If you’ve ever been to Walt Disney World in the summertime, you know just how hot things can get in the theme parks. The average high temperature in Orlando, Florida in the summertime ranges between 90 to 92 degrees air temp, with 13-14 days of rain each June, July, and August. Because of this, the heat index (“feels like” temperature) averages 100 to 105 degrees in the summer. Yikes. Combine the heat and humidity, throw in 20,000 steps per day and 17 snacks, and you might start to wonder why people travel to Florida after May 1st at all. But — it can be done! Read on for my top tips to stay cool and handle the heat at Walt Disney World.
Hydrate to Feel Great
The #1 most basic and obvious step to take is to hydrate, whether you are at a theme park or doing yard work. The standard “8 glasses of water per day” is the minimum on a normal day, and you need to drink more than that in the hot temperatures. Drinking water regularly throughout the day (before you feel thirsty!) will help you feel your best as you traverse the parks. I use a Brita water bottle with a built-in filter so I can fill up anywhere, including a bathroom sink in a pinch.
Disney has added many water refill stations in the last few years, and I think this is something they can improve upon. A few newer refill stations I’ve noticed recently can be found outside of the Journey of Water, in Galaxy’s Edge near the restrooms, and by TRON near the restrooms. All Disney World Quick Service Dining locations will provide a cup of ice water free of charge well. This was great for me to fill my bottle with ice water and replenish it throughout the day. (No, the ice did not last long but boy did it make a difference!)
I also brought Liquid IV with me on this trip. I do not usually use these packets but one per day honestly did make me feel quite a bit better to replenish electrolytes lost to sweating. We also had a case of Gatorade in our room to sip on, which was key.
Wear High SPF Sunscreen
Unless you live in the South, you might not be familiar with the intensity of the sun in Florida. Even on the hottest, sunniest days in New England, there is nothing that compares with how intense the UV rays are in the southern states. If you normally slap on SPF 30 one time for an entire day out in the sun, you will need to have a different plan in Disney World. I strongly recommend SPF 50 or higher, applied every 2 hours while you are in the parks. You will be sweating all day and maybe even hopping on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to cool off – which will splash away your protectant. Don’t ruin your vacation with a nasty sunburn on day 1 – apply sunscreen and bring it with you into the parks to reapply often.
Portable Fans & Cooling Towels
A small portable fan makes a difference in a stagnant queue, or while waiting for an outdoor show to begin, but for this trip it was an absolute necessity for most of the day. I used a small handheld fan, and others in my group had neck fans which they said were absolute lifesavers.
Cooling towels can be kept in a cooler bag if you have a larger backpack or a stroller in use. I brought cooling towels that came with small individual zip lock bags and carabiner clips for easy storage. I soaked the towel and threw a few iced cubes in, zipped it up, and it was ready to go later in the day when I needed it. I’ve never felt the need to use these on past trips, but they made a massive difference in June – both to cool me off and to protect my shoulders from the strong sun.
Wear a Hat or Use a Parasol Umbrella
The strong UV rays in Florida make hats and sunglasses a key component of a park day. Most guests wear sunglasses, but I find that hats are equally as important to keep the sun out of our eyes over the top of your glasses, and to provide a little shade on your face. In June, I saw more parasols than ever before, with guests creating their own shady space for the day.
Plan for AC Breaks in the Parks
There are a lot of opportunities to catch some air conditioning at the parks. Whether you plan a meal at a table service (or even indoor quick service) restaurant, opt to take in some entertainment at an indoor show, or use strategically planned indoor attraction queues, you’ll find there are many fun ways to take a break from the summer sun.
A few of my favorite fully indoor shows are For the First Time in Forever: A “Frozen” Sing-A-Long Celebration and Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond! at Animal Kingdom, and Mickey’s PhilarMagic at Magic Kingdom. Over at EPCOT, guests can take an extended break from the sun by enjoying the attractions and aquarium inside the Seas with Nemo and Friends. Next door at the Land Pavilion, you could spend over an hour enjoying Soarin’ Across the USA, Living with the Land, Awesome Planet, and grabbing lunch from the new menu at Sunshine Seasons, all without heading outdoors.
Plan for Pool Breaks at the Resort
Even during the less hot and humid months of the year, I like to build a resort/pool break into my day. During the summertime, I feel that it’s a necessity to take a few hours off from the park to relax in an air-conditioned room to let your body recover. In the afternoons, keep an eye on the weather radar – though a nice downpour will cool things off for a bit, lightning in the area means a pool closure for at least 30 minutes to ensure safety. We ran into this a few times on our June visit where the weather was hot and sunny at the Boardwalk Inn, but there was lightning nearby that we couldn’t see, which closed the pool to guests for a bit. (If this happens on your trip, please be kind to the resort cast members and lifeguards who are keeping you safe by closing the pool. They do not make the rules, they are there to keep you safe, and they too would like the pool to be open.)
Buy Lightning Lanes to Skip the Hottest Queues
We can debate all day whether or not Lightning Lane MultiPass (i.e. the new FastPass) and Individual Lightning Lane system should be included for resort guests or not, but the fact is that it is now a paid service. And as much as I try not to spend on “luxuries” at Disney World, this is one luxury that is absolutely worth it in the summer months.
Many of the Disney World attractions are indoors and have queues that are at least partially if not totally indoors and air conditioned as well. However, some of the most popular rides at the parks unfortunately come with the most uncomfortable queues imaginable.
Utilize Rope Drop & Nighttime Hours
If MultiPass and/or Individual Lightning Lanes are not in your budget (and even if they are!) you can avoid the worst of the heat by heading to the park first thing in the morning, and again later at night. The hottest hours of the day are generally between 11am and 6pm, barring an afternoon downpour to cool things off for a bit. That means that if you are the type to sleep in and head to the parks around 10am, you are going to be battling with the heat and humidity during peak sunshine hours.
For a northerner like me, it’s imperative that I utilize the Early Entry benefit for Disney World resort guests. The 30 minutes offered to on-site guests can be super helpful for knocking out a couple of attractions with little to no wait. In the summertime, I strongly recommend heading to some of the hotter queues I mentioned above to avoid baking in the summer sun later in the day. I would normally advise guests not to change their sleep habits too much while on vacation, but if you think the heat might get to you, set your alarm for an early wake up. Similarly, heading back to the parks in the evening as the sun is setting is usually a much more comfortable time in the parks.
The Standby Line is Your Friend
Sometimes a well-timed standby wait is just what you need to get out of the sun for a bit. Many Disney World attractions and their queues are at least partially indoors (if not fully indoors) and planning your wait times to catch some shade and AC can really help keep your day going. Fill up your bottle of water and head into a queue for a nice breather that will end with a fun ride. Win-win! Here are a few comfortable (mostly) indoor queues:
Avoid Alcohol
Disney World (and Universal) both have many bars, lounges, and walk-up carts that serve all sorts of tasty alcoholic beverages, and a little day drinking at the theme parks can be quite fun! I love to enjoy a crisp Hawk’s Grog Ale in Pandora – World of Avatar, or an Isla Nublar IPA over in Jurassic Park at Universal – Islands of Adventure. However, the summer heat in Florida will drain your fluids faster than pulling the plug on a full tub of water and adding alcohol to the mix is only going to make you dehydrate faster. You might find actually find your body just says “no” when you pass one of those beer carts – mine did. In the summer heat, stay safe and plan for a beer or cocktail when you have easier access to remain in the air conditioning for a while, or are done walking around in the sun for the day. (And be sure to drink a glass of water for each alcoholic bevvy you enjoy!)
Know the Map
Whether you are at the parks with a group of friends and family, or exploring on your own, take some time to get familiar with the park map in the MyDisneyExperience App. Even on a temperate day, you’ll be logging around 20,000 steps at the theme parks, and adding unnecessary walking can spell disaster. Add in the blazing sun and 100% humidity, and your day can easily go off the rails if you have to backtrack through the heat. Imagine you are in EPCOT and you head towards Mexico instead of Canada, and now you must traverse nearly the entire World Showcase in full sun to get to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure over in France. This can all be avoided!
You can use your “evening scroll time” to explore the maps in the app rather than swiping up on Instagram all night. Besides learning where the rides are (don’t waste your rope drop dash going in the wrong direction!), you can also use the different filters to locate important spots like restrooms, dining locations, and character meet and greets. You certainly don’t need to memorize the map before you go but having a good sense of direction and knowing how to toggle between the different map filters will be a huge help when you are “on the ground” (and in the sun).
Hop on a Water Ride
Three of the theme parks offer some sort of water attraction where guests can (potentially) get completely soaked! At Magic Kingdom, guests can splash down a 50 foot drop Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to cool off – plus the handful of smaller drops throughout the ride. If you’re in the front row, you will get drenched! Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, head over to Kali River Rapids for a chance at a wall of water crashing down on you. And at EPCOT, choose your level of dampness at Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana – you can easily walk through this attraction without getting wet at all, or you can play with all of the interactive features and walk through the jumping fountains at the end to get a good watering. (Leave the splash pad to the kiddos.)
Air-Conditioning Breaks in Unexpected Places
Besides the obvious places like shows, indoor attractions, and sit-down restaurants, there are some unexpected spots where you can grab some AC as well. The merchandise shops are all air conditioned, and while it can feel to some like Disney is “forcing you into the shops,” it really is helpful to pop into a store to get out of the sun for a bit. And, if you can see past the price tags, you might just find a convenient route to your next destination!
In Magic Kingdom, the stores that line the sidewalks of Main Street USA are connected within each shop. Meaning, you can pop into Casey’s Corner at the top of the street (maybe grab a refreshing Frozen Mint Julep!) and walk the entire way to Town Square in air conditioning, aside from one quick outdoor side street. This is a lifesaver when you’re trying to get back to your resort for a pool break during peak sun, and the 1,000-foot-long walk down Main Street looks like the path Frodo took up Mount Doom.
Over at Animal Kingdom, I recently discovered what felt like a genius cut through in Discovery Island. While there is generally a lot more shade at Animal Kingdom than other Disney theme parks, the design of the park acts as a bit of a heat bowl with the extra vegetation canopy trapping heat in, making this wild park feel an average 10 degrees warmer than the air temperature (per anecdotal evidence). If you’re headed from Pandora – World of Avatar over to Asia, or the bridge to the soon-to-be Tropical Americas (R.I.P. Dinoland USA) you can use the three merchandise shops (Island Mercantile, Riverside Depot, and Discovery Trading Post) on either side of the main path in Discovery Island as a brief AC break. I found that when heading to the bathroom near the bridge on the Asia side of the park, this was an ideal path to take.
Another random place to catch some AC is in the restrooms! Yep, you read that correctly. The restrooms. Now I am not advocating for anyone to loiter in a bathroom (creepy!) but if you are waiting for someone to finish washing up, you can catch some AC emitting near the entrances.
Is Disney Transportation Air Conditioned?
The answer is not as straight-forward as one might guess. Disney Buses are air conditioned, and that can feel like a gift during your 10 to 15 minute ride back to your resort. This is especially good to note for guests that might be staying at resorts that only have Bus Transportation to and from the theme parks. Having some type of unique transportation option is often a highlight of staying at places like the Magic Kingdom Resorts on the Monorail, and the Skyliner Resorts, but in the summer months, that isn’t as much of a perk.
Because guess what? The Skyliner Gondolas are not air conditioned. When you are cruising along and catch a breeze it can feel wonderful. But when those buckets slow down or stop (as they frequently do for short periods of time), you are dangling in the sky in what can only be described as a floating hot box at that point. For me, this makes the Skyliner a less-than-comfortable option in the summer, and for resorts on this route it is the only option from EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The Monorail is technically air-conditioned but having been built in the 1970s and dealing with packed cabins and extreme temperatures, the these trains are not what you’d call “refreshing” after a long day at the parks. Similarly, the Disney Friendship Boats that cruise around the EPCOT resort area in Crescent Lake are technically air-conditioned, but much like the Monorail they can feel stuffy in the afternoons when they are packed with people. (I actually prefer sitting outside and catching a breeze with a little boat diesel.) So, the next time you are looking at resorts for a trip during the summer months, you might opt to stay somewhere that only offers Bus Transportation, to enjoy a luxurious cool ride home after melting in the parks all day. (And yes, for AC I would even stand the entire time.)
Hydrate Before You Die-Drate
I started this post by imploring you to “hydrate to feel great” but I have learned from a few recent trips that people from the South tend to say, “hydrate before you die-drate” and honestly, that feels much more accurate in the Florida summer heat. Take a lesson from people who live there – drink lots of water, wear sunscreen, avoid the hottest parts of the day, and hop from AC to AC when you can. Yes, it will be hot but you’re a Disney fan and as we all know, some things are worth melting for.
(And P.S. – These tips all hold true for Universal Orlando, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, and just about any other attraction in Florida this summer!)
Looking to plan your next trip to the theme park tropics? Whether it’s the hot summer months or any other time of the year, let me be your guide on your next Magical Quest! Contact me TODAY to start the adventure!
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