First week in August

[JK Lee]

What do I need to know about heat, crowds and weather?? We normally go in Nov or Jan so I am just trying to be prepared.

Thanks,
JK

 

[BigOnDis]

It will be hot, think mid to upper 90's and humid. It will very often rain in the afternoon for an hour or so. From our past trips, I would say the crowds will be 8/10.

 

[Shellyred8]

Get one of those light-weight cooling towels that you can wear around your neck. They were a life saver for me when we went a couple of years ago in August. We also followed the rule of "go to the parks early in the morning, head back to your room to rest in the mid-day, and go back to the parks in the evening" on that August trip. It was my first time in Florida in August and I was totally unprepared for the heat and humidity. So, the first couple of days were not too pleasant, but once I started using the cooling towel and we started taking breaks in the afternoon, the rest of the trip was ok.

Our trip was during the last two weeks in August and we were pleasantly surprised at the lower crowds. So, while it was blazing hot, at least we didn't have to fight the huge crowds.

 

[SimonSez]

It will be hot, think mid to upper 90's and humid. It will very often rain in the afternoon for an hour or so. From our past trips, I would say the crowds will be 8/10.

This--we will be there that week also! Our experience is that hot and humid rules the day...but an afternoon shower often breaks the heat at least for a little while. Keep a poncho handy of course (insert emoji with poncho here, that the Disboards doesn't have in their emoji collection but should). Also, we have found that although crowded, it doesn't seem as bad as July--South American tour groups are mostly a July thing and families are starting to wind down their summer a little bit. Maybe not everyone's opinion, but this has been our experience as we've gone in July also. Edit to add, we will actually be there at the end of the first week

 

[travelgirl77]

We will be there toward the end of the first week, heading into the second week, so we will be living that hot, humid life with you. We currently live in Mobile, AL, however, so we are pretty acclimated to this sticky heat, although we benefit somewhat from being close to the water, unlike Orlando. We typically take afternoon walks around 3:00 every single day and my son is at golf right now in the heat of the day. It just is what it is. My number one rule with my family is to stay hydrated, meaning drinking tons and tons of water (and more water) and less of the dehydrating stuff, although coffee will be had. My number two rule is just have a good attitude about it. We know it will be super hot and sticky and humid and we will be sweating messes. But, we are together, and getting the chance to be at Disney, so things are not so bad. We plan on hitting parks with early magic hours, going until about 12:00 or 1:00, going back to our hotel to relax, pool, whatever, and then going back to the parks for late afternoon. There are plenty of places in Disney to duck in out of the heat. As far as crowds go, it seems that they are trending down for later summer, as many people do not want to be in that heat and after years of heavy crowds, people are moving to other times of the year. Of course, that is no guarantee and I really think Disney is pretty much always busy.

I just made my final payment this morning and I am beyond excited! I hope that you are too, and have a wonderful visit. Just think of all of the stories you will be able to tell people about the heat, the wonderful thunderstorms, people watching, and of course, the traditional Disney experiences! Great stories rarely come out of average times

 

[Shanti]

What do I need to know about heat, crowds and weather?? We normally go in Nov or Jan so I am just trying to be prepared.

Thanks,
JK

Be prepared for intense heat and sun, and also for rain. Here's what we do:

• Wear sturdy waterproof sandals (soggy shoes = misery & blisters).
• Carry lightweight ponchos.
• Carry a small UV umbrella (offers much more sunblock than a regular umbrella) to use as a parasol to provide shade while touring. Or at least wear a hat with a good brim.
• Don't wear denim (shrinks & clings when wet, & takes forever to dry).
• Try to visit most open-air attractions before noon, when it's least likely to rain.
• Stay at a resort with a great pool.
• Schedule table service meals for midday, to provide a scheduled break from the heat & crowds. Scheduling an early morning breakfast, and then skipping lunch in lieu of an early dinner around 4pm is ideal for summer park days, imo.
• Enjoy the fact that WDW is much less crowded in summertime than it used to be.
• Have fun!

 

[2manyprincesses]

We will be there at the same time. A few tips:

• spray bottle with water. I just use a cheap one from the dollar store. (No fan or anything, gasp!!) Heaven on a hot day!
• HYDRATE!! (I know this was mentioned before, but it can't be overstated) I went down with heat stroke in Tomorrowland several years ago. Paramedics were called, etc and had to spend the afternoon in the first aid center. No fun! The CM's recommended to drink one bottle of water per person per hour in the heat of the day. We did 1/2 that for the rest of the trip and were fine, but we also took breaks from 12-3. We drink water only while touring and then we can have soda or whatever we like at meals.
• Know when to call it quits. If everyone is maxed out and cranky, grab some AC, ice cream or go back to the hotel to recharge. Keeping your fun family vacation fun is priority #1!

We are trying the cooling towels for the first time this trip so I have no advice there. And I am planning on bringing our ponchos. We have tried the cheap ones from Dollar Tree and they are a hot mess. So I have gone with the Coleman or Ozark Trail ones from Walmart.

Hope you all have a great time!!

 

[VACamm]

I cannot stress the importance of taking a pool break each day! It will be your lifeline!

Enjoy!

 

[jedi jen]

We will be there august 1-9. We are from Texas so used to heat. We usually do rope drop, long ts lunch, break at resort, then back to parks. This year my kids are older and don't want to break at the resorts...so we plan to take it easy after lunch...ac attractions. We'll see how it goes.

 

[JK Lee]

Thanks so much! I had not thought of the cooling towels! Any other tips are appreciated.

 

[hammie59]

Our past two trips were in June and August. We lived off Gatorade and took mid day breaks back at the resort. We found that the spray bottles with the fans that they sell didn't help much unless filled with ice water (not very practical) so we quit taking it with us. It just added to the wetness that we were already experiencing from the humidity. But to be honest, we actually love going in the summer

 

[Ambehnke]

We will be right there with you. Going Aug 5-12. We went the end of July last year. Everyone has good suggestions so I won't really add to that other than wear wicking clothing if possible but I actually didn't think it was as bad as I expected.

 

[jsbowl16]

We go every July or August and my favorite piece of advice is to get some bottled water and if possible freeze one for each of you for each morning and evening and take them with you. They usually take most of the morning or evening to melt so they are always cold and with our party of three over nine days we save over $150 bringing our own vs buying bottled water. Sorry I just cant bring myself to drink Orlando tap water.

 

[anniemae]

I always tell people to make sure you drink a lot of water. We have been in Aug and have seen people pass out from heat/dehydration. FL in summer is no joke. Water, lots of sunscreen, big hat etc. Bring cooling towels if you can. Seek out air conditioning to cool off.

 

[Ambehnke]

SUNSCREEN. We bring AT LEAST a bottle per person for a weeklong stay. Apply hourly. And I am dark complected... but I also don't like the idea of skin cancer.

 

[BigOnDis]

I cannot stress the importance of taking a pool break each day! It will be your lifeline!

Enjoy!

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