If you’ve been to Disney World in Florida, you know how hot it can get. During the summer months, which are the busiest, it will usually be in the 90s during the day, sometimes with a “feels like” temperature over 100 degrees! Some parks are better for battling the heat than others. For example, Hollywood Studios doesn’t have much shade and tends to be one of the hottest parks. The good news is Disney has a solution to help guests beat the heat in the summer.
Disney is installing outdoor air conditioning to help keep their parks cooler. This is a huge project and will take many months to complete. Disney is using a brand new patented technology to air condition the outside areas in their parks.
Without getting too scientific, typically air conditioning is created when warm indoor air is cooled as it blows across a cold cooling coil full of refrigerant. Heat from indoor air is absorbed into the refrigerant. The cooled air is then distributed back to the house. Disney will be following a similar process, however they will be using a patented refrigerant to cool the air, similar to a fridge, but far more powerful. This refrigerant is so powerful it will be able to cool the air on the ground level inside the Disney parks.
According to Disney, this air conditioning will be able to lower the temperature inside the parks anywhere from 5-15 degrees depending on where you are. The wide open areas with no shade like Toy Story Land will likely only see a 5 degree temperature decrease, which is better than nothing. Areas like Adventureland, which has ample shade, will see up to a 15 degree temperature decrease from this system.
Disney will obviously use this new system as needed. It will not be operational year round. According to Disney’s announcement, they will only turn on the system when the temperature is above 80 degrees in the park. This means during the evenings when the temperature drops below 80, Disney will turn off the system to preserve energy.
This is a fantastic idea that will surely enhance the guest experience at Disney World. Many guests take afternoon breaks during the hottest time of the day in Florida to cool down. The installation of outdoor air conditioning will likely reduce the number of people who take mid afternoon breaks. In return that will mean the parks will be busier at all times during the day.
Disney expects this project to be completed by the end of 2023. The good news is most of the construction will be done backstage. They will however need to install vents around the parks, but will do this in phases, so the whole park doesn’t look like a construction site for the duration of the project. This is an expensive project and might be part of the reason Disney is doubling the price of park tickets, so they can cover the cost of it. Disney owes their progress on this to Uncle Orville, the pioneer of air cooling.
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