Beating Spring and Summer heat during your Disney World holiday is easier to do when you know how. Summer Disney heat feels like walking around in the blast of heat that comes from your oven door when you open it. For UK citizens, it’s not a heat we normally experience. Knowing how to handle the heat will save your Mickey Ears from drooping.
How hot is Disney in Spring and Summer?
Disney during Spring and Summer months gets hot. Average temperatures between May and September don’t drop below 30c. The average daily temperature in July and August is 33c. That’s without it being a bit hotter than average or a heatwave hitting.
Average temperatures don’t consider what the temperature actually feels like, which is important when you’re out and about enjoying Disney. You can feel like it is hotter than it actually is. That’s why in Disney World you can find a heatwave hitting, as the National Weather Service in Florida monitor heat index temperatures. Heat index tells you how temperatures feel to your body, so just be aware it can feel hotter than the temperature is.
Spring and Summer soaring temperatures mean walking 20,000 steps a day around Magic Kingdom needs a different approach to beat the heat.
With lots of Brits visiting during Spring and Summer, particularly because of the 6 week school holidays, having an itinerary that works with the heat is necessary. If you plan your day for heat, and a heatwave hits, it’s an easier shuffle than suddenly feeling panic and worrying if everyone will manage in the park. Here are our tips for beating the heat in Spring and Summer in Disney World.
Pack for heat
Prepare for the heat before you come. If you haven’t been to Florida in the Spring or Summer before, even if you have experienced the average monthly temperatures, they will not feel the same as that temperature in the UK. The sun feels stronger, and the rays have a higher UV Index as you are closer to the equator. This means the sun in Florida is closer to you than it is in the UK so it is more likely to burn.
Here are our top items to pack for beating the heat in Spring and Summer:
- An insulated water botte you can refill
- Light weight, comfortable clothing that’s loose and breathable for every member of your party. Consider getting
- A fan for each member of your party
- A cooling towel
- Sun hats
- Sun cream with a minimum of SPF 30
- UV protecting sunglasses.
If you forget anything, Disney do sell all of this in their park shops, btu bringing it with you will cost less and you’ll be comfortable from the beginning.
Should I wear a dress to Disney?
It’s a question many of us have as we consider rides and theme parks. The answer is definitely, yes. Comfortable, floaty, and picture perfect. A dress is a clothing choice that will help you in beating the heat in Spring and Summer. If you like wearing dresses and feel comfortable in them you should definitely wear one. We recommend a nice dress for the parks, but most of all wear what makes you feel comfortable.
Tips to keep cool
Keeping your body cool is key in high temperatures. Olaf was lucky enough to have a snow flurry to help him survive the summer. Unless Elsa can magic one up for you at a meet and greet in Royal Sommerhus at EPCOT, you are going to need some to work some of your own cooling magic. Our advice is to:
- Hydrate – drink plenty of fluids throughout the day as this will help keep your body cool.
- Bring a refillable water bottle. Fill it at free water stations which you will see all around Disney resorts, and in Florida, (including MCO airport).
- Take it slow – running around and getting hot will just make you hotter.
- Stay indoors in air-conditioned environments where possible and don’t stay out in the sun too long during the middle of the day.
- Wear sun cream to prevent getting sunburnt. Did you know sunburnt skin can find it even harder to help you cool down?
- Consider a sports drink to rehydrate yourself, or invest in some rehydration sachets to flavour water. It’s surprising how dehydrated you get when you’ve been on a transatlantic flight and it’s hot outside.
- Light coloured clothing that isn’t tight will help keep you cool.
- Avoid the heat at peak times of the day between 11am and 3pm.
No matter whether it’s average Disney Spring and Summer heat, or heatwave heat, these tips will help keep you cool and enjoying your Disney holiday. An itinerary for the parks will help you out too.
Beating the heat in the park in Spring and Summer
Escaping the heat in the parks is tricky, particularly if you don’t have a plan to beat the heat. The first thing we do is to avoid the heat by planning. Here are our tips and suggestions for escaping the heat in each park.
Magic Kingdom
- You enter the park from the ticket Plaza under the train station and onto Main Street USA. As you do you will notice that there are shops either side as you walk in past the central roundabout. Go to the left and enter the Emporium, you can meander through here all the way up to Casey’s Corner which is a quick service food outlet you can walk out of. This trick will keep you cool and get you to the heart of the park in front of the castle garden area.
- Enjoy riding the Walt Disney World Railroad to get around the park when wait times are less than 10 minutes. You can start at Main Street USA, get off at Frontierland to do a few rides. Get back on at Frontierland and head to Story Book Circus in Fantasyland which will also give you access to Tomorrowland. Hop back on in the same place when you are done and ride to the front of the park. Saving steps and keeping you cool.
- We suggest the following shows and rides if you are in the park between 11am and 4pm:
Adventureland
- Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
- Pirates of the Caribbean – if the queue is under 40 minutes. Some of the queue line only has fan cooling and is partly outdoors but covered.
Frontierland
- Country Bear Musical Jamboree
Liberty Square
- The Hall of Presidents
Fantasyland
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel – if it has a queue time of less than 10 minutes. (This ride is not air conditioned, but as it is a covered Carrousel it does afford a breeze as you ride).
- Mickey’s PhilarMagic
- Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid – if the queue time is less than 30 minutes, (from this point the queue line is inside).
- Princess Fairytale Hall to meet Cinderella and some of the other princesses.
Tomorrowland
- Space Mountain
- Walt Disney’s Carrousel of Progress
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – as long as the queue line is not outside the automatic doors – approximately less than 30 minutes.
- Monsters Inc Laugh Floor
- Tomorrowland People Mover if the queue is less than 10 minutes
- Note on TRON – If you have secured a virtual queue for TRON try and time your entrance so that you can queue beyond the barrier. It’s not always easy to do this, but if you can go as your group is called, rather than waiting to enter until 45 minutes into your one-hour slot, we have found this tends to work better. Just make sure you have a hat, sun-cream and drinks to hand. Owning your own cooling fan would also help to keep you cool in this queue.
- Quick-service outlets are all over Magic Kingdom, but here is a list of a couple of our favourites to cool down in:
- Tortuga Tavern in Adventureland
- Columbia Harbour House in Liberty Square
- Pinocchio Village Haus in Fantasyland
- Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland
- The night time show is Happily Ever After – this usually has a start time of around 9pm during the Summer months (from mid-May to end of September). When it’s hot, spend time in front of the castle for this show rather than a parade in the day.
- View parades from undercover, rather than out in the sunshine. You can find some great views under the canopy at the top of the Main Street USA Rail Road Station canopy.
EPCOT
- Once you get to the top of World Celebration Garden enter the Connections Café and Starbucks to your left. Walk down through the Starbucks side. You will be able to see staff making the Babukchen cake they sell in the Connections Café the other side.
From there you will exit into an undercover area where there is a Coke shop to the left. You can pop in there and try some FREE small samples of different flavours of Coca Cola Company drinks from around the world. If you want to head to World Discovery, it is to the right as you leave the Coca Cola shop.
If you want to head anywhere else, turn left and enter the Creations Shop. You can walk through to keep cool. You will exit, and can then head forwards towards World Showcase or right towards World Celebration.
- If you are heading to World Nature as soon as you go in, head to the right of Spaceship Earth from the ticket plaza towards The Sea pavilion.
- There are lots of attractions at EPCOT which are in airconditioned buildings, and some are even grouped together in one building. This is ideal in the heat as you can do more than one attraction without having to go outside.
- Our EPCOT attractions list for avoiding the heat between 11am and 3pm:
World Nature
- Awesome Planet – The Land
- Soarin’ – The Land
- Living with the Land – The Land
- The Sea with Nemo and Friends – The Seas
- Turtle Talk with Crush – The Seas
- Seabase – The Seas
World Discovery
- Mission Space
- Test Track (currently undergoing refurbishment)
World Celebration
- Spaceship Earth – if the queue is less than 10 minutes and directly under the geosphere
- Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
- Journey Into the Imagination with Figment
World Showcase
- Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros
- Frozen Ever After – if the queue is not outside
- Reflections of China
- The American Adventure
- Palais du Cinema: Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along
- Palais Du Cinema: Impressions De France
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – if the queue line is inside so under 50 minutes
- Canada Far and Wide in Circle Vision 360
- Drinking plenty and eating light snacks is really easy to do at EPCOT as there are quick-service meals and booths serving treats during Festivals times.
Animal Kingdom
- There is very little shade at Animal Kingdom, and it is the largest of the Disney parks. Unlike the other three, the ticket plaza is not near shops which you can walk through to get to the heart of the park, so if you head here you will be exposed to the sun.
- We would not recommend starting a visit to Animal Kingdom after 11am, if you are finding the heat hard to manage. Animal Kingdom opens at 8am, earlier than all of the other parks. Attractions are spread out with no way to get to them by train or through long airconditioned retail outlets. If you are there early, park-hopping to another park or heading back around 10.30am is best.
- If you visit Animal Kingdom for the morning, you do not need to worry so much about standing in queue lines, as although temperatures are higher than Brits might be used to, they are manageable for most.
- If you are here later in the day, there are two queue lines with machine air conditioning: Flight of Passage and Dinosaur. The rest of the queue lines use large electric fans to circulate the air.
Hollywood Studios
- As you enter the park, there are shops on both your left and right. Enter either one and you will be able to walk about half way up Hollywood Boulevard. It’s a short cool down in comparison to EPCOT or Magic Kingdom, but helpful in beating the heat in Spring and Summer.
- The following attractions have indoor air conditioning and airconditioned queue lines:
- Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
- Star Tours – when the queue is not outside – less than 25 minutes
- Minnie and Mickey’s Vacation Short
- Muppet Vision 3D
- Toy Story Mania (If the queue is inside, so under 30 minutes)
- Star Wars Launch Bay character meet and greet
- Rock N Roller Coaster when the queue is not in the outside undercover part. This is visible from the queue line.
- Covered shows like Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage provide shelter outside. Showings happen throughout the day and if you can head to one during the hottest hours in the middle of the day you can have a drink and snack in the shade with Disney entertainment.
Eating and drinking in the parks when it’s hot
Taking your water bottle so you can drink plenty during the day is crucial. You don’t want to end up with dehydration ruining your trip. You can fill bottle up for free all day around the park at water fountains and bottle filling stations. You can get refills at stations in quick-service outlets such as Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café and Pinocchio Haus. You can also request free cups of water and ice in Starbucks, at Joffrey’s Coffee stands, and in quick service outlets.
Eating big meals is not advised in the heat, having small bites often is considered a better option. Avoiding skipping mealtimes altogether, even if you don’t feel like eating is best. Planning to head to quick-service outlets with indoor airconditioned seating to take a break, grab a light-bite or snack, and get a free cup of water needs to be part of your itinerary. Having a kids meal, or sharing a meal between a couple, is a good way to just have a nibble. It’s both budget-friendly and a way to eat and beat the heat.
Planning to eat at all you can eat buffet meals later in the day when it is cooler is a better time to eat. Choosing later dining reservations for larger meals is also wise. Applying this logic, whether you are in a park or not, will help you beat the heat. After all, Florida is known as the sunshine state.
Conclusion
Beating the heat in Spring and Summer during your Disney World holiday is easy with these tips. By adapting your itineraries to keep cool, you can get everything you want from a park day and keep cool.