Did Rain Ruin Your Trip?

[AlyJoy716]

Have any of you had your trip ruined because of rain? I know that since we decided to book in September, right in the height of hurricane season, that there is always a possibility of having heavy rains. I'm hoping we get some magic and nothing come our way. DH tells me to stop worrying because if it rains, there's nothing we can do about it. Anyone have any stories about how your vacation went with rain? Thanks!

 

[3_disprincesses]

Hurricane Ike passed over during our last trip. I knew it was hurricane season and packed accordingly. We used good, heavy ponchos. Bought DD a cover for her stroller and packed flip flops each day in the backpack in case it rained. No, it didn't ruin our trip and it wouldn't have if it had rained the entire time. Just prepare for the worst and hope for the best!

 

[jcb]

While I wouldn't want anyone to have a hurricane during their WDW vacation, I never mind a "soft" day at WDW. The locals don't usually go when the weather is wet so the Parks are not as crowded. DD and I had a wet day our last trip and it was the best day of the vacation.

 

[jog58]

We had a hurricane [Frances] on our first trip in 2004. I wouldn't say it ruined the trip, it was actually a good thing. We had two extra days in Florida [flights canceled] and Disney gave us a free one day hopper for the time we had to spend confined to our room [about a day]

When the parks reopened the next day the crowds were non existent. Illness has actually ruined more trips for us that rain. In 2007 I got sick on our Disney honeymoon and we just went in May 2010 and the hubby got pneumonia. That was pretty awful.

 

[jennyleettu]

The last trip we took was in Dec and while it wasn't supposed to rain it did for 3 days of our trip. Since it was the first trip for 3 of the 4 members of the traveling party we knuckled down and went for it.

I have to say it was great. The lines were even shorter than before because a lot of people left the parks. We got to just walk onto Soarin, and to meet the characters...so to answer the question no rain didn't ruin our trip.

I will say it did make some things less plesant...like waiting in line outside for our ressies and having to juggle ponchos etc but it was still well worth it!

 

[RockAndRollBallerina]

Nope, went when tropical storm Fay was in full force and still had an amazing time despite the rain.

 

[ZoZo]

I was at WDW in 2005 during Hurricane Wilma. It rained like crazy for a couple of hours the night before the storm went through (we're talking torrential downpour!) -- but just for a few hours.

The day of the storm, the parks were closed for about 1/2 a day. They opened up MK and Epcot at 2:00 that day. We got the outer "fringes" of the storm - rain plus winds around 70 mph. They made everyone stay in their hotel rooms for safety, then we went to the parks when they opened.

Strangely, the hurricane actually helped the weather!! Before the storm went through, it was really hot and humid for two days straight. After the storm went through, the humidity went away, and it was around 80 degrees the rest of the week - perfect weather!

So don't worry - we had originally considered canceling our trip because we knew the hurricane was going to be in the vicinity of Orlando a couple of days after we arrived. But we were so glad we didn't cancel. Apparently WDW is one of the best places to be in Florida if you're stuck in a hurricane. They have their own power supply (our power never went out) and they have their hurricane procedures down to a science.

And the chances that something like that will happen while you're there are very, very slim. I've done six WDW vacations in October (hurricane season) and only had one trip that we had anything happen.

 

[imLissy]

It rained almost our whole trip when we went a couple years ago, but definitely wasn't ruined. It rains, it stops, you run to the next attraction, it rains, it stops, you run. Not a problem.

Now our last trip when it was raining and literally freezing, that sucked. Still we had an awesome time at the 100% completely empty Animal Kingdom. We may have been cold, but we had the whole park to ourselves.

 

[pop pop]

We sat through the Candlelight procession in a downpour. Spent top dollar on the ponchos sold by Disney but these kept us pretty dry.

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

The rain was AWESOME - we were there from Aug 15-24 and were so hot that we gave up park days for water park days and rearranged our entire trip on the fly.

On day 7 it POURED when we were at Animal Kingdom. Like poured as in water covering your ankles in less than 5 minutes on the paths. We loved it and splashed around likes ducks without ponchos. It made the heat a lot more bearable One of my favorites moments from the trip.

I just wish that when it was pouring the bus drivers would turn down the a/c - everyone on the bus back was soaked and freezing

 

[pezheadmeg]

Rain jackets are a savior. I personally love doing the parks in the rain. Last week I got all of EPCOT done in one day because it was rainy.

I'm a flip flop wearer so my feet dry easily. Just pack an extra pair of sneakers. If they're wet from rain, stuff with newspaper overnight and you'll be dry by am.

 

[toesinthesand]

Agreeing with others that rain can be a good thing. We were at Magic Kingdom on a rainy evening in December when Spectromagic was delayed due to rain. When the parade finally started it had stopped raining, but there was hardly no one left in the park. We stood exactly front & center of the castle with absolutely no one anywhere near us. It was a great view with the castle lit with Christmas lights, the parade going by, and not one stranger in any of our pictures! A couple of cast members kept coming up to my kids and teasing them, telling them to stop pushing their way to the front or to stop fighting for a better view. Sometimes rain rocks!

 

[Kiwini]

My trip has never been ruined by rain, but last year we bought tickets pretty far in advance for MVMCP first week of December. That night was miserably cold and rainy and we cut the party short and went back to the Poly to get warm. This year, if we really want to go, we'll wait until we're there, see how the weather is, and if there are tickets we'll get them that day.

 

[heatherwillmom]

Although there are some things that you can't do in the rain, you can most of them. Rain jackets & ponchos work very well. Make sure & have some waterproof shoes. If you wear tennis shoes, take extra socks

 

[PrincessKsMom]

I wouldn't say "ruined" my vacation, but I wasn't too happy about it.

Have gone August 2009 and August 2008. We knew about thunderstorms, rain, etc. which was fine. There were torrential downpours during these trips, but most of the time we were prepared and "weathered the storm" so to speak without any issues. Actually the one night in August 2009 there were over, I believe 10,000 lightening strikes that night due to a huge storm that had rolled in. But we were back in our room before the worst of the storm hit, so we just stayed indoors.

We went in April 2010 and everyone raved about how wonderful the weather would be in April; it's not too hot, it's beautiful weather...blah, blah, blah. This was actually the first time I planned a non-commando trip so we could enjoy lounging around the pool a few days, etc. Needless to say, the sun didn't come out until the day before we left and I was miserable. It was cloudy, cool, rainy the whole week we were there. I guess the influx of cheerleaders and the mass of teenagers at the parks didn't help either. And FWIW, I'm one of those sun junkies. If the sun is out, I'm in a great mood. If it's cloudy or raining, I'm depressed and upset.

So what did I learn from this latest trip in April? I WILL NOT go back to Disney in April EVER. As I said, it wasn't just the weather, but I hated being there with the cheerleaders and the class trips, senior trips, proms, etc. just weren't for me. I love the end of August when it's hot, humid and EMPTY. Guess I'm just not a people person.

Just thought I'd add: I go to Florida to be in the sun, which I know isn't guaranteed, but it was actually nicer at home in NJ that week than in Florida.

 

[nykidatheart]

it has rained on almost every trip we've gone. one year in particular there was hurricane Ophelia in the Atlantic ocean i think it was 2005 and we just swam in the rain next to another brave couple...we've been friends ever since..so magic always seems to happen at wdw..even in poor weather.

 

[fallen_angel727]

I very much enjoyed our trip in Feb. of last year it rain on and off for a coupe of the days, never all day though. Just enough to scare others away, we did DHS and MK these days and had a blast...a soggy blast but that's ok.

 

[Hobbitmomma]

We went the last week of August 2006 and actually did a land/sea package. It rained every afternoon for about two hours while we were at the parks. It didn't bother us at all. Actually it was a good thing. Our kids were 5 and 7 at the time and we went back to the hotel after lunch and did naps until about 4, then went to dinner and back to a park. It worked out very well. If it hadn't rained, our plan would have been to swim at the hotel in the afternoons, but the naps were far more beneficial! On a side note, our sea part of the package encountered some rain too in the form of hurricaine Ernesto. (It might have been a tropical storm at that point.) It hit on our Castaway Cay day. Though we had to board the ship a little earlier than normal (3pm) we did have a lovely day anyway. The wind did kick up and it rained sideways while we were boarding. Then the captain just sailed out of the way for our at sea day. Coming back through the Floriday straights was rocky and we had pretty big swells, but overall, we had a wonderful experience.

 

[Kiwini]

Our first 6 trips were spring break, our last 2 were in December. Warm rain beats cold rain!

 

[Queenk333]

Well said!

Our first 6 trips were spring break, our last 2 were in December. Warm rain beats cold rain!