Anytime is a good time to visit Disneyland, but if you’ve ever visited California in the summer time, you know how hot and humid it can get. My last trip to the parks was during the summer heat and it was hooooot. Now that I’ve experienced the heat that comes during many months of the year, I want to share what I learned so that you don’t make the same mistakes I did and you can have an enjoyable trip!
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But first, let’s get that trip booked and the only way to do that is with Get Away Today! They always have the lowest prices on tickets and amazing deals on hotel stays. When you combine their amazing offers and perks, you can get your Disneyland vacation for an amazing price! I have used Get Away Today for all of my Disney trips and I have an amazing experience every single time. l absolutely love them and you will to! To book your trip, click here and make sure you use my code RAMBLING10 for additional money off of your 2+ day/2+ night package. Or if you just need tickets or a hotel stay, you can book those individually through them as well!
Now, let’s get into making your hot Disney days manageable so you can have the best time possible!
Arrive at the parks early and stay late
Your best bet to avoid the heat in the parks is to utilize your time in the parks before the sun is beating down or after the sun has begun to set. Arriving at the park before rope drop will guarantee you will get more done in the first few hours of your time in the parks which will all be before the heat of the day. Arrive at the parks at least 30 minutes early so that you can get in to the parks as soon as they allow guests in, which is half an hour before opening. That way you can line up near the land you are wanting to tackle first and knock out all of those rides in the cooler morning hours.
Staying late in the parks is also a great idea on hot days because the cooler evening hours you can also get a lot done whether that is seeing a show or taking advantage of the lower crowd levels to get on more rides, but night time in the parks is one of the best times!
Take a mid day break
On hot days, it may be a good idea to take a break from the parks. Whether that’s heading back to your hotel for a nap or to go swimming, or even heading the the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel to hang out for a little bit, sometimes you just need a longer break from the sun and heat to recoup before heading back to the parks. If you were in the parks for rope drop and you plan to stay until closing, leaving in the middle of the day is a much more realistic option because you’ve already maximized a lot of your time in the parks so you can afford to take a break. Even if you don’t want to leave the parks all together, finding a spot to hang out for a half hour or so will do wonders for your energy levels and mood.
Pack smart
When you’re in the parks on a hot day, you want to make sure you pack everything you need but also don’t overpack. The last thing you want is to lug around a heavy backpack in the heat. So make sure you prioritize what is a necessity and what isn’t. To help combat the heat and it’s effects, here’s what you want to make sure you have in your park bag:
- Insulated water bottle
- Hand held fan, folding fan or neck fan
- Mister water bottle/fan
- Cooling towels
- Sunscreen
- Chapstick with SPF
While in the parks, make sure you are constantly reapplying sunscreen and SPF chapstick, there is nothing worse than getting sunburned lips on a hot day.
You should also bring a portable battery to charge your phone that is going to last a long time because the heat will zap your phone’s battery! This is my favorite battery and it holds enough charge to fill up your phone completely multiple times without having to recharge the battery. All you need is a USB chord for your phone to plug it in.
Along with packing smart, you also need to dress properly. Wear light weight, breathable clothing and breathable shoes to keep you as cool as possible. Avoid too many layers or confining clothing. You can shop all my park must haves here as well as my favorite park must haves for kids!
Take a ride
While there are a lot of rides to choose from at Disneyland, some rides are superior on a hot day. When you hit that afternoon stretch with the highest temperatures, you want to find a long ride in an air conditioned building, a ride with an indoor queue, or even an outdoor ride that will give you some shade from the sun to give your self a few minutes to cool off. The rides you’ll want to head for are:
Long rides with AC
- “it’s a small world”
- The Little Mermaid- Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
- Haunted Mansion
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Soarin’
- Monorail
Rides with long indoor queues
- Indiana Jones
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout
- Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
- Rise of the Resistance
Rides with shade
- Disneyland Railroad- this is a great option to get some air movement and you can stay on as long as you’d like to cool off and rest while taking in the views of the park
- Jungle Cruise
Rides to AVOID during the heat of the day
- Autopia
- Most rides in Fantasyland- very little shade and long lines in the afternoon
- Rides in Cars Land- everything is pavement and gives off even more heat
- Golden Zephyr
- Goofy’s Sky School
- Jumpin’ Jellyfish
- Matterhorn Bobsleds
- Monsters Inc
- Inside Out: Emotional Whirlwind
- Space Mountain- only if the line is long, once you get inside the building it’s fine
Get wet
As everyone knows, one of the best ways to beat the heat is to get wet. While Disneyland has few rides that offer a soaking experience, you can always find relief from the heat riding Grizzly River Run or Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (opening late 2024). If you want to get really wet, make sure you sit in the front of the log on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Tip: make sure you switch your shoes to flip flops or something that will dry quickly as normal shoes will take a bit to dry out completely, even on a hot day.
Grizzly River Run
Break spots with air conditioning
During the heat of the day, you may want to find a nice air conditioned spot to take a seat or walk around for a bit for some relief. There are lots of spots where you can cool off and still experience entertainment at the same time. Here are my go to air conditioned break spots:
- Animation Building
- There are two parts to the Animation Building. One is the actual building where you walk inside to lots of screens playing various movie clips throughout and there are benches and seating areas inside. The other is the part is the Animation Academy where you get to learn to draw your favorite characters. An animator will walk you through the entire drawing. They typically do classes every half hour and they will have a board outside showing what they’re drawing at which times.
- Sorcerer’s Workshop
- This is a great, interactive spot in the basement of the Animation Building. Perfect for kids to still have fun while staying cool
- Enchanted Tiki Room
- One of the classic Disney attractions, this is a great spot to grab a dole whip and watch the show while the birds sing fun songs. This show is a longer show so you’ll get a nice long break from the heat.
- Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
- This is a great spot for you to look at displays and take a seat on various benches in a nice air conditioned building. If you are a fan of Disney history or just history in general, this is a great spot for you. They also have a show that runs every so often that you can enjoy as well.
- Main Street Cinema
- If you have kids especially, you’ll want to check this out. Inside this spot you can find several movie screens that play different classic animated films on them. It’s a great spot to sit or to let your kids nap away from the heat.
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- This 3D movie starring Donald Duck is a great break as you enjoy music and Disney animation.
- Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough
- While this won’t give your feet a break, it’s still a nice spot to explore on a hot day. You can find the entrance on the back side of Sleeping Beauty Castle and this walkthrough takes you up inside the castle as you walk through the story of Sleeping Beauty.
- The Bakery Tour
- This spot in DCA is a fun way to see how they make their famous sourdough bread. While this isn’t a very large area, it is a self guided tour so you can come in and spend a few minutes to get cooled off while you watch them bake.
- Various shops throughout the park
- The afternoon is the perfect time to do your shopping. You can get the goodies you want while getting a break from the heat.
You can learn more about these non-ride activities and more on this post.
Hydrate hydrate hydrate
While you’re in the park, make sure you are drinking plenty of water. My suggestion is to freeze some water bottles the night before and pack them in your bag so that throughout the day as they melt, you will have nice cold water. Bring along an insulated water bottle as well so that your water doesn’t go warm in the heat. You can also find ice water for free at quick service restaurants so make sure you take advantage of that any time you need. And did you know, Disneyland also has various bottle refill stations throughout the park? It’s much easier than trying to fill them up in a drinking fountain. Here’s where you can find them:
In Disneyland:
- Inside Red Rose Tavern in Fantasyland
- Galactic Grill in Tomorrowland
- Galaxy’s Edge, one by each set of bathrooms
- Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island near Catfish Cove
- At the exit of Autopia
- The walkway between Frontierland and Adventureland by the Pioneer Mercantile
- Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland
- Main Street USA Baby Care Center
- In Toontown near the bathrooms and near Chip n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster
In California Adventure:
- Avenger’s Campus near the Ancient Sanctum
- Freestyle Coca-Cola soda machines at Pym’s Test Kitchen has a water option
- There is a Coca-Cola soda machine across from Soarin’ next to Humphrey’s
- Outside the San Fransokyo Square bathrooms
Enjoy a nice meal
Taking the time to have a nice meal is a must on hot park days. There are a number of quick service restaurants that have indoor seating or really good shade like Red Rose Tavern, Alien Pizza Planet, Bengal Barbecue, Flo’s V8 Cafe, and more. You can find my review of quick service restaurants in the parks here. While all of these restaurants are great, my preference on a hot day is to have a table service meal. This is a great time to have a nice meal without feeling rushed and having lunch or an earlier dinner is the perfect beak from the heat. Keep in mind, many dining reservations are hard to come by at the last minute so you’ll want to make your reservations 60 days in advance when they open up. These are the restaurants that offer dining reservations:
- Blue Bayou
- Cafe Orleans
- Carnation Cafe
- Carthay Circle
- Lamplight Lounge
- Oga’s Cantina (snacks and drinks)
- River Belle Terrace
- Storytellers Cafe
- Wine Country Trattoria
For more information about these dining options, you can check out my review of Disneyland’s sit down restaurants here.
Grab a refreshing snack
There a lots of cool and refreshing snacks to grab in the parks for those hot summer days. Here are some of my favorites and where you can find them:
- Jungle Julep from Bengal Barbecue
- Dole Whip from Tiki Juice Bar or Tropical Hideaway
- Mint Julep from Mint Julep Bar
- Meiloorun Juice from Ronto Roasters
- Boysen Apple Freeze from Maurice’s Treats
- Ice cream from Gibson Girl, Clarabelle’s, and Ghirardelli Soda Fountain- I highly recommend the Ocean Beach Sea Salt Caramel Sundae from Ghirardelli’s
- Fresh fruit from Tropical Imports and Ship to Shore Marketplace or other fruit stands
- Seasonal lemonades from Hungry Bear- I love the watermelon lemonade!
- Pixar Pier Frosty Parfait from Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats
- Blue and green milk from the Milk Stand
- Smoothies and shakes from Schmoozies!
If you’re looking for even more yummy treats to try, check out my top 10 favorite Disney treats!
I hope these tips are helpful on your next trip so that you can have the best experience possible! If you haven’t already, make sure you book your Disneyland trip with Get Away Today for the best prices and unbeatable customer service! Have a magical trip!
