Best park on a rainy day?

[MouseMamaToMany]

Every Dis geek knows that part of the fun of waiting on a trip is obsessively checking the weather forecast!

We are still 9 days out, but it's looking like our Epcot day is going to be rainy. We don't mind rain, and will bring our ponchos and umbrella. But it got me thinking- which park is the best to do on a rainy day?

Thoughts?

 

[Robo]

Best weather advice: Ignore any forecast over 18 hours away.

 

[Linleedo]

Remember that Florida usually has a passing storm in the afternoon and then it clears up. Humidity plays a big part in the event. When we visit Florida in May, June, or September; the weather station predicts rain daily. Sometimes it happens , other times it doesn't . Enjoy! You can still enjoy the parks in a poncho( & less people will be there)!

 

[PaintsWindColors]

I was stuck at AK in the rain one time and it was - pardon my nerdiness - magical. I felt like I was really in a rainforest in a tropical location! But one tip- don't ride Expedition Everest in the rain. The water will pelt your face hard!

 

[MouseMamaToMany]

Best weather advice: Ignore any forecast over 18 hours away.

Yes!!!!!!! I live in Colorado, and our weather mantra is: "Wait 5 minutes or drive 5 miles. The weather will be different!"
I'm definitely not stressing a bit. Just wondered whether anyone really found one of the parks to be extra fun in the rain!

 

[MouseMamaToMany]

Remember that Florida usually has a passing storm in the afternoon and then it clears up. Humidity plays a big part in the event. When we visit Florida in May, June, or September; the weather station predicts rain daily. Sometimes it happens , other times it doesn't . Enjoy! You can still enjoy the parks in a poncho( & less people will be there)!

Yes! I got soaked last September! But those storms are so fun too. I doesn't rain I. The same way where I live. You know, in buckets!!!!

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Any. Wimps leave when it rains leaving the park your play ground. For some reason it always pours when we are in the land Pavilion.

 

[Cloudy]

I agree that any park is great due to lower crowds, but if I had to pick it would be Animal Kingdom. Mostly indoor shows, Dinosaur ride is indoors, Kali River Rapids is already very wet, Kilimanjaro Safari vehicles have roofs (although riders on the outside rows may get wetter and animals may be sparse), that basically leaves Mt Everest and Primeval Whirl out in the rain although there may be more I am forgetting. Plus the park is small so you can finish early and head back to a dry hotel room.

 

[kwdw]

I personally don't like MK on a rainy day. Maybe it's because it's my "fastest" paced park - I have more I want "to-do" while there - so unless I'm willing to get soaked - I get frustrated trying to stay dry and still get everything in. And in some areas - it's a bit of walk to "under cover" areas that can hold alot of people if it really starts to pour.

All the other parks though - I like on a rainy day because I'm usually willing to just hang out in a spot when it's pouring so I don't get soaked. Last trip - my rainy day was Epcot - and it was great! No lines, no crowds. Walked up to see Pluto with zero wait at like 10 am. And when there was a break - I got in the single rider line for TT and got that in, too - that ride closes when its really raining so that felt a bit lucky.

In general, so many folks stay away when its really raining - any park can be great.

 

[TeresaWen]

I was stuck at AK in the rain one time and it was - pardon my nerdiness - magical. I felt like I was really in a rainforest in a tropical location! But one tip- don't ride Expedition Everest in the rain. The water will pelt your face hard!

Yes! We were there on a very rainy day. Park was empty. Safari was amazing. So many animals appear to love the rain.

 

[newdeal]

None of the parks are that great on a rainy day. I would say Epcot is by far the worst. The others are about equal, I might give the slight edge to Magic Kingdom because you can hang out at philharmagic or in the gift shops pretty nicely if you are thinking the weather might clear

 

[disneyfav4ever]

The only park that's really affected by rain IMO is Animal Kingdom.

 

[princesserin1350]

On our last trip, we had two days at MK, one that poured rain all day and another that was gorgeous and sunny. The rainy day was almost more enjoyable because crowds were so light compared to the sunny day!!

 

[Tiki Sean]

Epcot is my least favorite park to be in when it rains. I am always ending up in World Showcase and all the shops are packed. At least at Magic Kingdom things are closer together so you can still run from one thing to another.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've been to every park during the rain - from the simple one-hour downpours, to terrible lightning storms to over 72 hours of continuous rain during Tropical Storm Debbie. We had fun in all of them, but EP was our absolutely favorite. Because all of the rides (except TT) are inside and typically have areas to explore after the rides (Mission Space, Spaceship Earth, Living with the Seas, Imagination, etc.) we could spend a considerable amount of time exploring indoors. My DS8 could spend 2 hours alone just in Living with the Seas. WS isn't the best, but they do have the movies in several of the countries. AK was actually our least favorite. Besides Dinosaur (which my son won't ride), FOTLK and Nemo, everything is outside. MK was also tough as most rides closed in the rain.

 

[Lesverts]

I loved DHS in the rain. All the rides operate during rain and thunderstorms and ToT is amazing when you have the added natural effects.

 

[MrsDuck]

Any park, really. Just pack the ponchos and be prepared. DHS & MK probably have the most options for rainy days, though!

 

[Tomh]

First off, golden rule in Florida, if you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes, it'll change.

As for best park in the rain, I would have to say MK . .. lots of indoor attractions, and lots of things close together, plenty of ways to get around the park without being exposed to the rain too much.

Future World in Epcot isn't too bad in the rain, as long as it isn't a constant all day rain. World showcase is less ideal, though if they are showers, you can hop from country to country between the cloud bursts and still have a pretty decent time.

Animal Kingdom, in my mind, is the worst in the rain. Not a lot of indoor rides / shows, most of the park is outdoors, so you are just getting wet wet wet.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

For WDW I usually go in September and just count on rain/storms everyday to be on the safe side knowing that they usually pass quickly. I'm not one to bring ponchos/umbrellas but that's just me. I agree with others though in that I think MK and Future World of Epcot are pretty good for rain and parts of DHS but AK to me not so much and I think it's because there are less covered areas and if there's humidity due to storms it feels that much hotter. Only downside is the outdoor rides (like test track in Epcot or the 7DMT/BTMRR in MK) that they may shut down depending on what weather is in the area. I personally wouldn't start worrying about it until you are 3 or so days out and even then I wouldn't worry too much until the day before since the weather could adjust. I know though with FP+ the flexibility to change parks on a whim isn't really there (if you are using the FP+ system that is).

The weather rule works for many places though I like to hear about weather patterns in other areas kinda neat to me. We've had multiple of 30-40 degree differences from one day to the next here in the last week or two as well as that same degree change in the same day which is fairly common during Spring and Fall. Snowed on Easter in the wee hours of the morning..and was gone in a few hours after the sun was shining around mid-day and the temps ended up being in the low 50s. Actually on the 24th of March the entire state looked like this: Largest wildfire in KS history in the south by the OK border, Tornado watch (just north of me) still on the KS side but by St. Joseph,MO , Blizzard in NW part shut down I-70, and nearly 80 degrees in my area which is the KC metro.

Have fun and don't worry too much on the weather!

 

[DWillowBay]

Best weather advice: Ignore any forecast over 18 hours away.

THIS!!! But...after that...I'd choose Epcot because there are so many indoor areas to enjoy.