Some days, Florida can feel like the inside of the Mad Hatter’s tea kettle…
Summers at Walt Disney World are no joke. Crowds move at sludge speed, tempers boil, Mickey Ice Cream bars melt, and children morph into boneless cephalopods incapable of walking even-one-more-step lest they liquefy into sugary puddles under the cruel sun. Most Disney regulars are aware of the most popular hacks for beating the heat at Walt Disney World—things like staying hydrated, utilizing a cooler fan, taking advantage of free water cups, or chugging a Dole Whip float. Even with all these common tricks, there are still times that the heat at Walt Disney World can leave guests feeling like the Seven Seas Lagoon has somehow transformed into the Evil Queen’s cauldron.
We’re big fans of lifehacks here at Theme Park Tourist, and when it comes to conquering the heat at Walt Disney World, every tactic, no matter how unorthodox, can make a big difference. If the relentless Florida sun is ruining your vacation, you might just need to think out of the box to reclaim your cool. Many of these suggestions can be used anywhere, but a few are specific to Walt Disney World.
Here are ten of our favorite less-well-known hacks to cool down on a sweltering Disney day.
1. Cool your neck with Sea Breeze
Image: Disney
Applying a cool, wet towel or bandana to your neck on a hot day is a pretty well-known theme park hack. The problem with this common trick is that, especially in Florida, the cooling effect doesn’t last long before the towel just glues to your neck in a hot, sweaty mess.
Enter Sea Breeze.
Sea Breeze is an astringent you can pick up at just about any convenience store. Instead of simply soaking your towel or bandana in ice water, add a little Sea Breeze to your soaking mixture. The menthol and other cooling agents in the astringent make the towel feel way cooler than a normal ice water towel. We used this hack in the film industry to help cool down crews and cast who had to work long days under direct sunlight, and apparently the trick is also used commonly by crews in ultra-hot cities like Dubai.
To make this hack more Disney friendly, fill up a small travel bottle with Sea Breeze and put it in your Disney day survival kit. You could probably even use a pair of contact lens cases to save more space. You can either request a cup of ice water to provide a potential place to soak your bandana or bring a Ziploc bag with you that you can dump the ice, water, and Sea Breeze into then swish things around. Pretty cool!
2. No more tiny ice water cups
Image: Glen Scarborough, Flickr (license)
Getting free ice water at Walt Disney World counter service booths and restaurants isn’t really a hack. Theme parks have to make free water available to guests– it’s just common sense. The problem with the free water at Walt Disney World is that most of the time, the cups Disney gives guests are tiny—like child sized. You need like three just to start to rehydrate, and then you have to spend your trip searching for locations with a soda fountain just to keep that water coming. Sometimes cast members will be extra nice and give you a large cup, but that’s usually not the case.
If you happen to be eating at a table service restaurant during your visit, there is a very easy workaround to upgrade from those annoying mini-cups. At the end of any meal at a Disney table service restaurant, always request a drink to go. If you were drinking soda or tea during your meal, you can get that, but the caffeine in soda and tea contributes to dehydration. Instead, ask for a big ice water to go. They can even throw in some lemon if you like. The to-go cups are much larger than those offered by counter-service vendors, and you can usually refill it either at water fountains or at counter-service booths.
3. Carry a genius water bottle
Image: Amazon, Katadyn
While free cups of water are great, the best way to stay hydrated at Walt Disney World is to bring your own water bottle. This seems a simple enough trick that it almost isn’t a hack, but there are a few problems with just using the first water bottle you see. First off, Florida has what the Jungle Cruise skippers would call “Premium Water”. It’s nasty—like cabbage-water meets pool-chemicals nasty. If you happen to find the one fountain with filter problems, no amount of lemon can mask it. Most of the water at Walt Disney World is filtered to the point the taste is unnoticeable, but sometimes the swampiness is just too powerful to be defeated. The other issue is that water bottles are often bulky and can leak all over your stuff.
The trick is to hack your water bottle—or purchase one that comes pre-hacked.
Florida’s bog-water can be easily turned palatable by a filtered water bottle. You don’t need anything particularly powerful (Florida’s water may taste gross, but it isn’t full of giardia or anything like that). If you’ll be carrying a backpack, both Brita and Lifestraw have good filtered bottles, depending on your preference and how much filter power you want. For something more portable, you can also try a Bobble water bottle—a nice choice since they are small and the filters are available at many stores (just make sure it doesn’t leak).
If even a Bobble is too bulky for your kit, you can combine filtered water technology with a collapsible water bottle like the Katadyn Be Free or this one from Miniwell. These bottles can collapse down flat, so they take up as little space as possible. If you prefer, you can even get creative by combining a portable universal filter, like this kit available from Sawyer with a fully collapsible bottle of your choice. Whatever bottle you choose, just fill it up at any water fountain in the parks and enjoy fresh, tasty water!
4. Keep up your electrolytes with tablets or with DIY lime soda
Image: Aditi Rao, Flickr (license)
It’s easy to assume that if you drink enough water, you should be fine even in the Florida sun. Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems of extended heat exposure is actually your body becoming depleted of electrolytes—important minerals that help carry energy throughout your system.
When electrolytes get drained, you can run into problems with muscle cramps, fatigue, and trouble regulating your fluids. Most of the time electrolytes are replenished from salt in our food, so usually only athletes need to worry about depletion. However, a trip to Walt Disney World usually involves far more exertion than many guests expect. A normally sedentary individual might find themselves walking 20,000 steps under the blazing Florida sun and sweat out too many electrolytes in the humidity.
While you could invest in a refillable mug and sip iced Powerade throughout the day, there are actually two alternative ways to keep your electrolytes up during your trip. First, most drug stores, sporting good, and health food stores sell electrolyte tablets or chews that you can take once or twice during the day to restore your body’s electrolyte count quickly. They’re like an instant sports drink, and they’re most helpful if you tend to sweat a lot. We used to take these while working for a Renaissance Festival where all the performers and artisans had to stay under the sun all day sweating in heavy costumes, and they really did help.
Alternatively, if you want to replenish electrolytes quickly the DIY way but don’t care for sports drinks, you can try a hack that is pretty common in India. A friend from west India introduced us to the concept of whipping up a quick “Cool Lime Soda” using ingredients usually available at any self-serve soda fountain. Just fill your cup with plain soda water then toss in a few limes or lemons. Muddle these up with a straw, then stir in a little bit of salt—not too much. The drink will fizz like crazy. If you want to add a little sugar, you can, but the drink is honestly tasty just as it is, like sparkling DIY-Gatorade. Speaking of tricks from our friends in India…
5. Humidity not too bad? Try a hot drink and some spicy food
Image: Josh Hallett, Flickr (license)
Yes, seriously.
India can get pretty blazing hot in certain regions, yet it’s common practice for the locals to continue drinking hot drinks like chai or eating spicy foods. The reason why is that, despite seeming counter-intuitive, under the right circumstances, hot drinks and spicy food help your body cool down.
Science has confirmed this phenomenon. Hot drinks introduce a little bit of extra heat to your body but ultimately send a signal to your brain that says it’s time to cool down. This kicks off your body’s natural systems to sweat and regulate temperature. As long as you have breathable clothing and the day isn’t too humid, the evaporation of your sweat will naturally cool you down. Spicy food produces a similar effect.
The biggest caveat to this hack is that it works best if your sweat can actually evaporate. Florida can get pretty muggy in the summer, so save this trick for days on the less-humid side. If the humidity is at 100%, stick to that free ice water we mentioned earlier and cooling food choices like cucumbers, watermelon, and pineapple.
6. Ditch your shorts—but not in the way you’re thinking…
Image: Disney
If there were ever a place where shorts and a tank top feel like a necessity, Florida is king on that list. Florida’s insane heat doesn’t come from high temperatures but rather from its brutal humidity, where 80 degrees can feel like a hundred because of the moisture in the air.
Surprisingly, wearing less clothing isn’t actually the best way to cool down at Walt Disney World. The best clothing for extreme humidity is light-colored, breathable garments that fit loosely and help wick away sweat while circulating air. Tight fitting clothing will just trap warm sweat against your skin while tank tops and shorts leave you directly exposed to the sun. Instead, choose loose breathable clothes in fabrics with good moisture-wicking properties like synthetics that hang away from your body (you may want to skip the Under-Armor shirt during your Disney trip for this reason). Loose pants will also do much more to cool your legs than shorts, which will just leave you repeatedly getting stuck to sticky ride seats. You can also upgrade your clothing choice by choosing clothing items designed to help you cool down or quick dry.
7. The power of peppermint
Image: Wonderferret, Flickr (license)
Planning on visiting Walt Disney World in the summer? You’re going to need a mint.
Peppermint oil sends a powerful signal to the brain that can help you cool down in the heat, and there are so many ways to take advantage of its cooling properties. While you could easily just keep a tin of strong mints like Altoids with you, the best way to take advantage of peppermint’s cooling properties is with a good quality essential oil. So long as the oil is good quality (like the one made by Doterra), you can carry a small bottle of peppermint oil and pour a drop straight on your tongue to cool down—just make sure your oil is safe for ingestion. You can also combine peppermint and lavender with distilled water and an emulsifier to make a DIY cooling spray. As an added benefit, peppermint oil can also help you wake up when you’re tired!
8. Hack your pulse
Image: Torbakhopper, Flickr (license)
Feeling extra hot and need to cool down fast? This hack goes full old-school-Epcot and utilizes science to quickly bring your temperature down. Your body has several pulse points where the application of ice or cold water can quickly cool your blood. The easiest way to do this is to find the spot on your wrist where you can feel your pulse, then run that spot on your wrist under cold running water. If you can’t get access to consistently running water (because Disney’s sinks are automatic), try applying an ice cube wrapped in a napkin to that spot.
You can also get similar results by applying an ice pack or a cold cloth (like your icy Sea Breeze towel) to the bottoms of your feet or to your cheeks. These two spots on your body don’t contract the same way as your other blood vessels when exposed to cold, which ultimately helps you cool down faster.
9. Use rides and queues to your advantage
Image: Disney
Most guests will do just about anything to get out of the mid-day heat at Walt Disney World, and that usually means heading straight for air-conditioned restaurants and rides. Unless you’re trying to outsmart crowds, there are a few tricks you can use to get the most cooling power out of your ride choices.
For one thing, stop worrying about getting wet. Ditch that silly poncho you’ve been saving for Splash Mountain and embrace the opportunity to get soaked. Kali River Rapids is a particularly good choice since it will leave you absolutely drenched. Now, here’s the trick: instead of just wandering around with all that water steaming in the Florida sun, opt instead to head straight into a long air-conditioned queue.
I hate waiting in line and will usually jump through any hoops necessary to avoid long attraction waits. On a hot day, however, long indoor queues are your friend. The combination of being damp from a water ride then heading into air-conditioning might be just the recipe you need to cool down. Even if you’re totally dry, a long wait indoors might provide just the break you need to miss the hottest part of the day. Soarin’ is an excellent example of a good queue to pick since it’s entirely indoors and the trivia app for the ride makes the wait fly by like a breeze.
You don’t just have to head inside for a ride either. Enjoy some of Disney’s indoor walking attractions, like the Festival Center for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival or Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream to get a little extra mileage out of that glorious a/c.
10. Don’t wait until you’re dying to visit First Aid
We cannot gush enough about the unsung happy place which is Disney parks First Aid stations. Most people assume First Aid is just for emergencies and treating scraped knees, but the First Aid stations at Walt Disney World are equipped to deal with all sorts of unusual guest emergencies. The nurses who work there are some of the nicest cast members you’ll meet. We’ve talked before about how they keep a number of OTC medications and convenience items stocked for urgent needs, but one of the best ways a visit to First Aid can help your vacation is by making sure you don’t drop from heat exhaustion.
Heat-related distress is pretty common at Walt Disney World. It’s easy for both kids and adults alike to overdo it and not realize they’ve passed from dehydration into danger until it’s too late. If you start feeling less-than-magical due to the heat, head to First Aid. If you just need to be rehydrated, the nurses will make sure you get the necessary water intake and rest in the air conditioning for a bit. They also can provide ice packs to help you cool down, and they even have a space designed for guests who need a physical or mental health break to recover.
If you’re experiencing the telltale signs of heat exhaustion (fatigue, confusion, dizziness, nausea, cramps, etc.) or even worse, heat stroke (red, hot, dry skin, rapid pulse, shallow breathing, lack of sweat, etc.), they can diagnose you quickly and get you the necessary medical attention you need. Our advice? Don’t wait until that point. If the park is packed and all our other tricks for cooling down aren’t working, just stop by First Aid and take the time you need to recover.
What are some other unorthodox hacks you can try to cool down at Walt Disney World?
