Summer months at Walt Disney World can feel very hot and humid with daily thunderstorms and rain, but Disney has thoughtfully designed guest experiences to maximize your comfort and safety. In this episode, we discuss our best tips and tricks for traveling to Walt Disney World in the summer, including ways to stay cool at the parks and where to stay to maximize your fun.
Special thanks to Serena from Living By Disney for joining me on this episode.
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How can you stay cool at Walt Disney World during the summer? Stay tuned for our best tips and tricks as frequent travelers. Welcome aboard Imagination Skyway, your guided tour through the worlds of Disney and Imagineering. I’m your host, Matthew Krul, and it’s my job to explore the stories and places we love and the people who bring them to life. Before we get started, remember that you can unlock ad free episodes and bonus content at patreon dot com slash Imagination Skyway and get complimentary trip support from our sponsors at KMV travel dot com slash Skyway. Plus, be sure to follow Imagination Skyway on social media for even more content and ways to connect with the show. In today’s episode, we discuss the best ways to stay cool at Walt Disney World during the summer. The heat in Central Florida can often become intense during the summer, with average daytime temperatures reaching a very humid mid nineties Fahrenheit. That’s over thirty degrees Celsius. In addition, thunderstorms and rainfall can be a daily occurrence this time of the year. Thankfully, Disney provides a multitude of ways for families to stay safe and comfortable at the hottest time of the year, and there are many ways that you can properly prepare yourself for an enjoyable trip to Walt Disney World in the summer, and we’re here to provide our best tips and tricks as we begin our journey. Please remain seated. Keep your hands and arms inside the podcast at all times and enjoy your journey aboard Imagination Skyway. If you’re listening to this show now, when this podcast is debuting, it is the hottest time of year to go to Walt Disney World. It’s a time that, honestly, my family likes to go for a lot of different reasons. We actually love going during the summer, but part of that is because we know how to navigate the heat, humidity, Storms. There’s just a lot to keep in mind when you visit Florida in general in the summer months. It’s also a topic, the topic we’re going to talk about today, how to stay cool at Walt Disney World is a topic we covered on the show before, but that conversation happens incredibly seven years ago on the show. It was before Joanna and I had kids, and we are now in a different state of life and have more experiences. And Disney World itself has changed in the last seven years. So there’s new things to talk about. So it’s a topic I wanted to revisit and one I wanted to revisit with a good friend of the show, Serena from Living by Disney. So Serena, welcome back to the show. So great to have you here. Hi. Thanks so much for having me back. Yeah. Anytime we just to start this conversation had the chance to experience the offerings for cool kids. Summer, you got an even closer look at it, because you were there when it officially launched on May twenty sixth. We were both present for a media week the week prior where we got to sample a few things. But for instance, um, you know, Bluey and Bingo at Conservation station, we got to see sort of like a preview of that in Epcot. We didn’t, I didn’t get to actually experience it at Animal Kingdom. And I’m, of course, because of this, really excited to get your take. Plus, as a Floridian, you know how to navigate the summer heat at Disney way better than I do. Yes, you have to. You have to adapt for sure. I remember when I first moved to Orlando, I was like my first summer. I thought, oh no, I, oh no, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do this, but I definitely adapted and gotten. But I think the biggest thing is just having those tips and tools and kind of changing your mindset because it’s just your approach is slightly different than when it’s not as hot and but it’s totally doable. Totally doable. It is. And it’s like I said, something that my family does every year. We’ll spend like a good week, week and a half in Walt Disney World and people, especially around us up in the northeast, think that we’re nuts, like escaping what’s already a pretty hot climate in the summer to go to an even hotter, more humid climate in the summer. But it’s our happy place. It’s where we love to be. We’d rather, if we’re going to be hot somewhere, we’d rather be hot and sweaty at Disney World. And there, to your point, so many ways and tips and tricks for ways to stay cool, which we’ll talk about. Um, but before we get to that, I’m really curious to get your overall thoughts about cool kids summer this year. It’s not the first year they’ve done it, but this feels like a really big summer for Walt Disney World. Between the new attraction offerings. The specific Cool Kids summer offerings and just the previews of things that we see are coming to the parks and resorts. I have a lot of optimism for the way that everything is heading, and it just feels like there’s so many reasons to visit Disney this summer. Hopefully that’ll set a precedent. If it’s too late for you listening for next summer to come and check it out, too. Yeah. I love Cool Kid Summer. They started last summer. It’s the first time we kind of didn’t know what it was going to be. It sounded a bit like, oh, this is just a sort of a repackaging of, you know, the concept of visiting in summer, I don’t know. I remember kind of going, okay, I mean, I guess it sounds alright. Sounds fine. But once it, once it really started to roll out, we really started to see it in real time. I think that it’s it was fantastic. It was super well received. And it seems like this year they leaned into it even harder. They went more. They really were a lot more intentional with the things that they got the good feedback on. Like you can tell they’re being super responsive to the guests feedback, which is always what you want. When we’re in a place like that where leadership’s really paying attention to what people like, that’s, that’s a win win for everybody across the board. But I think cool kids summer to me, or just the summer in general this season, I, I’m with you. I’m super optimistic. I feel like we’re headed in great places. We’ve got tons of big, big, exciting things on the horizon, but they’re also not just focusing on the big stuff. They’re like reinvesting in the classic rides and they’re adding a lot of those small, like personal entertainment things that make Disney so special that I feel like when you’re actually like boots on the ground in your vacation, those are the things that you remember so much, like it maybe wasn’t on your must do list to like run into Peter Pan on your way to, you know, to Neverland. But, you know, when you’re in the middle of Fantasyland, you have your kids with you and they see Peter Pan and they’re like, oh, you know, and he gets to interact with them on your way. Like that is a moment that wasn’t on your to do list, but meant so much to your, to you and to your kids. So those are the things that I see them going hard on. And it’s like making a lot more magic for families when they’re there and for everybody when they’re there. I mean, those kinds of things don’t you doesn’t even have to happen to you. Like those interactions. You don’t have to be the one interacting with the character to feel the joy of the moment. And that’s, that’s the kind of things that they’re really doing during this summer season with, you know, things from just small entertainment, things that are coming out more ways for kids to get up and play with characters, but also just these surprise and delight things, which is what I love. Yeah, it is those little moments that make our trips so enjoyable. It’s rarely the attractions. As much as we love them. It’s rarely the attractions that are the highlights or the most magical moments for us. There might be a first attraction that Maggie’s not tall enough for, and is like a memorable moment because of that. But otherwise, it’s all those little moments you talked about, and they are definitely leaning into this this summer and giving families more ways to find those little moments and to really enjoy being at Disney more than just looking at it as like a checklist of things that you have to check off to get to every single attraction on your wish list. Is there a particular attraction this summer that you were the most delighted by? Um, or one that was like a, either a surprise that it just really delivered far beyond what you were expecting, or it could be something that you expected to be great that you love. Well, I think the big hit for me, I mean, I knew I would love Muppets rock and roller coaster. I knew I would love the new Soarin. Like, yeah, I knew they were great. I thought they’d be great. They were great. I think the big one that stood out to me was the animation courtyard. How stunning of a space that is. They took a place that was just something you walked through to get to something else. It was not. It was not a destination. It was not any place, anybody spent any time. There was occasionally some characters there. Maybe you would meet them and that would be it. But typically it just wasn’t even it was nothing. And they took this space and they made it so special. Like there’s shade and there’s trees. It feels like a park. It feels like feels like it’s been there for years, which is always amazing to me that they can do that. But also, it feels like this place where you actually want to linger and you want to hang out and you want to like, you know, sit on the grass or sit on a park bench, the music, the sounds, the nature. I just loved everything about that. I felt like that space was a huge surprise hit for me. Yeah, I actually have to second that. And I, we crossed paths in that courtyard the first day that we were, or at least the first day that I was checking it out. And it definitely is one of those spaces where when we go with our daughters, it’s a place that we prioritize in the past. We prioritize doing first thing in the morning or early in the day because there are some great character meet and greets over there. Um, you know, prior to this refurbishment, you had had the chance to meet like outside Vampirina and fancy Nancy Pluto. Um, and so occasionally Chip and Dale would would head over there or we saw Max over there. So it’s just a great spot for us to enjoy a character meet and greet. But if we went there in the afternoon or the late afternoon in the summer, there’s there was never any shade in that courtyard, even the little coverings over the characters. It just helped you a little bit. There was just it was just so incredibly hot that it was brutal. And then the place where you would maybe park your stroller is potentially in the covered area of the new magic of Disney Animation before Star Wars Launch Bay. But a lot of people were parking their strollers out in that in the middle of the sun. So you’d get back. And even if you had a, a tumbler filled with water that’s keeping your drink, cool it already like it’s been, it’s already getting warm because of just the way that it’s in the sun. And so now having like the same as you. Same exact reaction walking in there. I’m like, I could spend time here now, even in the summer with the shade, with the the sort of like grassy area that they have the. I just can’t wait for Emily, who’s almost two. She’s going to be two when we go back to see Puia. Um, and Thumper right there in the grass. Um, I just know she’s going to run over and she’s going to want to like, um, look at them, point at them, maybe hug them, I don’t know, but like just those little characters just hidden throughout. They just left so many surprise and delight moments for kids and for adults. The little bit, the benches that they have there now, you know, a little limited. But and I have to say, like, I, I didn’t get to experience this when we went, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves a little bit too, because this is these are a couple of items on my list, but the new baby care center at Disney’s Hollywood Studios looks incredible. And that was honestly like in the past, we never went to the baby care Center Hollywood Studios unless we absolutely had to, because it is way at the front of the park was way at the front of the park, sharing a little space with guest relations. It was basically just a room with a couple of changing tables. And if you compare that to the baby care centers at Magic Kingdom and Epcot and Animal Kingdom, you could actually go there to spend time with your kids and let them. De-Stress a little bit. And, uh, you know, if they’re feeling overstimulated, it’s a very low stimulating environment. So, and it’s very cool. So again, like I’m sort of teasing out one of my answers here, but I love the fact that there is a now a new baby care center in that central location at the magic of Disney Animation at the entrance to that, uh, it’s just like the perfect location. They were just so thoughtful about this whole concept and I’m excited for the Actual attraction to open up later this summer. Um, yeah. Me too. Me too. I think they just did such a good. I don’t know, it was just. I just wasn’t on my radar to be like, oh, I can’t wait to see the courtyard itself. I was like, oh, well, we’ll go check it out. But the the magic of animation isn’t open yet. So, you know, um, Little Mermaid show is great too. It’s just like everything in there. They’ve kind of just put a whole lot. That’s great for young kids, but it also just feels like a great space too. Yeah, I love it. I would love to see more, more of that type of thing. That’s great. Absolutely. Well, let’s talk a little bit about ways to stay cool at Walt Disney World because as I said, for families, especially if you’re not used to traveling in the summer, if you are not living in the South in the summer months, um, if you’re coming from another country, um, especially a colder climate, it can be overwhelming. If you’re not prepared, it can be there’s, you know, potentially even health risks if you’re not really prepared for the the heat that can come with the summer months, the storms that can come with the summer months, just it’s a very tropical climate. Um, and I think that it’s important to be prepared for that. But there are so many ways Disney is so smart and thoughtful about ways to stay cool at Disney. So let’s just run through some concepts, ideas, um, you know, respective lists, however you want to look at it. And I always let my guests go first. So Serena, what’s your first tip for keeping cool at Disney over the summer? Well, I think everyone knows the tip for taking an afternoon break, which is obviously very key. Try not to be out when it’s the hottest part of the day. That’s a that’s a simple thing. But I think in order to facilitate that, I would recommend trying to stay on site in the summer. And I think that normally I’m kind of like, you know, stay wherever, you know, fits your budget or, you know, there’s maybe you can find a bigger room and some of the sort of more like timeshare type of places that are in the Disney property area. But for this, for summer, staying on site is going to help you so much because you do need that afternoon break. And if you’ve got a forty five minute commute to get to somewhere or, you know, it’s just more of a hassle, you don’t have Disney transportation, you’re loading in and out of the car. Sometimes just getting to your vehicle in that huge Epcot parking lot will wipe you out. And you still have to drive all the way to the hotel. You still have to do it again to come back. So just make it easy by staying in a place that’s super close where you can use the Disney transportation and, you know, like, hey, we can be in our hotel room in twenty minutes that just like that makes it so doable. You’re like, yes, we will do that afternoon break. We will get to use the, you know, the pool in our Disney Hotel, which is going to be super cool and fun. And then you also feel like if you take that afternoon break, you also feel like, oh, we got more value out of that price. We paid for our hotel because we actually got to enjoy it. Sometimes when we go to Disney, we’re so focused on the parks that you’re barely at your hotel. And so just, you know, maybe you’re thinking, I’m spend a little more and I’m like, not, I’m just sleeping here. But for this, you know, particularly for summer, stay on site, get that value and make that afternoon break make a little more sense for you. And Disney is really incentivizing families this summer, the same they did for last summer and probably I’m hoping will continue to be a trend to stay on site over the summer with both the first day admission check in, day admission to a water park. Um, sort of like included in your stay. That’s a major check. And most people they know, especially if you’re not an annual pass holder, if you’re going to be doing a package you’re flying in that day. You might not have a park ticket that day. So here’s a little a little gimme, right? Like a little extra to just have something to do on that first day, especially if you’re arriving earlier in the beginning of the day. Um, and then the discounts that they’re offering this summer on the room only options in particular are pretty incredible. I’m like, I, I look a lot at what the prices are for the summer. And if you compare that, like, just look, if you’re at home and it’s still again before the summer or the beginning of the summer, check out the price in like August for a hotel with the current rates that they offer, compare that exact same room to like March of next year and look at the price difference. And I can guarantee it’s going to be a pretty incentivizing price to stay at, at Walt Disney World this summer. Um, but I totally agree about the access. I, when I was local, if I went to the park in the summer at an afternoon break when I was not coming back, like just the yeah, the commute to go out and I’d be tired at that point. And maybe if I recuperated long enough, I’d say, okay, no, it’s time to turn around and go back for the evening. And knowing me, like I probably, probably did that a lot. But these days, I don’t know if I, if I would, um, you know, the same as I would when I was in my twenties. But, um, yeah, that’s a, that’s a really excellent answer to, to stay on property. Um, I guess I’m probably going to start with the one I started talking about a few minutes ago, which is the baby care centers. And this is not necessarily for everybody, but again, the last time I did a staying cool at Disney episode, I did not have kids, so I did not have the experience of going with little ones. And it’s generally, whether it’s the summer or any other time of year, one of the pro tips I offer for anyone going to Disney who’s looking for advice if they’re going with you’re saying like, you know, I’m I’ve never I’ve first time going with the, with our, our son or daughter who’s going to be like, you know, however many months or a couple of years old, what tips do you offer? Um, in addition to the many things I recommend, one of the things I always recommend is to take full advantage of the baby care centers. Um, like I personally, as a, as a dad, look forward to this so much to the point that there are times where Joanna, who is the thrill seeker and will ride anything. I’ll say you go, you know, here’s some, you know, take some lightning lanes like let’s, let’s just go enjoy whatever attractions you want. I’m going to take the girls over to the baby care center and relax. And they have, in addition to the essentials you would need, you can purchase essentials there. They have really comfortable changing tables, which for Emily, she is really uncomfortable on a changing table if it’s not padded. So the fact that they have these cushioned, padded, comfortable, low stimulation, not in a restroom changing tables at the baby care centers is so great for her. They have family restrooms in there. They have a in, I think even in Hollywood studios now. But again, I haven’t physically been there yet. The, um, like a little community room where you can sit at these tables. They have low tables with low chairs designed specifically for kids. They’re usually playing a Disney movie in there. They’ve got the color like you can. Kids can color in there. There are plenty of kids who are I see napping in the baby care centers. Um, for nursing mothers, they have nursing rooms. Um, they have just like anything you can think of that you would want. So and then you can just, if you have your own snacks that you purchased in the park or, um, you know, snacks that you’ve brought from home or whatever, that’s a great little snack break for us because again, they’ve got like, you know, you can go wash your hands in the bathroom, come back out. I think they actually have sinks in like a little kitchen area to come back out, you know, feed the kids, feed your kids some snacks. Um, they have parent benches on the sides. It’s just like the perfect place. And of course, for the summer months, it’s air conditioned and it’s very nicely air conditioned and it’s quiet like you’re not except for the occasional screaming kid. Um, who’s having a bad day. Um, it’s it’s the only sounds you’ll hear is maybe a quiet Disney movie playing in the background, but there’s no eerie music playing. Um, there’s no crowd noises. It’s just like, if you’ve got a kid who’s overstimulated, a little kid who’s overstimulated, it’s just the perfect place to go. Or if they’re gonna, if they’re risking that meltdown taken here, it’s the recharge both parents and kids needs. So anyone with like, little kids, um, who can access the baby care center, it’s. I’m gonna, I’m gonna be sad the day we outgrow it because it’s just such a great place to go. It really is. Yeah. And I think it’s something that people kind of forget. Is there, you know, or may just think it’s just a restroom or just a nursing room or something like that. Yeah. Yeah, that’s a really good tip. And the overstimulation is huge. And the heat does add a layer of stimulation. When your body is trying to cool itself, it can lead to quicker overstimulation for both adults and children. So I always feel like there was this, um, one of the Mario games when I was younger, used to have a level where the sun was trying to kill Mario. Oh, yes. That’s do you remember that? I remember that. And I’m like, that’s Orlando in the summer. Where you’re like, I’m pretty sure the sun is trying to actually kill me right now. It’s five minutes out of the sun to like, let my brain work again. So yeah, having those places in your back pocket is like key. Absolutely. All right. What do you got up next, Serena? Well, I think that really thinking about adjusting your mindset, I think mindset is a big deal, especially for those of us that are type A, which I think a lot of people that are probably listening to your podcast are a lot that listen to my podcast are as well. We love a checklist. We love, you know, we’re Disney fans. We got to come in. We want to see all the new things. Then we want to do all our favorite things. And then we want to make new memories. And then we want to try the new treats, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And we have our little checklist and we can go too hard and we can burn ourselves out. We can burn our families out. We can cause meltdowns, we can make the pace too difficult. So that day two, three and four suffer because it’s just not sustainable. So whatever you normally do in a, in a park trip that when it’s not hot, you need to like half it, you need to half it. And just like what? You know, if you normally had twenty things on your list, go for ten or whatever it is because just adjust the mindset of, hey, it’s going to be super hot. We’re going to definitely have to take that afternoon break. We’re going to definitely have to take a couple of other breaks throughout the day to just cool off. We’re probably going to maybe have to sit down in indoors and eat, you know, and not just like grab and go because we need a little cool off moment. We’re going to have to rehydrate. You know, all of those things are going to take more time. So just adjust your mindset. Like, especially with all the discounts that are happening in the new stuff. If you want to go, you’re getting a good deal, you’re getting to try the new things. It’s a fun time to go. People are on vacation. It’s the summer. But like, know that the cost of that is that we’re going to chill a little bit. We got to like dial it down with the expectation so that everybody can last through the whole trip and still like each other by the end. Yeah, it’s important to I think even along that mindset shift, I recommend this no matter what, but especially in the summer is be okay with changing plans. Um, you know, we have, we learned this, I think the hard way when, when Maggie was about two or three, that those summers that we were going where she was now old enough that she was walking and really interested in the characters. And I keep coming back to Hollywood studios because that’s a park that does. They’re adding a lot more things that have shade. There’s always indoor attractions and things, but when you’re in outdoor spaces, there was usually, you know, before there wasn’t a lot of shade. Think about Galaxy’s Edge. You think about Toy Story lands like it just there really is not a lot of places to duck in somewhere. And I remember even at like ten a m you would think it would be a perfectly fine time to go and wait in line for Woody and Jessie, but the sun was just, like, so brutally strong when we went. And the wait was when you calculate, you know, there’s no posted wait time, but we calculate it. I’m like, we’re going to be standing in this line for forty minutes in this sunshine. And I just, I’m like, I, I can’t like, we just cannot do it. Can we come back another day to meet Woody and Jessie? Maybe we rope drop meeting them at Toy Story land. Um, now, fortunately, with Jessie’s Roundup, like there’s a new way to meet those characters in an indoor space. And that’s what I mean by Disney thinking thoughtfully about guest feedback and ways that kids can interact with characters and go to other places to cool off. But just being prepared to with that mindset shift of mindset shift of saying it’s okay to switch plans and yeah, you know, yeah, call an audible. Like if, if you can tell a meltdown is on the horizon, Don’t be afraid to be like, you know what? Actually, yeah. Plan B, plan B is always good. Um, for me, a big tip for I’m going to play off of one of the ideas that you alluded to in your last answer. A big strategy that we have for the summer months is to do our table service reservation as a late lunch or an early dinner. Um, because that’s generally when it’s going to feel the hottest and you’re going to feel the most exhausted. It’s sort of this, this meeting point anywhere between like three and five is like, for me, generally the time that even though it’s maybe not the physically hottest time of the day, you might feel at your lowest energy wise after going around the parks all day. And like that, for us, it’s generally easier to find a dining reservation at that time of day. And there are some great options in all the theme parks. Or go back to the resort to enjoy a dining reservation. For me, like a big one, like at Hollywood Studios. It’s often challenging to get a reservation at Sci-Fi Dine-in theater for peak time, but if you get a reservation at like three o’clock, I guess it’s a weird, maybe a weird time for you to eat. But I guarantee if you get like a three p m reservation at sci fi, you are going to thank yourself for it. Because yes, it’s when you’re going to feel again, like low energy and just going into that dark, cold environment and grabbing something to eat, something to drink is just so key. Um, you know, you can and it doesn’t look, it does not have to be table service. It could be a quick service meal. Same exact thing like Magic Kingdom. Great time to dine at cosmic rays, which is normally if you go at noon in the summer or any other time of year or five, six, seven o’clock, it’s going to be, you know, really crowded. It’s one of the most popular places to eat at Walt Disney World, one of the busiest places to eat. But again, like that, that mid-afternoon where everybody is either back at their resort or in the midst of doing a lot of attractions. It’s a great time to recharge and go to an indoor space that is going to be quieter than if you went at the peak times. I love eating off peak at Disney. It just yes, a game changer compared to trying to compete for tables. Um, and yes, um, reservations or whatever it might be. So um, sci fi is such a good one to in the summer because of that dark and it’s always cold and it’s very like soothing to, you know, when you’re overheated, it’s just like you sit down and you’re like, oh, it’s so nice. Can I stay here forever? That’s generally what I say when I sit down. It’s just so nice when it’s so hot outside to, to get and enjoy that. So. Mhm. Um, anyway, what, what else do you have on your list, Serena? So I think, um, thinking about gear like what to pack is important because if you can be a little bit of prepared, I think it’s going to help. My biggest savior is my handheld fan. I will not leave. I will turn the car around to go back and get that fan. If I forget it. It honestly, it’s just to me having air moving on my face when I am starting to overheat. Even you know, if it’s just warm air, it just makes such a difference in how cool and comfortable I feel. Um, those small ones, you can get them on Amazon. Some of them have a neck strap, which is really nice because I just feel like you always have fifteen things in your hands. I don’t know what it is at Disney’s like, you got your phone, you’re trying to check this. You got a water bottle holding your bags. You know, it’s just it’s like a million things to do. So I put it around my fan, direct it to my face, and I’m like, like, I’m set. So a handheld fan, a cooling towel, if you like those, um, you know, sunscreen. Obviously, hats are great. Um, you probably won’t see me at Disney in the peak summer without a hat on. I just feel like that shade and the cover on your head. I don’t know, it just makes a big difference. I’ve seen a lot of people walking around with those hats you get at the China Pavilion at Epcot that are like a triangle. Do you know what I’m talking about? I’ve seen that like more and more. And I’m like, honestly, that feels like a really that feels like a pro move right now. Like you’re shading your whole, you’re almost, it’s almost like those old umbrella hats that they used to have, you know, in the eighties or whatever. Um, but, uh, yeah, be prepared with that. Um, think about hydration. Obviously, you know, everybody knows to bring a water bottle, but think about electrolyte packets. Um, even the, you know, they make a lot of them now that you can buy people are always, you know, working on hydration, but even like Pedialyte makes them in little packets that you can bring put in your kids, you know, water bottles. I see kids dehydrated and sunburned every single summer. I see people passing out every single summer, and it’s almost always going to be from dehydration. So it can sneak up on you. So just be really mindful of that kind of be on top of, you know, over guzzling a little extra water in the early part of your day so that, um, you’re going to feel better. Usually when you’re really feeling massively overheated, it’s just because you’ve, you’ve gotten yourself under hydrated. Um, and then yeah, you know, whatever, like cooling towels. People love those. I don’t like them as much, but, um, whatever works for you to help stay cool that you can pull them out and it can be that lifesaver that gets you through a long queue or whatever it is that you’re waiting for. The fireworks even sometimes can just get stuffy. Um, so yeah, pack a few extra things. You might have to bring a little extra bigger bag, backpack, you know, pack the stroller. It’s worth it. This is the time. I’m thankful that we’re in our stroller era because so much goes into the stroller. It usually goes into my backpack or something, um, to like go through security or whatever. But then once we get into the park and pass that, it’s like dump everything into the stroller as much as I could possibly dump into there. Um, but yeah, I, I see all the same things and the fan idea is wonderful. If you do have little ones in a stroller, you can also get a lot of, um, there’s a couple that you can purchase for pretty cheap online, but just like little stroller fans to clip on to if you’re even if you’re renting, we always rent strollers. So like renting a stroller and then bringing with us a clip on fan just to keep the kids cool. Because even if they’re shaded, it’s still the air can feel really hot. So, um, you know, we can sometimes see their faces are getting a little red or like, you know. So just giving them the also that moving air is really key. Um, sunscreen, you know, the number of sunburns I see even in non-summer months is crazy. Um, I’m maybe just very conscious of it having fair skin and Joanna having fair skin and therefore our daughters also having fair skin. But, um, the sometimes I think the best compliment coming from coming back from Florida in the summer is like, wow, you didn’t get tan. And I’m like, well, that’s because I literally wore sunscreen religiously every single day. Um, because of how strong the sun can be. Um, yeah. And then generally for obviously staying hydrated, um, if you do feel like you’re getting dehydrated, we always bring a refillable, uh, tumblers with us, like the vacuum sealed ones that can keep the drink cool. Um, we’ll sometimes pour like ice water in there. They have obviously refillable water stations you can access for free around property. You can always go into a quick service location and ask for tap water. It’s very simple. Um, and if you do feel like you are getting dehydrated, um, and you’re like worried that it’s, it’s getting past a certain point, then the first aid locations are always key. So knowing that those exist, um, is really important and obviously something that they deal with and see regularly. So, um, you know, they’re always there to, to help with anything that comes up. So, um, I don’t know how you feel about this. It’s, I get, I don’t post about it on social media because I often get weird comments about it. Um, but I tend to bring two umbrellas with us in the summer, one for my wife, one for myself. Um, because first of all, it is going to rain. Um, and we generally, we always try to plan to be inside when it rains. We, I’ll check the weather app. But Florida weather is so unpredictable, so we can get caught in the storms and sometimes we’ll be in an attraction queue and then, you know, they don’t let you just stand at the exit corridor. So how am I going to get without getting soaking wet to the next spot? Well, we’ve got got a couple of umbrellas with us, but I also find it’s really helpful in the sun. Um, yeah. Especially like I just going through World Showcase at Epcot in the middle of the day. Um, yes, you can duck in to each pavilion, but if we need to get from, you know, if we’re at the Mexico pavilion and we’re trying to get to the France pavilion for Remy’s or whatever, just having an umbrella to carry through us, like obviously very conscious of people around me. I’ve never hit anybody with my umbrella. Um, if there’s anyone walking past me, I’ll do the like, polite. Like I lift my hand really high in there to go over the person. Um, but I don’t know. How do you feel about umbrellas? Yeah, I think they can be great, especially like a little SPF sun umbrella. Yeah. You know, you, you don’t have to get the giant parasol that covers for people, you know, the golf umbrellas. Yeah. The golf umbrellas. Yeah, we’re not talking about that. Um, but yeah, something that can shade you and just honestly, your, your portable shade you’re getting carry around with you. I think that can be super good. And honestly, I do feel like there’s certain parks where they’re more important, like Epcot, where world showcase, where you just, there’s no shortcut sometimes to get from something and you are forced to sort of walk. I feel like I always end up at Epcot walking into the sun where it’s like blazing at me again. It’s trying to kill me. I’m trying to protect myself. Um, so yeah, I love, I love a little sun umbrella. I usually carry one and it does double for rain too. And it can come in so clutch. And again with the strollers, make sure you have them with a little umbrella cover, you know, sun cover for the little ones. We’ve put the rain gear like we have. We always bring a rain pouch because again, our stroller would be soaked if we didn’t. And even if it’s a rental like now, the girls have to sit in it. So, um, you know, having the rain pouch, like we literally, if it’s pouring rain outside and we have to bear the elements, we will put the rain pouch over the stroller with the girls in it. Um, you know, they’ve still got the air coming up from the bottom, but they’re completely dry and it’s just so nice that they’re not getting soaking wet and we have to go back and change them. We always bring a change of clothes in the diaper bag, but like, it’s just so nice not to have to deal with that. Yeah, just that preparation. Like I said, you might be carrying a bit more into the park with you, but you need to be prepared for the, the various, uh, various weather that you will experience from the, the pouring rain coming in. Sometimes it’ll come in and, you know, you see people streaming out of the park because they’re like, oh, well, the day is over. And then ten minutes later, the sun is back, the steam is rising, everything smells like plastic poncho, and you’re right back at it. So if you can prepare for some of these weather things like you can stick it out and make the most of the day. Yeah. Um, so I loved your, I loved your essentials list. I know I added a couple to that. Um, the other thing that’s really helpful if you are going to be in the parks all day, um, is the high capacity shows, um, and accessing those throughout the day. So I had, you know, they exist every park and there were so many, but I listed my, my four favorites, one in each park for maximizing, um, time indoors with the best air conditioning. Um, so at magic Kingdom, um, hall of Presidents, I think is the best show to go to, to cool off. It really is. I think it’s also a great cold. Yeah. Like it’s cold, cold in there. It’s super cold even like pro tip show up just after the last show. Let’s in because the extra twenty minutes in the lobby is great. So you get like forty minutes in the air conditioning between the lobby and you’ll get you’ll get a seat if you get there, you know, when the last show just lets in, or the previous show just lets in and they closed those doors. You’re one of the first in the lobby. You will get a seat, which is great. Um, and then you have the theater to go into after that. And it’s dark in the main theater, so it’s wonderful. Um, similarly over at Epcot, the American Adventurer, very similar idea. Even if you don’t want to see the show, like I love the show, but even if you don’t want to see the show just going into the American Adventure Pavilion and the rotunda, hearing the voices of liberty or going through the exhibits, looking at the artwork on the walls, there’s just like lots to enjoy in that rotunda space. Um, Hollywood Studios, the last two are very, uh, very different from the first two. Um, so at Hollywood Studios for the first time in forever, a frozen Sing-Along celebration. Yep. My favorite show to go to to cool off. And you’ve got snow in there. It makes you feel extra cold. Yep, yep. It’s nice and cold in there. Mhm. Um, and now I know there are two shows at Animal Kingdom. Um, my personal preference for cooling off is Finding Nemo, The Big Blue and beyond. Um, festival. The Lion King is also very, very cold. And, and it’s a great show and it’s thirty five minutes. It’s actually a little bit longer than Finding Nemo, but I somehow feel that the first of all festival, The Lion King really doesn’t let in until right before the show is about to start Finding Nemo, especially if a Lightning Lane. Um, they will let you in like twenty five, thirty minutes before the show starts. So I love just getting in there with it’s, it’s generally a lightning lane. I pick for that reason, just so that we can have a dedicated seat. I don’t have to worry about getting there late. Um, and I’m not going to be standing in the sun waiting to get into the theater. And then you’ve got a really cool show. Um, and I like that show too. It’s just a great theatrical production. So lots of shows to pick from at the parks. Pick which one you like, but those are my four favorites for one in each park for the coldest air conditioning and the most time you’ll be inside. Yeah, those are good. Another like secret spot that I, um, let parents know I don’t share this on social media because I don’t want it to blow up. So everyone has to like, promise to keep it a secret. But it’s the, um, it’s the indoor playground at the, um, mission space. Oh, yeah. I’ve tried that. When you exit, when you exit mission space or you can just go in. You don’t have to ride mission space. You can just go into what is basically the exit area and the gift shop after the gift shop like past it is this indoor dark space themed playground for kids. Um, this would be really good for maybe like not super young kids. Like, you know, I would it’s like elementary school age kids would be four and a half is only now just the perfect age. She went in April and she was finally like, at that point where I’m like, oh yeah. And she’s having a great time. It is. I agree if you’re really little, it’s not the best playgrounds, but yeah, it’s a good, it’s a good like secret, very off the radar. So I don’t, I don’t post about it because I want to keep it for, keep it for everyone so that it’s not overrun. But um, that one and also the, um, I think about water, you know, water, anything water is good. Most parks have some sort of area where you can get a little splash or whatever, but, um, uh, journey of water, um, has been a great addition for interactive walking trails, lots of places to get splashed. I’ve seen parents actually just put their kids in the swimsuit or like bring a change of clothes, let them get drenched. But it’s very playful and fun and educational. But also for adults like I’ll, I’ll take a little detour in there and get a little splashed and get a little, you know, there’s mist and all kinds of things. Um, and it can definitely cool you off. So that’s a nice little spot too. Yeah. I’ve, I’ve got so many spots, um, on, on even like on this list. Um, are there any other in terms of like locations that you have on your list? Are there any other like specific locations that you would share? So in Epcot, as far as really cold spots, the, uh, goofy core is in there now, but the Communicore hall, that’s a really cold, cold, nice cold air conditioning. And now it’s goofy playing with kids and there’s places to sit. There’s chargers there, um, a couple outlets. So that’s a nice spot. Um, I love the Mexico Pavilion. Big fan of the Mexico pavilion. If you want a little cocktail, you go into LaCava. It’s dark. The whole pavilion is dark. Like when you come in, you’re usually like blind for just a half second because you’ve come out of like the super bright sunlight and you’re like, takes a minute. Um, but it’s very soothing to like go in that pavilion. You’ve got the Grand Fiesta tour, which never really has a long wait. You can cool off there. You can get a drink, you can shop a little, you can eat at the restaurant there. Um, I just feel like it’s always like has come in at that point where I’m like, I need a, I need to cool off and I’m there and that works really well. Um, it magic Kingdom, um, carousel of progress has been my go to for a long time. Of course, it’s getting ready to close now. We found out it’s July fifth or sixth. Uh, fifth is the last day. Six is fifth is the last day. So, um, so that we won’t have all summer, but that’s kind of been my go to to cool off. But also, um, Space mountain is, you know, if you like to ride Space Mountain, um, it’s, you know, may have a longer line, but the queue is indoors, which is nice. That’s key. Go to an indoor queue and it’s also dark and it has like, I don’t know, it’s very like calming vibes. I love the music that they play in the I’m a big background music fan like Disney background music. I love you’re on the right podcast. Yeah, yeah. Big background music fan. Like I play it, you know, when I’m working at home, like I love it. So I’m always kind of like I gravitate towards spaces where I like the music. Um, I’m really hoping. Speaking of that animation courtyard, I’m really hoping that Disney will release the soundtrack that I did for that. It was, you know, brand new recorded with a full orchestra. And it’s so good that I’m excited to kind of know that by heart in a couple years. Um, but those are really good. And the, um, the little, um, the little splash area in the back of, uh, by Dumbo in storybook. Casey junior soaking splash soaking play, I think is what it’s called. Yeah, yeah, that that one’s super cute. And it’s just because it’s all the way in the back of the park, it’s usually not packed. I feel like it’s kind of more under the radar. Um, and you see parents in there getting, you know, hey, do what you need to do. There’s no age limit on that one. Yeah, that one’s great. Um, but I, I feel like Animal Kingdom probably has the least things. I mean, Nemo, like you said, is probably your best option to just sort of you need those things that you can dash in and have in your back pocket. Like, you know, you may have like, oh, Na’vi river journey might be nice, but it’s going to have a long wait and it’s going to be outside. So like, that’s not going to be your best bet. So have those things at each park that you can sort of have in your back pocket. Okay, I, you know, we’re overheating. What can we go do? Call that audible at the last minute and go to plan B? Yeah, those are all great spots. There are two that I have at Epcot. I should add the seas with Nemo and friends, especially just spending time in the aquarium and with little ones. It’s educational, it’s enjoyable. I they could easily spend hours in there looking at the fish. I could easily spend hours in there. Um, just enjoying the, the marine life. So yeah, it that’s definitely, that’s definitely one. Um, and then it’s always been my go to no matter what, um, if the weather is bad and that includes the heat or the rain or whatever the land pavilion because you’ve got three attractions, a table service restaurant, a quick service restaurant and two restrooms in one enclosed space. So getting to just there are days that I literally will just grab a snack from sunshine seasons, find a spot and relax. And it’s so it’s, it’s cold in there. It’s relaxing and to. The attractions have no height requirement. You could go watch Awesome Planet. You could go ride living with the land. You know, I’m always riding, living with the land. And you’ve got Soarin. So even if you have kids, it’s a forty inch height requirement. So if unless they’re really young, um, yeah, probably going to be able to ride that one too. Um, so it’s, there’s just a lot to enjoy in the, in the land pavilion. And again, if it’s raining or if it’s hot, you can access pretty much everything you need. The only thing you really can’t bring with you is your stroller. But like short of that, you can just enjoy yourself in the pavilion. Um, so those two are the two I would just add to Epcot, but otherwise I think you hit so many of them. I agree, indoor queues are always a big one if they have great area music. Um, Magic Kingdom’s Space Mountain is a great one. Pirates of the Caribbean is another one. Uh, even if the line is outside, you’re probably gonna at least be covered for a bit. And then you get that really fun, you know, the musty pirate smell and the. Yes. Music. Um, that that, uh, that entrance loop that they have, um, which is incredibly only like a four minute song, but it just never seems to get old. Um, yeah, it doesn’t, so I, it doesn’t, it’s so good. Country bears is good too. We do country bears. Bears time now. Yeah. I feel like since they and that that’s another update that I feel like people weren’t so happy about yet. Yet. It’s busy like I country bears used to I, I, there’s been times when I’ve gone into country bears and it’d be like me and four people in the whole theater. And now that it’s been updated, people are going. So it worked like we we get that attraction. A classic attraction gets to stick around and a whole new, whole new audience is discovering it. But it is also like a really good place to cool off. I can’t tell you how happy I am that the Country Bear Jamboree exists, because I was like, you, one of the people that went and saw it, and it was always a quiet attraction and it was feeling outdated. And as someone who now has kids who ask a lot of questions, um, four and a half year old who asks a lot of questions about what she hears, like I was not really looking forward to kind of it’s all and how, how can you explain humor to a four and a half year old? They’re going to take it literally. Um, so a lot of the songs and the lyrics that were in there, you know, like, how was I going to answer that question of like, what are they talking about? Or who’s Buford? Um, and what are they doing to Buford? So like, that’s like those little things. Why are they singing about blood? I don’t know, blood on the saddle. Yeah, I just so I am really just they love it. We love it. It’s just a great place to go as a family. Um, so absolutely the direction they’ve gone with how they’ve been just thinking about some of these beloved classic attractions and how do you keep them relevant? That’s a great example. Um, I’m going to throw this one out there. I, this is not a necessarily a part of staying cool at Disney in the summer, but on that theme, I’m getting the impression, um, that one that might get a similar treatment soon is the Enchanted Tiki room. Um, it is a popular one like I generally see it filled and it’s one I pretty much do every time. Um, but it’s really easy to redo that one. All you have to do, like they can keep the enchanted Tiki room, but then the songs after that, they’re just songs that they picked. These are not Disney songs. Um, yeah, I did a deep dive on this in a, in a post I think a year ago, but these are songs that existed that Disney just picked, um, to be a part of the Enchanted Tiki Room. They could have original Disney songs in there and the birds singing on theme Disney songs in there. Um, yeah. So that’s one that humor. Keep the spirit of it. Mhm. That’s just what I see. I see the writing on the wall for that one. Um. Yeah. Yeah. I think Spaceship Earth as well. Oh, yeah. You know, there was already, you know, it was on the calendar and then it was pushed off. But, um, that that will be coming back around, I’m sure at some point and people are going to have a lot of mixed emotion about that. But I have been on that ride multiple times with people that it’s their first Disney trip, first time at Epcot. They go to, you know, the big ball because they’re like, oh, this must be a great e-ticket attraction. And they’re very confused by it all, you know, and we, we see Disney, Disney fans see things through a nostalgic lens. And I totally get that. But, um, when you, when you see a first timer, it, you see it a little bit differently. You’re like, yeah, I guess that is like a little, it’s a little hard to explain. So, um, yeah, it’s always hard when they change new things, but, um, especially when it’s something that we’re attached to, but, but all of these reinvestments, like we’re talking about Disney’s, they’re really going hard into all of that and, and giving these, these classic attractions, breathing new life into them and giving them, you know, many more decades to experience. And, um, it’s just nice. It’s nice to see them investing in those, even though it’s not maybe the big, flashy new things. It makes a big difference. It’s always a sigh of relief for me when they do that, because these are attractions that I enjoy, that I feel are undervalued. And when I see them not have a lot of attendance, I enjoy it personally because there’s not a lot of people there. But I just know I’m like, well, Disney’s looking at the foot traffic. And yeah, that means this one is in danger. And so like, how do we get people back here? And I yeah, so between country musical jamboree and not that Buzz Lightyear ever had a problem, but like, even Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger spin. Uh, if they keep this theme, I’ll be very happy. It’s like keeping the spirit and even the. This. The same exact premise, the same the same show, the same ride, but just refresh it and give it new life. Um, think a little differently about how it’s presented and still tons of Easter eggs and nostalgia for the fans who love it. Keep it relevant for new fans who don’t really know what this is and don’t have the nostalgia for it. It’s just that perfect balance. I’m like, please keep this going. Like that’s just that’s really how you keep a classic attraction alive. Um, definitely, definitely. Totally agree. So as we, uh, you know, look at any sort of final answers on our list, is there anything that you feel that we’ve missed for staying cool at Disney in the summer? No, I think that I think we hit most of the big ones. I think if people kind of do this, you know, think about their strategy, think about, um, how you can change your pace. Think about your mindset. Think about what you can bring with you to help you keep cool. I think it’s just very doable. I think it can be intimidating, you know, and it’s really not that bad. It really isn’t. If it was that bad, the parks would be empty in the summer. Oh yeah. So just know it’s it’s not, it’s not that bad. You can totally do it with a little bit of prep. You know, you’ll have a great time and you’ll get to take advantage of a time when there’s a lot of really exciting things happening. Yeah, absolutely. Only last one I’ll throw in there to add to your resort. Your first answer is, Serena, about staying on property. Summer is a great time to pick a preferred room. Um, if you are especially there are certain resorts you don’t really need a preferred room like yacht and beach club boardwalk. Like you’re really looking at, everything’s kind of interconnected. If you’re staying at Granny’s, you know, tower at Coronado, you don’t need like a quote unquote preferred room, but, uh, Caribbean beach, Coronado Springs, not staying in Gran Destino tower, um, all star pop century, that preferred room. Um, not that it can be like an unbearable walk, but in the summer, if you’re looking to just, if you’re doing a resort day and you’re looking to grab lunch and you don’t have a preferred room, it could be a ten minute walk to get to the. Yeah, like even Saratoga Springs and old Key West definitely preferred room if you can. Um, because I’ve done those walks in the summer and it is, it’s a lot longer than it looks. So they have the bus loops and everything. So you can take advantage of that. Um, yeah. But uh, like, or the internal bus shuttles, but um, yeah, it’s, it’s, uh, preferred room is, is always a good idea. Uh, in the summer. Definitely. That’s, that’s a good, good tip, especially with the disc and they got discounts. So like you weigh it out like I’m, I’m saving maybe thirty percent on the room only option they have for the summer, but spending a little bit more to get that preferred room anyway. Definitely. Um, well, this is a lot of fun. I’m glad we revisited this. We included some answers for little ones that I did not have in the previous episode I did six years ago, which is crazy to think. Um, or seven years ago, which was even crazier to think. Um, but, uh, Serena, you’ve been on the show before. I think everybody knows you, but just so people know where can, if they don’t know you, where can they go to keep in touch and follow everything you have going on? Um, living by Disney on all the social media platforms. And I have a podcast as well. You can find me on all the usual podcast places. Serena’s got a great podcast, not just a podcast, a great podcast. So definitely check it out. Thank you. Um, thank you. Yeah. Thanks again, Serena. And, uh, hopefully I will get you back on the show sometime soon. Thanks so much. It was a lot of fun. Welcome back to Imagination Central. Before you exit this episode, remember to follow Imagination Skyway on social media and share the show with anyone who might enjoy listening to our program. Remember that you can access ad free episodes and bonus content at patreon dot com slash Imagination Skyway, which is also a great way to support the show. When you’re ready for your next vacation, remember that listeners of Imagination Skyway can get rewarded for booking a trip to Disney in twenty twenty six through k m v travel voted the top travel agency in Orlando in twenty twenty five. Simply fill out the form at KMV travel dot com slash Skyway and select Imagination Skyway under the how did you hear About us question. To be eligible for a special gift from the team. Terms and conditions apply. 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