Can I get some poncho advice?

[fla4fun]

Will the Disney rain gear fit Pooh-sized fans?

I have a friend who wears a 26/28, and wears a Disney poncho if needed. They are roomy.

I personally hate plastic ponchos, so I have a nylon poncho that I only carry to the park if the chance of rain is 50% or higher. I keep it in a large ziploc baggie with the air compressed out, and it's at least as compact as a Disney poncho, if not more. It also dries much faster than the plastic ponchos, and breathes just enough that I don't get sweat soaked wearing it like I do the plastic ones. 30%-50% I carry a compact umbrella just to get from outdoors to indoors to ride out a quick rain. Anything less than 30% I just take my chances.

 

[Coral Reef Diver]

I recommend wearing [ponchos] with a baseball cap to keep it off your face for better vision.

Disney ponchos are great and convenient for hands-free touring. But every Disney poncho looks the same. This can be problematic for families who dress the same, to easily recognize themselves in a crowded park. They could overcome this by simply agreeing to the same touring plan, or stay huddled in the same dry shelter. MaryKatesMom's recommendation (for keeping rain off their faces) would also lend some uniqueness to one's family members.

Admittedly, baseball caps would not as easily recognizable as the full torso signature clothing that t-shirts and ponchos can provide. The downside of unique ponchos is losing one's anonymity, if being different and standing out in a crowd is not for you.

 

[DisneyMom93]

I use a cheap disposable poncho on Kali river rapids. I toss it or give it away that day when I'm done with it. The rest of my family just gets wet. They don't mind. But we all wear quick dry shorts and skorts, and Keens for adults and Crocs or the kids. My girls wear tankini tops for Kali rides. If I choose to get wet I wear a tankini top, or a bikini top under my shirt. Swim suits dry faster.

For rain we actually wear lightweight hooded rain jackets. Again, we wear quick dry clothing and Keens and Crocs. I just check the weather that morning and if it shows rain we bring the jackets and a string backpack for them. But we go in November and it rarely rains.

 

[Bullseye]

We use the Disney ones and mini umbrellas. If the rain is light enough we use the umbrella. When it starts pouring we bust out the ponchos. We go in June and it rains every day so there's no way we would just toss after using.

 

[hammie59]

The quality of the Disney ponchos is excellent, and you reuse them for years. I have some still perfectly usable from 2010. Those puppies went through Matthew last year and are still with us.

We've had ours since 2008!!! And only one "fatality" so had to repurchase one for dd in 2015. We went through Gaston with them last year. Those ponchos have seen a lot of action for sure.

 

[Dismama2boys]

I just can't throw away that much plastic - like a pp said, I carry it back to the resort with me and recycle it. If I'm carting it back anyway, then I use a much better one, either Disney or a reusable one from somewhere else. The dollar ones are basically worthless in anything other than a sprinkle, anyway. I will say that my dad still has (and uses!) our Disney ones from when we were kids; I think they're around 25 years old!!!

 

[ohiotodds12]

I take both to WDW and check the weather in the AM.

1) the small emergency ponchos are extremely lightweight. Two are the size of a pack of cards but aren't much thicker than plastic sandwich bags. You can find them in the fishing section of most big box stores for under $1. They are with us at all times and are one time use. My DD uses them for splash and Kali.

2) If rain is in the forecast we bring our Disney ponchos. They can handle a heavy downpour. They are much thicker but 4 of them can be squished into 1 gallon ziplock bag and are kept in a small string packpack. I recommend wearing them with a baseball cap to keep it off your face for better vision. They do need to be dried out before repackaging. So stringing wet, dripping ponchos over your room is tiresome.

That is exactly what we do! At the water rides and for the actual weather.

 

[jkh36619]

I grab a hand full of the $0.97 ponchos at wally world camping section. They are thin and cheap but you trash it and grab a new one if you need it. They are tiny to haul around.

 

[DaniMoon]

We were there two weeks in June. I bought a 20 pack of different colored ponchos on Amazon for $17. I also packed our good Disney ponchos if we used them all. We were trying to pack lighter for the parks, so the disposable ones were small enough to fit in my crossbody bag. They worked just fine, didn't rip. We even came home with some extras and it was nice to be able to toss them when we were done. A baseball cap, under the hood of the poncho was great. There were a couple days I didn't have the baseball hat and I missed it terribly since I wear glasses.

 

[DaisyJ]

Will the Disney rain gear fit Pooh-sized fans?

Yes.

 

[DaisyJ]

I've had our Disney ponchos for a good 6-7 years and they're still going strong. If you rip one while at disney, return it to any store for a new one. The cheap one dollar flimsy ponchos are useless. You may as well not bother wearing one.

I hung mine up overnight on a hanger to dry and in the morning it went back in a quart size ziploc with the air pressed out.

 

[ChristineOH]

We have Disney ponchos, purchased in an emergency situation, but we use LLBean raincoats that fold into their own pocket. They are a little bulkier to carry, but lighter, and more comfortable to wear.

 

[RangerPooh]

We will usually bring a few $1 ponchos with us. They are fine to be tossed once the storm passes. The hoods can be useless but provide quick coverage to help you stay dry. The Disney sold ones do hold up pretty well. We too had some that lasted multiple trips. I say bring a few cheapies, if you don't like how they work for you then invest in the sturdier Disney ones.

 

[Disney_traveler]

I buy the $1 each adult size ones from Family DOllar. I buy enough for each person to have one for each day we are there. I ALWAYS pack them in the park bag. Have I gone without wearing one? Yep, it was like my own splashpad. But sometimes I want one.

 

[Superchikk]

We've always done the cheap ones and thrown them away when we were finished. I used them to cover the stroller, and when we rode Kali (I don't want to get soaked... yep, party pooper). I've also packed the $1 flip flops from Old Navy in our bags for water rides, and we all wore sandals one evening when it was raining. We weren't expecting anything more than pop-up/blow-thru showers. If we were going to be there during an expected heavy rain event, I would buy the heavy-duty ones and wear cheap flip flops.

 

[samsteele]

I bring the cheap dollar store ponchos and always have one tucked away in my park bag. The Disney ponchos are much more substantial, but since I visit in Sept/Oct any plastic poncho is much too hot & steamy to wear for more than emergency use. Once the rain finishes, I pull it off & tie it around the strap of my park bag. When I get back to my room, I dry it over a chair & can reuse it on another rainy morning out to the bus stop.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I like the ponchos Disney sells now, but I have to say I miss the old yellow ones with the Mickey on the back.

 

[OutNChiTown]

I went on to Amazon and found ponchos for a nice cheap price, ordered them and had them delivered to my hotel (this was before I moved down here). It makes it so much more simple when there's one less thing to pack.

 

[queenofthehive]

Side tip for the ponchos - wear a baseball cap and drape the hood over the cap. Surely keeps the hooded part of the poncho from slipping off or dripping water in your eyes or face.

 

[totallytigger]

We were there this past June and it rained just about every day. Two days it rained almost the whole day. Needless to say, our Disney ponchos were getting used and abused!! We had to replace a couple of them d/t tears in the neck area. Finally, we got tired of dealing with them, and went in to the Columbia store at DS. They were having a great sale on their waterproof raincoats--plus they also allowed me to use the military discount( or you could use AP discount) to save even more. The coats pack into their own pocket and have zippered vents under the arms for fresh air. After buying these, we stayed completely dry, even during heavy rain, and found them much more comfortable than the ponchos. I sized up to allow room for my backpack under my coat. They will be our go to rain coats for all future trips to WDW--next one in Oct!!