Tell me about Orlando in August

[fernweh]

We will have days in August including travel time. H suggested Universal as I have been wanting to go to the wizarding world but I worry it will be unbearably hot/humid.

Is that true? Also no kids, just us. I know it’s aimed at kids but will it be overrun with children in summer break at that time?

[abs]

August in Florida is like the 9th circle of hell. It will either be in the 90's with 1000% humidity or there will be a hurricane. Or both. You couldn't pay me to go then and I live in a similar climate.

[mrshandy]

Sorry I have to agree with fernweh. We did a Disney Cruise and did one day in August in Magic Kingdom. The morning was fine, but by the afternoon we were just seeking out shade and indoors as much as possible. It really made for a cranky experience. We couldn't make it to the evening hours because the heat just took so much out of us. One day was enough for me.

[was5]

We went to WDW 3 days in August - 6 years ago and had 3 kids with us.

It is incredibly hot and humid. Try to get an early start. It's not too bad until around 11am. The evening isn't terrible either after the sun sets. Try to take a long break mid-day in the air conditioning.

[court26]

The one time we tried parks in the summer, we had 3 days of passes to universal and we ran out of clothes because we felt so sweaty and gross and DD was the only one who wanted to go back on day 3 so we literally bribed her with the American Girl store in the mall and ended up spending a ton of money but I’m a/c. I’m sorry. It’s pretty bad.

[dcrunnergirl52]

We've done Disney twice in August, for a week each time, including last year, wearing masks (kids were 10, 10, 7, 2.5). Yes, it's unbearably hot, yes, it's humid AF, but we survived and would do it again.

Last year, we got to the park before opening each day, and stayed until about 1pm and then went back to our AirBnB to swim, hang out, for dinner. We never went back to the park in the evenings. However, we'd been to Disney 3 times before this and once to Disneyland Paris, so we didn't feel the need to open and close the parks.

It also helped that last August, the capacity was at 25% so we basically walked onto any ride we wanted except Rise of the Resistance, and many rides we did multiple times in a row b/c no one else was there, etc. We rode Flight of Passage like 4 times in a row, Space Mountain 3 times in a row, did 7 Dwarfs 3 times in a row, etc. So, we could spend a lot of time in the air conditioning just on the rides.

When we went in pre-covid times, we did the same thing except did table service/character meals for lunch, and just had a slow lunch during the hottest part of the day. It gave us a nice break in the day to cool off, and then we were rejuvenated for the afternoon, and we'd stay until 3-4pm and then go back to AoA for dinner and swimming.

[jaycee]

We just got back from there three days ago. The Wizarding World is UNBELIEVABLE. Truly mind-blowing in the details, immersiveness, etc. We went for my two sons, ages 8 and 10, but I think my H and I enjoyed just as much as they did. You will have the most wonderful time there.

When will you go in August? The first and second weeks will be very, very busy. The last week will be better as more kids are in school.

Will you have the express pass?

If your answers are last week in August and yes to express pass, you will mitigate a big problem (crowds). Just go with adjusted expectations. You MUST go the first thing in the morning. Stay until you get too hot. Go back in the evening. It is another experience at night, anyway.

I think you should go. If everyone waited for perfect circumstances to go, nobody would go.

[mainelyfoolish]

We went to Disney World for a week in late August 2017 because we had annual passes and we got cheap airfare and lodging. Were we live, it doesn’t get extremely hot or humid, and I vastly underestimated how much my family would wilt in the Orlando heat and humidity. I did a lot of laundry on that trip because we all wore two outfits each day - one in the morning at the parks that was covered with sweat by the time went back to our condo for lunch, and a second clean outfit after we had all showered during our mid-day break. We would go back to the parks most evenings, but even when the sun was down you don’t get much of a break from the heat and humidity. We will never go again in the summer.

[daisyduck]

I've done Disney the last week of August once and the week of Labor Day three times. We rope drop and stay in the park until close for 7+ days in a row and have a great time. I've never been to Universal, but at Disney a lot of the ride queues are in the shade and AC, so you can easily spend a lot of time out of the heat. We also do a late-ish sit down meal for lunch to get a long break from the heat in the middle of the day.

I will agree with another poster about hurricanes that time of year...2 of those trips were cut short by a day because a hurricane was approaching and we wanted to get out before they closed the airport. Definitely added some stress to the trip, but the parks were empty for the last day or two of our trip because other people cancelled or delayed their trip.

The amount the heat bothers you probably has a lot to do with where you are from/what you are used to and your attitude about it. For reference, I'm from OK and it is routinely in the high 90s and very humid here in the summer.

[Wines Not Whines]

I’ve gone to the parks in August a few times. My mom lives in FL, and we usually take our summer vacations in August. It is very hot and humid, but it’s tolerable in the morning and evening. We usually head to the parks when they open in the morning, leave for a break after lunch, and go back in the evening. During the afternoon we go to the pool, hang out at the hotel, or find something else to do in the a/c. I can’t tolerate the heat in the middle of the day. This works fine for us, because we’ve been to the parks many times, so we don’t feel like we need to spend all day there.

[curbsideprophet]

I would try to plan breaks/indoor stops/events/shows etc into your day. Try not to be outside for extended periods of time once it starts to get warm.

[Covergirl82]

Brutal. When we were at WDW in once in late July and another time in early August, the air temp was in the mid-90s, but the "real feel" was in the 100-108 degree range. Super high humidity. It was awful. I would only go if that was the only time I was able to (which for us, it was). Try to make the most of the mornings and evenings, and make time for a lot of breaks throughout the day (or even pool or siesta time in the afternoon). It also rained nearly every day we were there (huge downpours for around 30 minutes to an hour at some point during the day), so that made outdoor activities a bit more challenging.

As a note, I've lived in Michigan my whole life, so I'm not used to such high temps and humidity every single day.

[sonrisa]

As adults, I’d head out to Kennedy space center for a day. The space shuttle and Apollo buildings are great. And since it’s at the coast you get more breeze.

[basilosaurus]

I only have 2 words for you. SWAMP ASS.

[sju]

May 26, 2021 10:36:12 GMT -5 Covergirl82 said:

It also rained nearly every day we were there (huge downpours for around 30 minutes to an hour at some point during the day), so that made outdoor activities a bit more challenging.

I am local and this is something we have to keep in mind as we plan our days.  We get afternoon thunderstorms almost everyday during the summer.  Pools will temporarily close due to lightning.  That’s a good time for a nap or an indoor activity.