Mid-July heat

[back2disney]

Worse time of the year to go. That's all you need to know.

 

[KCMA]

We are currently here.. poolside at OKW with a very cold and strong drink!! Is it insanely hot? yes… is it making our trip unbearable absolutely not.. but if your rope dropping and staying until close I wish you good luck… we have roped dropped and hit the headliners until noon/1pm and then back to the hotel for pool time and back to parks at night.. but keep in mind in can be just as hot at 4-5 pm

As for being at the parks we don’t use umbrellas or towels or even fans. just lots of water and breaks when needed /sunscreen and hats… (we don’t live in a warm climate either/from Canada) and like the above poster said try to plan to avoid walking across the park multiple times

I think it really depends what your goals are and what times you are able to be at the park

Any other questions ask away.. here until Thursday

 

[HopperFan]

Went this week - was brutal. Much worse than last July. Really slowed us down.

 

[chicagodisfan]

We were there July 8-15 and while there were a few days that were brutally hot, there were a few that were actually okay! One day there were crazy thunderstorms at 11:30 am. We were just about to leave to go to the parks, so we waited those out and it cooled everything off nicely. It was in the 80’s and tolerable all day! And the humidity didn’t even really kick in until 5:00 pm. We were very appreciative because that was our Animal Kingdom day and that park always feels hotter with less air circulation that the rest. Another day at MK it was overcast most of the day and felt like a summer day at home (Chicago area) which we were happy with too! The other three park days had lots of sun and high temps. We did the extended evening hours and the DVC Moonlight Magic event so we had three very late park nights and didn’t get to the park before 11:30 am any of the days. I noticed the heat was particularly bad for me from about 12:00-3:00 pm. During those hours it was hard to be outside for more than a half hour straight without an AC break. After 3:00 pm it seemed much better even if it didn’t rain. You can hang meat in most of the stores and attractions they keep the AC so high, so your body is constantly trying to adjust to the temperature rises and drops. I found outside those mid-day hours, we did pretty well! We didn’t go back to the resort at all because we got such a late start each day and we made it from 11:30 am until park close (sometimes 1 am) without a problem.

I totally agree with the previous poster. We got everything that everyone recommended - UV umbrella, cooling towels, neck fans and used them all. I loved the cooling towels! They really worked for me, especially in combination with the neck fan. I took an earlier recommendation to get the ones that each come with a separate storage bag and that was a great tip! They clipped on the stroller (or a backpack) and it was easy for everyone to know which was theirs. The UV blocking umbrella came in particularly helpful in the Studios and in Futureworld in Epcot where there isn’t a tree to be found.

We had a day at Typhoon Lagoon which was a blast, but even there it was too hot for the water to be refreshing until around 2-3 pm. I made everyone stop at our towels and chug a bottle of water every half hour or so. The water we brought got hot really quick so we started using the little complimentary coolers of ice water they had by the quick service which were great. I would seek those out if you go to Typhoon Lagoon.

One other tip - take those family pictures right when you walk in the park! We took some later in the day and it looked like we had been on a water ride, but we didn’t go on any water rides.

All-in-all, we had a really great trip! While it was hot, it went a lot better than I thought/worried it would!

 

[Miffy]

Still here and it's still hot! My sister bailed on DAK this morning. It was way too hot and sunny for her, but somehow I lasted it out. I have Disney Energy. A day that would be unacceptable anywhere else is okay at WDW.

I even park-hopped yesterday (Epcot -- resort -- DHS to close) and had a great time. My sister didn't last through Epcot. I used her MB and rode FEA twice (we had G+).

I think it just depends on the person. I thought it'd be hard to bear but I wanted to come anyway--so did my sister. I've been basically okay but she's been basically not-okay. So I doubt we'll do this again even though I would, so it's possible I'd do it solo, since DH hasn't come to WDW with me in several years.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

For those popping back to your resorts to beat the heat for nap or pool time, are you taking Disney transportation (buses etc) or are you driving?

A mix. If we are staying at a deluxe hotel, we often walk. Sometimes we take a boat or ride the monorail. I try to avoid the buses. Too many times I got stuck waiting for buses that did not show on time. Buses should come every 20minutes, and if they don't, that may = we are late for an ADR or a G+.

Driving is much more reliable.

The shuttle boats stop during thunderstorms, but the dock CM's don't always know the boat has stopped. Again, we once waited 45min for a boat that never arrived, so then we had to walk to the bus stop and wait some more. That was less than ideal.

Those delays somewhat ruin the usefulness of taking an afternoon break, IMO.

If we are offsite or at a mod/value resort, we drive. We've also used Skyliner a few times.

 

[cdnSpinalTap]

especially in combination with the neck fan. I took an earlier recommendation to get the ones that each come with a separate storage bag and that was a great tip!

Which neck fan did you end up with? Were you happy with it?

 

[tigertides]

It's very plausible that in our lifetime, Walt Disney World will be unbearable and unsuitable to visit from May-October.

We are not talking about just uncomfortable, wear sunscreen, do indoor rides, etc.

I am talking about intolerable, inadvisable to be outside in the heat, and contraindicated for those with chronic conditions, the young, and the elderly. Just look at Phoenix right now.

Could you still visit, due to schools being out? Sure, yes.
But not only would it be miserable, it would be like going to Niagara Falls in January.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

I LIVED in Orlando 10 years ago and I couldn't understand why people would visit in July. It's brutal even for people who are residents and acclimated to the heat. November, April...those are wonderful months to be in WDW.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I LIVED in Orlando 10 years ago and I couldn't understand why people would visit in July. It's brutal even for people who are residents and acclimated to the heat. November, April...those are wonderful months to be in WDW.

Some people just don't have a choice. I will take fighting summer heat over fighting Christmas crowds every time. That's what works for our family.

 

[jsbowl16]

Someone is still going in July. Wait times at MK and HS are crazy right now. I am seeing 10 attractions with wait times over 100 minutes right now. Maybe the July 4th crowds are just a few weeks late this year.

 

[chicagodisfan]

Which neck fan did you end up with? Were you happy with it?

I just bought ones off of Amazon that were highly rated. They have a rechargeable battery with a USB cord, three speeds and LED lights (not necessary but were kind of fun at night). I really liked them except one of the two I bought had a side that seemed to burn out by the end of the week. It wouldn’t always turn on and when it did it wasn’t as strong as the other side. It was past the return window by the time we got home, but it was only $14 so not a big loss. The other one worked great.

 

[dhutchin12]

I purchased a fan from Amazon that has bendable octopus type legs. It was the one and only thing that made the heat okay for me last week. I kept it on the top speed and it would not make it through the day, but we had an external charger and realized we could charge the fan while it was running. This kept it going the entire day.

 

[Indio]

We were down there July 15-22. The first part of the week wasn't too bad, but Wednesday a heat wave rolled in and it was HOT, HOT, HOT!!! We still had a blast but man, we were melting. Friday the temp was 97 with a heat index of 124! Waiting on the boat from Epcot to Beach Club then the walk to Beaches & Cream had us all swearing we wouldn't come again in July!

 

[IndyToThere]

It's very plausible that in our lifetime, Walt Disney World will be unbearable and unsuitable to visit from May-October.

We are not talking about just uncomfortable, wear sunscreen, do indoor rides, etc.

I am talking about intolerable, inadvisable to be outside in the heat, and contraindicated for those with chronic conditions, the young, and the elderly. Just look at Phoenix right now.

I've thought about this in the past and what Disney might need to do to adapt. It wouldn't surprise me if they eventually have to build semi-enclosed sides along the walkways that bring extra shade/AC air/misted air to help with those brutal summer days.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

We've been three times in July and even though it's miserable and will most likely rain in the afternoon, I still preferred it to the constant deluge we were under during a September trip with slightly cooler temps. Bad luck I guess. My feet never dried once during that trip.

 

[Miffy]

I'm not sure if this had anything to do with it being July, but I had an experience last week at AKL that I have never ever had before anywhere at WDW: a gigantic insect in my room. I was on the toilet (of course) and a huge insect basically ran into the room. I have insect disgust big-time and I threw a bath towel over it, then got up and stomped on it. After that I went to the front desk (in my pj's), told them what had happened, and they sent a housekeeping person to the room. He removed the intruder, who he assured me was dead.

I asked how this had happened. I mean, I've never even seen an insect like this outside at WDW, much less in my resort room. He said that people will sometimes leave their balcony doors open during the day when they're out and the bugs come in. But our balcony door was closed. So I have no idea how this happened.

It kind of ruined much of the rest of the trip for me. I never wear shoes in my hotel room (or inside at home) but I was wearing my sandals in the room constantly after that and I was always looking around, wondering when the next Mack-truck-sized insect was going to show up. None did, but the thought of it was unpleasant, to say the least. And I didn't want to use the balcony, which is one of the big perks of a deluxe resort, because I was concerned that it was an invitation to another unwanted visitor.

I'm sorry to say that the incident soured me to AKL, my absolute favorite resort.

ETA: We were on the 3rd floor, not the ground floor. I could almost understand how this might happen in a ground-floor room.

 

[NileNellie]

I'm not sure if this had anything to do with it being July, but I had an experience last week at AKL that I have never ever had before anywhere at WDW: a gigantic insect in my room. I was on the toilet (of course) and a huge insect basically ran into the room. I have insect disgust big-time and I threw a bath towel over it, then got up and stomped on it. After that I went to the front desk (in my pj's), told them what had happened, and they sent a housekeeping person to the room. He removed the intruder, who he assured me was dead.

I asked how this had happened. I mean, I've never even seen an insect like this outside at WDW, much less in my resort room. He said that people will sometimes leave their balcony doors open during the day when they're out and the bugs come in. But our balcony door was closed. So I have no idea how this happened.

It kind of ruined much of the rest of the trip for me. I never wear shoes in my hotel room (or inside at home) but I was wearing my sandals in the room constantly after that and I was always looking around, wondering when the next Mack-truck-sized insect was going to show up. None did, but the thought of it was unpleasant, to say the least. And I didn't want to use the balcony, which is one of the big perks of a deluxe resort, because I was concerned that it was an invitation to another unwanted visitor.

I'm sorry to say that the incident soured me to AKL, my absolute favorite resort.

ETA: We were on the 3rd floor, not the ground floor. I could almost understand how this might happen in a ground-floor room.

Was it a giant yellow/green/orange grasshopper type? I've seen so many of those this summer, and they are terrifying.

 

[Miffy]

Was it a giant yellow/green/orange grasshopper type? I've seen so many of those this summer, and they are terrifying.

No. Giant and black. In NYC I'd call it a water bug, i.e., a humongous roach. Maybe a palmetto bug? Believe me, I'm not going to look at pictures to find out! And please, friends, don't post a picture. Thank you!

 

[NileNellie]

No. Giant and black. In NYC I'd call it a water bug, i.e., a humongous roach. Maybe a palmetto bug? Believe me, I'm not going to look at pictures to find out! And please, friends, don't post a picture. Thank you!

Ick!