Staying Cool on a Hot Day at Disney

Fast moving rides will cool you down

For many people a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida is a once in a lifetime vacation. Other people are able to go more often, some even make it an annual trek. Often people, even seasoned Disney veterans, underestimate the Florida sun. Everyone realizes that it is going to be hot and humid in July but it can also be uncomfortable in the winter months, Florida weather is unpredictable. Since a Disney vacation requires a lot of walking and time outdoors it is best to plan ahead so that the heat will have as little effect on you as possible.

Drink Lots of Water

The first thing that you need to remember is that you should drink lots of water. All of the parks have plenteous water fountains, use them. While there is nothing wrong with enjoying a soft drink you will be best hydrated when you drink plain water. If you are going to wait in an outdoor line take a long drink before you join it. You will be glad that you did.

Disney has plenty of water fountains. Use them!

Study the Map

The maps for the Disney parks are readily available, study them before you head to the parks. Plan out when you are going to see shows and when you plan to ride some of the more popular rides. Many of the rides have a good part of the queue indoors, plan to ride those during the heat of the day. Toy Story Midway Mania, for example, usually has an incredibly long line but most (if not all) of the wait is inside. It's worth waiting in the heat of the day. If you know where the rides are ahead of time you can spend less time walking around, looking for the ride, and more time indoors, out of the heat.

Be Careful With the Shows

You may think that the shows are a good way to beat the heat but be careful when planning which ones you want to see and when. Some of them are outdoors and part of the seating area is in the sun. If you have any questions ask a cast member for recommendations for the best time to see a show and sit in the shade. Enjoy the indoor shows during the middle of the day, they'll give you a nice break from the heat.

Plan Your Meals

All four of the parks have great places where you can sit inside and enjoy the air conditioning while you eat. On busy days the places get crowded, especially the counter service restaurants. Plan you meals so that you will not be eating between 11am and 1pm, when the restaurants will be packed. You won't feel as rushed and you'll be able to sit inside for a longer amount of time.

Enjoy the Water Rides

Disney gives you places to cool off so enjoy them. They have two water parks, spend a day at one of those. In the main theme parks head down Splash Mountain or take a ride on Kali River Rapids. There are also interactive fountains, don't leave those for just the kids! You'll have a great time and the water will feel good on a hot day.

A Little Bit of Background

I thought before I starting handing out tips on Walt Disney World that I would give you a little bit of background on myself and why I am qualified to give Disney advice. I grew up in Western Massachusetts. Each summer my family and I would take several trips to Riverside in Agawam, which is now Six Flags New England. I developed a real love for amusement parks, although I will admit that I am not a fan of roller coasters. When I was nine my family headed out to California, which was when I got my first taste of Disney. I was hooked.

Several years later as an adult my husband and I lived in Virginia, between Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens Williamsburg. We spent plenty of time at each park, I even worked at Kings Dominion one summer in the games department. It wasn't until 2006 that we finally made it to Florida for our first ever visit to Walt Disney World. After that I kept telling my husband that we needed to move to Orlando. Eventually things fell into place and we did just that. The house that we rented is just four miles from the main gate. With the Florida resident discount for annual passes we were on the property almost daily. Sometimes our daughter and I would go to a park and not even ride anything, we just wanted to be there.

We spent two years in Florida, moving on July 1st, 2012. That was a hard decision to make. We plan to return all the time, our first trip back is scheduled for mid-September. We've been counting the days since well before we left Florida.

I've written extensively about Disney for various websites. I am also the co-author of the InsideScoop to Walt Disney World book series. I learned a lot while we lived there just because we spent so much time at the parks, and I plan on learning even more on our trips back. I hope that you'll find my tips helpful and that maybe you will pick up a few pointers so that you will better be able to enjoy your vacation.