Booked for August 2008. Good Idea???

[robashmee]

Hi

This is my first post, so please be gentle.:animwink:

I have booked for August 4th next year for 17 nights at WDW.
We are staying off site, but of course will be spending most of time at the parks.

There are 2 adults and 3 kids, 16, 13 and 12, and we have been to WDW 5 times before, the last back in 2002.

I have been reading some guide books, forums, discussion boards and loads of on-line sites. I must say I am now panicing:veryconfu

Every book, site and posting tells me to avoid August like the plague. The heat, the rain, the humidity and worst of all the queues.

Have I really made a terrible mistake and should perhaps try to get my deposit back or can anyone please put my mind at ease and tell me August in Florida really isn't as bad as I am reading.

Many thanks

 

[natalia1681]

I will be as gentle as I can be
I also won't lie. It will probably be very hot and humid. But, you will be in Disney with your family! You can prepare yourself now. Since you have this long to plan, you know that you should get up early and arrive at the parks ASAP each morning. Then, head back to your hotel during the afternoon to cool off. Or plan to head for indoor attractions or attractions with shorter lines in the midday, when it is most crowded.

Hope that helps some! You will have a wonderful trip, I'm sure, as you will be in Disney World with your family!

 

[luvGoofy]

We just went in August for the first time this year with My husband, myself, our 6 year old and 3 year old. I was scared to death about how "horrible" it was going to be after reading some of the reviews but we had an incredible time. Yes it was hot but if you prepare it can be very bearable. We were staying on property which made it alot easier but we went to the parks in the morning back to the hotel to swim and sometimes nap and then back to the parks at dinner. We followed this the entire 2 weeks and it made for a wonderful vacation. We live in Ocean City Maryland and when we left to go to Disney it was actually hotter at home then in Florida. We took it slow and had a filtered water bottle and misty fans we bought ahead of time and it was all we needed. If you get the misty fans at walmart they are only 4.99 each for the same ones they sell there for something like 16.00 each. Also it only rained 2 times the entire 2 weeks and both times we happened to be eating dinner and by the time we came out it had stopped so we didn't have that problem either. Just go and enjoy where you are, use fastpass, and go with the flow. We had such an incredible time that we already booked for next August!!!

 

[crazydaveh]

The temps here in August hover between 90 and 95 everyday, with heat indexes breaking 105-110. If will be humid, causing storms in the afternoon, which make it very sticky for a few hours after the rain stops.

This year, we had several weeks of temps during August reaching 100 before the heat index.

It's hot at the parks, lots of hot people, the pools are even hot this time of year! Just know what you're going up against and you will be fine!

 

[BRER DAD]

I go every year in August and we love it. It is hot and very humid but there are plenty of ways to cool off. We have to much fun to let the heat bother us, in fact a lot of times I dont even notice it.

 

[dvcnut39]

We just came back. We were in WDW from 21-29JUL. My tip would be to make good use of Early Entry, especially in the morning. You can get a lot done in that one hour.

 

[ask!]

We came back 3 weeks ago (Aug 15th) and I want to tell you it was hot-hot-hot! Your dilemma is also mine for planning our next trip. I think that summer is best, especially for spending vacation dollars. but it was so hot I am relunctant to go again in the summer.

The one advantage you definitely have is the length of your stay. Mornings were definitely manageable....so I do think that if you plan your days well, with lots of pool time and relaxing, you can have a great trip. I think that the heat took alot out of me and by Day 6, I had a melt-down. ....a day spent in the pool with a couple of Pina Coloda's did the trick and by Day 7 I felt like I could just keep going, but then it was time to go home.

I just remeber walking thru EPCOT and thinking that the landscaping and environemnt were probably beautiful, I was just too hot to notice as we walked quickly to the nearest air-conditioned pavilion.


Would I go again in August? Oh, that's a tough one because I do love the summer. I think my answer is yes, but I would follow the advice of touring early and pool in the afternoon followed by rest/nap and then going back into the parks for an air-conditioned dinner.....oh, yes, I think I just talked myself into it!

Hope it helps!

Andrea

 

[Pioneer Hall]

It will be hot and humid, and there is a good chance that it will rain a bunch of the days you are there. However, if you prepare well, stay hydrated, and allow yourself time to relax indoors you will be fine. The queues should be the least of your concern since you are going to be there for so long. You have plenty of time to take in the parks at a slow pace and see nearly everything. I wouldn't be worried. The rain also isn't terrible. You rarely will see days that are pure rain. You will most likely see afternoon storms that clear up after a couple of hours or so. There are plenty of inside things to do at WDW because of this though. Just bring ponchos and you will be fine.

 

[figmentmom]

Keep your August reservations - you'll have a great time. As others have already said, arrive early at the parks each day, and make SURE you use the Fastpass system!!! Make sure everyone's well-hydrated throughout the day, cover everyone with sunscreen, and carry rain ponchos for those afternoon showers. Head back to your hotel for a midday break, and then come back when the sun goes down for cooler fun.

The advantage to visiting WDW in the summer is that the parks are open later - and you'll REALLY appreciate your hotel pool and/or a trip to one of the water parks in August!

Have a great trip. :wave:

 

[EPCOT.nut]

I hate August in the parks but I live here so by August I am just sick of the weather. The rains are not the bad thing. Actually in Florida at this time of year the rains are just mid-day rain or sprinkle and the overcast weather that follows is delightful cloud-shade. I love it to rain a little in the parks because a lot of people will leave for the day and the ones that stick it out have less crowds!

For August: take it slow, take time to sit in the shade, buy yourself water and ice-drinks, and just have chill-out time.

If you try to criss-cross the parks to hit everything rapidly you will kill yourself. (Been there and done that!)

I agree that early morning and late afternoon/evening is the best time to be in the parks, but I have made it all day long in the parks on the hottest days just by taking my time.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Firstly - Welcome aboard :wave:

Secondly - panic not.

Our last trip was our first August visit (August 1st - 22nd). We too were worried about crowd levels and the heat.

We found crowds to be very manageable in the first week, busier in the second and slackened off in the third. We were comparing crowd levels to Easter and were pleasantly surprised.

Heat wasn't as bad as we expected either - just have plenty to drink and avoid mid-day sitting out in the sun.

We had a blast

 

[Purple413]

I've been to WDW almost every season of the year. Recently, we've been going during the first week of August and we love it! Of course it's hot and humid, but you can manage. My husband HATES the heat, he even wears shorts in the dead of winter, and he can manage. We drink lots of water, wear lots of sunscreen, and he loves those Nike shirts that keep you cool.


This past summer we went in June instead of August because my husband wanted to check out Star Wars Weekend. We will never go during that time of the year again! I thought all of the parks were even more crowded than ever!

August is a great time because I think the kids in Florida go back to school (maybe someone from the Orlando area can confirm this?). With my experience, I've just found that if you must go during the summer, August is best.

 

[chels26]

we usually go in late june... and this past trip we went
jul 29 - aug 3. It was hot, but its florida. what do you expect? and it rained every afternoon. and again, i say its florida lol. We liked going later in the summer so.. We plan on going next year aug 2-8. Just listen to what the people here are saying.. keep every one well hydrated, get ponchos and a bag of some sort to put them in. You'll have a blast no matter what time you go, no matter how hot it is, and no matter how much it rains.

 

[natolij02]

Just make sure you invest in one of those water fan things for cooling off. They sell them in disney for like $17 each but i bet if you checked your local drug store or wal mart or something they might have them on clearance being the end of the season. We didnt use the fan water things but I had brought an empty spray bottle (I use it to wet my hair down sometimes) and my genius husband suggested we fill it with water to spritz ourselves and that worked out great for us as it was nice and small and easy to carry. I think a fan on it would have been sooo much better but hey we didnt have to spend $17 bucks on one and what we had did the job.

 

[luvGoofy]

Just make sure you invest in one of those water fan things for cooling off. They sell them in disney for like $17 each but i bet if you checked your local drug store or wal mart or something they might have them on clearance being the end of the season. We didnt use the fan water things but I had brought an empty spray bottle (I use it to wet my hair down sometimes) and my genius husband suggested we fill it with water to spritz ourselves and that worked out great for us as it was nice and small and easy to carry. I think a fan on it would have been sooo much better but hey we didnt have to spend $17 bucks on one and what we had did the job.

We got ours at walmart for $4.99 and it looked the same as the one in the parks.

 

[Mr Starky]

Hi

This is my first post, so please be gentle.:animwink:

I have booked for August 4th next year for 17 nights at WDW.
We are staying off site, but of course will be spending most of time at the parks.

There are 2 adults and 3 kids, 16, 13 and 12, and we have been to WDW 5 times before, the last back in 2002.

I have been reading some guide books, forums, discussion boards and loads of on-line sites. I must say I am now panicing:veryconfu

Every book, site and posting tells me to avoid August like the plague. The heat, the rain, the humidity and worst of all the queues.

Have I really made a terrible mistake and should perhaps try to get my deposit back or can anyone please put my mind at ease and tell me August in Florida really isn't as bad as I am reading.

Many thanks

Welcome to the WDWMagic robashmee. I was going to just reply without reading the rest of the posts. I figured someone had already told you what I'm about to tell you. Unless I somehow missed it as I sort of speed read sometimes. I for one LOVE :sohappy: the heat. So since your going to be there anyway. Instead of going back to the hotel room. You and your family should simply go the Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. You certainly can stay cool there and have loads of Disney fun while your at it. Hope this helps. Go through this listings for the last 2 months. there was a thread about taking water and drinks and all of the creative ways that others have found to do this so as to avoid the cost of purchasing bottled water in the parks and to avoid dehydration. Dehydration is extremely bad for the body. I think I remember the statistic being something like if you dehydrate 1% your brain actually decreases in overall size 10%. That's bad. Welcome again and enjoy the planning as much as the trip.

MS

 

[coltow]

Like everyone else has said, as long as you know it's going to be hot you'll be fine. We will arive on 8/12 and we will be at the parks when they open, take a break around noon, then head back to the parks around 4pm. We will have 3 little ones with us, so the breaks will be for the pool and naps. Your kids are older and you're offisite, which means they won't need naps and swim breaks aren't always possible. If you are going to be in the parks during the afternoons, this is when you should take in a few shows or longer indoor attractions. You could also do some shopping or walk through some of the water areas in the parks, like Donald's Boat at MK, for a little cool off.

If it rains, it's usually not for long and when the clouds start rolling in alot of people begin to had back to the resorts so DON'T let rain stop you.

 

[mary219]

i was there last week of aug 2007-first week of sept 2007(am i really home only a week? ,that means it is still a whole year before i go back)anyway,parks in the am ,resort midday or indoor lunch,parks in the pm and you'll be good.I hate the heat and humidity and found the 10 days i went to be fine.Just know that it is central florida and will get hot during the day.There was actually some nice evening breezes and hardly any rain at all,the most rain was on fri 8/31 and that started midday and was done by early evening.have fun,i can't wait to get back.

 

[robashmee]

Hi

WOW. Many many thanks for all your advice and help. I am very re-assured now and you have all put my mind at rest.

I am not going to change my reservation, just take it easy when we are there. As most of you have said, I know it will be hot, just be prepared. We will be in Disney, thats the main thing.

I am sure I will have many more questions to ask in the coming months, so I am sure we will speak soon.

Thanks again:wave: