Now going in August....looking for some good advice

[kerry34]

So it looks like our dates are switching from April to August 17-24th. Seems to be the best time for us since I really dont want to pull DD15 out of school. She only gets so many absences per semester and if she goes over it affects her grades. I have never been in the summer and always said I wouldnt but I also dont want to wait until next April either. If anyone here has been during the summer, what are the good things about it? I am hoping for some positive points. I know it will be very hot so drinking water is a must and wearing sunscreen is another very important one. Is there anything else that I should know as well? Thanks in advance for any help.

[m 'n c]

We go in September. I agree you need to stay hydrated and you need sunscreen. What we normally do is lather on the lotion sunscreen each morning and then bring the neutrogena spray sunscreen for touchups during the day.

Other items I would probably bring -> bug spray, band aid blister block stick, pony tail bands (keep extra for those poor kids in line that are sweating and didn't think to bring any), oatmeal raisin granola bars (anything with chocolate or pb will melt).

[bartleby1]

Spray mister fans!! We are a family of 5 and bring 2 to share. We still have strollers so it is no big deal to lug them around.

MK, Epcot, and MGM are very bearable because there are lots of opportunities for air conditioning breaks. Animal Kingdom, however, can be BRUTAL! While I do like AK, there is very little air conditioning and it can get lead to some very cranky kids (and adults, lol!).

The cost of drinks (and ice cream!) can really add up so budget extra for drinks. We start the day with cold/frozen bottles of water for each of us, but unfortunately we can't lug enough water for the whole day. We don't do afternoon breaks, but I'm sure an afternoon dip in the pool would be nice if you need a break from the heat.

[linanglab]

We go in July. It is hot, but manageable. We do the early EMH usually. We did the pm EMH this past July and REALLY liked it. It was less crowded and cooler than the morning one! With small kids we tend to do the morning EMH, but now that they are getting older, we may end up doing more pm ones.

Remember, most rides are inside, so that is a nice break. Try to eat inside, even if it is counter service. The shops and the shows are mostly inside, so really it is not that bad. We think AK is the hottest park. We never have really explored that park yet. We have just done rides and shows. It get too hot for us to do the trails - something I say we will do every year, and don't....

We usually take afternoon breaks to swim, which helps alot.

We have a great time in the summer. Just drink lots of fluids, take it slow, and don't spend too much time in outdoor activity - people in your group may get grumpy!

The shows that were the hottest for us was the one on the castle stage (can't remember that one) and the afternoon parade.

Have fun planning!

[Hedy]

So it looks like our dates are switching from April to August 17-24th. Seems to be the best time for us since I really dont want to pull DD15 out of school. She only gets so many absences per semester and if she goes over it affects her grades. I have never been in the summer and always said I wouldnt but I also dont want to wait until next April either. If anyone here has been during the summer, what are the good things about it? I am hoping for some positive points. I know it will be very hot so drinking water is a must and wearing sunscreen is another very important one. Is there anything else that I should know as well? Thanks in advance for any help.

I'll be there from 8/22-8/24!

Ship water ahead of time-it'll pay for itself in no time!

[zoodoyle]

We'll be there then too (20th-26th) We tried to always avoid the summer as well, but this trip includes my brother, sister and mother who are all teachers, so it was summer or nothing!! I think for the first time we may truly utilize the afternoon breaks, either for napping/resting in the rooms or a little swim time. Normally I hate leaving the parks midday, just to have to do the whole parking/bag check thing again, but I think a trip in the summer may warrant the change of plans! Plus the parks will be open longer hours than when we have been there previously so that should help!! Looking forward to hearing other people's suggestions as well!!

[kerry34]

Thanks all for the advice. We are renting a pool home in Windsor Hills so we do not usually take afternoon breaks because we hate driving back and forth. This time we may have to consider leaving the parks for a while if it is really hot out, and then coming back later on. The good thing is there are lots of adults going so if any of my kids decide they dont want to go back at night (which I think at least 2 will because they are not park marathon tour types like myself and other 3 kids) then at least they can stay at the house with the other grown ups and swim all night. Thats the nice part of traveling with a large group of people.

Zoodoyle and Hedy....maybe we will see each other. I will have my SR pin on my khaki colored baggalini, so if you should see me, give me a wave

[m 'n c]

I have to agree with the afternoon break thing. It really keeps you from getting kranky/witchy each day. It is also nice to just go back and take a sponge bath.

The flavor packets for water bottles are good if you are not use to drinking a ton of water. Mike is not so he was getting bloated from water and filling icky and then started to refuse to drink water. All was a bad combo. He said this year he is getting the drink mixes so he's not drinking "straight" water.

For anyone staying onsite - pack a few extra target type bags so that you can use your trash can as a cooler. We would fill up the trash can with ice each morning and drop in a few bottles of water and grab them on our afternoon break, dump out the now water and refill for later. It was really nice to have cold bottles of water.

[kerry34]

I have to agree with the afternoon break thing. It really keeps you from getting kranky/witchy each day. It is also nice to just go back and take a sponge bath.

The flavor packets for water bottles are good if you are not use to drinking a ton of water. Mike is not so he was getting bloated from water and filling icky and then started to refuse to drink water. All was a bad combo. He said this year he is getting the drink mixes so he's not drinking "straight" water.

For anyone staying onsite - pack a few extra target type bags so that you can use your trash can as a cooler. We would fill up the trash can with ice each morning and drop in a few bottles of water and grab them on our afternoon break, dump out the now water and refill for later. It was really nice to have cold bottles of water.

Getting flavor packets was exactly what I was planning on doing just to break up the monotony of drinking straight water all day long. My kids like pretty much any of the flavors so it wont be tough to keep them drinking. I like it too because they are small and are easy to carry around.

[bs4free]

We have in the past gone to WDW the first week or two of Septembet and what we have found works best is to drink lots of water we order from staples and have it deliverd and its always waiting in our rooms when we arrive great savings. we almost always only do half days at AK start early in the morning eat lunch and go to another park that has more AC the other parks you can find good ac places to rest and cool down. Its a very nice time of year to go and can be lots of fun!