Animal Kingdom in the rain?

[ariane37]

One of our best park days was AK in the rain, 2011. It was POURING and we were soaked! Had no ponchos, we had 2 umbrellas and all bought hooded sweatshirts in the park. We did the safari twice and like many pp's have said, they were the 2 best safari's we've done The animals are so active in the rain and we saw more animals than ever before. Plus, you're under cover Same for the Nemo and FOTLK shows. You may get wet walking there, but you spend a nice amount of time inside being dry. We met some characters in covered areas with no wait, did some shopping, ate lunch at Tusker House. I know we rode Primevil Whirl and EE during lulls in the rain, and my older DS danced with some African dancers. Without the rain we may have walked at a more leisurely pace and seen more, possibly rode EE at least one more time and seen Flights of Wonder and the parade (both of which we'd done before) But overall it was a fun day, definitely not a waste. Hope you have a great time!

 

[Kate and Family]

Did AK in the rain just recently. The rain started about mid morning. (By that time we had already done Everest three times in a row - 2 walk on, 1 FP).
Animals were active. Everything was lush. We caught Lion King during one torrential downpour. Kali River Rapids was a hoot in the rain (no thunder so it was a go). However, there were riverlets we had to cross sometimes! So I recommend you wear water shoes. Overall, one of the most fun days, and definitely the most fun ever in Animal Kingdom.


As a side note - EPCOT is the park I least like in the rain. Although there are inside rides, the walk between pavilions (esp FW) can seem quite daunting in the rain.

 

[DisDreamsAshley]

Personally I love AK in the rain. The crowds clear out, and the lines get low. The animals are much more active too. I definitely recommend getting on the safari while its raining!

 

[disnut8]

Soooo, our Animal Kingdom day calls for torrential downpours all day. - of course I choose late October for best chance of no rain...


Anyways, we have rain hats, ponchos, fast drying shoes...anything else? Is this park doable in the rain at all? I figure we'll have to pay close attention to rides if they close and jump on as soon as they open.

We still plan to go to the park that day.

thanks!

We went to Animal Kingdom with nine people, ranging in age from 5 to 70s. It rained so hard, we walked with umbrellas sideways. Some had the umbrellas, some had ponchos and my stubborn son (new dad to a five year old) had just a jacket.

The best trip to Animal Kingdom ever! Doing a Safari in the rain, great! Animals don't know what an umbrella is and the coolness kept them out and doing things they don't normally do on this Safari (ever see a giraffe run in the rain?)

Animal Kingdom in the rain is wonderful because there are more species there that are outside all the time and don't care about ponchos or umbrellas or wet "feet".

 

[ZoZo]

FYI, I rode EE in the pouring rain in February. When it started to rain, we "ponchoed up" and kept going, while everyone else was huddled under cover. It was great because the lines were so short!

But be warned - when you go on a fast, outdoor coaster in the rain, the raindrops pelt your face pretty hard. The photo of me on EE in the rain was hilarious - I was huddled in my poncho, trying to pull the hood over my face because those raindrops HURT!

But rainstorms are a great time to do the Safari ride. The animals tend to get pretty active when it's raining - plus, you're under cover on the tram.

 

[LaurenT]

one of my favorite days (out of the 100s I've spent in WDW) ws DH and me in AK during a "monsoon". Very few people stayed. We just kept looping around and getting back on Kilimanjaro Safari! The giraffes were all huddled under a tall stand of Palm trees, lol.
AK is gorgeous in heavy rain - it really takes on an exotic feel.

 

[ZoZo]

And remember tha it's unlikely to rain all day long. That does happen sometimes (they did have all-day rain a few weeks back, but that's pretty unusual)., But even if it says "100% chance of rain" that just means that it will rain at some time during the day - but not 100% of the entire day. I just looked at the 10-day forecast on weather.com, and it shows some showers some days, but lots of sun. Remember that the forecast for Orlando can change from day to day (and even from hour to hour!), and looking at a long-range forecast too far out isn't very useful. I usually only look one day out, or the morning of!

But you're smart to be prepared! October is still hurricane season, and there's a good chance that you'll get at least an afternoon shower. Here's hoping for good weather for you!

 

[Ozzygirl]

according to accuweather.com the weather looks great next week, just some partial clouds on Tuesday and Friday..the rest of the week perfect with low 80s

I wouldn't borrow worry....I bet the weather will be great.

 

[Skullcrusher]

the rapids are great in the rain! also tough to be a bug is inside.

 

[yankeepenny]

I finally dried out from my two week trip in the rain. AK empties very very fast in the rain. I had hours on end all day rain, but hopefully you wont get that.
Wear crocs or other like shoes, they will dry faster.
I walked right into Yak and Yeti and had a wonderful, unrushed, great wait staff early dinner at 445 one afternoon. They brought me hot coffee to warm up, and the food was very good.

You can do many things there-FOTLK got filled fast with the rain, but the animals that came out on the Safaris were amazing- about twice what I usually see.

I say get the ponchos and water shoes out, and have a blast.

 

[cavepig]

We've done AK in light rain, pouring rain, & thunderstorms. Light rain won't shut as much down as if there's lightening around.

Last May we were there and did Safari in a thunderstorm (it was dark and big booms) . CM said it never closes for rain. It was a great safari but I'm thinking the elephants weren't out, it was close to park closing so maybe that's why.

Besides Dinosaur the other 2 rides in Dinoland will shut down in pouring rain and storms, but not light rain. Same with Kali and the I think the animal trails might shut down with lightening, not sure on that one.

There's not as much shelter as the other parks, but to get out of the downpour in May we visited Mickey & Minnie which was inside and passed time. Bug Show is inside and Nemo & Lion King show is inside at least.

Paths can get slippery when wet so be careful there, pack your poncho and have a great time! Heavey rain usually clears a park out too so if you can stick it out you'll have an emptier park when it lets up.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

It was raining on and off during our Ak day and they did cancel the Flights of Wonder show.

 

[PCFriar80]

According to your ticker, your trip is 8 days away. I wouldn't rely on a weather report that far out.

This! And most of the wet weather is now off the board for next week! Only 48 hours later....... I've been watching too as we arrive on the 23rd.