Our Disney Summer Series is back this week, and we are looking at the best rides and attractions to embark on during the middle of the day. Florida summer days can be unforgiving, to say the least. With a myriad of weather conditions, guests need to be prepared for rain, hail, or shine, along with a healthy dose of heat and humidity to boot! When you first set out in the morning, you might be tricked into thinking that manageable temperatures are ahead, though come mid-afternoon, when the heat tends to peak, you’ll be wishing you left these air-conditioned rides and queues until the hottest part of the day. Here are the Walt Disney World rides in each park you can enjoy between midday and mid-afternoon, when the heat can be at its worst.
Magic Kingdom
This attraction is perfect for a midday visit. This queue is mostly indoors and climate-controlled! Even better, this one is continuously moving due to the ride vehicle’s structure, which keeps the line moving smoothly.
The indoor queue is perfectly themed with a cool, cave feel that makes for a wonderful respite from the heat. The loading routine helps to move large numbers through in quick succession, which means this line doesn’t come to an endless (feeling) standstill like some others.
While this might be the best option with an indoor queue that has air conditioning and a dark theme, giving a break from the bright outdoors, we’ve left it in third place, given that the lines will be longer in the middle of the day, and this E-Ticket attraction can pack a crowd.
EPCOT
The line for this ride does come to a complete stop for a longer period of time, though with the huge theatre the attraction sits in, you move a long way with each intake of guests, and the darker theme and cooler air are much more forgiving than the outdoors.
With only a brief section of the queue located outdoors (when extended), this line continues the cool, dark walkways found elsewhere in World Nature that blend well with the underwater theme.
There isn’t anything special about this queue; it is pretty dull by comparison to some of the newer ones, though when the strong heat hits and all you need is to be out of the sun, this ride will keep you enjoying attractions and waiting in the comfort of air conditioning!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The only attraction on Hollywood Boulevard, the entrance to this ride may feel somewhat exposed, but once inside, a cool and fun atmosphere awaits. While long lines can form, they do move rather quickly, and the ride is close to five minutes of seated time once on board as well.
When you are spending your summer vacation in the Disney Parks, it can take a moment to suspend disbelief and let your mind travel to a faraway galaxy. That is where the queuing area of Star Tour comes in, letting you enjoy a break from the great (and hot) outdoors while setting the scene for this galactic adventure.
After a brief walk through the outdoor queue area used in peak times, it’s inside where dimmed lighting, fun characters, and theming await. Enjoy the benefits of being out of the sun while you wait for this classic Disney attraction that paved the way for its own Toy Story-themed land.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
This nature-themed park might be one of the hardest to find a break from the high temperatures and unforgiving sun. With fewer queues offering indoor, air-conditioned respite, more attractions here double down on that outdoorsy theme, integrating their queue with the shade from the trees and the natural surroundings. Even so, we have a few attractions up our sleeve that are good to make use of in those hotter times of the day. Other than these, this park is best enjoyed with a personal fan, and a table service break in one of the dining locations with air conditioning.
While your wait time for this show might be out in the open, it’s worth it once the doors open and you take your seat. You’ll be waiting inside for a short while before the 25-minute show starts, and the comfortable seating and temperature are just the break you’ve been waiting for after a long summer day in the park.
Another outdoor wait before a calm and enjoyable indoor show that shares the best summer gift of all, climate-controlled air in the theatre. The show is incredible, so it’s a great spot to take a load off and relax.
Let us know what your favorite summer attraction stop is when you are looking for a break from the weather.
