How do you beat the heat?

[dmallan]

I will have to try the cooling scarf thing. Where do you get them?

Which brand do you use,and where can your purchase them at?

I got mine at a craft show, but try googling "cooling neck tie" There are several sites I found, one that even has directions on how to make them.
They are filled with polymer crystals that absorb 400 times their weight in water and then release it slowly , keeping the fabric damp and cool.

[snowflakegirl]

In addition to what previous posters have said, if I know I'm going to be in the parks most of the day, I try to plan a table service lunch around 1:00. That gives me about an hour or so of resting in some air conditioning and gets me out of the sun during some the hottest times. Then I'll do a counter service dinner. It's worked well for me in the past.

[javamama]

I really don't mind the heat/humidity all that much. I can sit by the pool or in it for hours and hours(now that I'm older and smarter with sunscreen). Since I have little muppets though, I dress them light, always give them tons to drink. We take breaks alot, whether it be, going back to the room for nappytime, or to the pool for the afternoon, or even an extended lunch break. We also go in the spring, another big plus it's not nearly as humid then. This year we're going the latest we've ever gone May 3rd, so we'll see how hot it will be. I'm also used to the heat since 4 month out of the year I work outside in it everyday, and it's usually like Hades half the day

[mjm12000]

I noticed last time I was there that everything seems to be spaced out in such a way that when you walk from one building to another you have just enough time to get hot and then you are cool again from the air con of the next building... at least this works at Epcot, by the time you walk from one country to the next you are cool again.

[Scar]

There are really only four things I do:

1) Don't go from mid May to mid September.

2) Take it easy, walk slow, sit in shade.

3) Wear a wide brimmed straw hat.

4) Drink lots of water.

(Note: Beer is 95% water. )

[joonyer]

When we have visited WDW in really hot weather, we always would buy the water parks and more option. We'd visit the theme parks early, take the afternoon at the water parks, then hit the theme parks gain later in the evenings. The theme parks are usually open later during the summer months, so we really didn't miss out on very much "ride time". And floating around the water parks in the "lazy rivers" is a great way to beat the heat, and they are a lot of fun, too.

[Djscherr]

Number one trick is to stay hydrated with WATER.

I've gone through a 20oz bottle before I leave the room in the morning and I'm well into the second bottle before i een get through the turnstyles.

Same drill after lunch, I grab another couple bottles from the room and the first is gone before I get to the park.

I probably go through at least 6 bottles of water a day. Also, wearing light clothing that wicks moisture away from you, wearing sandals instead of socks and sneakers, and smartuse of inside venues and planning your lunches will do wonders.

This is coming from someone who goes Julyish every year...

This is the ultimate way to stay cool. Wicking clothing can be cheap (I'm not a Wal-Mart fan, but the shirts I use come from there and I think they were under 10 a piece). You wear wicking material and any breeze cools you very very well. I also carry a collapsible 32 oz water bottle with a thin neck (usually a platypus or nalgene). The collapsible part is nice because you can stash it in a bag or something and as you drink the water you purge the air and it takes up less and less space, the thin neck helps too. The larger necked bottles make it a bit easier to get water in, but I've never had a problem with filling the thin neck ones. Keeping hydrated and wearing breatheable/wicking clothing is a great trick to staying cool.

[Giggy]

Short answer: I don't!

In our family I'm always the one that runs for the nearest bit of shade or AC every time we stopped outside for more than 10 seconds.

This was for earlier trips in May/June, as our next trip is in August/September it will probably be even hotter. Will have to try a combination of suggestions here and hoping I've toughened up a bit now I've grown.

[WVParkfan]

Is this the neck cooler that everyone is talking about? http://pages.prodigy.net/volksware/volksware/cobber.htm

I think I would be embarrassed to wear one of these, but if they truly work, I think I could stand a little embarrassment for our upcoming August trip.

[c&d]

Because we've been lucky to go a bunch of times, we tended to go to the parks later in the day. If there were EMH at night we went at night. We would spend our days at the resort pool or water parks.

I hate the heat and humidity and I really enjoyed our time when we were there in August.

[Loweschevy]

We went in May for a few years in a row, but that would be just the beginning of the heat and humidty.

I always planned in a break midday to go back to the room and rest a bit. Being at the parks, I planned my touring to include air conditioned shows or attraction every so often, so your are not out walking around in the heat too long at once.

The Hall of Presidents maybe a great idea afterall! The Liberty Belle is also a fun way to kick back a bit and enjoy the breeze. At Epcot, Innoventions is a good way to kill some cool time. AK is a big hot one-catch the shows to cool off. DHS has plenty of shows and air conditioned attractions.

Think about ride queues-if they are inside or outside in the heat, plan a few bathroom and water breaks. Pick an air conditioned place to eat your meals-eating outside is nice, but too darn hot in the summer.

Other than that-personal fans, misting fans, hats, and light colored shirts are handy.

[Djscherr]

Is this the neck cooler that everyone is talking about? http://pages.prodigy.net/volksware/volksware/cobber.htm

I think I would be embarrassed to wear one of these, but if they truly work, I think I could stand a little embarrassment for our upcoming August trip.

That looks like the right thing. Keep in mind that if you use them you have to let them soak in water a looooong time before using them if they are bone dry (I want to say about an hour or so). My aunt made me one for hiking but I haven't used it for a couple years. It works by soaking up water slowly, then slowly releasing the water to have it evaporate on the back of your neck.

[Scar]

Well, right now it's 89 degrees in NJ, and 79 in Orlando. I think I'm going to have to go to WDW to cool off.

[dmallan]

Is this the neck cooler that everyone is talking about? http://pages.prodigy.net/volksware/volksware/cobber.htm

I think I would be embarrassed to wear one of these, but if they truly work, I think I could stand a little embarrassment for our upcoming August trip.

Yes, that is what they are like. I thought I would be embarrassed too, but I wasn't. the one I have is solid blue and the first day I wore it I happened to be wearing a blue tank so they blended well. After I realized it worked so well, I didn't care what it looked like the next day!
I DID take it off for most of our Photopass pics though!

[BigBaloo]

We just go to Epcot & hang out in Ice Station Cool all day

[Touchdown]

At WDW its fairly easy since a vast majority of the queues and attractions are indoors and ACed, especially at Epcot and DHS.

AK is the major exception were virtually every queue and most rides are outdoor, the way we beat the heat there is: doing it only in the morning, and then riding Kali River Rapids fairly early as well.

The MK is a mix bag, but if you time your Splash rides and mix in indoor rides with outdoor ones you should be good to go.

[ChipNDale79]

we have camelbaks that we take with us. great investment, we stay hydrated all the time.

[finaldynasty]

What is a camelbak?

[ChipNDale79]

What is a camelbak?

Its basically a bladder that you can fill up with water and keep hydrated. They come in all different styles.

My wife and I both have them, ours are backpacks with a bladder in them that has a tube you drink from. Google it, you'll see what i'm talking about. People use them for hiking and stuff like that.

[eeyorepoohfan]

My hubby and I are HUGE fans of the Camelbak!!!! We use them for every Disney trip, hiking, mountain biking, etc. We take our Camelbak and fill it almost completely full of ice before leaving our resort and add some water too it. The great thing is that the ice water keeps your back cool and reminds you to drink water throughout the day. We went in December during a heat wave and had some record or near record heat and humidity. We filled the Camelbak with ice and some water in the morning, then would go back to our resort in the afternoon and refill it while we waited for our camera battery to charge. This gave us about an hour to rest in our air conditioned room, take a quick dip in the pool, or simply shower again to feel cool.

Make sure you take and reapply sunscreen throughout the day. Go watch an indoor show, or ride a long indoor ride during the high heat of the day.(So be sure to get in line early, because everyone else will start to get the same idea). I went in August many years ago and we would often leave a park midday and go back to our hotel to swim or go to a water park. We would then shower and get ready to go back to the park again later in the evening.

Remember to take breaks whenever you need to and slow down. Browse through shops, linger in the shops as you exit a ride before heading out into the heat again.

And don't forget to have the ever important Dole Whip and Mickey shaped Ice cream bars! I feel they help exceptionally well