Disney in Mid-August

[rochtraveler]

I have been at Disney several times but never in the middle of the summer (October 3x, December, May). Any suggestion for strategies and how hot does it really get? How busy do the parks get?

[Pirate Granny]

Bring your poncho and not an umbrella. Hot, humid and we had rain every afternoon. Lines were manageable. We had planned to go back to the pool every afternoon to swim, but alas it always poured, so we stayed at the parks and dodged the raindrops between inside rides and stores. Actually only got to swim once in five night trip.

[Strmchsr]

If you don't live in the Deep South then the heat and humidity will be close to unbearable for you in the afternoon. The #1 strategy is use a lot of sunscreen and drink a ton of water (not sodas or alcohol). Dehydration, sunstroke, and sunburns ruin a lot of vacations in the summer.

The best strategy is to be at the park at opening, stay until around lunch time then go back to your resort for a nap, a dip in the pool, or whatever, and then come back to the park around dinner time and stay late after dark when it's much more comfortable.

The note above about rain is pretty accurate. There's a good chance of a sea breeze thunderstorm pretty much every afternoon. It's usually in the 3-5 pm and the rain lasts 30-45 min. It's just part of summer life here in Florida. If you take it easy and play smart you'll have a great time, even in August.

[joonyer]

Rain showers are frequent, but if you are willing to get a little wet, the lines get really short during those times. The rain sends a lot of guests back to their resorts. As long as there's no lightning, most attractions will stay open. Kinda like a FastPass for everything, while it lasts!

[cer]

The best strategy is to be at the park at opening, stay until around lunch time then go back to your resort for a nap, a dip in the pool, or whatever, and then come back to the park around dinner time and stay late after dark when it's much more comfortable.

This.

I don't recommend "sticking it out" through the afternoon hours. Take that break and get refreshed and your experience will be much better.

[AvaNellMouse]

I went in mid-September last year and wore a very wide-brimmed hat every day. It really helped keep the heat off my head and sun off my face. Several CM's commented about how great it looked and how smart I was to wear it.

Also, as hot as it was, my feet were a blistered mess, even with moleskin and blister patches. Bring several shoe options to give the sore spots some respite.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We go often in August, and have learned to manage. We're northern people, so the humidity is just crazy to us.

Great advice about going early, and then taking a mid-day break. We used to try and swim during our break, but quickly learned that all of the thunderstorms would roll through at the same time. Now, we plan some time in the room, in the AC. Don't worry, we still find lots of time for

Another tip that we use a lot is to walk through stores, etc instead of out on the street to take advantage of a brief blast of air conditioning. Even for just a few minutes, it really does make a difference.

[twinboyz]

Another tip that we use a lot is to walk through stores, etc instead of out on the street to take advantage of a brief blast of air conditioning. Even for just a few minutes, it really does make a difference.

Great advice.. and it really does help. Wear a hat if you can. We most often go in May, but because of baseball and football season, one year we went in August.

We were sweating non stop every day--now everyone is different so don't let that sway you. Drink lots of water.. take the advice of the PP and head back to the room to cool off and maybe take a dip in the pool. You won't regret it.

Enjoy your trip!

[Aurora]

When I was a kid, my dad could only take vacations in August, so that's when we would go. I have very fond memories of going during that time; now, when I think of Florida, I think there should be heat and 20-minute thunderstorms.

At midday, it is brutally hot and humid, with temps often in the mid- to upper-90s. Crowds are usually heavier early in the month and lighter toward the end.

Take everyone's advice and do a midday break. Also leave vanity at home and wear a brimmed hat. Not only will it keep the sun off your face and the sunburn off your head, if the temps get really hot you can douse it in water for a quick cool down.

[AvaNellMouse]

Also leave vanity at home and wear a brimmed hat.

I took my vanity with me and just OWNED the heck out of my giant sun hats.

[MargaretMessler]

August to mid September is hot hot HOT and very humid. I cannot stress enough the importance of taking a mid day break from the parks for swimming, napping, lounging, whatever you choose but that time of year is definitely not open & close the park weather.

Try to save shows and indoors attractions for mid-day when it's at its most hot/humid. Anything which is outside or queues outside, early or late. Make sure you drink plenty of water. If you don't like the taste of tap water and want to save a ton of $$ consider bringing a supply of single serve drink mixes. Also a misting fan helps tremendously.

Sit down meals at lunch might also be an alternative mid-day break if you do choose to stay in the parks all day.

[Aurora]

I took my vanity with me and just OWNED the heck out of my giant sun hats.

Haha -- I was referring mostly to when you take the hat OFF and have to deal with various levels of hat head. Obviously hats themselves are fabulous.

[mickeys_princess_mom]

I took my vanity with me and just OWNED the heck out of my giant sun hats.

Love it! And as a Southern girl, I can tell you it gets so hot it bothers ALL of us, and a hat and sunglasses can make a WORLD of difference!!

[mydisneygirls]

Try to save shows and indoors attractions for mid-day when it's at its most hot/humid. Anything which is outside or queues outside, early or late. Make sure you drink plenty of water. If you don't like the taste of tap water and want to save a ton of $$ consider bringing a supply of single serve drink mixes. Also a misting fan helps tremendously.

We went August last year. I must say that after the horribly humid early summer weather we had up here in the northeast, we didn't find FL that bad. Yes, it was hot and humid but we did okay. We generally did what MargaretMessler said...we rode rides/attractions that were indoors (Space Mountain/Mikey's Philharmagic, etc). Even if there is a wait time, at least you're waiting in air conditioning.

We went once in September and found that to be much more hot and humid that our trip in August.

[Dsnygirl]

Hi! We have done it twice, and for 10 days each time... and we loved it! You just have to tell yourself it is going to be HOT, and if you're mentally prepared for that (and have along the necessary "keep cool" items ) you'll be fine.

We all dress very light... shorts, tank tops, flip flops... no sneakers and heavy socks, no layered tanks/shirts. Long hair in pony tails, baseball caps available if it looks to be a day w/o a cooling shower... and for wet rides! Wearing a wet baseball cap is very cooling!

We've carried the fan misters every trip... but honestly? Have never used them... the parks all have so many places where you can get misted or walk through/over/on water we never felt we needed them. But I'd still have them... we bought miniature ones that are easily tucked away in a bag from preparedness.com for $7.

On both our trips (both were from about Aug 17 - Aug 28) it rained every day but one... and you welcomed the rain showers. Yes, it easily got to 90 or above every day... maybe 86 or 87 on a "cool" day... but after the shower (usually late afternoon) it would drop to the low 70's and the rest of the day would be lovely. We carry our ponchos just in case the downpour lasts longer than we want to stay in one place... my husband is the "backpacker" for our group, as he is the most "heat resistant" of the four of us.

We carry frozen water bottles into the parks and then re-fill them during the day... drink LOTS of water or you WILL get dehydrated and exhausted... we carry apples and snacks, too. But a word to the wise - do NOT carry any trailmix that has chocolate... it will melt into a messy glop and look more like someone's mad attempt at one of those weird party snacks people make with melted chocolate and party mix. (Lesson learned the hard way.... )

Plan to take a mid-day break, no matter how much your kids complain... ours HATE to leave the parks, even for the pools, but we're all MUCH better for it afterwards. Even a 1/2hr dip in the pool does wonders. (They've accepted that we're much happier parents afterwards, too... =D)

As far as how busy the parks are? We found that the wknd & Monday before all the Florida kids go back to school are still VERY busy (somewhere around the 18-21st).... we stood watching Wishes shoulder to shoulder with people, and could barely make it down Main St afterwards... we had to go through the Emporium to leave and would have had a 2hr wait for buses if we hadn't walked to the Contemporary and gone to DTD)

But other than that? The parks were great... certainly not empty, but many rides were walk-ons and even the most popular had reasonable wait times or single-rider lines.

We love it now - we're forced to do it because our girls are 12/15 and can't miss a week of school anymore - but we'd do it again in a heartbeat, and we'll be there for at least two days this year!

[PlutoPlanet]

We did this for about 10 years and got used to it. I carried a small spray water bottle with me. We would get to the parks at opening time and leave at 3 pm for some pool time. You do get the afternoon or evening thunder storms, so yes, often bring ponchos for the evening.

[Lisaj13]

We were there in August 2010. I told my kids before we went that there certain non-negotiables: hats, sunscreen, and water bottles.

I wore a Bandoo, a neck cloth with water absorbing beads in it. You soak it, and it keeps you cool. It really helped keep me comfortable.

I thought I knew what heat and humidity were before we went. WRONG! But we didn't push ourselves. As someone once said, your group is only as happy as your least happy member.

[Terra]

If you don't live in the Deep South then the heat and humidity will be close to unbearable for you in the afternoon. The #1 strategy is use a lot of sunscreen and drink a ton of water (not sodas or alcohol). Dehydration, sunstroke, and sunburns ruin a lot of vacations in the summer.

The best strategy is to be at the park at opening, stay until around lunch time then go back to your resort for a nap, a dip in the pool, or whatever, and then come back to the park around dinner time and stay late after dark when it's much more comfortable.

The note above about rain is pretty accurate. There's a good chance of a sea breeze thunderstorm pretty much every afternoon. It's usually in the 3-5 pm and the rain lasts 30-45 min. It's just part of summer life here in Florida. If you take it easy and play smart you'll have a great time, even in August.

As a Central Floridian, yes to all of this!!
Those fan misters help [especially for children]. Try to be inside when it gets too hot, take a break. Lots and lots of water, avoid lots of sodas and such.

Not going to lie, it IS super hot. Even this Florida woman, rarely goes in the summer or if I do, I tend to do mostly inside things for a 1/2 day and then go home.

I RARELY take my children in the summer at all. They overheat quite easily.