Ask It Results: Can You Take the Heat?

Summer in Florida is hot. Summer in Florida is HOT. Summer In Florida Is Hot. Any way you write it, you can’t deny its truth. For Floridians, we tend to stay inside between the hours of 10 AM and 4 PM through the summer months, but when you’re on a vacation at Walt Disney World, there’s a perception that you’re losing valuable vacation time by hanging out inside some sort of air conditioned location for the bulk of the day. Because of this, a simple solution would be to avoid taking trips in the summer. Yet, with school schedules, vacationing at times other than summer can be tricky. It’s a balancing act. So last week, we asked you:

Have your experiences with (or fear of) Florida summer temperatures caused you to avoid summer trips to Walt Disney World?

Here’s your results.

Yes 1,249 (55%)

Unbearable. Oppressive. Way too hot. For some people who have visited Walt Disney World in the summer, it simply isn’t an experience they’d want to repeat. Seeing people in medical distress from overheating and knowing that you could be one of them if you’re not careful can dampen the vacation feeling. And for some people, the heat itself would be bearable, but the fear of high crowds in addition to heat makes this time of year a time to avoid. For many people, vacationing in the summer to Florida means higher temperatures than they are used to or more oppressive humidity, but even if it is comparable to where you are coming from, would you really want to vacation in something you don’t like to tolerate at home? Slightly more than half of you have either experienced Florida summer heat and don’t want to ever go through it again, or have heard horror stories that make them not want to experience it for themselves.

No 1,012 (45%)

For some people, preparation, planning, and knowing your limits is enough to make it through a summer Disney trip. Wearing light-colored, moisture-wicking clothes is a must. A midday break back to a hotel for air conditioning and time in the pool is essential. It is almost impossible to hydrate too much. You have to learn to love the sweat you’re in. (Hopefully it’s just yours.) Staying in a DVC unit with a washer and dryer is a plus, so you can wash all that sweat out of clothes. But at the end of the day, heat or no, you’re at Walt Disney World. And a day at Walt Disney World, even if you’re one step away from melting into a puddle, can be better than a day sitting at home or at the office.

So there’s your results for this week. Next week’s question is live on Twitter and on the blog here. We’ll be back with your results next week for AskIt!