Dealing With Summer At Disney

With this weekend being Memorial Weekend, it's officially the unofficial kick off to summer!  Which means that Summer Vacations to Disney are certainly on everyone's minds.

Personally, I swore I'd never take trips to Disney in the summer, at least until I had kids.  It was always too crowded to me and certainly too hot.  But, apparently, this an edict that was bound to be broken as this year, I will be once again taking a trip to Walt Disney World in the middle of summer.

Because of that, and my experiences with visiting during the summer in the past, I thought I'd share some words of wisdom of things that you should do to beat the heat at Walt Disney World during your summer vacation.

First things first...the heat in Florida during the summer...torture.  I'm not going to lie...it gets REALLY steamy and sticky during most months, but especially the next 3.  With that being said, my best advice (even though I typically don't follow it) is to get to the parks early.  Why?  Well, it cuts down on two things that are extremely frustrating during the summer months...one is the crowds.  There are less people that you'll have to clamor for the popular attractions with (most are like me and still in bed) and second, the heat is not nearly as bad during those morning hours, so you won't feel like you're absolutely dying!  Win-win, right?

Another thing is to try to bring some sort of cooling device with you.  Weather it's a cool washrag from the hotel or a misting fan, or whatever, these tools will save you during the heat.  Personally, I'm a fan of the misting fan.  Not only do you get the cool breeze, but you get the nice spray of cool water too.  Just make sure to bring extra batteries for the fan.  It does eat them up a bit, especially since I almost always have mine on.

Of course, water is going to be your friend during the summer, which leads me to my next tip.  MAKE SURE TO DRINK PLENTY OF WATER ON YOUR VACATION!!!!  You may not feel thirsty, but trust me...it only takes a few minutes for you to go from standing up to passing out because of loss of hydration.  I often bring my own water bottles, which you can bring with you in your luggage (thank god for Southwest Airlines and their free luggage!) or you can purchase through places like Garden Grocer (a company I've never used, but have heard good things about), Target, or even at the Hess Station found on property.  Another tip is that any of the counter services restaurants will provide you with a cup of water.  All you have to do is ask.

Speaking of Water...make sure to hit up the water attractions that can be found in the parks.  There are a ton of spray fountains and other water play areas in the parks just perfect for keeping cool.  And starting this summer, there will be the Casey Jr. Splash and Soak area in the Storybook Circus area of Fantasyland.  Just make sure to bring a change of clothes.  You will get soaked.  You could also hit up some of the water attractions like Splash Mountain or Kali River Rapids.  The only problem, if it's hot, everyone else will be in line for those attractions too.  So you may have to wait a while to get cool.  If you want to spend more time in the water, make sure to head to Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach.  Both are perfect ways to spend an afternoon keeping cool.  

Take breaks.  This may sound counter-intuitive on a Disney vacation.  You want to see as much as possible, right?  But trust me.  If you don't take breaks, especially during the heat of the afternoon, you'll regret it later that night when things cool down again.  A lot of people will head back to their hotel for a nap and some air, but if you don't want to leave the parks, try to hit up some of the air conditioned, longer attractions.  A good example is Ellen's Energy Adventure in Epcot or The Hall of Presidents in the Magic Kingdom.  These longer shows will provide a good respite from the heat and allow you to cool off enough to be able to head back outside again.

These are just a few tips to help you survive the heat at Disney on your vacation.  But this leads me to ask you, what are your tips for keeping cool during the summer at WDW?  Make sure to share with everyone on our Facebook page!

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