Best park in the rain?

[jrasmom]

We're looking ahead to the forecast for our trip.

Right now one day is at 60% chance of rain.

Which park do you think is best to visit in the rain?

We were thinking Epcot with all the countries to visit, etc. BUT then I'm thinking I won't get any good pictures

 

[mom2of2]

AK is good in the rain. The animals tend to be more active

 

[LubsPoohBear]

AK becouse of the animals or MGM becouse theres alot of inside stuff ta do .... well for me the only way im going back to MGM is if its raining or a really cool day

 

[Kimberly815]

I am not really sure which would be best . .
However, I have done the MK in the rain (off and on heavy drizzle for about 5-6 hours) and Epcot (pouring for about 4 hours)- Of those two, MK was the best. There was enough shows/rides that were inside that we were able to do a lot during the rain. Epcot was quite a bit worse. We brought ponchos so we were able to move about around the countries, but anyplace in the countries with a covering and the shops were packed with people just waiting out the rain.
Just my 0.02! Good luck! And enjoy your trip!!

 

[minijeanie]

I would say MK for sure... more tight knit.
Epcot so spread out= you are always getting wet

and yes AK is better in rain for animals. but that is only for KS...
MGM not too bad, also smaller

anyhow, weather reports always change day to day..

hopefully it will only be a drizzle

good luck

 

[bytheblood]

I think AK. That is when all of the ani-mules come out - especially in Kilimanjaro.

 

[TriMom]

I think Epcot, Future World instead of WS. We can easily spend 1-2 hours in the Living Seas, and then 1-2 hours in The Land. Ellen's Energy Adventure is at least a 20 min show, I think longer. And my DS loves the chance to spend a long time jumping on the sounds in Imagination. DH would spend ALL DAY in Inoventions, if I let him.


I disagree about AK, We have spent a rainy day there, and it was miserable. All of the aminal shows are canceled. All of the trails shut down. And everything was spead out, so we were soaked. I was so happy to return to our room. And AK is my second favorite park, just never again in the rain.

 

[EEYOREMAMA]

I think MK is the best bet. It's easiest to run from attraction to attraction. EPCOT is way too spaced out. I have most of my souvenier t-shirts from getting wet there. AK is also terrible for the same reason. Plan on bringing extra clothes or buying your share of t-shirts, too. It's still summer and we need the rain.

 

[ajleone]

Whichever park you decide on I recomend two things.1) buy your ponchos ahead of time- I find the disney ones are too short and I end up getting wet.2) wear sandels or crocs or something of that sort,they dry so fast after the rain stops. We found it was easier to deal with the rain if we weren't worried about our feet getting wet.

 

[stemikger]

For some reason, the rain never stops us in Disney. We go in August and it usually rains for an hour or two a day, that is the time we try to do a little shopping in the gift shops or get a bite to eat. However, the ponchos are great. I prefer EPCOT in the rain, there are a lot more pavilions you can check out.

 

[flortlebap]

Epcot was terrible in the rain.

They shut down virtually everything! If you don't mind walking around the WS in the rain though you might enjoy it - but that day we were wanting to concentrate on FW, but we ended up just leaving and resting at the hotel.

It was a big disappointment to be honest.

 

[jellydisney]

Epcot is the worst. Sooo much walking outside, and like another poster said, some of the rides are forced to close (last time I was there in the rain, Test Track and Universe of Energy had to shut down)

I personally think MK is the best in the rain--plenty of places to walk under awnings and hop from attraction to attraction.

I've never been to AK in the rain, so I'd be interested to know what that would be like.

 

[jrasmom]

Thanks for all your replies.

I just checked the weather forecast and the 60% has come down to 20% (which I can TOTALLY deal with )

Guess we'll figure it out closer to that day LOL!

Although I will point out this post to my hubby.

 

[TriMom]

This thread is an example of why we all can go to WDW time and time again. We all have different opinions on the best park, the best park in the rain, what time of year to go, what time of day to go. The World is so different to every person and every trip. That's what makes it magical


I'm glad your rain chances are down. Have a great time!

 

[erinch]

The Weather always seems to schedule a downpour for us when we're in Epcot.

Be aware that the concrete sidewalk which links WS becomes VERY slick in puddles. My DS was in rubber soled sneakers, and my DD was in flip flops and both of them slipped and took headers. (then DS discovered he could get a heelys effect w/out the heelys by hydroplaning along on his slick soles. fortunately the rain had been so heavy that great expanses of sidewalks were vacant. Yes...we shut him down real fast. )

DD could only stay upright by holding on to both me and my hubby. She finally took off the flipflops and just went barefoot.

What was amazing to watch at Epcot -- and I am talking a torrential downppour here, before we were contending with the puddles and slick sidewalks in WS -- is that there was basically a foot deep torrent surging along on the main sidewalk in FW. It had been cloudy but no drizzles when we went in to watch HISTK.

We came out to discover the sky had opened, and it was beyond pouring. The worst rain I've ever seen. In the only time I've ever reported CMs, a couple of teenage ones were demanding that all the guests, including those with no ponchos and very small children, leave the awning and go out into the rain. But there was a river....fast enough to sweep away a child...out on the sidewalk.

Several men appeared, moved trashcans, and opened up drains I'd never seen before. All of the water almost immediately flowed down the drains and the river was gone. It was amazing. The CMs still made everyone walk out into the rain, while they stood there all cozy in their jackets. There wasn't even another show going on.

 

[Hope73]

THis is a great thread. I was wondering what to do it it is raining?

 

[flortlebap]

We took advantage and had a long rest at the hotel. We ate at the POP foodcourt, then went out in the evening once the rain had stopped to DTD, did some shopping, had an ice cream sundae etc etc

I hear Disney Quest gets quite busy when it's raining - you can see why if it's all indoors! The hotel was quite busy that day too, I guess people turn up for the Florida sun and don't like it when it goes away.

We did stay at Epcot for about 90 mins after the downpour started... by 20 mins, Universe of Energy and Test Track had closed... within about 5 more minutes they were shutting down most of the other rides too (even the indoor ones ) and we didn't feel like shopping in the gift stores because when you're soaked and you go into air conditioning, it's FREEZING. We didn't really recover from that for the rest of the day, until we had a hot shower anyway!!

 

[DisDarling]

Best park would be MK or MGM, NOT Epcot, everything is too far apart to run to in the rain!

 

[btuftee]

That's odd, why would they shut down indoor rides like Universe of Energy? Test Track I can understand of course... maybe there's a big leaky hole in UoE's roof??

The only time recently that we've been caught in a downpour was at Epcot - we always carry cheap little ponchos with us in the parks, basically they're good for one use, then you can't fold them back into a manageable size, so they go in the trash. Bring at least two of these per person if you're planning a longish trip, but you only need to carry one at a time. Don't mess with umbrellas - they're worthless against the strong windy rains, and you have to lug them around the entire day. I'd rather have a small rectangle of plastic weighing about 8oz to carry around in a pocket than a bulky umbrella!

I would probably pick MK for the best park to hit on a rainy day, for reasons already stated. It's got the best combination of indoor rides and smallish size, tons of shops and covered walkways too. Avoid AK or Epcot - big expanses of space to cover when walking from one attraction to the next, few covered walkways. As noted before, the shops simply burst at the seams with people during heavy rains at Epcot, though I've never noticed this at the MK.

 

[Lynne M]

Remember that a 60% chance of rain doesn't mean it will rain for 60% of the day.....it just means that there's a 60% chance that it will rain at some point during the day. Maybe just for 5 minutes.

At this time of year, you get a brief rainstorm in the afternoon almost every day. No more than 15 minutes worth, usually. I just head into a store or an eatery to grab a snack, and before you know it, the sun's back out and all the water is drying up.