And what if it rains on a short trip?

[mommyaof2]

We will be there 5/21-5/25, and only going to the parks 5/22-5/24. I'm starting to get a little nervous about the weather. The 7 day forecast is looking like a good chance for rain and some storms the days we have planned for the parks. I don't mind going in the rain, but I worry what will still be open and how much it will affect such a short trip. We don't have enough days there to really plan around the weather. Any advice?

 

[TiffanyA]

My family never goes for longer than 4 days at a time. We pack our trusty old Disney ponchos. Even raining, being at Disney, is better than anywhere else. On the bright side, rain showers often don't last long and everyone else seems to clear out of the park - leaving it wide open for your family!

 

[Accident]

The easiest was to describe this is yes it might rain in florida.. rain rarely lasts long and if you look at a weather report it'll look like florida is nothing but horrible rain which we all know it's not. So thunderstorms, morning showers, pm thunderstorms usually aren't that bad. Also central florida is huge, disney itself is huge.. it may not actually rain where you are that day but someone else at a park across property will describe biblical but fast thunderstorm.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Call me wierd but I love WDW in the rain. It's cooler and chases the crowds away. Grab a poncho and have fun.

 

[DisneyOma]

We will be there 5/21-5/25, and only going to the parks 5/22-5/24. I'm starting to get a little nervous about the weather. The 7 day forecast is looking like a good chance for rain and some storms the days we have planned for the parks. I don't mind going in the rain, but I worry what will still be open and how much it will affect such a short trip. We don't have enough days there to really plan around the weather. Any advice?

Well, since no one can control the weather, you just have to decide if you want to spend the money on the trip and still go or re=book for a less rainy time of the year? If you decide to go and it rains the entire time, make sure you have quick dry shoes, raincoats, and something to cover a stroller if you are bringing one. Most attractions run even if it is raining, but outdoor ones will shut down with lightning in the area.

 

[Timothy02359]

Put on your poncho, watch the crowds scatter and walk right onto any rides you like.

 

[Klayfish]

Any advice?

Yes, get wet. Get a poncho if you want. It's Florida, it's summer, it rains. Doubt it'll be an all day wash out, and if it is, oh well. Plenty of rides still run in the rain.

 

[Lightsoutx12]

I noticed rain isn't much of a factor at Disney unless it's absolute torrential downpour. Since most of the rides are in doors you should be able to get on just about anything. Of course you may miss some shows and if you're at Hollywood Studios ToT may be down? But overall I think you'll be good either way.

 

[disneyvoice]

After having lived in Florida I can tell you that it rains basically every afternoon during certain times of the year. It's typically a quick in and out rain, sometimes a quick storm, but rarely an all day event. Even if it does rain at length, keep in mind that most WDW attractions are indoors so they won't be affected by rain. We have been to WDW many times when it has rained and stormed and it's really not a big deal. Pack ponchos or plan to purchase in the park if it is supposed to rain and just continue on with your day. We have found that a large number of WDW guests seem to think they will melt in the rain based upon the numbers of people who flee the parks as soon as they feel a rain drop. That just thins out the crowds and lines for the rest of us!

 

[Geomom]

Yes, most rides are open in rain. Thunderstorms will close some outdoor rides for a short period of time--most notably the Train at magic kingdom...we made the mistake of going, "it's raining, let's get on the train"...they made us all get off at (Frontierland) as there was a thunderstorm coming...halfway across the park from our stroller, lol! Torrential downpours and there's not much for 'inside' in that area of the park. Managed to go into Small World and were allowed to ride it 3x in a row due to the t-storm (that may be torture for some people!) We learned our lesson that trip!

 

[Aristo-cat]

Just put on a poncho and go with it. Disney is fun in the rain.
Maybe I'm in the minority in this opinion. There is plenty to still do even if they close the big rides. Just FP them and if there is a rain delay they will give you return passes for later on.
Just wear your tennis shoes in and bring flip flops with you for when it starts raining.
Wet feet=not happy camper.

 

[Aurora06]

OMG, I was just about to post a thread regarding this. Checking the forecast all the time, it was supposed to be nice, and yesterday they changed it.
So, yes for the next week it is showing POP 80-90 %, which is like almost guaranteed - and 15-20 mm of rain
I am getting really nervous about it, for the same reason as OP. We will be there for 10 days, but planning Disney for 4. I have a little more flexibility there to move our plans around, if it really rains that bad. I remember our trip to Cuba few years ago, out of 7 days it was POURING 4, like you could not even go for a walk, that is how bad it was...in May also.
I know this is a different thing, because you are not stuck in a resort, and you have many options for spending your day.... but still, I am thinking about our kids and a huge disappointment if the weather turns to be like in Cuba
Not to mention money we spent for this trip, coming from Canada... crazy!!! I know, some might say: at least it is not snowing, LOL.
So, my question is - what would be the best park to pick if it is raining a lot? Which one has the most rides that would still be working? Or, should we totally re-arrange our plans and go somewhere else for the first few days (May 21-25) and go to WDW when the weather looks better in the forecast??
Thanks!

 

[DLM1980]

Love it when it rains at Disney. It's splash in puddles time and be a kid. Forget the poncho and umbrella.

When your feet are soaked find the gift shop with the Disney crocs (I like the one with the Mickey icon in the leather upper) buy that and a Mickey bath towel or beach towel (I don't do the beach so the white bath towel has use when home) to dry off

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

We waded through the japan pavillion last August in ankle deep rain. Just keep swimming.

 

[hskaggs11]

We went last year during Hurricane Matthew. It rained every day we were there, right up to our second to last day, when the parks were closed for the 4th time in the entire history of WDW. Besides the day of the actual hurricane, we just donned our disney ponchos, wore them for the 10-15 minutes it poured, (maybe twice, three times a day?) then shook them off and put them in the plastic shopping bags we bought them in. It kept the rest of my belongings nice and dry, and we were able to continue with our day no problems. The only time we had an issue was the very first day when we were caught unexpected in the downpour and ran to a shop to buy the ponchos. By that time, we were pretty wet. I recommend wearing some type of workout/active pants/capris that will dry quickly. Also, wear your tennis shoes, but bring flip flops to wear during the rain. That was the only thing that bugged me, I didn't bring any flip-flops, so my tennis shoes stayed in a state of constant dampness from the daily rain. Here's a link to the pants we bought for my husband, they dried super quick, and are convertible, they have zip off legs that covert them to shorts. The pockets are good sized too.

http://www.columbia.com/mens-silver-ridge-convertible-pant-AM8004.html#start=14

Just go with the flow, and don't worry about a little rain!! MK was great--lots of indoor attractions, and the crowds disappeared during the rain, leaving a half-empty park afterwards!

 

[WayTooExcited]

One of my favorite memories from Disney is when I was a teenager after a short rain shower at Epcot. We were in one of the countries and were pretty much done when it started to rain. We put on our ponchos and jumped in the puddles all the way out to the buses.

 

[mindeola]

You will be fine. Chances are it will only rain a short time. Afterwards the heat will dry you out. In the meantime, people will leave and the park will be less crowded!

 

[jaysmom4285]

Don't forget that 90% chance of rain doesn't mean that they expect it to rain for 90% of the day. It just means that there's a 90% chance that it will rain at some point during the day. As others have noted, at this time of year that is likely to mean just a short thunderstorm that may provide some heavy rain for but a very short period, and you could like just wait it out indoors somewhere.

 

[tlmadden73]

I went in August of 2015. Short trip .. 2 park days and resort exploration day.

It rained EVERY day. POURED .. for at least 2-3 hours a day. Thunderstorms closed some outdoor rides (like 7 Dwarves) .

We were prepared, rode out the storms and still had an amazing time.

Prepare for the worst and you'll be fine.

 

[mommyaof2]

Thank you all so much for the great advice! It is just our luck that it would be higher chances for rain while we are there. Like I said, I don't mind getting wet, I worry more about thunderstorms. So, I have a pair of crocs, I never wear them but looks like they will make good rain shoes. And I also have plenty of quick dry material clothes. I guess we will buy the good Disney ponchos when we arrive. I just have to figure out how to keep my bag and my phone dry! This is so frustrating though. Looks like Florida needs the rain though.