Hey, y’all! Now that the holiday season is over, I am dreaming of warmer weather, sunshine and of course, my happy place. I know you must be thinking, “how can she be thinking about summer when it’s only January”, but when it comes to any good planned Disney World trip, being prepared is key. One of the questions I get asked often is how in the world (see what I did there?) do we survive going to Disney World in the summer? I am going to share with y’all some of the things we have found useful when traveling to WDW in the summer months.
Before I tell you about how we survive going in the summer, I want to tell you why I surprisingly enjoy going to WDW in the summer and one of our favorite trips was in June of last year. One of the main reasons is that it fits in our family’s schedule. My husband is a teacher and obviously, this works well for us because he doesn’t have to take off any time from work to go on vacation. Another reason I really enjoy going in the summer is the fact that we can take full advantage of water rides/attractions and the swimming pools. We have been known to go swimming at Disney World in December, but its a no brainer during the summer. This gives us something to do on our breaks from the parks. I will talk about this on a little later, but for now let’s get started on things we must have when traveling to WDW in the summer.
Summer Must Haves:
Fans: This may seem kind of obvious as a must have, but we put two stroller fans on our double stroller which helps keep our kids cool in the summer heat. We also have portable fans (don’t forget the portable charger to recharge fans) that we use for ourselves that fit nicely in our park bag. They sell fans all over the park if you would like to purchase one as a souvenir, but we try to save money on this one and bring our own.
Cooling Towel: I didn’t even know these existed until last year when I was researching on how to stay cool at Disney World in the summer. These wonderful magic filled towels keep you cool in the middle of the blazing summer Florida sun. I believe I had one around my neck one morning before 9:00 am. You can also buy some in the parks that would be a great reusable souvenir.
Ponchos/stroller cover: Not only is it really hot in Florida during the summer, you can also count on it raining at least once per day. We always try to keep ponchos in our bag and the double stroller cover under our stroller for when one of those summer showers starts up. You may see the parks clear out when it starts to rain, but most of the time it doesn’t last long so we keep on with our ponchos and the kids love staying dry with their cover. Funny story, once when it was raining, we were walking behind the castle (near the carousel) and one of the royal jesters said, “look it’s a baby aquarium!” We still talk about that every time we bring out that cover!
Anti-chafing balm: This was another one of those things I discovered last year..and believe me, it truly is a must have during the summer! I would apply a little in the morning in any area that could possibly chafe and I never had any problems the whole week (and I even wore jean shorts..this stuff works, y’all!) My husband made fun of me when I was packing, but he was a believer after the first day.
WATER: I put this one in all caps for a reason. Not only am I a Disney lover, I am also a nurse and this is really the most important item in this list! Heat stroke/dehydration is super serious and scary and we don’t want to have to miss out on any magic by being ill from the heat. You can pack your own bottle to refill with water or you can stop by most counter service locations and they will give you free ice water. I feel like the taste of the water in the parks has improved (or maybe I am getting used to it, IDK), but if you are scared of the taste you can always bring in some water flavoring in your bag. We usually keep some in ours just in case or to help the kids drink water… If you don’t follow any of my other tips, please make sure you stay hydrated. Water is our friend 🙂
Okay, I think I have covered most of our summer essentials. I do feel that I should add sunscreen. I know everyone knows this, but just so it’s out there. Please wear sunscreen summer if you will be outside…no matter your location for this one. Next up, I want to talk about another tip I have for doing Disney in Summer.
Taking breaks is very much needed to have a successful/safe Disney World trip in the summer. You may be thinking, “I paid way too much money to spend half my day inside at the resort.” My husband would agree with you…he cannot stand to stay in the room on vacation. We have to go, go, go! I am not necessarily talking about missing half the day, but also it’s not a bad idea either. You find whatever works for you and your family. What we typically do is go to the park super early and stay until about lunch time and then go back to the resort to either rest or swim. We will go back out to the parks later in the evening when it’s not as hot. Now, if you are the person who absolutely cannot go back to the resort (or if you are staying off property and it’s not as easy to get back to the parks), there are ways you can still take a break. Grab a table service dining reservation for lunch and sit inside for a nice lunch/break. Another way to take a quick break is to catch those inside attractions/shows. The heat will really make you appreciate some of the under-appreciated attractions/shows like Country Bear Jamboree (this is actually my mom’s favorite show) or Muppet Vision 3D (we actually really like this one).
Well, there ya have it. I have shared some of the things I have learned to have a good summer trip to Walt Disney World. I will be honest, I was totally against going in the summer before I actually did it. I mean, it WILL be hot, but it can still be a lot of fun. We made so many wonderful memories during our summer trips. If you would like to make some magical memories with your family, I would love to help you plan your next summer vacation to Disney World.
See ya real soon,
Kelly
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Wish Upon A Star With Kelly 