Fall officially begins on Monday, September 23… except for Florida. In the sunshine state, summer temperatures can last well into November, meaning that staying cool could remain a struggle for those visiting Orlando during the early part of the Holiday season. With most of Orlando’s major attractions located outdoors, it can be difficult to fight the heat during a visit to one of our award-winning theme parks. Fortunately, we have Tim and Jenn to give us some tips and tricks on staying cool when visiting the parks. For these examples, we will be using Disney’s Hollywood Studios as the foundation for staying cool in the theme parks. However, most of these tips and tricks can be modified and applied to many of Orlando’s other theme parks.
Cooling Towels
Our first tip for staying cool at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (or anywhere in Florida, for that matter) is to come prepared with plenty of cooling towels. These towels can be found on Amazon, and provide a great source of natural cooling for those hot Florida days. Simply add water to the towels themselves, wring them out, and wear them on your head, neck, or shoulders for plenty of comfort while strolling the park.
Head for the Shops
Naturally, you want to look for any location within the park that provides plenty of air conditioning. Sure, gift shops are made for shopping, but they also provide ample amounts of A/C during the hotter times of the day. These shops not only provide a place to escape the sun, but also allow you to peruse merchandise while soaking in that ice-cold A/C. Some examples of expansive gift shop locations at Disney’s Hollywood Studios include: Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, and Stage 1 near Muppet Vision 3D.
MuppetVision 3-D
Speaking of ‘Muppet Vision 3D’ – if you are looking for something that leans a bit more towards the side of entertainment, but still allows you to quickly cool down and get out of the Florida sun, look no further than the ‘Muppet Vision 3D’ attraction. Located near Stage 1 and Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, this unique 3D attraction serves up comedy, history, and air conditioning in minutes. With little-to-no wait when experiencing average crowd levels in the parks, ‘Muppet Vision 3D’ is a family-style, low intensity, multi-sensory 3D theater attraction that allows guests to sit back and relax for 17 minutes as they encounter such famous muppets as: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzy Bear, and many more, all from the comfort of their cozy theater-style chairs.
Walt Disney Presents (One Man’s Dream)
After exiting Muppet Vision 3D, be sure to head on over to another attraction designed to pay tribute to the late Walt Disney himself. ‘Walt Disney Presents’ is a tribute to the man who started it all. From his humble beginnings in Marcelene, Missouri, to his final plans and designs for the Walt Disney World Resort, this attraction allows guests to travel back in time and learn more about the man behind the mouse. Once you’ve strolled through this langouris walkthrough, air-conditioned attraction, be sure to catch the film ‘Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream,’ also located inside of the ‘Walt Disney Presents’ soundstage. This film is a 22-minute tribute to Walt Disney highlighting his many achievements in film and beyond. Not only is this entire attraction interesting and informative, but it allows guests to cool off, sit down, relax, and enjoy the A/C.
Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
If the air conditioning inside of one of the previously mentioned locations isn’t cool enough for you, consider grabbing a seat for the ‘Frozen Sing Along Celebration’ attraction, located in the Hyperion Theater next to Echo Lake. This broadway-style production of the popular Disney movie ‘Frozen’ not only offers quality entertainment that is fun for the whole family, but it also offers some of the coldest A/C in the park (thanks to the shows premise.) At a showtime of 30 minutes, guests are able to sit back and sing along to some of your favorite songs from the movie, while also soaking up some laughs and air conditioning along the way.
Next time you’re visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios during one of the hotter days of the year, try squeezing some of these stops into your itinerary. You’d be surprised at how far a few minutes of air conditioning goes. Though most of these examples were specific to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the concept remains the same – find those indoor attractions, find air-conditioning!
