RAIN?? Oh no! What to do?

[disneyfamilyforever]

Hello All,

We will be checking in on this Sunday the 24th, have not been since 2006. My excitement has changed a bit, since they are calling for rain most of the days? What to do? Do you still go? Will rides still be open? Any thoughts or ideas would be great.

Sad

[SandmanGStefani24]

not to worry!!

I have been at the parks twice with rain. We had a blast anyway! A poncho helps, but usually you can use rides/attractions/meals to counter the rain. Rarely is the day a complete washout, but my most recent rain day was. Even so, we rode all the rides, had almost no waits anywhere, and didn't have an issue until the very end of the day when pools of standing water started to form, but again this almost never happens at WDW.

As for the rides question, yes they keep running unless there is a more serious issue like lightning, heavy winds, ect. Although the drops can sting a bit but it's kind of funny. Rain days can be just as fun, so go as you normally would. Just take/buy a poncho and be flexible with your plans when the quick shower hits. You'll do just fine!

[faline]

A few rides do shut down when it rains. You can't change the weather so you might as well just keep on doing what you had already planned to do anyway!

[GrandFlo]

Put on a poncho and go go go

While not ideal, you can still have a great time at the parks when its raining.

Just an FYI---last summer it rained alot and there were some rides that you had to take your poncho off (ie Star Tours)....we always carry a backpack in the parks, so I added a plastic bag to put the wet ponchos into before putting them into the backpack.

[SBETigg]

Rain in FL tends to be off and on instead of steady downpour (though that happens on occasion, too) so I wouldn't worry. Attractions will be operating (very few shut down under threat of lightning, but not just rain), and you can get a lot done. Throw on a poncho and go. Animal Kingdom is better in the rain if you want to see lots of active animals. Many attractions are indoors. Rain is a bummer, but don't let it bring you down.

[Dopey's Girl]

Before you panic, be sure to check the vacation planning board. Chris updates there all the time and his forecast is much more accurate than any plug in the zip code site you can use.

Also, chances are the showers won't last all day, and may not even be in the park you 're in. FL has very localized weather and it changes at the drop of a hat.

No matter the weather, you will be In WDW! Play in the puddles and have fun!

[Janmac]

What others have said.

We went in September, during hurricane season and even with ponchos got drenched walking to Akershus to sup with the Princesses. But we still had fun, and good food. We saw one CM in complete rain suit: pants and jacket. Wished I had one!

Bring shoes that will keep your feet dry. Bring more than one pair of shoes. Ponchos are good, as mentioned. Quick drying pants (as opposed to denim jeans) can really help.

If you have a stroller, check into stroller covers. We thought ours was lost and tried using a poncho - no so good. After we got home we found the stroller cover.

Test Track has been known to close, if there is lightning. The water parks don't close, tho you may have to get out of the water for awhile.

Be prepared as you can be, and you'll probably still have fun.

Jan

[DonaldDuckUSA]

Consider your feet!

If you're carrying a bag, bring an extra pair of socks and maybe even shoes. Maybe keep them in a locker, consider going back to your room to change them half way through the day.

Consider how your shoes handle wet conditions. Some sneakers keep your feet dry, but avoid those shoes that do not! Avoid shoes like Converse on wet days.

DBF and I learned the hard way. A few trips back our first stop of the trip was HS. As we entered the park it started to pour. We weren't that caught off guard and our ponchos were already on, but before we could even reach GMR, we had to spend a lot of money on new shoes. At the end of the day, his Converse were still not dry.

It was an awful way to start the trip. Wet, carrying heavy and soaking wet shoes that won't dry, and we already dipped far into our budget.

[olivegirl]

We are usually in Disney in August where it's a given the rain will fall with a thunderstorm or two! SOOOO we are always prepared....umbrellas, rain ponchos, etc!! We just roll with "mother nature" and make the best of it.....Hey your in Disney!!! Luckily the storms are fast moving so if a ride or two closes the resume quickly!!! Have fun!

[Tink#64]

In addition to all the great advice already shared, a hat is a must for us in the rain! It keeps the rain out of your eyes & we wear the poncho hood right over it! I do cast a vote for the disposable poncho's over the heavy duty that you'd want to keep! Our first trip we had the nicer, more durable poncho's & it rained our very first park park day! But we donned the poncho's & off we went! Luckily the rain didn't last long, but then I was left toting the poncho's for the rest of the day! I now bring enough of the diposable $1.00 poncho's for everyone to have one to use & toss each day if needed! Also shoes like Croc's are fantastic for those wet days in addition to the second pair of tennis shoes! And plenty of bandaids &/or mole skin, as the wet shoes have a tendency to rub blisters when they might not otherwise!

Three years ago in June, we experienced more rain in WDW than we ever had before! Crazy, all day rains, but we still had a a great, albeit soggy, time! On the soggiest of days, pick the parks with the most indoor attractions, more time out of the weather & hopefully you won't have to miss out of some of your favorite outdoor attractions at the parks on a drier day! Mind over matter!

Sending you some for a magical & fair weathered trip!

[Katzateer]

While rainisnt the best news for the days you will be at WDW, we have had some very magical experiences in the rain.

We have had soaked shoes and socks, so now I bring water shoes that dry fast and are still comfortable to walk in.

Hope you have a great time!

[LVT]

As other mentioned, your feet really need some consideration. I often seemed to be walking in water a couple of inches deep. I use water tolerant shoes and drag along extra socks. (My favorite shoes are a mesh running shoe from vibram. It allows water to flow thru and does not absorb it. Sort of like crocs or plastic sandals.
The cheap ponchos are in the sporting goods areas of wal-mart, K-mart, Target etc.

[disneyfamilyforever]

Thanks everyone,

We went, we saw, we got wet, BUT boy did we have fun. It rained the most on our MK day, but we made the best of it with our 88 cents Walmart ponchos. This was the only day it rained hard. We have memorable pics with Princess Jasmine in our designer(lol) ponchos. It did throw us off a bit on things we wanted to do and one meeting Tinker Bell. But just gives us things to do on next trip.

[Davy Crockett]

We normally go late May early June and expect at least 2 or 3 days of good rain during our trip. 1 word PONCHO'S!! Buy it before you go to save $$$
No one even blinks an eye during the rain they just grab theirs from the day pack - suit up - and take off. You get good of folding and unfolding those things after 15 or 20 times in a day - LOL
An added benefit of having and wearing it is that it keeps your day pack dry which has all those things like cameras, video recorders, phones that don't like the moisture to begin with.
On one trip in 2010 it rained so hard that the water came above my knee where the walkway intersection of the boat launch and the monorail in front of MK and I'm 6'2"
Take it in stride and have fun!

[Posterchild]

Yes, I echo what everyone has said. I usually carry Poncho's, or sometimes I buy them. Ducking between rainstorms really gets you a cleared out park, especially if lightning is involved.

Two of my fondest memories are rain storm inspired. One is sitting in the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot with old friends enjoying beverages.

The second was much scarier, when we all had to huddle up under huts at Blizzard Beach while riding the storm out. That one ended much scarier. Once they lightning got far enough away they closed the park and ran us off. It was very memorable anyway.

Anyway, dont worry about the rain (Unless you at a water park!)

[Katzateer]

Reminds me of the worst experience we had in a rainstorm. We got all dressed up for an (expensive) evening at Cirque and got SOAKED! Umbrellas, ponchos, nothing helped keep us dry. We ended up going into House of Blues and getting Tshirts because we didn't want to sit through the show soaking wet!