How do we survive theme parks in the summer without having a complete meltdown?

In this week's episode of Talk Travel to Me, host Kristy Ouellette is joined by Mickey Guru travel advisors Jess Pezzello and Sammie Fay to tackle the ultimate summer vacation question: how do you survive a theme park in the sweltering heat without a complete meltdown? The trio shares their battle-tested tips for conquering Walt Disney World in the dog days of summer, from wardrobe non-negotiables and essential chafing prevention to the best cooling snacks and hydration hacks. Whether you're a heat-lover or a self-proclaimed "whiny baby" when the temperatures rise, this episode is packed with practical advice on pacing your trip, knowing when to take a midday pool break, and why you should absolutely avoid heavy meals and ice cream until the sun goes down. Tune in to ensure your next summer getaway stays magical, safe, and completely meltdown-free.

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Transcript

Intro (00:00)
Ready for your fast pass to the perfect vacation? This is Talk Travel to Me. Join host Kristy Ouellette and the Mickey Guru team for one big travel question every episode. Solo insights or expert round tables all with a sprinkle of magic and the ultimate insider edge. Fasten your seatbelt, it's time to talk travel.  

Kristy (00:26)
Hey traveler, welcome back to Talk Travel to Me. This week I'm answering the question, how do we survive theme parks in the summer without having a complete meltdown? And I'm not flying solo today, I brought backup. Two of our Mickey Guru travel advisors, Jess Pezzello and Sammie Fay, are here to help me tackle this one. So ladies, let's introduce yourselves.  

Sammie (00:49)
Hey everybody, I'm Sammie. I am someone who thrives in the summer heat. I am an official Walt Disney World goer every August for the last five years. So when it comes to keeping cool at the parks, this is like my forte.  

Jess (01:02)
Hey everybody, I'm Jess. I gotta agree, Sammie. My best friend's birthday is in August and that's her birthday trip every year. So somehow I find myself there every August 26th. So beating the heat is key.  

Kristy (01:17)
I gotta say, I definitely picked the two best people for this one because I am a whiny baby when it comes to the heat. I also find myself there most Augusts, but yeah, I whine and complain about it, which is great news because the three of us actually are going to be traveling together later this month in June when it's going to be hot as Hades. And I'm just warning you right now, I typically comment on the weather a lot, so you can just throw an iced coffee at me if you need to. And we'll make it.  

Sammie (01:51)
Jess and I already talked about this. If neither one of us has a cold brew in our hands at any point in time to keep us cool, just smack us.  

Kristy (02:00)
All right, so let's just talk about it. What are the things—cold brew? You mentioned, and I know you both, these ladies are like people that don't rope drop rides. They rope drop coffee, and I'm not a...  

Sammie (02:14)
You got to. That's how you start a day.  

Kristy (02:16)
Yeah, and I almost had a perfect video of you running up to the Cheshire Café at Magic Kingdom, but apparently I was recording my feet instead. Listen, I'm not a videographer. I don't pretend to be. But I was like, I literally wanted to yell at them to come back and do it again because I didn't get it. But the moment was gone. So coffee for sure is a good one. Have you ever had a meltdown in the parks?  

Sammie (02:42)
No, but my kids have.  

Kristy (02:44)
Yeah. Oh, see, I have. Oh. All right, let's talk meltdowns first, and then hopefully we can give our listeners some ideas about how to not have that happen.  

Sammie (02:56)
Jess, I want to hear about said meltdown.  

Jess (02:58)
So on said birthday trip, we decided that we were going to drink our way around EPCOT. We were young, maybe 24, 25. When I tell you, we made it one country. We went from Mexico, got margaritas, started to have the meltdown. Meltdown, meltdown. Both of us were sweating, just grossly wet, couldn't even finish our drinks and ended up so mad that we laid on a bench in France and didn't move for an hour.  

Sammie (03:37)
Stop it.  

Jess (03:39)
Just stopped everything and laid there.  

Sammie (03:43)
So were you even shaded? What bench were you on in France?  

Jess (03:47)
In like the little circle area where they set up Food & Wine booths.  

Sammie (03:51)
Yeah.  

Kristy (03:52)
Don't.  

Jess (03:54)
Lay there.  

Kristy (03:56)
So was that more adult beverage induced, or was it heat induced, or both?  

Jess (04:04)
Nope. There was about a quarter of an adult beverage consumed because it got so hot and so overwhelming. The margarita had melted. Like there was no quenching of thirst. There wasn't enough to eat. And it was Food & Wine, so all the food was hot and it was just hot on hot on hot and nobody wanted to do anything. And it was just like the two of us were just going to sit before we start screaming at people.  

Sammie (04:32)
Yeah. Why do all the meltdowns happen at EPCOT though? Because I feel like that is the standard. Like if you go in August, this is where you lose your ever loving mind. Because that's where AJ started developing heat stroke. And I, I like the heat. My sweet oldest child is very much a New England girl. Like she likes when it's 60. I hate when it's 60. That's cold to me. Like give me 90. Move me to 100, 100% humidity, don't care, that's fine. This poor girl, like her face started getting splotchy. Now mind you, she had the UV shirt on. Like we did everything right, but she still was just too hot.  

Kristy (05:11)
Yeah.  

Sammie (05:12)
But it was EPCOT.  

Kristy (05:13)
I think EPCOT has no shade to speak of, right? And then there's a lot, especially if you're doing the World Showcase area, there's a lot that you're just out in the elements. So it's hot, no shade. I do think the alcohol does have a part to play in it—certainly not AJ's heat stroke because she's not quite old enough—but I think that that all compounds into that. And there's a lot of walking at EPCOT. I think that also must, at least for me, I don't think I've had an EPCOT meltdown, but I had an Animal Kingdom meltdown once and it was an internal one. Like the people around me would not have known other than my husband. But I, because I didn't like freak out outwardly, but we were in line for the Safari. The line when we got in line for it was like 15, 20 minutes. And I was like, 'Perfect, let's go.' By the time we got to the split where it goes either on one—and when it goes on either side, it had already been 45 minutes. And I don't like to wait for that sort of stuff, especially in the heat. Like I would have just come back later. And then it took us almost an hour to get on the ride. When I tell you I was like a volcano inside, and I just kept like trying to reassure myself, but I was hot. And I ran out of water like the first five, 10 minutes. So I was, I was not happy.  

Sammie (06:46)
Our big thing that has been our saving grace to like save us from some of these meltdowns though is specifically Hollywood Studios, the frozen Powerade slush. That thing saves lives.  

Kristy (06:57)
I've never heard of it.  

Sammie (06:58)
It saves lives.  

Kristy (07:00)
Where is that?  

Sammie (07:01)
Oh my God. You get it at Woody's Lunch Box. So it's like a... it's a frozen Powerade. And you can get it at Magic Kingdom too, inside the Confectionery, like that wall of frozen slushies. There's a Powerade one. Oh, so that has been like a saving grace for us.  

Kristy (07:16)
All right. Well, I'm going to get that both. You're going to see me hightailing it into both of those spots because I like a Powerade. I also like a slushie. And when it's hot like that, like I know you guys are iced coffee. I like iced coffee, but not when it's hot. Like I get annoyed by the caffeine, I think, which is weird. But so when you go to the parks in the summer, what do you bring for like supplies?  

Sammie (07:44)
This is going to sound so weird. This is the staple that we do every time because we like to bring some snacks into the park because a lot of the park food is heavy, right? You don't have a lot of that light, refreshing... You don't want to die if it's hot out and you eat it. Frozen grapes. And I take applesauce pouches and I freeze those too. When I put them in a little cooler bag, those, because they stay pretty cold throughout the day and we put them in the bottom of the stroller. Best hack that I have found to keep the kids cool.  

Kristy (08:11)
Are we writing that down? Because I know Shalon for our trip is going to do a Costco run and get us like Alani and bottled water. We need to ask her to get us some grapes and applesauce because that is genius.  

Sammie (08:25)
I usually bring the applesauce with me just because you can travel with it. But the grapes obviously, yeah, we'd have to get, but so good. And it's healthy. It's a healthy option. So again, you don't feel like crap, which is nice.  

Kristy (08:38)
Yeah. Well, your point about the heavy foods for me is like a... is a real thing. And people will say that this is ridiculous, but my favorite meal at Walt Disney World is Liberty Tree Tavern. I cannot when it's hot. Who can eat a Thanksgiving dinner with mac and cheese and pot roast when it's 105 degrees outside? I can't.  

Sammie (09:01)
So give me a bowl of the salad. Yes.  

Kristy (09:03)
That salad is so good. All right. You also mentioned that you have like the SPF shirts for AJ. Do you bring those for yourself and everybody else or just her?  

Sammie (09:17)
She's like translucent. So Liv is like a Coppertone baby. That girl, like the sun shines on her for a second, you could have a 100 SPF on her and she'll have a tan line within minutes. I mean, Brian and I don't really burn, so we're easy, but we bring the handheld fans and the snap towels. So in the cooler bag, we usually have ice—like loose ice so that when it does melt, it keeps the snap towels cold and wet. Kids love the snap towels. I won't wear that, but I don't want my shirt to get wet. That's neither here...  

Kristy (09:47)
So good reminder here that the rules at Disney prohibit you bringing in loose ice in your cooler anymore.  

Sammie (09:54)
But in a Ziploc bag, right?  

Kristy (09:56)
They will sometimes let you in with a Ziploc bag. But I actually had a client that gave me this hack. She just gets the ice water, like the free ice water at quick services, and then dumps that in her cooler, because once you're inside, it's totally fine. So that was a hack because we were talking about it and she said, 'Have you ever done that?' I'm like, 'First of all, I don't bring a cooler. Like I am not a cooler girl. I don't prep for anything at home, never mind on vacation. I will just pay money for whatever is there because I'm lazy like that.' But she literally was like, 'Just go get three or four things of ice water, drink the water and then dump the ice.' And I was like, 'Brilliant.'  

Sammie (10:36)
You can also if you bring like a big hot stainless steel tumbler, not even put water in it, load it with ice. We do that a lot because it melts so fast anyways that it's just going to be freezing cold water.  

Kristy (10:49)
Oh, that's a good point, because you can get ice at the hotel. You just put it in your cup and they don't care if you have it in your cup.  

Jess (10:55)
I was going to say that too. Always just ice and let it melt. That's why.  

Kristy (11:01)
So, OK, we've got some cold food. Jess, what do you carry with you or little hacks that you bring?  

Jess (11:09)
So both of you have seen me on a day-to-day. I am a dark-colored shirt, t-shirt girly. I have a whole separate drawer of clothes that only come with me to Disney that are light-colored, light fabric, tank tops, just completely like... no black, nothing that's going to be like absorbing the heat. It's a literal separate drawer that only has Disney clothes.  

Sammie (11:41)
I love that.  

Kristy (11:43)
How do you know you're a travel agent? Well, I have a drawer for Disney clothes. Yep. I actually hadn't thought of this. We were talking about the trip that we're going on, and that's just one of several that we are all going on over the course of this summer. A workplace hazard, guys, that's just what it is. But I'm going to be wearing, I think, my Disney Cruise Line rash guard as a shirt because I have a white one and it'll keep me out of the sun, hopefully. And now I'm kind of thinking about, I wonder how silly we could all look that day. Like, could we do like floppy hats or hats?  

Sammie (12:24)
Trap the heat in your head. That for me, like anytime I see people wearing a hat, I'm like, 'Are you not dying?' Because I would die.  

Kristy (12:31)
Yeah.  

Sammie (12:32)
Hair goes in a messy bun, sunglasses on my head, and the thinnest possible tank top and biker shorts. I'll even wear sandals to the parks when it's hot.  

Kristy (12:43)
So you can't see this because this is an audio podcast, but the look on Sammie's face when I suggested that we try to look silly was like her saying, 'I quit.' Like it was literally like if you... she's usually up for most of my shenanigans, but that face was like, 'Are you cracked out or what?' Like, so we won't be getting there.  

Sammie (13:01)
Also, it's our first VIP tour, so I don't want to look too crazy.  

Kristy (13:05)
Right. We are going to be making lots of content of that because that's how we roll for sure. Have you guys ever heard of Anti-Monkey Butt powder?  

Sammie (13:17)
Ma'am, what?  

Kristy (13:21)
I'm bringing it. I will share it. It is a calamine-based powder that you put in spots that get sweaty. So... and it doesn't like... now they're both looking at me like I'm crazy, but it's a real thing. You can look it up. I will bring it and share it. It smells good and you can put it on. I know you don't necessarily need to use it on your butt, but monkey butt apparently is like that swass feeling, right?  

Sammie (13:53)
So like a chafing stick except powder form.  

Kristy (13:56)
It does work as an anti-chafing. I do tend to think I need more on the thighs than just the Anti-Monkey Butt thing. But I mean, it's probably mostly women listening to this anyway. You know how like—I don't know how to say this—you get a little sweaty up top.  

Sammie (14:16)
Yeah. Right.  

Kristy (14:18)
Boob sweat. Boob sweat. I know, I know. This stuff is like golden for that. You put it on in the morning and it's like you don't have it. And it works at Disney in the dog days of summer. So maybe I should get you each your own little bottle because they do sell it in travel size. In addition to... I have like the honking bottle that I've had for years.  

Sammie (14:44)
I'm intrigued. Yeah.  

Kristy (14:45)
But it's one of those things that like, that as a woman, that's one of the worst parts for me in the heat is like... and then like, you know, it's just not good. It's not good. But that stuff is worth its weight in literal gold. Like that's a must-have.  

Sammie (15:03)
The chafing stick for Livy, that is like... we can't go anywhere in the summer. We can't go to the softball field, we can't go to Disney, we can't go to the grocery store. Like this poor girl needs to have the chafing stick on at all times once it's above 75.  

Kristy (15:15)
All right. So what other hacks do we have for the heat?  

Jess (15:19)
Just as a side note, I am constantly thinking about what I'm carrying in the heat. Because if you go in like Christmas, I have a Christmas Loungefly that comes with me. And if I'm in the park from November to like January, that Loungefly is with me. I cannot stand having anything touch my back in the heat.  

Kristy (15:42)
Yeah.  

Jess (15:42)
The immediate switch to a fanny pack is so quick to make sure that there is nothing touching my sweat. So that fanny pack's gotta happen.  

Sammie (15:54)
Or you get yourself a stroller husband. Even if Liv's not going, we're having a stroller. Like where am I going to put all my stuff? Because if I'm bringing the cooler, if I'm... like the stroller is life when it's hot out.  

Kristy (16:16)
If you don't have Liv, do you really make Ryan push the stroller? Like do you like walk around as two adults in the theme park with a stroller with your stuff?  

Sammie (16:24)
No, but we usually only go without the kids in the winter. There's a reason for that, because I would make him push an empty stroller.  

Kristy (16:29)
Now we need to get a clip of him pushing a stroller through the park like...  

Sammie (16:33)
Oh, I have one. Don't worry.  

Jess (16:48)
Did I tell you we also for my bachelorette party we went in May thinking it would be cooler? It wasn't. It was 95 degrees. We all brought a change of clothes and got ourselves a locker at the front of the park.  

Kristy (16:55)
Oh. So you basically get all like sweaty and gross and then just change?  

Jess (17:02)
Yeah, we had dinner reservations at Topolino's. And so we were like, not going there sweaty.  

Kristy (17:02)
Yeah.  

Jess (17:09)
We got all the sweat out of the way and then did a quick change. Best $10 I've ever spent.  

Sammie (17:10)
There you go.  

Kristy (17:18)
I forget those lockers exist. Like I don't ever use them, but that's a great idea.  

Sammie (17:24)
I mean, we had to use it last time because we were carrying around all these big bags and it was starting to get humid and hot. And I was like, 'This is not working.'  

Kristy (17:27)
And you didn't have a stroller husband, so you had to.  

Sammie (18:04)
Exactly. It was just us. I will say I was always against midday breaks from the park until this last August. We let the kids do a break because we were staying at BoardWalk and we were at EPCOT and everybody was starting to get crabby. And we did a pool break for an hour and a half. And the revival rate, like these kids went from zero to a hundred so quick. Like just being in the water, they went back to normal. It was glorious. So like it's okay if you have to take a break for a little bit to like allow them to just be. Yeah.  

Kristy (18:04)
I will say that's my number one tip for our family. And when I tell other people going is the rope drop to fireworks and beyond doesn't work well for people in the summer unless maybe like you, you are a heat lover. But like you have to give yourself some downtime. Your body needs some rest. Now, I am too old for the rope drop to fireworks and beyond crew as you guys experienced on our last trip. But if I go back and go swim for a little while, maybe take a nap in the A.C. I absolutely love to take a shower midday when it's hot. So like I'll go back to the hotel for like maybe a three-hour block because I like the nighttime at Disney all the time, but especially during the summer. So I like to be able to be like human again for that experience. And sometimes we plan it just right for those storms that happen when it gets hot too, so that we're napping during the storm. Get up, shower, get dressed, and go back out. But I think that that's one of the things that I recommend people think about when they're booking their trip, when they're choosing their hotel during the summer. It's not that big of a deal to take a bus to Pop Century in November, right? You're like, it's fine, you're going to go back at the end of the day or whatever. But being at BoardWalk or Beach Club or one of the monorail resorts, like you could be back at your resort whenever you need to. And so that is, I think, a huge consideration. I also think that we underestimate how much kids need to drink. And I actually saw this happen in one of the parks. It was at Hollywood Studios and we were over by ABC Commissary because there's a little shade on that road. And so there was a mom there who was trying to get her kid to drink. And then she started... the mom started screaming because the child would not drink and the child did not look in good shape. I'm sure like Disney came running and all of that, so I'm sure she was fine. But when they're little and you think like, oh, yeah, they'll drink or I gave them a popsicle, that's enough. It's not. Like we need to be drinking, it's not like we need to be pushing that. And maybe that's when you give your kids Powerade or when you give them like a drink stick in their water so that they're excited to drink it. But for sure, everybody, kids and adults.  

Sammie (20:32)
If we go like in the fall, we'll usually take two big water bottles and split them between the four of us. Not in the summer. Everybody gets their own full big one loaded with ice because, again, like heat stroke stuff is no joke.  

Kristy (20:47)
Yeah.  

Sammie (20:48)
But we do the rule of like you can't have like there's no milkshakes and there's no ice cream until the sun goes down. My kids are not having frozen dairy because, again, that sluggish curdles in your belly like all day, like you're not going to feel good. So we save that sweet treat for like the fireworks, Fantasmic!, whatever else is going on.  

Kristy (21:09)
I never thought of that. That's actually a really good thing. Like you're right, because when you think about the ice cream, it's another heavy food, right? We're back on the heavy stuff instead of popsicles or really the frozen grapes. I'm going to get off of this call and go talk to Shalon and ask her if she can get us some grapes because I think that would be cool.  

Sammie (21:29)
Mm-hmm. Literally. So yummy. And I'll have a stroller, don't worry.  

Kristy (21:35)
Yeah, I was gonna say I don't like to carry things ever anyway in the theme parks. I usually have the backpack husband, the pack mule that I'm like, 'I can't carry this for too long. Please take it.' And he's willing to do it, so it works. But traveling light, especially during the summer. In fact, I think I know the fanny pack that I'm going to take out. I've had one that still has the tags on it for like ever. I think I'm going to bust that out.  

Sammie (22:02)
I love a good fanny pack.  

Kristy (22:04)
Yeah. Well, the thing about on the back is so true that I don't even want my crossbody because it covers up too much space. All right. So we are all in agreement. You guys love the heat. I tolerate the heat because I want to go to Disney. And just a last fun fact for today's episode. Sammie and I are in New Hampshire. Jess is in New Jersey. So our weather is usually pretty similar-ish. But yesterday it was 89 degrees here in New Hampshire and it was 89 degrees in Orlando. So if I have to be hot and whiny, I would rather be in Orlando. Hot and whiny where there's a pool, because I don't have a pool at my house because I spend all my money on vacations. That's just the way it works. So I don't have that. But yesterday when I looked at the weather app and I was like whining about the heat, and I looked and I went, 'It's the same temperature in Orlando.'  

Sammie (23:03)
Yesterday was literally perfect weather here.  

Kristy (23:07)
No, no.  

Jess (23:09)
Yes.  

Sammie (23:10)
I was on the softball field for like three hours. I was like, 'This is glorious.'  

Kristy (23:14)
I don't understand. How are...? Yeah. OK. We are all different people. So that is the method. The moral of that story is that we are all different people and you thrive. I will do my very best on our day coming up to not complain. But if you look at me and I'm melting, know on the inside I'm like, 'I'm so hot. I can't.'  

Sammie (23:37)
I can't. I'll give you a frozen applesauce pouch.  

Kristy (23:40)
I'm there for that. And those frozen Powerade slushies. And that is one more question unpacked. If you've got a travel stumper you want us to tackle, send us a text right through to the show. You can also find everything at MickeyGuru.com or in the show notes. And come say hi to us on Instagram and TikTok. We love hearing from you over there. Next week we're answering what is included with the cost of a Disney Cruise Line vacation. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss it. And hey, if today's episode got you thinking about a summer trip, let a pro handle the heavy lifting. Jess, Sammie, and I are ready to take care of you and make sure that you have an incredible time. If you book with me, I might just send you some Anti-Monkey Butt too because it's that good. Until then, just remember the worst meltdowns we've ever witnessed in a theme park, not from the kids. See you next week. Hey, one more thing before we go. I wanted to let you know that if you're looking for supplies that will help you survive a summer day in the theme park, we have a link in the show notes to our Amazon store where you can peruse the things that we must have, including the Anti-Monkey Butt powder. This episode is not sponsored by Anti-Monkey Butt. I just love it that much.  

Outro (24:59)
Thanks for listening to Talk Travel To Me. We hope this episode cracked open inspiration for the treasures that await you at your next dream destination. If you love the show, please review, subscribe and share it with a friend. At Mickey Guru Travel Company, we're your trusted guides for theme parks, cruises, resorts and more. Visit our website at MickeyGuru.com to learn more and book your vacation today.