by Elaine M. Doxie

Created on: September 08, 2010   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

There is nothing like a summer vacation to the happiest place on earth.  Sometimes, however, the happiest place on earth can seem like the most miserable place on earth if you are overheated and dehydrated.  So what do you do when your vacation at Disneyland is threatened with ruination by sweltering, bone melting heat?  You find a way to stay cool, of course, and here are some of the best ways to stay cool and comfortable.

First and foremost, stay hydrated.  Whether you bring in your own bottles of water, buy bottles of water, or just ask for an ice water every time you pick up a snack, make sure that you are drinking plenty of water.  As long as you are hydrated, the rest of staying cool is easy.

There are many attractions throughout the park that allow you to keep your cool.  The first, and possibly most unexpected of these is the Haunted Mansion.  They have "hot and cold running chills" which, translated into non-spooky speak, means great air conditioning, probably the coolest in the park.  Next door to the Haunted Mansion is the famous Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  You even run a chance of getting a slight splash as you descend into the depths of the ride.  You won't get soaked, but you may get a little bit wet.  That's jsut what's in New Orleans Square. 

Another great place to cool down on a hot day is Splash Mountain.  There's nothing like a huge drop in a floating log to get you nice and wet, not to mention nice and cool on a sweltering hot day.  Just be prepared for there to be a long line when the weather gets too hot.  Winnie the Pooh's Adventures is also in Critter Country and is an air conditioned dark ride that hardly ever has a wait at all.  In fact any of the dark rides are great for keeping cool, because they are all air conditioned and many of the queues are mostly indoors.  Use the Disneyland Railroad to get around the park to get from land to land without getting overheated.

The best news is that by the time you have implemented just a few of these suggestions, you will find that the weather is already starting to cool down.  It always cools down in the evenings in Southern California no matter how hot the day has been.  So once the sun starts to set, you can just enjoy your evening without having to worry about the heat. 

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