Happy Summer, and welcome to the hottest time of the year in Orlando and at Walt Disney World. Hooray!!
If you’re touring the parks this time of year, you can plan to spend lots of money on personal fans or personal water sprayers. You can buy hats and camelpacks for your water. Or plan to buy lots and lots of high-priced bottled water and cool treats …
But with a little planning there are some other ways to beat the heat. Here are some favorites:
Cool Down with a Wet Ride: The Magic Kingdom has Splash Mountain. Animal Kingdom has Kali River Rapids. Epcot doesn’t have any rides that get you wet, exactly, but there are squirting fountains and water play areas in Future World near The Land as well as on the walkway between Future World and the World Showcase (I call it Fountain of Nations Way, but it probably has a more official name). Or go all the way and check out Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon water parks.
Extra Tip: Head to Casey Junior’s Splash Station in the Storybook Circus section of the Magic Kingdom for some extra wet fun!
Take a Slow Boat: The delicious smell of Disney standing water isn’t the only reason to take a slow boat ride on a hot day–they’re also quite likely to cool you right down!! In the Magic Kingdom, Small World and Pirates both have covered queues (although Small World sometimes spills out onto the sidewalk) for pre-ride shade. In Epcot, Living With the Land and Grand Fiesta Tour all have indoor queues and opportunities for cool relaxation.
Extra Tip: If an attraction isn’t busy, sometimes the Cast Members will let you ride through a second time without exiting and reboarding the attraction. It can’t hurt to ask–it’s the perfect way to elongate your cool, restful ride.
Catch a Show: There are lots of opportunities to get indoors and enjoy a show while you cool your heels. In Magic Kingdom, Mickey’s PhilharMagic is a great choice–there’s even a little squirt of water during the show! The Tiki Room, Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor, Country Bear Jamboree, Hall of Presidents and Carousel of Progress are also great options in Orlando’s original Disney Park.
In Epcot, check out Turtle Talk with Crush and all of the World Showcase films (China, France and Canada) also offer attractive options for cooling off.
In Hollywood Studios, your options abound! My personal favorite is Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I love love love the show (even if it is old and cheesy) and there are even some water and misting effects. I could just live there on a hot day. If that’s not your bag or if it’s too long to showtime, head to MuppetVision 3D, or Disney Junior on Stage.
Even Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a ton of options. My favorite is Finding Nemo The Musical because I LOVE the music and the story. Other shows to spy while you cool down in DAK are The Festival of the Lion King and It’s Tough to Be a Bug.
Extra Tip: Plan for your showtimes to be in the afternoon in the heat of the day. Do as many of your outdoor rides and attractions in the morning before it gets “really” hot and then head indoors for the afternoon for some welcome a/c.
Shopping: I don’t tend to buy a ton when I’m visiting Walt Disney World, but I do love a good themed shop! Mouse Gears is my favorite–I could wander around there for hours, enjoying the AC and the new and interesting products. Not to mention the soundtrack! But there’s something to love about most Disney shops, and they’re a great place to escape the sun for a little while AND enjoy a different kind of Disney magic!
Extra Tip: Just because you go into the store doesn’t mean you HAVE to buy something! I know, that’s pretty obvious, but we all need a reminder like that from time to time, don’t we? 😉
See? There are plenty of ways to beat the heat at the most magical place on earth.
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Melissa Sue works in higher education communications in upstate New York, where she lives with her cavapoo George (as in King George). Melissa began visiting Disney World when she was six and today owns a piece of the magic at Bay Lake Tower. She blogs at Mouse on the Mind and tweets @msorrellsgalley. She’ll be contributing money-saving tips to The Affordable Mouse.
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