Best park when raining?

[MommyDonald]

Which is the best of the four parks to choose when it is raining? I'm thinking something with lots of inside areas.

 

[2Tiggies]

I'd go with Epcot.

Worst park in the rain is hands down AK! Avoid at all costs if possible

 

[WEDWDW]

I like Epcot Future World West because there are 3 Attractions and 2 restaurants inside one building at The Land and 2 attractions and the aquarium inside The Seas with Nemo and Friends building with Innoventions West right in that area as well,so a lot ot do without being in the rain much.

 

[SkylarKD]

I like MK when it is raining. Almost 2/3 of the attractions are indoors or outdoors but covered. Some have partially outdoor queues though, so we always bring ponchos for that, and for walking between attractions (umbrellas are a pain to carry & always leave me wet!). It poured in the evening when we went to MK last year, but we still had a great time! Thankfully, the rain had let up by parade & fireworks time. I don't know what MK's rain policy is for those.

I like the architecture of Epcot too much to go on a really rainy day, unless I had 2 days there and could spend the bulk of the time in Future World. And a 2-day visit to a park rarely happens for us!

 

[wiigirl]

I'd go with Epcot.

Worst park in the rain is hands down AK! Avoid at all costs if possible

 

[disneylovin24]

I can't believe multiple people have said EPCOT.

Big EPCOT fan who did it in the rain in 2012 and it was HORRIBLE! In reality it has very few indoor rides (Test Track is out in the rain) and you can't walk around half of the park (World Showcase). I say EPCOT has to be saved for a beautiful day because it is a lot of walking around to just see things. Only good thing about EPCOT in the rain is you can get a primetime spot for Illuminations 5 minutes before if you don't mind rain in the eyes or getting wet We got our best spot ever to see it in the rain although we did end up soaked.

Just last week we got stuck in Animal Kingdom in the rain. It wasn't ideal because of the rides we wanted to ride we could only do Dinosaur. I do think walking around though it is more protected than EPCOT and you do not get as soaked, but that is just my experience.



I would say you could make the case for either DHS or MK in the rain as the best since both have mostly indoor rides. DHS may beat out MK in my mind just because MK is so magical that it is just nicer to see it on a beautiful day.

 

[Magpie]

When it rains, I like to just get soaked and ride the coasters over and over again with no wait.

So, Magic Kingdom is awesome (though Splash Mountain can be chilly, as it's air conditioned). Nothing like turning BTMRR into a water ride!

And, while I haven't had a chance to experience it yet, I think Animal Kingdom could be really fun in the rain. After all, if you're already soaked, you don't need to worry about getting soaked again on Kali River Rapids!

It's fun to splash past all the folks huddling under shelters, and walk right onto a coaster! Last time we got caught in a downpour, we rode BTMRR four times in a row. Then it stopped raining and the line got long again.

 

[disneylovin24]

When it rains, I like to just get soaked and ride the coasters over and over again with no wait.

So, Magic Kingdom is awesome (though Splash Mountain can be chilly, as it's air conditioned). Nothing like turning BTMRR into a water ride!

And, while I haven't had a chance to experience it yet, I think Animal Kingdom could be really fun in the rain. After all, if you're already soaked, you don't need to worry about getting soaked again on Kali River Rapids!

It's fun to splash past all the folks huddling under shelters, and walk right onto a coaster! Last time we got caught in a downpour, we rode BTMRR four times in a row. Then it stopped raining and the line got long again.

Just watch out for them shutting down rides, Expedition Everest was shut down in the rain last week. Trust me, I was all ready to ride it in the rain!

 

[BlovesC]

I know it's odd, but I absolutely adore AK in the rain. There are a deceptive number of little spots to take shelter from the rain, if you must, and in the rain all the trees and foliage just really seem to come alive. Granted, you may not be able to enjoy many rides in the rain, but it's a great time to relax and people (and animal!) watch.

One time we were finishing lunch at Flame Tree, sitting by the water with Everest in the background, when a sudden downpour started and it became the highlight of my day. It was so calm and serene, the water cascading off all the leaves around us while the birds splashed about...I couldn't imagine any better way at WDW to stop and take a little break.

I'll second a previous poster...the worst park in the rain, is, IMO, Epcot! Yes, there's plenty of attractions indoors, which is good, but to get there you have to dash across the wide expanse of concrete, getting soaked in the process.

 

[OKW Lover]

Which is the best of the four parks to choose when it is raining? I'm thinking something with lots of inside areas.

Best in the rain is MK and DHS. Fairly compact parks minimizes the walking between attractions, and many (not all) of the attractions are inside.

Worst in the rain is DAK & Epcot. Very spread out so lots of walking between attractions.

 

[dwheaton]

My initial thought was EPCOT since there is so much inside, and I think that's probably still the best. It used to be a bigger draw when there was so much to do at Future World. You could hit Horizons, Wonders of Life, and World of Motion and knock out a bunch of time with little walking. Now, it's not so thrilling.

I do like the idea of doing MK because the crowds will be so light. Things aren't that spread out, and you can still do all but maybe Splash, Jungle Cruise, and BTMRR in terms of the bigger rides. It might be good fun, assuming it's not a torrential downpour.

 

[kittyab]

Epcot, we were there when it rained. We enjoyed it regardless. We just put on rain ponchos.

 

[Magpie]

My initial thought was EPCOT since there is so much inside, and I think that's probably still the best. It used to be a bigger draw when there was so much to do at Future World. You could hit Horizons, Wonders of Life, and World of Motion and knock out a bunch of time with little walking. Now, it's not so thrilling.

I do like the idea of doing MK because the crowds will be so light. Things aren't that spread out, and you can still do all but maybe Splash, Jungle Cruise, and BTMRR in terms of the bigger rides. It might be good fun, assuming it's not a torrential downpour.

Nah, the torrential downpour's what makes it awesome.

We were just climbing into our car on BTMRR once when the skies opened up. At the end of the loading dock, all you could see was a solid curtain of grey and the CM just started laughing hysterically, saying, "Enjoy your ride!"

I never screamed so loud as when we hit that water. Couldn't see a thing the entire time, and it was maybe the best ride I've ever had. Especially since once we got off, we didn't have to worry about staying dry any more!

 

[disneylovin24]

Now here is a question, are the parks really more empty in the rain?If you have planned out your WDW vacation in the advance and only have one week there is rain really going to make you change your plans and not go to a park? Especially when parks like MK and DHS have mostly indoor rides


For example, in June 2012 we had to go to EPCOT in a tropical storm because we had plans to eat breakfast with the princesses and with 2 day park passes we couldn't go back. There was no way we could change our plans because of the rain.

 

[wdwrich]

I agree with PPs who recommend EPCOT in the rain, especially Future World:

Ellen's Energy Adventure - the attraction keeps you inside and out of the rain for 45 minutes start to finish.

The Land - Ride Soarin, Living with the Land, watch the Circle of Life, then have lunch at the food court. Easily keeps you inside out of the rain for an hour or more.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends - Ride Nemo, Watch Turtle Talk with Crush, explore the aquariums. Another hour or more inside out of the rain.

Innoventions - Multiple shows, displays and a character meet & greet. Another hour or more inside out of the rain.

That's easily 3-4 hours or more of inside things to do, and I didn't include Journey into Imagination, Test Track, Mission Space, or shopping.

 

[FireDancer]

Are you talking all day rain or the hour long showers that happen during the rainy season? For the former probably MK because I don't care about getting wet and would enjoy the lower crowds and shorter waits. For the later I'd say any Epcot because you can go into one of the pavilions for a ride and come out after the shower is over.

 

[Disworldluv]

When it rains we go to the MK, for all the reasons stated.

 

[Tomh]

One time we were finishing lunch at Flame Tree, sitting by the water with Everest in the background, when a sudden downpour started and it became the highlight of my day. It was so calm and serene, the water cascading off all the leaves around us while the birds splashed about...I couldn't imagine any better way at WDW to stop and take a little break.

We got caught having lunch outside at Flame Tree in a rain storm once too, and, for just a brief moment, I had that wonderful feeling just like you, marveling at the calm, serene scene unfolding around me, the rain, gently cascading off the leaves, into my lunch, carrying all the poop that the birds had left on the leaves first . .. so much for calm and serene, that was just disgusting

I absolutely HATE being in AK when it rains, which, consequentially, it has done vigorously absolutely EVERY time I have visited AK.

Because of the sheer size of EPCOT and the amount of walking that is necessary in World Showcase, I am not a big fan of being there when it is raining either. Given an option, I would probably go for MK first, followed by DHS.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

In the rain I would choose MK, for reasons others have stated better than I could. Just *don't* go to AK on a rainy day. All those trees dripping water on your head in big plops is like some sort of water torture device. But I will say though, we rode Expedition Everest in the rain and it was fabulous!

 

[Magpie]

Now here is a question, are the parks really more empty in the rain?If you have planned out your WDW vacation in the advance and only have one week there is rain really going to make you change your plans and not go to a park? Especially when parks like MK and DHS have mostly indoor rides


For example, in June 2012 we had to go to EPCOT in a tropical storm because we had plans to eat breakfast with the princesses and with 2 day park passes we couldn't go back. There was no way we could change our plans because of the rain.

It's not so much that people don't go, it's that they hide when it's raining heavily. Meaning rides with open queues or rides that are hard to get to without crossing open ground, are emptier.

That, and if it doesn't stop raining, people arrive late and leave early.