August 27, 2025 • 18 mins
Travel experts Ryan and Julie share hard-earned lessons from their recent Walt Disney World summer trip, revealing practical strategies for beating Florida's intense heat while maximizing park time. Fresh off their Utopia of the Seas cruise, both hosts experienced Disney's summer challenges firsthand and provide actionable advice for families planning summer visits.
Key Topics Covered
Heat Management Strategies:
- Early park entry to avoid peak temperatures
- Strategic indoor/outdoor ride rotation
- Resort breaks during hottest afternoon hours
- Pool timing recommendations (avoid midday heat)
Essential Packing List:
- Cooling towels and personal fans
- Misting bottles with fans
- Rain protection (ponchos vs raincoats)
- Extra clothing changes for split park days
- Amazon delivery for snacks and water bottles
Money-Saving Tips:
- Lightning Lane purchases to minimize outdoor queue time
- Strategic dining reservations for air-conditioned breaks
- Amazon grocery delivery (40 water bottles vs $6 Disney water)
- Capture the Moment photo sessions
Weather Preparedness:
- Florida's unpredictable summer storms
- Ride closures during lightning
- Must-do attractions scheduled for mornings
Expert Recommendations
Best Practices:
- Book sit-down lunch reservations for air conditioning breaks
- Save indoor shows for afternoon heat
- Park hopping for scenery changes and cooling
- Prioritize must-do rides early in the day
What Didn't Work:
- Resort pools during midday (too warm)
- Skipping Lightning Lanes (long outdoor waits)
- Inadequate rain preparation
Bottom Line
While Disney World summers are extremely hot, proper planning makes visits manageable. The hosts emphasize that if summer is when you can travel, these strategies will help you survive and enjoy your magical vacation despite the challenging weather conditions.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to All Things Travel.
our recent cruise on Utopia ofthe Seas, Ryan and I went to
Walt Disney World for a fewdays.
know summer is hot and it isespecially hot like standing on
the sun hot in Florida.
Today we're gonna talk about howwe handled or didn't handle the
(00:21):
heat and our tips for visitingDisney in the summer.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (00:25):
Listen in with travel advisors and
destination experts.
Ryan and Julie.
I'm your travel professorteaching you everything you need
to know to have a magicalvacation, and she's a Disney
loving Maryland mom of three anda specialist in family travel.
Whether we're discussingincredible destinations, top
vacation tips, or sharingpersonal stories, it's always
(00:47):
all things travel.
All right, so we have been backa week.
Julie, have you recovered frombeing in the sun so much at, uh,
Walt Disney World?
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (00:58):
I had a lot of things to recover from
this trip.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (01:00):
you went from, Your kids on a cruise
to Walt Disney World to gettinghome and a husband getting sick
and having major delays on yourway there and back.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (01:13):
It's been a brutal coming home, but you
know, we're making it, it'sFriday, we've been home for
about a week.
so we both decided that since wewere gonna be cruising out of
Port Canaveral, it would be funfor us to meet up in Walt Disney
World for a couple of days.
And
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (01:25):
yeah.
Yeah.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (01:26):
when we say meet up because we don't
actually see each other at allon these trips.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (01:30):
here's what I've learned, if we're
doing something like this, ifyou don't plan it, it's not
gonna happen.
Jasmine and I, this was herfirst time to Walt Disney World
in 13 years, and she is a go, gogo person, like rope drop to
fireworks.
Like, why wouldn't you do that?
(01:50):
you're wasting your time andmoney if you wouldn't do that.
And so.
It was awesome.
But yeah, there was not a lot ofbreathing space to do those
random meetups anyway, even ifwe were able to accomplish it.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (02:04):
Well, yeah, that was your schedule.
And then mine was all for thekids and doing their stuff.
So we're just are at verydifferent rides.
to overlap some rides.
It never seemed to actuallywork,
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (02:14):
we did a cool thing together we did a
capture the moment photo shootin Epcot, this is, my third time
doing it.
last summer, when my son anddaughter went, we did one for
her high school graduation.
I contend this is still one ofthe best things to do.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (02:31):
fun.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (02:31):
we got fantastic pictures Jasmine and I
got pictures.
You and I got pictures together.
We each got individual picturesthat we can use, personally we
can use for our business.
our camera guy and his assistantwere phenomenal.
They are efficient because it'sonly a 20 minute session and
you're like, how in the worldcan you do this?
(02:52):
And man, they do it.
it was so much fun.
if you are thinking about thisor if you have a reason to get
some special pictures, do thecapture the moment.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:01):
Oh, it's definitely cheaper than like
anywhere at home.
I would do a photo session.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:04):
Yeah, absolutely.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:06):
so we were there, we got off the ship
on Monday and went straight toour resorts.
I stayed
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:11):
Yeah.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:11):
club And you stayed at Riviera?
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:14):
stayed at the Riviera and we got some
pixie dust.
that night when we were going toour room, I we were walking down
the hallway and we had a porterwith us with the bags.
And, I had, I've stayed on DVCpoints and had, uh, rented us a
studio, which is a basic, hotelroom.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:30):
Yeah.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:30):
Yeah, accommodation.
And I pointed out the laundryroom because Jasmine wanted to
do a bit of laundry from thecrew.
he goes, well, you guys have alaundry in your room.
And I go, no, we just have astudio.
he said our number again.
He goes, no, that's a onebedroom.
we walk in and we had abeautiful one bedroom at the
Riviera, which honestly I couldlive in.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:50):
Yeah, those are beautiful rooms,
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:52):
There, there IJI love the Riviera so
much.
So yeah, so we went straight tothe Riviera, dropped our stuff
off.
I had packed for the park, so Ihad my park bag all ready to go.
Pulled that out of the luggageand we, got on the bus for
Animal Kingdom.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:08):
Yeah, you guys had a great day.
We chilled at the resort alittle bit more.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:12):
You just had a resort day, a.
relaxation day, which I think isalso a great way to do it.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:17):
We We also went to Hollywood studios
that night.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:20):
Yeah,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:20):
I got down board on for like
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:21):
I do remember that, and I'll talk
about our experience with thatin a second.
coming off of a cruise, I thinkheading to your resort and
having a resort day is great.
Also, remember that through2026, Disney is having that, uh,
waterpark the first day of yourstay.
So maybe going to the waterpark,I think that's a great way to
(04:42):
use your time.
But to be honest, we got off thecruise in Port Canaveral, took
our transfer over and we were atthe parks by noon.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:51):
you were there early.
we had a good day.
But, let's talk about theelephant in the room nobody
wants to go to Disney in thesummer because it's so freaking
hot
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:59):
Yes.
But before we talk abouteverything Disney in the
summertime, if you did notlisten to last week's episode,
we talked about some off thebeaten path destinations in
Europe that you can visit beforethe crowd's catch up.
So you did three of the parks?
We did four of the parks.
We had a park hopper, so we werebebopping around.
(05:21):
let's talk specifically aboutthe heat and summer aspect of
it, because we've talked a lotabout the, logistics of Disney.
I don't think we need to spendas much time on that.
what was your experience andwhat are some of your tips,
Julie?
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (05:36):
Yeah, so going into this, we knew it was
gonna be really hot.
Obviously it's July in Floridaand we've never been in the
summer.
The only time I went when it washot was in September, and I
remember it being.
Miserable.
So plan to combat the heat wasto do early entry.
(05:56):
At the park.
get there as soon as the parksopen, hoping it's a little
cooler and a little lesscrowded.
Go back to the resort in theafternoon and then maybe go back
in the evening depending on whatwe wanted to do.
The day we went to HollywoodStudios, we planned to only go
in the evening because that wasthe day we got off the ship.
So we were like, let's just gofor a couple hours.
We'll do a couple rides.
(06:17):
know, nothing crazy.
Um, we also, when we were in theparks.
tried to alternate indooroutdoor rides so that we would
be outside, dripping in sweatand then be able to go into the
air conditioning for bit.
only made reservations for lunchat the parks, like no dinner
because I didn't wanna have togo back if I didn't want to.
I didn't wanna do breakfastreservations because I wanted to
(06:40):
capitalize that early time.
In the park doing the rides whenpotentially it'd be a little bit
more cool or maybe just not8,800 degrees outside.
so I made lunch reservationsthinking that we'll do the park
all morning, we'll do lunch,it'll be inside, and then we'll
get to go back and just relax.
(07:00):
that plan worked.
Pretty well, the other thing wedid is I always do an Amazon
delivery.
When you have kids, it's just somuch easier to have snacks that
they're familiar with.
And a lot of them, Disney food,it's not cheap that, know, a
snack is a minimum.
$6 plus
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (07:18):
Right.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (07:19):
of water is a minimum of like$5.
Right.
Like, something like that.
I
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (07:24):
a bottle of Desani Water most
places is$6.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (07:27):
Oh my gosh.
So I did an Amazon order.
I probably spent like$190 on myAmazon order, but we had so many
snacks and I purchased like 40bottles of water.
that, a lot of water.
I definitely recommend that as away to combat the heat because
you've got water for everyoneall day long, which you need
that.
(07:47):
to survive as you're sweatingout everything in your body.
know, the kids, they get crankywhen it's hot.
So if you keep handing themsnacks, It helps a little bit.
this plan worked.
For the most part.
I had planned to like come backand do the pool in the afternoon
thinking like, oh, it'll be agreat break.
That pool was warm, it was notrefreshing.
maybe come back Chill in theroom and then go to the pool.
(08:08):
there was one day that we endedup at the pool five in the
afternoon, and that was nice.
But when we were there at noon,it was brutal.
It was so warm.
The Yacht Club, beach Club Pool,though it was amazing.
We know this like one of thebest pools on property, but
specifically for my kids' ages,my older one can swim.
My middle is getting there.
(08:29):
My youngest obviously can,shoots two.
the sand bottom section thoughis like feet deep.
it was just great for them to beable to like waddle around play
obviously we're on guard, butthey're.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (08:41):
Right.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (08:42):
really well in
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (08:43):
I.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (08:44):
even though we planned early entry,
it was so hot in the morning,hotter than I anticipated.
Like we walked outta the resortand we drenched.
I don't know if you thought thattoo, but man, it was hot in the
mornings when we did our photosession, I was like, where's the
shade?
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (08:59):
Yes.
And so I had been with my kidsthe same week, the year before,
so I knew it was gonna be hot.
so some of my tips are the sameevery day.
We had a lunch sit down.
We did Yak and Yeti at AnimalKingdom the first day.
Then we did Crystal Palace thesecond day.
That was the same, thing as you,you I know.
And um, then we did sci-fi drivein diner, the third day.
(09:22):
And I love having that breakfrom the heat, with the air
conditioning.
I also like to park, hop in theafternoon even if you're hot and
cranky, getting a change ofscenery helps with that a little
bit.
Getting in the air conditioning,sitting down, having a drink
during the trip.
Always have water, obviously,with you I always try to save
(09:43):
some of the inside shows for theafternoon.
we never went back, with ourpark hopping tickets, we went.
from morning till night.
so yeah, the same types ofthings, as you
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (09:55):
Is there anything that you felt like
didn't work in relation to theheat?
is there anything that you thinkyou should have done differently
or you would tell people to dodifferently?
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (10:02):
no,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (10:02):
day, or do you think
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (10:03):
I don't think so, but to be
honest, my biggest tip is.
Spend the money to get yourlightning lanes and to buy your
individual lightning lanes.
I know that it costs extra moneyand people don't like spending
that extra money right beforetheir trip, but not having to
stand in the queues.
Being able to get on thoserides, you want to get on as
(10:26):
soon as you want to get on them,or the time that you have
scheduled and not have to standin 80 minute lines.
You don't want to do that.
Yeah.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (10:35):
day at Magic Kingdom, we did end up
missing a lot of rides becauseit was like lightning in the
area.
Like it never
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (10:43):
Yes, so, the one day we actually left
early, Was because it didn'tseem like there was gonna be
fireworks and the nighttimeparade at Magic Kingdom, which
there ended up being.
but it was also nice to havekind of a quote unquote evening
off, um, if you will.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:00):
and we also saw each other that day
because you came running over tome and threw some ponchos at me
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:07):
Yeah.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:08):
my husband and daughter were stuck
on the
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:10):
And, and I think, to be honest, I
agreed to do that quickly and Ithink if Jasmine had gotten wet
running to the bus, because wehad given you the ponchos.
I don't know if I'd be gettingmarried in two months.
But,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:23):
it
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:23):
well,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:24):
but that's okay.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:25):
No, So let's talk about how, what can
we pack, what can we think ofahead of time to help with this
other than these tips?
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:34):
Yeah.
So that was how you need to planyour day and what you need to
know
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:38):
yeah,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:38):
to do in the parks when it's really hot.
what do you need to bring withyou to help with this heat?
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:43):
so you're gonna laugh.
I had cooling towels in mybackpack the entire time.
We never used them.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:48):
funny.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:49):
Yeah.
So, but I love cooling towelsfor this.
It really does make adifference.
I don't like being wet, eventhough I'm sweaty.
and it's not like it drenchesyou'cause it does feel good, but
I just felt like I didn't needto use them.
But they work so, don't hesitateto have them'cause they
certainly work.
j_1_08-08-2025_14540 (12:08):
Especially for little kids, if
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:10):
Yeah.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:10):
are hot, that's definitely going to be
something to cool them down.
fans, I was prepared.
like I had one for each kid.
a fan for my husband and I, andthat was helpful because then
everyone could put the fan intheir face,
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:25):
Yep.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:26):
I'd also recommend like a MR Bottle.
we brought our MR bottle andthen it was out of batteries, so
that didn't really work out wellfor us.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:33):
Good job, mom.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:34):
one in the park, it's probably like$35,
but probably worth it.
when I say Mr.
Bottle, I mean, you spray thewater and it has the fan and
it's really lovely
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:44):
Yes,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:45):
All right, what else?
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:46):
well, you have to have some sort of
rain protection because rainpops up at any point in Florida.
My preferred is the throwawayponchos, because they can pack
small and you can get'em outquickly.
I know not everybody likes that.
but I tend to like that as ourversion of rain gear.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:05):
They're also not like, as hot as a
raincoat would be.
Like a
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:08):
Right, right,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:09):
fun fact I brought ponchos, I brought
raincoats.
They stayed in the room thewhole trip.
I am
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:17):
Oh, you,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:18):
owner of five Disney Park Ponchos.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:22):
oh, Julie.
Oh, no.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:24):
When we went to Hollywood Studios.
When I say it was pouring it.
Poured were,
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:31):
at the same time you were there, we
were in Ebco under SpaceshipEarth and strollers were
actually like rolling down thesidewalk because the wind was so
strong.
People wearing ponchos werebeing forced down the sidewalk.
It was nuts.
it started to rain as we werewalking into Epcot and I'm like,
we need to get under SpaceshipEarth now.
And literally we got under andit just, it just opened up.
(13:55):
Yes.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:56):
I remember we were in line for
alien swirling saucers for ourlightning lane, and it was
starting to look a little funky.
We pulled up the radar andSteven was like, oh, it's gonna
miss us.
It's gonna go right past andmiss us.
We get off alien swirlingsaucers, we check again.
We're like, no, still gonna missus.
And then it just Drizzles andthen it just pour.
So I am running throughHollywood Studios, me, my
(14:18):
husband, and these three littlekids running from one spot to
the next because we still ofwanted to make the most of it.
We had Aliens Rolling Saucerswas the first ride we did.
We were supposed to also doSlinky Dog, and to mania.
We went straight to frozen.
Sting along because it was
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (14:36):
I.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (14:36):
We got there, we were drenched.
we went from there to Mickey andMini's runaway railway because
Slinky was down.
So we got one of those multipleexperience lightning lanes, so
we were able to go inside again.
Which was great.
And actually my kids did reallywell.
Like we were, you could wr outthese kids' hair.
We were
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (14:55):
Yes,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (14:55):
the stroller was drenched.
We go on toy story mania, it'snow been raining for like two
hours, like pouring for twohours.
We get up, we are in the giftshop for Toy Story Mania and
we're like, what are we gonna dofor the stroller?
these kids can't just like sitin the stroller like it is, the
stroller is soaked.
So I'm like, maybe we shouldsome sweatshirts that way, like
it's something they can uselater.
(15:16):
They can sit on them, whatever.
But then we can take'em home,whatever.
We end up buying ponchos becausethe ponchos were like 10 bucks a
piece.
the kids so excited to put ontheir ponchos.
We get outside.
The rain is stopped.
Of course it has, right?
Of course it's not
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:27):
Of course.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:28):
the Panchos were really helpful for
the stroller.
my husband spent that eveninghair drying the stroller.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_14540 (15:33):
Mm-hmm.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:34):
a time.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:34):
Very nice.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:35):
even if you don't think
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:36):
Yep.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:36):
it.
another thing, extra clothes, ifyou're splitting up your park
day.
And this was something that tookme forever to pack and why we
needed extra suitcases, if weare going to.
Magic Kingdom in the morning andtaking a break and going back to
Magic Kingdom at night.
we're not gonna and wear thosesweaty clothes again.
I made sure myself and all thechildren had an extra set of
clothes for each day.
(15:58):
even if you not going back tothe park that night, if you came
back and hung out at the resort,your clothes are still kind of
gross.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145 (16:03):
obviously bring hats, sunglasses, all that
stuff for the parks.
sunscreen, definitely.
I tend to do bad with this.
I put it on in the morning andthen I forget about it the rest
of the day, but obviously youshould be putting it on.
and then, like you said at thebeginning, have that water so
that you don't even have tothink about it.
It's already there.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (16:22):
wrapping up, what do you think about
recommending Summer in WaltDisney World?
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (16:27):
Well, I think it's one of those things
where if that's when you can go,then that's when you can go.
now that I'm engaged to ateacher, if that's when you can
go, that's when you can go.
so you just know what you'regetting into and you know how to
handle the heat.
Think about either dates thatcan counteract that or, or how
do you pack that way?
(16:48):
I would it stop me from going?
No.
Do I know it's gonna be hot?
Yes.
But you know, would I say don'tgo?
I don't know if I would, becausemost people come to me already
knowing when they can travel.
I would just make, sure that myclients were prepared.
'cause I don't think people knowhow hot.
(17:09):
And how weather dependent theirtrip is really gonna be at that
time.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (17:13):
And then especially like how we talked
about it's raining rides shutdown in the evenings.
even just knowing if you have aride, that's a must do.
Do it in the morning when it'sless likely to rain.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (17:24):
The world is full of wonder and your
next adventure is waiting atWonder and Beyond Travel.
We work with you to create a oneof a kind journey taking the
stress off your plate so you canfocus on the joy of exploring
and the memories that will staywith you forever.
If you're ready to startplanning or if you just want to
dream a little bit more, headover to Wonder and beyond
(17:44):
travel.com.
We would love to help you getstarted.
We look forward to talking toyou next week on All Things
Travel.
When we finish our off theBeaten Path Travel series with
the Caribbean.
Hello and welcome to All Things Travel.
our recent cruise on Utopia ofthe Seas, Ryan and I went to
Walt Disney World for a fewdays.
know summer is hot and it isespecially hot like standing on
the sun hot in Florida.
Today we're gonna talk about howwe handled or didn't handle the
(00:21):
heat and our tips for visitingDisney in the summer.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (00:25):
Listen in with travel advisors and
destination experts.
Ryan and Julie.
I'm your travel professorteaching you everything you need
to know to have a magicalvacation, and she's a Disney
loving Maryland mom of three anda specialist in family travel.
Whether we're discussingincredible destinations, top
vacation tips, or sharingpersonal stories, it's always
(00:47):
all things travel.
All right, so we have been backa week.
Julie, have you recovered frombeing in the sun so much at, uh,
Walt Disney World?
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (00:58):
I had a lot of things to recover from
this trip.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (01:00):
you went from, Your kids on a cruise
to Walt Disney World to gettinghome and a husband getting sick
and having major delays on yourway there and back.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (01:13):
It's been a brutal coming home, but you
know, we're making it, it'sFriday, we've been home for
about a week.
so we both decided that since wewere gonna be cruising out of
Port Canaveral, it would be funfor us to meet up in Walt Disney
World for a couple of days.
And
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (01:25):
yeah.
Yeah.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (01:26):
when we say meet up because we don't
actually see each other at allon these trips.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (01:30):
here's what I've learned, if we're
doing something like this, ifyou don't plan it, it's not
gonna happen.
Jasmine and I, this was herfirst time to Walt Disney World
in 13 years, and she is a go, gogo person, like rope drop to
fireworks.
Like, why wouldn't you do that?
(01:50):
you're wasting your time andmoney if you wouldn't do that.
And so.
It was awesome.
But yeah, there was not a lot ofbreathing space to do those
random meetups anyway, even ifwe were able to accomplish it.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (02:04):
Well, yeah, that was your schedule.
And then mine was all for thekids and doing their stuff.
So we're just are at verydifferent rides.
to overlap some rides.
It never seemed to actuallywork,
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (02:14):
we did a cool thing together we did a
capture the moment photo shootin Epcot, this is, my third time
doing it.
last summer, when my son anddaughter went, we did one for
her high school graduation.
I contend this is still one ofthe best things to do.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (02:31):
fun.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (02:31):
we got fantastic pictures Jasmine and I
got pictures.
You and I got pictures together.
We each got individual picturesthat we can use, personally we
can use for our business.
our camera guy and his assistantwere phenomenal.
They are efficient because it'sonly a 20 minute session and
you're like, how in the worldcan you do this?
(02:52):
And man, they do it.
it was so much fun.
if you are thinking about thisor if you have a reason to get
some special pictures, do thecapture the moment.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:01):
Oh, it's definitely cheaper than like
anywhere at home.
I would do a photo session.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:04):
Yeah, absolutely.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:06):
so we were there, we got off the ship
on Monday and went straight toour resorts.
I stayed
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:11):
Yeah.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:11):
club And you stayed at Riviera?
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:14):
stayed at the Riviera and we got some
pixie dust.
that night when we were going toour room, I we were walking down
the hallway and we had a porterwith us with the bags.
And, I had, I've stayed on DVCpoints and had, uh, rented us a
studio, which is a basic, hotelroom.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:30):
Yeah.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:30):
Yeah, accommodation.
And I pointed out the laundryroom because Jasmine wanted to
do a bit of laundry from thecrew.
he goes, well, you guys have alaundry in your room.
And I go, no, we just have astudio.
he said our number again.
He goes, no, that's a onebedroom.
we walk in and we had abeautiful one bedroom at the
Riviera, which honestly I couldlive in.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:50):
Yeah, those are beautiful rooms,
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (03:52):
There, there IJI love the Riviera so
much.
So yeah, so we went straight tothe Riviera, dropped our stuff
off.
I had packed for the park, so Ihad my park bag all ready to go.
Pulled that out of the luggageand we, got on the bus for
Animal Kingdom.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:08):
Yeah, you guys had a great day.
We chilled at the resort alittle bit more.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:12):
You just had a resort day, a.
relaxation day, which I think isalso a great way to do it.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:17):
We We also went to Hollywood studios
that night.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:20):
Yeah,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:20):
I got down board on for like
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:21):
I do remember that, and I'll talk
about our experience with thatin a second.
coming off of a cruise, I thinkheading to your resort and
having a resort day is great.
Also, remember that through2026, Disney is having that, uh,
waterpark the first day of yourstay.
So maybe going to the waterpark,I think that's a great way to
(04:42):
use your time.
But to be honest, we got off thecruise in Port Canaveral, took
our transfer over and we were atthe parks by noon.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:51):
you were there early.
we had a good day.
But, let's talk about theelephant in the room nobody
wants to go to Disney in thesummer because it's so freaking
hot
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (04:59):
Yes.
But before we talk abouteverything Disney in the
summertime, if you did notlisten to last week's episode,
we talked about some off thebeaten path destinations in
Europe that you can visit beforethe crowd's catch up.
So you did three of the parks?
We did four of the parks.
We had a park hopper, so we werebebopping around.
(05:21):
let's talk specifically aboutthe heat and summer aspect of
it, because we've talked a lotabout the, logistics of Disney.
I don't think we need to spendas much time on that.
what was your experience andwhat are some of your tips,
Julie?
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (05:36):
Yeah, so going into this, we knew it was
gonna be really hot.
Obviously it's July in Floridaand we've never been in the
summer.
The only time I went when it washot was in September, and I
remember it being.
Miserable.
So plan to combat the heat wasto do early entry.
(05:56):
At the park.
get there as soon as the parksopen, hoping it's a little
cooler and a little lesscrowded.
Go back to the resort in theafternoon and then maybe go back
in the evening depending on whatwe wanted to do.
The day we went to HollywoodStudios, we planned to only go
in the evening because that wasthe day we got off the ship.
So we were like, let's just gofor a couple hours.
We'll do a couple rides.
(06:17):
know, nothing crazy.
Um, we also, when we were in theparks.
tried to alternate indooroutdoor rides so that we would
be outside, dripping in sweatand then be able to go into the
air conditioning for bit.
only made reservations for lunchat the parks, like no dinner
because I didn't wanna have togo back if I didn't want to.
I didn't wanna do breakfastreservations because I wanted to
(06:40):
capitalize that early time.
In the park doing the rides whenpotentially it'd be a little bit
more cool or maybe just not8,800 degrees outside.
so I made lunch reservationsthinking that we'll do the park
all morning, we'll do lunch,it'll be inside, and then we'll
get to go back and just relax.
(07:00):
that plan worked.
Pretty well, the other thing wedid is I always do an Amazon
delivery.
When you have kids, it's just somuch easier to have snacks that
they're familiar with.
And a lot of them, Disney food,it's not cheap that, know, a
snack is a minimum.
$6 plus
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (07:18):
Right.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (07:19):
of water is a minimum of like$5.
Right.
Like, something like that.
I
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (07:24):
a bottle of Desani Water most
places is$6.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (07:27):
Oh my gosh.
So I did an Amazon order.
I probably spent like$190 on myAmazon order, but we had so many
snacks and I purchased like 40bottles of water.
that, a lot of water.
I definitely recommend that as away to combat the heat because
you've got water for everyoneall day long, which you need
that.
(07:47):
to survive as you're sweatingout everything in your body.
know, the kids, they get crankywhen it's hot.
So if you keep handing themsnacks, It helps a little bit.
this plan worked.
For the most part.
I had planned to like come backand do the pool in the afternoon
thinking like, oh, it'll be agreat break.
That pool was warm, it was notrefreshing.
maybe come back Chill in theroom and then go to the pool.
(08:08):
there was one day that we endedup at the pool five in the
afternoon, and that was nice.
But when we were there at noon,it was brutal.
It was so warm.
The Yacht Club, beach Club Pool,though it was amazing.
We know this like one of thebest pools on property, but
specifically for my kids' ages,my older one can swim.
My middle is getting there.
(08:29):
My youngest obviously can,shoots two.
the sand bottom section thoughis like feet deep.
it was just great for them to beable to like waddle around play
obviously we're on guard, butthey're.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (08:41):
Right.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (08:42):
really well in
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (08:43):
I.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (08:44):
even though we planned early entry,
it was so hot in the morning,hotter than I anticipated.
Like we walked outta the resortand we drenched.
I don't know if you thought thattoo, but man, it was hot in the
mornings when we did our photosession, I was like, where's the
shade?
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (08:59):
Yes.
And so I had been with my kidsthe same week, the year before,
so I knew it was gonna be hot.
so some of my tips are the sameevery day.
We had a lunch sit down.
We did Yak and Yeti at AnimalKingdom the first day.
Then we did Crystal Palace thesecond day.
That was the same, thing as you,you I know.
And um, then we did sci-fi drivein diner, the third day.
(09:22):
And I love having that breakfrom the heat, with the air
conditioning.
I also like to park, hop in theafternoon even if you're hot and
cranky, getting a change ofscenery helps with that a little
bit.
Getting in the air conditioning,sitting down, having a drink
during the trip.
Always have water, obviously,with you I always try to save
(09:43):
some of the inside shows for theafternoon.
we never went back, with ourpark hopping tickets, we went.
from morning till night.
so yeah, the same types ofthings, as you
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (09:55):
Is there anything that you felt like
didn't work in relation to theheat?
is there anything that you thinkyou should have done differently
or you would tell people to dodifferently?
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (10:02):
no,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (10:02):
day, or do you think
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (10:03):
I don't think so, but to be
honest, my biggest tip is.
Spend the money to get yourlightning lanes and to buy your
individual lightning lanes.
I know that it costs extra moneyand people don't like spending
that extra money right beforetheir trip, but not having to
stand in the queues.
Being able to get on thoserides, you want to get on as
(10:26):
soon as you want to get on them,or the time that you have
scheduled and not have to standin 80 minute lines.
You don't want to do that.
Yeah.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (10:35):
day at Magic Kingdom, we did end up
missing a lot of rides becauseit was like lightning in the
area.
Like it never
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (10:43):
Yes, so, the one day we actually left
early, Was because it didn'tseem like there was gonna be
fireworks and the nighttimeparade at Magic Kingdom, which
there ended up being.
but it was also nice to havekind of a quote unquote evening
off, um, if you will.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:00):
and we also saw each other that day
because you came running over tome and threw some ponchos at me
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:07):
Yeah.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:08):
my husband and daughter were stuck
on the
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:10):
And, and I think, to be honest, I
agreed to do that quickly and Ithink if Jasmine had gotten wet
running to the bus, because wehad given you the ponchos.
I don't know if I'd be gettingmarried in two months.
But,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:23):
it
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:23):
well,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:24):
but that's okay.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:25):
No, So let's talk about how, what can
we pack, what can we think ofahead of time to help with this
other than these tips?
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:34):
Yeah.
So that was how you need to planyour day and what you need to
know
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:38):
yeah,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:38):
to do in the parks when it's really hot.
what do you need to bring withyou to help with this heat?
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:43):
so you're gonna laugh.
I had cooling towels in mybackpack the entire time.
We never used them.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:48):
funny.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (11:49):
Yeah.
So, but I love cooling towelsfor this.
It really does make adifference.
I don't like being wet, eventhough I'm sweaty.
and it's not like it drenchesyou'cause it does feel good, but
I just felt like I didn't needto use them.
But they work so, don't hesitateto have them'cause they
certainly work.
j_1_08-08-2025_14540 (12:08):
Especially for little kids, if
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:10):
Yeah.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:10):
are hot, that's definitely going to be
something to cool them down.
fans, I was prepared.
like I had one for each kid.
a fan for my husband and I, andthat was helpful because then
everyone could put the fan intheir face,
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:25):
Yep.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:26):
I'd also recommend like a MR Bottle.
we brought our MR bottle andthen it was out of batteries, so
that didn't really work out wellfor us.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:33):
Good job, mom.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:34):
one in the park, it's probably like$35,
but probably worth it.
when I say Mr.
Bottle, I mean, you spray thewater and it has the fan and
it's really lovely
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:44):
Yes,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:45):
All right, what else?
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (12:46):
well, you have to have some sort of
rain protection because rainpops up at any point in Florida.
My preferred is the throwawayponchos, because they can pack
small and you can get'em outquickly.
I know not everybody likes that.
but I tend to like that as ourversion of rain gear.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:05):
They're also not like, as hot as a
raincoat would be.
Like a
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:08):
Right, right,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:09):
fun fact I brought ponchos, I brought
raincoats.
They stayed in the room thewhole trip.
I am
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:17):
Oh, you,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:18):
owner of five Disney Park Ponchos.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:22):
oh, Julie.
Oh, no.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:24):
When we went to Hollywood Studios.
When I say it was pouring it.
Poured were,
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:31):
at the same time you were there, we
were in Ebco under SpaceshipEarth and strollers were
actually like rolling down thesidewalk because the wind was so
strong.
People wearing ponchos werebeing forced down the sidewalk.
It was nuts.
it started to rain as we werewalking into Epcot and I'm like,
we need to get under SpaceshipEarth now.
And literally we got under andit just, it just opened up.
(13:55):
Yes.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (13:56):
I remember we were in line for
alien swirling saucers for ourlightning lane, and it was
starting to look a little funky.
We pulled up the radar andSteven was like, oh, it's gonna
miss us.
It's gonna go right past andmiss us.
We get off alien swirlingsaucers, we check again.
We're like, no, still gonna missus.
And then it just Drizzles andthen it just pour.
So I am running throughHollywood Studios, me, my
(14:18):
husband, and these three littlekids running from one spot to
the next because we still ofwanted to make the most of it.
We had Aliens Rolling Saucerswas the first ride we did.
We were supposed to also doSlinky Dog, and to mania.
We went straight to frozen.
Sting along because it was
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (14:36):
I.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (14:36):
We got there, we were drenched.
we went from there to Mickey andMini's runaway railway because
Slinky was down.
So we got one of those multipleexperience lightning lanes, so
we were able to go inside again.
Which was great.
And actually my kids did reallywell.
Like we were, you could wr outthese kids' hair.
We were
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (14:55):
Yes,
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (14:55):
the stroller was drenched.
We go on toy story mania, it'snow been raining for like two
hours, like pouring for twohours.
We get up, we are in the giftshop for Toy Story Mania and
we're like, what are we gonna dofor the stroller?
these kids can't just like sitin the stroller like it is, the
stroller is soaked.
So I'm like, maybe we shouldsome sweatshirts that way, like
it's something they can uselater.
(15:16):
They can sit on them, whatever.
But then we can take'em home,whatever.
We end up buying ponchos becausethe ponchos were like 10 bucks a
piece.
the kids so excited to put ontheir ponchos.
We get outside.
The rain is stopped.
Of course it has, right?
Of course it's not
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:27):
Of course.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:28):
the Panchos were really helpful for
the stroller.
my husband spent that eveninghair drying the stroller.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_14540 (15:33):
Mm-hmm.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:34):
a time.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:34):
Very nice.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:35):
even if you don't think
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:36):
Yep.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (15:36):
it.
another thing, extra clothes, ifyou're splitting up your park
day.
And this was something that tookme forever to pack and why we
needed extra suitcases, if weare going to.
Magic Kingdom in the morning andtaking a break and going back to
Magic Kingdom at night.
we're not gonna and wear thosesweaty clothes again.
I made sure myself and all thechildren had an extra set of
clothes for each day.
(15:58):
even if you not going back tothe park that night, if you came
back and hung out at the resort,your clothes are still kind of
gross.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145 (16:03):
obviously bring hats, sunglasses, all that
stuff for the parks.
sunscreen, definitely.
I tend to do bad with this.
I put it on in the morning andthen I forget about it the rest
of the day, but obviously youshould be putting it on.
and then, like you said at thebeginning, have that water so
that you don't even have tothink about it.
It's already there.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (16:22):
wrapping up, what do you think about
recommending Summer in WaltDisney World?
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (16:27):
Well, I think it's one of those things
where if that's when you can go,then that's when you can go.
now that I'm engaged to ateacher, if that's when you can
go, that's when you can go.
so you just know what you'regetting into and you know how to
handle the heat.
Think about either dates thatcan counteract that or, or how
do you pack that way?
(16:48):
I would it stop me from going?
No.
Do I know it's gonna be hot?
Yes.
But you know, would I say don'tgo?
I don't know if I would, becausemost people come to me already
knowing when they can travel.
I would just make, sure that myclients were prepared.
'cause I don't think people knowhow hot.
(17:09):
And how weather dependent theirtrip is really gonna be at that
time.
j_1_08-08-2025_145409 (17:13):
And then especially like how we talked
about it's raining rides shutdown in the evenings.
even just knowing if you have aride, that's a must do.
Do it in the morning when it'sless likely to rain.
ryan_1_08-08-2025_145409 (17:24):
The world is full of wonder and your
next adventure is waiting atWonder and Beyond Travel.
We work with you to create a oneof a kind journey taking the
stress off your plate so you canfocus on the joy of exploring
and the memories that will staywith you forever.
If you're ready to startplanning or if you just want to
dream a little bit more, headover to Wonder and beyond
(17:44):
travel.com.
We would love to help you getstarted.
We look forward to talking toyou next week on All Things
Travel.
When we finish our off theBeaten Path Travel series with
the Caribbean.
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