We escaped to Walt Disney World as soon as my girls finished school. We’re about two weeks earlier finishing than other schools in our area, but of course, schools in different parts of the country/ continent finish at different times – the parks were busier than I’d thought they might be just yet. But, what surprised me most was the heat!
We’re having nicer weather at home in Ottawa now, in the early 20’s – so I knew from weather reports that Orlando would be at least 10 degrees more this week. The pilot told us it was 33 degrees celsius when were landing. But it felt much hotter than that at the park.
Here are 6 tips to survive Disney summer heat:
1. Bring a hat! All 4 of us had our Tilley hats! (In my opinion, Tilleys are the best hats for shade and protection.)
2. Drink water! Stop at the water fountains often. Have bottles you can refill, or buy bottled water. (the water from the fountains doesn’t taste the way I’m used to, but any water is better than none)
3. Wear light colours! Dark t-shirts and shorts will make you feel the heat more. Wear white or pastel t’s so you can breathe when the sun is baking the sweat that’s run down your back. 🙂
4. Wear comfy shoes! You’re going to be hot and bothered, you do NOT want to get chafed ankles and toes. Wear sneakers – and socks!
5. Pace yourself! Get fast passes when you can. Yesterday, the standby line for the new Ariel ride was long, but the fast pass ticket was only for 45 minutes in the future. We snagged a fast pass, and went to do another attraction in the interim. The main thing was not to hit the rides with long lines in the summer afternoon sun. We did the quick and easy ones (which can be a tough find in summer heat- even the traditionally short queue ride, It’s a Small World, jumped from a 20 minute queue to 40 minutes as soon as we entered the line – we didn’t wait…). We left the longer line-up ones for the evening extra magic hours (with lighter crowds).
6. The most important tip – STAY AT A MONORAIL HOTEL!!!! When we were getting hot and bothered, and my 7 year old’s face looked like she’d just run a marathon (blotched red, and her hair soaked from sweat), we escaped the crowds and heat, zipped back to our Grand Floridian retreat, had some fantastic beverages and treats at our club room, and then cooled off with a lovely swim!
You can survive Disney summer heat! Just call me to set it up right for you!
Sheila Gallant-Halloran
613-837-0699