Is it miserable or enjoyable?

[zebrastreyepz]

We have never been to Disney World in Summer. We know it’s hot and humid, but the question is, is does the misery overwhelm the magic? I know part of it is mindset.

We went 4th of July week in 2017 and went home 2 days early due to heat. We went 3 years ago this week and skipped last park day to drive to the beach.

No more summer trips. We live in Oklahoma and it gets hot and humid here bit staying out in ot for hours at a time is completely different.

 

[yaya74]

I love the heat ( I live in the midwest and with a good 5, and sometimes 6, months of winter I welcome the warmth ), that said when I was in Disney in June 2019 it was warmer than average and it was HOT and sweaty. It didn't take away from my enjoyment of being there and I treated myself to a cool shower once I got back to the room.

My family feels and same and we are in NJ. The thought of FL heat and sun is what get my family through the long cold freezing wintry weather in NJ. When we go to WDW in July/August, we just fully embrace the heat and enjoy the trip.

 

[LSUfan4444]

We have never been to Disney World in Summer. We know it’s hot and humid, but the question is, is does the misery overwhelm the magic? I know part of it is mindset.

Depends on the person. The weather does not dictate the personal response thats up to you. Not just with WDW but in everything. Things are rarely perfect but your success and how much you enjoy the things in your life is based on how you react to them.

Stay hydrated, have realistic expectations and make the choice to be happy and have fun. Don't do the things that make you miserable.

 

[GPC0321]

I'm probably weird, but if I'm not in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops and still sweating and heaving a sigh of relief every time I enter air-conditioning...it just doesn't feel like Disney to me, LOL!

This past Christmas was the first time I've ever been cold at Disney. Christmas Day was cold enough that I had on a t-shirt, fleece spirit jersey, and fleece-lined winter coat, jeans, sneakers, my mask, and I was still cold at times! I never took a bit of that off during the entire day at Magic Kingdom, inside or outside. And it weirdly didn't feel as "Disney" to me because of that.

That said...the heat can be extreme. Last summer we spent a good part of the late morning through afternoon almost completely submerged in the pool, LOL. But that was during a heatwave that was extreme even for central Florida. It was brutal.

 

[wideeyedwonder]

For us, we can handle the humidity (although we are used to a "dry heat", being from Los Angeles), but being in the direct sun for hours was what was killing us at WDW this past week. Partly or mostly cloudy is the PERFECT weather because of this. I wish the parks had more shaded areas, walkways, seating, and ride queues as that would go a long way towards making the noon hours bearable. We ended up going back to the resorts to swim and cool off in the afternoons, and being in the parks in the mornings and late afternoons/evenings (for which I'd like them to extend park hours!)

All in all we had a great trip, but the direct sun for so many hours was what "took down" a few of our party. The best "cure" for those 100% sun days was a southeast asian rice/coolie/farmer's hat (the conical hat used by farmers in many parts of Asia) bought at the Chinese pavilion at Epcot...those allow for a lot of shade, without transferring a lot of heat to your head as a baseball cap might.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

We've been twice in July and are doing it again this year, so I say you can definitely enjoy it. The heat only bothered me for short periods of time, like first thing in the morning, when the humidity is high. But then you adjust. Evenings were my favorite. Try to schedule an ADR for lunchtime, or plan on taking a break mid day, especially if you have kids. Also, I think a lot of people get really dehydrated without realizing it, and feel crappy. Take those free cups of water every chance you can get, and get a to go refill at your meals.

For what it's worth, I went in January once when it was really cold and rainy and remember thinking I'd rather be hot than shivering in soaked shoes.

 

[goofyernmost]

Couldn't tell you. In my 38 years of consistent travel to WDW, I never went in the summer. I usually went either in February, March, September or November (pre Thanksgiving) Those times were usually quite comfortable although I did go once in early September was almost unbearably hot.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

We have never been to Disney World in Summer. We know it’s hot and humid, but the question is, is does the misery overwhelm the magic? I know part of it is mindset.

The heat and humidity are not fun. Won't sugarcoat it for you. Sometimes the sun and humid air and heat index will break your body down. Take a break. Stay hydrated. You will still have fun.

 

[bdiddy]

Posting back because I had commented earlier that in the past we only used a mister but this time I bought neck fans and cooling towels back when I thought we’d be wearing masks. But we have been using them both almost constantly and they are lifesavers! I can’t even tell you. And I was so skeptical about both but boy was I wrong. I bought nicer fans that were $40 each that had good reviews about battery life and we’ve been using them all day except when we go on air conditioned rides and they have not died yet and are still just as powerful.

As for the cooling towels, I have no idea how these things work and stay so cold but they do and are so nice! I rewet it about once an hour and wear it wrapped around my neck like a scarf and it helps SO much.

So I’m a believer now in the fans and cooling towels and will be using from now until the end of time! Lol

 

[davidl81]

It’s hot, you are going to sweat a lot. As long as you expect that it’s honestly fine. There will be a few times where it does take away from the magic, but for the most part you can get around it. I do wish the parks were staying open later as others have said here from 5-midnight was our park hours for a while (MK wise). Kids would swim/nap during the day and we would stroll in MK at 5, see all of the burnt people leave, and then enjoy the later afternoon evening weather.

 

[Randy Miller]

I think a lot depends on where you live. It’s hot, humid, walk outside feels like wet blanket hot. But, like you said, it’s Disney World. Where we are from it is Wet blanket hot also, so I would rather be hot at Disney World ( with things to do, parks, pools, water parks, air conditioning...) than to be hot and NOT at Disney World ( at home)

 

[disneycat321]

We've done it twice and we'd do it again. I'm a teacher and the summer is SO much cheaper and less crowded than the other times I can go. We live in northern/central CA, and we have very hot summers, but no humidity, so we are not actually used to weather like FL's at all. We had a very enjoyable trip in July 2019 because of good planning and taking measures to make sure we could make it in the heat. Some of these things have already been mentioned, but this is what worked for us:

• Precautions for feet (mine blister EXTREMELY easily) - only wore tennis shoes, used body glide for feet (that stuff was a game changer!)
• Took advantage of early mornings and as late in the evening as possible. Evenings were the BEST time to tour the parks. We did 3 DAH events (MK, HS, and AK) in 2019. I know those aren't a thing now, but as early and as late as you possibly can be out is still the best option.
• Table service reservations (A break in the AC!) We had at least one, and sometimes, two, a day.
• Necklace fans
• Water, water, water, and more water. Constantly drinking water.
• After the first day or two, we took a nap every afternoon, which usually ended up being during the daily thunderstorm.
• We balanced out the days with lots of breaks and extended time indoors. (Those table service meals were key for this!)
• Didn't try to be fashionable. I basically wore workout clothes every day. Much cooler and more comfortable.

I'm hoping to do a trip in a cooler season finally at some point, but I'd absolutely do a summer trip again. We had a fantastic time on our summer trips. For us, the biggest benefit is getting to stay deluxe because there are always discounts in summer. My other breaks are always rack rate prices.

 

[luvmylilangels]

Posting back because I had commented earlier that in the past we only used a mister but this time I bought neck fans and cooling tows back when I thought we’d be wearing masks. But we have been using them both almost constantly and they are lifesavers! I can’t even tell you. And I was so skeptical about both but boy was I wrong. I bought nicer fans that were $40 each that had good reviews about battery life and we’ve been using them all day except when we go on air conditioned rides and they have not died yet and are still just as powerful.

As for the cooling towels, I have no idea how these things work and stay so cold but they do and are so nice! I rewet it about once an hour and wear it wrapped around my neck like a scarf and it helps SO much.

So I’m a believer now in the fans and cooling towels and will be using from now until the end of time! Lol

I think we may go this route as well. What brand is your fan and cooling towels? I see some available on Amazon but want to make sure I get the right ones.

 

[bdiddy]

I think we may go this route as well. What brand is your fan and cooling towels? I see some available on Amazon but want to make sure I get the right ones.

Sure - here you go! The fan is actually on sale! I paid $40 and they are $28. We got two and then one of the 4 packs of cooling towels which those are $17.99 right now. Two of us would use the fans and two the towels then just trade up.

 

[slyster]

It’s all about mindset. The first time we went in August, we were pretty miserable. The next time, we were prepared. Like many here, we didn’t push our days. We started out early morning, hung in there for 3 or 4 hours then went back to the resort for a break then returned for late afternoon/early evening. We also bring cooling towels and our scooters will have fans so that should help. Oh and I just bought us cooling hats too. You soak the rims and they help keep your head comfortable. I always wear hats just because of the Florida sun!

 

[MEC004]

I wouldn’t do it and only go in the Fall/Winter. Orlando is a lot like Houston and I hibernate during the summer. Nothing worse that heat plus humidity.

 

[Bullseye]

It's nice being at WDW in early summer! We've been doing late May early June for about sixteen years now. It's hot and can be crowded and it rains... but it's manageable. We just got back and its easier right now because of lower crowds.

 

[luvmylilangels]

Sure - here you go! The fan is actually on sale! I paid $40 and they are $28. We got two and then one of the 4 packs of cooling towels which those are $17.99 right now. Two of us would use the fans and two the towels then just trade up.

Thank you so much!

 

[suse66]

For me, Summer=Hot=Vacation. They are all synonymous. I am from Cleveland. We get 11 months of cold. I welcome the heat much more than the cold. Going on vacation means going somewhere hot: beach, pool, outdoors, Disney World. I love spending mornings and evenings in the parks and afternoons lounging by the pool. We have also gone in cooler months, but I hate when it gets cold and I am at Disney. I loose the desire to tour the parks when I am cold (below 70 degrees). I prefer 90 degrees over 60 degrees. Bring on the heat.
So, as others have said, it's an individual thing. What do you prefer 90 or 60? Can you be comfortable in 90 degrees? Shorts and T-shirt, shade, a gentle breeze (fan), cold drink, cold towel, cool pool? Ah summer!

You summed up my feelings perfectly! I live in southern Ontario and we get plenty of cold. Nothing says vacation to me like warmth and sunshine!

 

[suse66]

I have been to the parks three times in August and once in July with another trip planned for this August. Yes, it's hot and humid but it is manageable. As others have said, early mornings and evenings are your friend. I am not one to sleep in so hit the parks for rope drop, plan a leisurely TS lunch, head back to the resort in afternoon to relax and enjoy the pool and then go back to the parks in the evening.