Handling the Heat

[Kestryl]

Did anyone else see the forecast for Orlando for next week? So far it’s looking like mid-90s, with Wednesday at a high of 99.

My northern butt is going to melt faster than Olaf in summer.

Anyone have any tips on how to handle this heat? We were expecting high temps, but not this high.

Canceling is, perhaps obviously, not an option at this point.

ETA: Also, I realize forecasts change all the time. I’m just woefully underprepared for near-100 heat. Now, if it was snow, I could handle that in shorts if I had to.

 

[FastPasser.]

Better you than me. Oh wait, I live here year round. I will feel your discomfort next week.

 

[Penny McMouse]

Do you have a cooling towel? If not, get one for each family member. They work wonders. You can load them with a couple pieces of ice so that the cool of the ice hits the back of your neck of you don't mind the possible wet spot on your back when the ice melts.
If you or anyone with you has long hair, braid it while it's wet in the morning. The water evaporating will have a similar effect to the cooling towel for a couple hours.
Get hand held fans. You can get them pretty cheap at WalMart or sometimes the dollar store. They were a lifesaver for us on our last summer trip.
Take breaks! Or better yet, go to the air conditioned attractions.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. As much as we all don't like using public restrooms Disney does a good job of keeping theirs clean. Better to have to go at the parks as to get dehydrated. Also, fizzy drinks don't hydrate your body. Bring some powered electrolyte drinks (Gatorade, Power aid) if you don't like the taste of Florida water. Cheap and easy to mix in a water bottle.
If worst comes to worst and you do over do it go to first aid. It's air conditioned in there and the cast members will take care of you.

 

[BrianL]

As the above poster said, drink plenty of water. This is the number one thing you can do for yourself. You can get free cups of ice water at any counter service restaurant. You can bypass the line, just walk up to the counter. If it is that hot, they will likely have a lot of cups made up already. Power Aid is also not a bad idea as it will help you replenish and they have it at a lot of the beverage stands. Your body will get used to the heat if it has the tools to do so. Try not to worry about it and have fun!

 

[yulilin3]

The heat index (real feel) wil be 100 and over so be extra vigilant
Plan for outdoor waiting for rides or shows in the morning or late evening and do indoor attractions and shows during the noon to 5pm hours
Drink water constantly. Get ice cubes and rub them behind your ears, on your wrists and if need be under the armpits. Avoid soda, coffee, alcoholic drinks
Bring umbrellas and use for shade while you're walking and waiting outside

 

[Kestryl]

Better you than me. Oh wait, I live here year round. I will feel your discomfort next week.

You have my condolences. I don’t know how people bear this kind of heat.

 

[Kestryl]

If it is that hot, they will likely have a lot of cups made up already.

I’m picturing cast members passing out water cups like it’s a marathon. “Great job, everyone, keep up the good work in running to Space Mountain!” Ha.

Thank you all for the helpful tips. I’ll have to look into the fans- I completely thought those were a thing. And I’ll definitely bring some cooling towels- they sound like a great plan.

 

[alex9179]

Again, stay hydrated! Drink water with meals, take a minute to grab some at any QS, some TS have coolers set up in the waiting area anyone can use.

We're going in August, which is like the fires of Hades but wetter, and will tour early AM and after dinner. 12-4 will be at the pool or indoors getting ready to go out. If you can, avoid touring in the afternoon. If you are out, take A/C breaks and stick to shade if you can.

Make sure your clothes are quick dry. Take Body Glide, or similar, to reduce chafing. Change socks and shoes if you go back to your room. You'll sweat but still have fun!

 

[Klayfish]

I completely agree with drinking lots of water and staying in the ac. Great thing about WDW is there are so many attractions that are have it, including the queues. You can spend the entire afternoon indoors except when walking from attraction to attraction. Wear light clothes.

Try different things and see what works for you. I know people suggest cooling towels, we tried them and found they actually make things much worse. It's already hot, humid and sticky outside. Sticking something wet on the back of your neck or your head feels good for a minute...until that cool water just blends into the hot sweat already on your body and then you just feel like a sauna. They were nasty. Same for misting fans. Just made it worse for us. A non-misting fan is great.

 

[FastPasser.]

You have my condolences. I don’t know how people bear this kind of heat.

It's not that bad. As a CM doing mostly outdoor events, you have to be able to deal with the heat for hours at a time without a break.

 

[goodeats]

I would visit in August again. Love warm nights and visiting water parks and the pools. Some tips:

• Vanity goes out the window. We roped drop in workout clothes with our cooling towels around our necks. We left the parks around 1:00 and went back for dinner around 6:00 and stayed till close. We dressed nicer at night
• Stay hydrated and avoid too much alcohol. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, drink up! Bring a refillable bottle. DH wore a camel bak, but I wouldn’t want to. His back got really sweaty :/
• I liked the misting fan, but if you have kids get a few. They fight over them
• You may not be as hungry for heavy foods, so buffets may be a waste

 

[heidijanesmith]

I do not handle the heat well, so I have a few tricks:

1-I do not use cooling towels, agree with the poster above. They just make me feel sticky. I use a small washcloth and get it cool when ever possible. It's nice to wipe my face off.
I also use cooling cloths, you can buy them at Amazon. They leave a nice fresh scent behind.

2-I buy a few good hand held fans from Opolar. The batteries are rechargeable and they put out a lot of air. I do not like misting fans as it just makes me feel yuckier.

3-We bring a insulated water bottle, keeps water cool for hours. It's worth carrying it around. Keep drinking water constantly. I got a mild case of heat stroke on August day at WDW, it was terrible.

4-Cooling gel type stickers. They are great on your forehead, but I don't want to walk around with one on my forehead. I put them on my neck or wrist.

 

[MomOfDisneyPrincess]

I had that same shock today when I looked at the forecast. I was expecting high 80's or low 90's. We will be leaving Sunday, but don't have park days planned until next Wednesday. I'm hoping it cools slightly before then. Last year was very rainy, so you just never know.

 

[AllieBoo]

Hit the parks early, and then head back to your resort around 12/1 pm to swim or relax for a few hours. Then go back in the evenings

 

[jeff_h]

Hit the parks early, and then head back to your resort around 12/1 pm to swim or relax for a few hours. Then go back in the evenings

I'm going to be there next week as well, and this is exactly what we're planning. Once the morning FPs are done, if we don't have a lunch ADR we're heading back to the hotel for a bit and when it gets that hot during the day there's nothing better than strolling through the parks in the evening when the weather is perfect and many who braved the hot parks for the entire day have worn out and left by the evening.

 

[gatormom2tots]

We scheduled all of our fps at night- with nothing before 6PM. It will still be hot, but not as bad. Days will be spent by the pool!

 

[jewels4488]

We purchased the fans you hang around your neck....worked great!

 

[Brett Wyman]

Hit the parks early, and then head back to your resort around 12/1 pm to swim or relax for a few hours. Then go back in the evenings

This is best advice outside of staying hydrated. Just get the heck out of there midday when it’s the most crowded and the heat index is nearly 100. This obviously works better if you are at an on-site hotel.

 

[bluezy]

Hit the parks early, and then head back to your resort around 12/1 pm to swim or relax for a few hours. Then go back in the evenings

Yes, this! We usually go to Disney in June so these temps are "normal" for our visits. This is exactly what we do. We've tried some of the other suggestions -- cooling towels, misting fans, etc. -- and they just don't work for our family because we go to the parks bagless and don't want to be carrying things all day (all part of the "staying cool" plan -- we don't feel cool if we're lugging stuff around). We drink lots of water throughout the day -- usually just buying it when needed but the kids will often just get the free water from the CS locations. (I hate the taste of the free water. Yes, I know it's filtered, but I still don't like it. I don't like the water in most restaurants even outside of Disney.) A quick dip in the hotel pool and/or a nice cool shower do wonders for me in the afternoon. If we do find ourselves in the parks in the afternoon we usually do indoor shows and rides during that time to stay out of the heat as much as possible.

 

[Kestryl]

Thank you all!

I have a few dining reservations that are set up that will prevent us from leaving mid-day on a couple days of our trip (since the dining itself is mid-day), but I suppose the whole point of a break is to sit in some AC anyways!

Is it weird that I’m already drinking water to prepare? I’m a terrible water drinker as it is. Literally drinking 1 glass of water at Disney will be approximately 1 glass more than I drink on average now. It’s not a taste thing- I just don’t drink it, so I need to get into the habit.