Dawn Niebling is back as we share our top tips for planning a Walt Disney World vacation during the hotter months. We go through each of the four parks and discuss which attractions are the best when the heat is too much or when storms pop up. Dawn also shares her family’s strategy for enjoying a full day in a park, from rope drop to park close. Plus, we share our pick for the best park for a hot and rainy day.
WEATHER
April through October are the hottest months in central Florida. Keep in mind that it often feels several degrees warmer than it is! Central Florida humidity can be thick!
The rainiest months by far are June through September, with each of those months having an average of more than double all other months.
If you prefer cooler weather and no rain, come to Walt Disney World January through April or October through December. April and October can still be warm but typically do not have much rain.
HOW TO PLAN FOR THE HEAT AND RAIN
Our favorite tips for beating the heat and rain at any Walt Disney World park include:
- Rope drop the park, then take a midday break at your resort. Go back to the park in the evening.
- If you prefer to stay in the park from rope drop to park close, like Dawn, we highly recommend making advanced dining reservations (ADR) for lunch to take a break from being outside in the heat. If you cannot get an ADR in advance, try to get on a walk-up list in the My Disney Experience app as soon as a restaurant opens.
- If you need a quick hit of cool air, walk through a shop.
Our favorite attractions to beat the heat and stay dry are listed below.
MAGIC KINGDOM
- Space Mountain
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
- Country Bear Jamboree
- The Hall of Presidents
- Haunted Mansion
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- It’s a Small World
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Splash Mountain
- Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
- Pirates of the Caribbean
EPCOT
- Test Track (except when it’s raining, it will likely close)
- Mission: SPACE
- Spaceship Earth
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Living with the Land
- Awesome Planet show
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- The Seas Tanks
- Turtle Talk with Crush
- Journey into Imagination with Figment
- Pixar shorts
- Odyssey Events Pavilion – Walt Disney Imagineering presents the EPCOT Experience
- Gran Fiesta Tour
- Frozen Ever After
- Reflections of China
- House of the Whispering Willows (Shanghai Disney Resort art gallery)
- The American Adventure show
- Voices of Liberty
- American Heritage Gallery
- Shopping in Mitsukoshi store
- Bijutsu-kan Gallery
- Beauty & the Beast Singalong / Impressions de France
- Canada Far and Wide
DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
- Tower of Terror (though outside queue can be hot)
- Rock n Roller Coaster (though outside queue can be hot)
- Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy (nicest restrooms in the park near this attraction!)
- MuppetVision 3D
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (if the line is short, because so much of the queue is outside with little cover)
- For the First Time in Forever: Frozen Sing-a-Long
- Walt Disney Presents
- Toy Story Midway Mania
- Mickey Shorts theater
- Star Tours
- Rise of the Resistance
- Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run
ANIMAL KINGDOM
- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo: the Musical
- Flight of Passage
- Na’vi River Journey
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug
- DINOSAUR (but it’s a long hot walk to get to it, and not much else in that part of the park)
- Kali River Rapids
Items to bring on your vacation:
- Breathable fabrics
- Daily change of socks
- Both supportive sneakers and sandals
- Cooling towels
- Handheld battery fans or fans that hang around your neck
- Water bottles (or at least make sure you drink plenty of water)
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Ponchos (umbrellas may prove useless or dangerous in a windy thunderstorm with lightning)
- Flip flops to leave by the side of the pool, in case the pavement around the pool is really hot It happens).
