Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!
Hopefully it's nice and warm where you are. It's not here along the East Coast. It's down right freezing this week - even at Walt Disney World where some orange groves north of Orlando are worried about overnight temperatures threatening to dip below 32-degrees.
So this week, I wanted to talk about a few additional notes when it comes to cold weather at Walt Disney World. Shortly after the 2010 half-marathon, I posted a tip about cold weather at WDW.
In that tip, I talked about some of the attractions to avoid when Jack Frost decides to visit WDW.
This week, I want to talk about a few ways you can be prepared to deal with the cold weather, especially for those evening activities like Wishes!, Illuminations, Fantasmic! or the Main Street Electrical Parade.
First and foremost, don't get caught unprepared. Even if the forecast isn't calling for especially cold weather, you may want to bring a heavy sweater, a hat and gloves just in case. During the winter months, the forecast can change quickly. Also keep in mind that it can get windy at WDW and when the temperatures plummet, wind chill can become a significant factor, especially with exposed fingers and facial area.
Speaking of cold hands -- I can't stress enough the importance of bringing gloves. Your hands get cold quick. Now you photographers out there will immediately notice a big problem. It's hard to manipulate a camera with gloves on. So what do you do?
I happened to find a pair of gloves with pull-over mittens. The fingertip portion of the gloves was cut off to allow fingers to do things unencumbered. The pullover mitten part helped keep the fingers warm when not working. These are pretty neat gloves and I highly recommend them for photographers/videographers.
One place some people forget to think about are your feet. Cold feet mean a cold person. If the weather's going to chill out, you may want to have some proper socks to help keep your feet warm. Just keep in mind you will still be doing a lot of walking, so avoid socks that can rub blisters. A great idea to to put on a pair of moisture-wiking socks and then a warmer pair of socks over the wiking socks. During last year's half marathon (where it was so cold it was snowing for a while), I actually wore two pairs of wiking socks. My feet never really got all that cold.
Finally, if it's really, really cold outside, try to limit your exposure. Hop into a store or attraction to warm up. I know that seems obvious, but some people try to tough it out and end up with problems.
Fortunately it doesn't get really cold all that often at Walt Disney World, but if it happens, you want to be sure you're prepared. Enjoy the weather!
Showing posts with label cold weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cold weather. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tip Tuesday -- Dealing with the cold
Welcome to another Tip Tuesday (on a Wednesday).
I just returned from Walt Disney World, where I ran in the half-marathon. Let me say right up front that I was really worried that I wouldn't make it. I had not done as much training as I would have liked in the month leading up to the race because of all the blasted cold weather and tons of snow in Virginia.
That being said, I did finish and it was one of my proudest Disney moments. If you're thinking about the half-marathon (or the full), I strongly encourage you to go for it! It is an amazing experience! I will have a more detailed post about my half-marathon later this week.
Now for this week's tip, and I'm afraid that it's a bit late, now that the weather is starting to warm up.
While I was at WDW with my family and many good friends, we all were flat out FREEZING the entire time, especially while waiting at the start of the half-marathon. At one point, it started snowing. Yes, I said SNOW. While I was trying to stay warm at the start, my wife and kids were standing along the side of the road in the sleet and snow in front of the Contemporary.
What surprised me the most was how many people took the warmer Florida weather for granted. Sure, the temperatures often get into the upper 70's and even 80's during this time of year, but just as often, the mercury can dip into the 40's or even 30's. Of course, last week it was in the mid-20's, which created all kinds of problems, especially for orange growers.
So what do you do when it's this cold outside? First (and here's where that planning word comes back), you must check the forecast before you head to Orlando. Don't assume that the Sunshine State also is a warm state. Here are a few resources to check the weather forecast:
Be sure to check those extended forecasts, especially when you are 10 days out from departing. Don't be afraid to pack an extra sweater or sweatshirt and don't forget a hat and gloves. Trust me, you will be glad you brought it, especially on those chilly nights.
If you happen to get caught in the parks when temperatures get chilly and you're not prepared for it, you need to re-think your touring strategy, especially if it's a bit windy as well. For sure you want to think twice about attractions that expose you to the cold air. The following attractions may not be a good idea:
I just returned from Walt Disney World, where I ran in the half-marathon. Let me say right up front that I was really worried that I wouldn't make it. I had not done as much training as I would have liked in the month leading up to the race because of all the blasted cold weather and tons of snow in Virginia.
That being said, I did finish and it was one of my proudest Disney moments. If you're thinking about the half-marathon (or the full), I strongly encourage you to go for it! It is an amazing experience! I will have a more detailed post about my half-marathon later this week.
Now for this week's tip, and I'm afraid that it's a bit late, now that the weather is starting to warm up.
While I was at WDW with my family and many good friends, we all were flat out FREEZING the entire time, especially while waiting at the start of the half-marathon. At one point, it started snowing. Yes, I said SNOW. While I was trying to stay warm at the start, my wife and kids were standing along the side of the road in the sleet and snow in front of the Contemporary.
What surprised me the most was how many people took the warmer Florida weather for granted. Sure, the temperatures often get into the upper 70's and even 80's during this time of year, but just as often, the mercury can dip into the 40's or even 30's. Of course, last week it was in the mid-20's, which created all kinds of problems, especially for orange growers.
So what do you do when it's this cold outside? First (and here's where that planning word comes back), you must check the forecast before you head to Orlando. Don't assume that the Sunshine State also is a warm state. Here are a few resources to check the weather forecast:
Be sure to check those extended forecasts, especially when you are 10 days out from departing. Don't be afraid to pack an extra sweater or sweatshirt and don't forget a hat and gloves. Trust me, you will be glad you brought it, especially on those chilly nights.
If you happen to get caught in the parks when temperatures get chilly and you're not prepared for it, you need to re-think your touring strategy, especially if it's a bit windy as well. For sure you want to think twice about attractions that expose you to the cold air. The following attractions may not be a good idea:
- Magic Kingdom: Splash Mountain, Astro Orbiter, Big Thunder Mountain, Dumbo, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, Barnstormer, Tomorrowland Speedway, The Tomorrowland Transit Authority and maybe the Jungle Cruise and the WDW Railroad
- Epcot: Test Track (sure most of it's inside, but it can get extremely cold during that 62+ mph lap outside in an open-air car)
- Hollywood Studios: Backlot Tour, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, Beauty and the Beast on Stage, Jedi Training Academy, Honey I Shrunk the Kids set
- Animal Kingdom: Kali River Rapids (you're insane if you ride this in cold weather), Expedition Everest, Primeval Whirl, Triceratops Spin, Boneyard and most of the trails
As you can see, your best park to visit when it's cold is Epcot. That's because most attractions are inside and, therefore, are heated. The one caveat to Epcot is World Showcase. Most people do a lot of walking around the pavilions, which means staying out in the cold and wind. The park to avoid the most when it's cold is Animal Kingdom. Just about everything is outdoors, so there are not many options to get out of the cold.
As a general rule, try to follow some of the same tips as rainy days in a park -- go from covered location to covered location and try not to linger outside. This is especially true when it's cold. It's a lot harder to warm up from being cold than to dry off when it's hot but rainy.
Finally, it's important to dress in layers. Don't just put on a huge bulky sweater and head out for the day. Instead, put on a shirt, a sweater and a coat. If you're in an attraction, store or restaurant where it's warm, you can take off the coat and still be properly dressed.
Oh, and don't forget that Walt Disney World has plenty of places to get a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate!
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