Here are tips on how to beat the heat at Walt Disney Florida. If you decide to visit Walt Disney Florida between May and September it’s going to be HOT. Some days it’ll feel like you are burning right thru your shoes. (We have been twice in May and once in January. We’ll probably never go in May again.) But just because it’s going to be HOT doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways to beat the heat at Disney World.
Start early and stay late – Get to the parks at least 30 minutes before they open. This will enable you to ride everything on your must do list without having to wait in line. Then while everyone else is in line, you can head back to your resort and go for a swim and take a nap. When we went last year, we would go to the parks from 8:30 to 12:30 then return at 5 pm. It was so nice being out of the heat during the hottest part of the day.
Be prepared – You know it’s going to be hot. Stop by Walmart before you leave for Disney and pick up the following item(s):
- Plenty of sunscreen – You don’t want to add a burn + the heat
- A mister fan – Walmart sells theirs for about $6.50 compared to $19 at Disney (although we LOVE our Disney one….)
- Spray bottle – If you don’t get a mister fan, get a spray bottle and fill it with ice water
- Handheld fans – I think these little fans are about $1.50 a piece. They are compact and awesome! Just make sure you bring extra batteries.
- Neck fans – This is the one that I use
- Cheap ponchos to cover you in case of rain
Purchase Frogg Togg Chilly Pads – these things will keep you cool for up to 4 hours. Just re-wet the towel when it becomes hot. I also love to stick a piece of ice in mine right in the center of my neck.
Wear a hat – I hate hats but I bought one on our last trip in May and I wore it every day. It made a huge difference. You can also put a wet cloth under the hat.
Wear light colored, loose fitting clothing – Make sure you only pack soft colors. It will help reflect the heat!
Bring a change of clothes/shoes to the park – This is a great way to refresh in the middle of the day if you aren’t going back to the resort. Also change your shoes. It helps! You could always rent a locker if you don’t want to tote it around the parks.
Wear moisture wicking socks that you change mid day.
If you are purchasing clothing for the trip, stop by an athletic store and look at the moisture wicking clothing.
Bring a washcloth in a plastic bag – bring a washcloth and keep it wet constantly with FREE ice water. Use it as needed.
Wear a bandana – Wet it constantly to keep you cool.
Purchase Body Glide and apply it to the areas you usually chafe.
Bring a cooler – Disney lets you bring in soft sided coolers with straps. Fill it with everything you need to stay cool.
Follow these directions to make your own neck cooler
Bring a small pop up umbrella – It will help keep you shaded while standing around. Totes makes one that folds up to just 7 inches.
Stay hydrated – Water is free at Disney. Just walk up to any counter service / snack stand that serves fountain drinks and ask for a couple glasses of ice water. They will give it to you without complaining, trust me! (They also won’t tell you this and will gladly sell you a bottle of water for $3 too.)
- Freeze water bottles and juice boxes the night before. They will stay cold and refreshing for a few hours. Wrap them in a towel to keep them frozen longer.
- Clip a water bottle to your bag or belt and refill it often.
- Look into purchasing a CamelBak and fill it with ice. The ice will melt into cold water.
- Brink flavor packets to flavor the free water
Stop for ice cream – The nice cold treat will lift any spirit and cool your body down. You can’t go wrong with a Mickey Head Ice Cream.
Schedule indoor rides/shows during the hot part of the day – There are many rides that are located indoors in each park. Here are a few that would be a great place to escape the heat:
- Magic Kingdom – Hall of Presidents, Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor, Carousel of Progress, Country Bears Jamboree, Mickey’s Phillharmagic
- Hollywood Studios – Many attractions are indoors including Disney Junior, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Muppets 3D
- Epcot – Soarin, Test Track (only a portion of this ride is outside but the queue is air conditioned), the movies in each of the countries, The Seas; Innoventions; Club Cool
- Animal Kingdom – Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo, Rafiki’s Planet Watch
Schedule water rides during the hottest part of the day. Get a Fastpass early in the day and redeem it when it gets HOT.
Find a shady spot to watch the afternoon parade – I have NO IDEA why Disney puts the parade in the hottest part of the day. Plan on finding a shady spot at least an hour ahead of time and send someone to get lunch for the group.
Schedule dining reservations for 2:30 pm – Most people eat lunch between 12 and 2. Not only will you beat the heat, but you will beat the crowds…
Avoid Animal Kingdom on the hottest day of your trip. It is by far the hottest park. Hollywood Studios is the coolest as most of it’s attractions are indoors.
Check out the cooling vests
Skip the make up – You are just going to sweat it off. Don’t bother with it and use sunscreen instead.
Do a rain dance – Seriously. Rain is your best friend. Everyone will run out of the parks because of the rain. Not only will you cool off, but you will have the park to yourself. (Pick up Ponchos at the Dollar Tree before you leave town)
How to keep your child cool….
- Buy a clip on fan for the stroller – we use this one
- See if your stroller has an extender attachment for the sunshade or look into an after market product such as this one (shop around for a great deal)
- Put a pack of wipes in the cooler and use them to wipe off with. You can also put chilled wipes on baby’s head.
- Stop by the child care stations in each park. It’s air conditioned and there is a place for you to take care of all your baby’s needs and a tv and activity tables for the older kids.
- Keep a chilled rag on your child’s neck and head. Refresh it often.
- Bring their bathing suit especially to Epcot. They have the best splash fountains.
- Let them wear their bathing suit clothing. If they get wet, it will dry quicker than cotton.
Check out these tips on how to have a wonderful Walt Disney Florida trip.
Learn more tips and tricks for your next Walt Disney World vacation. Destinations in Florida can also help you add tips and tricks to your next vacation.
These are great tips! Thanks for sharing!
As someone from the north I can say that I have found the hydration packs at both Target and Walmart. Check out the camping/sporting good sections of the stores. Which would make me think that places like bass pro and cabellas would also carry them but I am sure they would be more expensive there. I got one of the misters at target for $2.50 not too long ago also. I work in a steel mill and the heat of summer plus the heat coming off a 3000 degree ladel of steel plus wearing 3 layers of clothing leads to one hot mama…lol so I use the mister to cool off when I can.
I think going back to the hotel is the best idea. I never remember doing that when I was a kid, but now I make sure we take a couple hours to rest in the middle of the day. We do that almost everywhere we go. Makes for less crabby kids at the end of the day!
1)Moisture-wicking clothing (try Target or Old Navy)
2) I personally prefer monistat chafing gel to body glide for my thighs.
Target’s Dollar Spot has been selling a water mister for $2.50- they’re labeled as Air Misters. My girls love the fine mist of water on their faces. I love that they don’t use batteries. I have “foil” Disney stickers and I let the girls decorate their mister bottles with their favorite characters.
On another note… We no longer have a plastic stroller cover and we found that having extra ponchos to cover the stroller was very helpful!
We did away with the plastic cover thing for the stroller too. Much easier to throw an extra poncho over it.
I found a website for them, just type in Camelbak. This article got me curious, since I live in Florida, so I went out looking. A few places have the hydratioh pak, not this brand but they seem to be the same type of thing. Try Target, tho the stores in the north may not carry them. Also check out your local sports store, again Sports Authority has them in several different brands, but don’t know where stores are located at in other states. Good luck and we Floridians know how to beat the heat in the summer….stay inside and go to only air conditioned stores and malls!!! LOL
I think it’s those hiking backpacks that strictly hold a large water jug with a long flexible straw attached.
Hey Jennifer : ) Camelbak’s are backpacks that hold water…they have a “straw” running from the bag that stretches to your face, etc. They have some cheaper ones at places like Academy Sports, Dicks Sporting Goods etc…I wonder if Amazon ever runs specials on these? : )
What exactly are camelbak’s?
Invest in a Camelbak (or something similar) for each member of your party…the largest size you can afford and tolerate carrying around. (Or just hang it on strollers if you’re using them.) Prior to departing for the parks each day, fill it up with ice & water. It’s an easy and convenient way to keep hydrated & cool all day. We had them for our trip last week and it was HOT. It was seriously the best idea ever. I’m surprised more people didn’t do that. When preparing for our trip, I noticed that none of the tips sites I follow mention anything about hydration packs and was starting to wonder if maybe they were not permitted in the parks or if there was a down side to having them. I’m happy to say that after 7 days in WDW with them, not only are they permitted (I’d called in advance to check first) it was seriously the BEST idea ever. In fact, we had a lot of people stop us to say that it’s the best idea ever and they wish they thought of it. Granted, when you use hydration packs you have to have it checked upon entry as it’s considered a bag but it’s well worth the extra step.
Hydration packs worked so well for us while at WDW that I’m kicking myself for not bringing them with me when we go to zoo while we’re at home. I’m lugging them every where we go now. The water stayed nice and icy cold for up to 8-10 hours.
Carrying these on your backs can help you stay cool too!