so we’re not concerned with doing everything. We’re fine with only doing a few rides and shows.

Thoughts?

I've been to WDW in May, June, July, and August.
The daytime temps may vary during each month but I've determined that it's always HOT during those months and the few degrees of temperature variance from May to August doesn't make a lick of difference.
Last year I went in August and had as good a time as I've had during any of the other Summer months.
This year we're going early in June and I don't expect it to be any cooler, or less humid, than it was last August.
The only downside to my August trip was that August is the Monsoon season and it rained heavily every day in the early afternoon.
The upside was that the crowds were fairly light.

 

[Momto2minniemice]

We go with an open mind. We will ride a ride, stop for a cup of water/ice and walk to the next ride that is in the shade/AC. And this with continue all day long. We also try to walk through the shops instead of walking through the streets as much as possible just to take in as much of the AC as possible. Staying hydrated is key in the heat. We also take full advantage of rides like the People Mover, and TCOP to cool off for longer periods of time. We try to avoid Epcot during the heat of the day as we notice it is just too much for our family. Toy Story Land does not have a lot of shade either so be ready!
Another thing to remember is not to carry a bunch of stuff. You will notice that your back will be drenched in sweat if you do! The water parks are nice to go to in the morning, then head to the park in the evening too.

Hope this helps!

 

[Aflyingbuttress]

Thank you everyone for the replies.

Still super hot at night. No need for long sleeved shirts outside in the evening. But yes, touring in the evenings is always a good strategy. Keep in mind that the MK will close early several nights in late August for MNSSHP and food and wine at Epcot may start at the end of August, possibly making night time touring a bit more crowded there.

This actually excites me. We went to MNSSHP a few years ago and absolutely loved it, so maybe we will go again.

Average is 92 during the day and 72 for overnight lows.

Personally I'm not one to do water parks and pools especially in the middle of the day.

I like to get to the parks early and do as much as I can before it gets too hot.
Then I just try to plan some attractions in AC in the heat of the day.
Plus I find that I only get really hot when I walk from one place to another and then I cool down.
I'll take a break and grab lunch/snack and relax for a few.

Going early is a good idea too. We’ve wanted to do Disney at night for a while now. We usually make it to fireworks one night and then the rest we leave before dinner time. We ended up booking free dining so I’m thinking we will book table service reservations for a late lunch/early dinner and then spend the rest of the night going on rides.

Honestly, every time we’ve spent a day at a water park, we’ve been too pooped to do anything but shower and crash afterward. But sleeping late, lounging in the pool, then hitting the parks later does sound fun. You can still feel the heat radiating off the asphalt at night, but it’s certainly cooler and no direct sun. Please report back on how much you accomplish if you tour that way; I’m definitely intrigued!

You’re probably right that we won’t want to do much after water park days. I doubt we will go to either the water park or the other parks every day. But we haven’t done the water parks at all yet so it would be different. To tell you the truth, we’ve been dying for a hot weather vacation with time by the pool and in the sunshine. We booked Copper Creek at the Wilderness Lodge. I’m hoping we can have a good mix of entertainment and sunshine.

I've been to WDW in May, June, July, and August.
The daytime temps may vary during each month but I've determined that it's always HOT during those months and the few degrees of temperature variance from May to August doesn't make a lick of difference.
Last year I went in August and had as good a time as I've had during any of the other Summer months.
This year we're going early in June and I don't expect it to be any cooler, or less humid, than it was last August.
The only downside to my August trip was that August is the Monsoon season and it rained heavily every day in the early afternoon.
The upside was that the crowds were fairly light.

We’ve only gone in the fall and winter. We went late October and late January. January was colder than we would have liked. October was hot but I don’t thunk it was as hot as the summer. Perhaps the rain will make it more bearable.

 

[cgattis]

You will love the water parks; they are so much more fun than any we have local to us. Just make sure to bring water shoes or flip flops—the concrete gets scorching hot!

Also WRT not bringing a lot of stuff, I sort of agree. When we went in August, I streamlined down to a bag for each of us to carry our own Hydroflask, small fan, cooling towel (we like Mission), and wallet. I also carried a ziplock bag of tiny deodorant, wipes, and anti-chafing powder, just so I could refresh and feel “human again” every now and then.

 

[JFox]

I went last August. It was Africa hot!! And I'm from TEXAS.

 

[natfrac]

When we've gone during September, we use the same strategy as OP is asking about--we lounge around the pool during the day and then go to the parks in the evening. This works for us, as we're not morning people.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

We usually go in the fall or winter, but last year we did go in July.... it was sweltering desert hot. And I can say that it was sweltering desert hot because we live in Texas and we know hot and humid.

There's really no true way to escape the heat while in the parks. My suggestion is to do the parks in the morning and retreat to your hotel room in the afternoons. Maybe go back to the parks after the sun has gone down...

We vowed to never do Disney in the summer ever again.

 

[Holly]

We usually go in the fall or winter, but last year we did go in July.... it was sweltering desert hot. And I can say that it was sweltering desert hot because we live in Texas and we know hot and humid.

There's really no true way to escape the heat while in the parks. My suggestion is to do the parks in the morning and retreat to your hotel room in the afternoons. Maybe go back to the parks after the sun has gone down...

We vowed to never do Disney in the summer ever again.

After a few summer trips we’ve decided to only visit between November and April.
Looking back, the kids and I did a lot less on our summer trips because it was just too hot.

 

[klmmom]

We went to Disney in February for several years. Last year we couldn't take our kids out of school so we had to go in the summer. We were so worried about the heat. We went at the end of July. We are from Minnesota so our summers can be humid but nothing like Florida. We actually had a really good time in the summer. We stopped and got free water at quick service restaurants in between rides. We walked thru stores on the way to rides to keep cool. We went on air conditioned rides mid day when it was really hot. If you know going into it it's going to be hot and plan accordingly I think you will be fine. We have decided to go again this summer at the end of July beginning of August.

 

[NickC]

We did the end of August 4 or 5 times. I don't really have an issue with it, but my wife wanted to switch to November on our next trip.
I will say that, although it doesn't bother me enough to rule it out, it was a lot easier 5 years ago when the end of August used to be the slower season. Heat is one thing, but crowds AND heat is another. The free iced water was convenient.

 

[Kellina]

We went during 4th of July last year and I was planning for the worst! Crowds + heat, right?? It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought!

We took a different approach though as we are used to getting up early for work/school and are "kind of" morning people... We hit the parks pretty darn early- not necessarily exactly rope drop, but close, hit the rides before the crowds! Then did a sit down meal for lunch most days to cool down, watched a show like Lion King or similar. Then hit one more FP and went back to the hotel to swim and relax.
We also took a day off from the parks to chillax and sleep in, swim, and rent a boat!! ( Stayed at the Poly)
Misting fans were GREAT!!! And lots of Powerade zero!!
Sounds like your plan is a great one- you know your family best! As long as you go slow you'll be fine!! Enjoy!!

 

[nycdisneygal]

take it slow and you will be fine. Drink lots of water.
We did August for first time last year- we do not do well in heat normally, but we managed. Toy story land was brutal though. NOt much shade there. I mean - where are the indoor stores to shop and cool off? Even though CS there was outdoors.
We may do summer again...

 

[jesskeys91]

O2 Cool necklace fans on Amazon will save your life in the heat. That and lots of water.

 

[Shughart]

When we've gone during September, we use the same strategy as OP is asking about--we lounge around the pool during the day and then go to the parks in the evening. This works for us, as we're not morning people.

We're not morning people either, especially on vacation. We'd rather go into the parks later and stay into the night. What time did you usually head into the parks?

 

[chiisai]

Morning touring.

Only go back touring at/after sunset.

Pour water on the head.

Cold slushee drink 11am ish.

Cooling towels oft dunked in cold water, put in fridge at night.

Bathroom AC is your friend.

 

[Callist]

Wear sunscreen, drink lots of water. You'll lose salt, too, so drink some Gatorade. That's especially important in the water parks, because you don't realize how much you're sweating.

The plan to do your walking at night is a great one.