Disneyland in the rain...

princess_jamie

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 16, 2015
Messages
297
So we're a week out and our forecast looks pretty good, except our last day is showing a 90% chance of 25-35mm of rain!!! Yikes!

I know some of the outdoor rides may close and outdoor shows may be impacted.

What are some tips to doing Disneyland in the rain?
 
Bring ponchos and go for it. Not sure where you're from, but if you're from anywhere where it rains regularly, Disneyland rain is not usually a big deal.

For some good indoor excitement, check out the Animation Academy at DCA and go to the Tiki Room at DL. There are a bunch of other places to go in the rain, but those are our favorites. Water rides are also fun in the rain since there's rarely a wait. And book an indoor restaurant for a meal. It's nice to get out of the rain while you're eating.
 
a little off topic, when is the rainy season in Anaheim? Thinking of planning our first Nov/Dec trip (next year) and am curious if there are times its impacted worse?
 
a little off topic, when is the rainy season in Anaheim? Thinking of planning our first Nov/Dec trip (next year) and am curious if there are times its impacted worse?

It can rain from October-April, but in general, December-early March are the rainiest times. Keep in mind that "rainy season" is a little weak though. After all, we've had a severe drought for years now. This year we seem to be getting more so far, but in general, it doesn't rain that much even during rainy season.
 

Get a good quality poncho (not the ones they sell at Disney) and enjoy yourself. The crowds are a little bit lower on rainy days.
 
Bring ponchos and go for it. Not sure where you're from, but if you're from anywhere where it rains regularly, Disneyland rain is not usually a big deal.

For some good indoor excitement, check out the Animation Academy at DCA and go to the Tiki Room at DL. There are a bunch of other places to go in the rain, but those are our favorites. Water rides are also fun in the rain since there's rarely a wait. And book an indoor restaurant for a meal. It's nice to get out of the rain while you're eating.

We're from western Canada so this time of year we're getting snow. We had a decent amount of rain this year in the summer but it's definitely not something we are used to!

Thanks for the tips!!
 
So we're a week out and our forecast looks pretty good, except our last day is showing a 90% chance of 25-35mm of rain!!! Yikes!

I know some of the outdoor rides may close and outdoor shows may be impacted.

What are some tips to doing Disneyland in the rain?
If it makes you feel better 1- my forecast for DLR shows rain possible today/tomorrow then nothing else for the next 2 weeks- anything further out isn't very accurate. 2- somehow the "rain" forecast usually ends in no rain or some sprinkles in Anaheim- it doesn't rain hard/a lot usually and we're in a bit of a dry spell so good for vacays bad for the land lol
 
Well, I can tell you what's up, is is raining right now in Anaheim, and somewhat hard for us. Also windy, which is not a good sign for Fireworks and the snow effect tonight.

Also 20 miles away or so, the LA Coliseum, is get a good amount of rain. (The USC football game in on TV).
 
It's raining here now and the first few hours were unpleasant as it was cold, wet, windy and still crowded and hard to find room out of the rain. Now the park is getting quieter and lots of rides are walks on it's pretty good. Just come prepared with raincoats/ponchos and waterproof shoes.
 
Water proof shoes are a must. We are here at the moment and the water seems to flow so you are walking in water.
We have given up and gone down to espn for food and to play the games for a while.
Before we did leave the park didn't seem crowded and the wait times were small.
 
If you have water repellant or water proof footwear, that would be good to bring. Definitely extra socks, never know. A minnie (Mini) umbrella ;) lol Good quality rain poncho like others have said. Or in a pinch wear two of the lesser quality ones you will find at DLR. Zip lock bags to put your electronics in. And also to place damp stuff.
It doesn't rain all that much in So Ca. unfortunately.
 
We were there today in the rain. Had a fun time, but it was chilly and wet, right from our ride on the tram. The seats on the tram were not only wet, but had puddles toward the back (much like the the last row in the boats on POTC used to). After getting our jeans soaked, we decided to go for it in the parks. Getting wetter just didn't matter much after that. :) (We did have good quality rain jackets and water repellent shoes. Also wool socks.) Did HMH twice in a row with minimal wait times. Rain jackets got a good workout. Market House had a line, but lots of staff, so things moved quickly. Character M&Gs moved indoors with no lines. Got to meet Pluto, Mickey, and Minnie with no waits. Walked right up and PhotoPass took our photos. Having a TS reservation was really helpful. At least we didn't have to wander about looking for someplace to eat and we got to stay warm inside. The holiday parade got cancelled, so we went for hot chocolate instead. If you are prepared for the wet and the cold, you can have a very fun time in the parks. But we did see lots of guests in shorts and flip flops who looked pretty miserable.
 
But we did see lots of guests in shorts and flip flops who looked pretty miserable.
Ppl still in shorts ??
I have been watching KABC morning news streaming to gauge the weather in LA, even as they told the temperature, I do not have a real feel for it as we are pretty much high 80F all year round here.
So saw ppl on Black friday waiting in winter clothings and the weather girl says it cold. So I am really surprise ppl are still in shorts in DL.

I saw the wait times on the app Saturday, and saw really low time, then I remembered it's raining in Anaheim.
 
cold and rain is relative to what you are used to. Where Im from its about 20 degrees colder than California and we get alot of rain. I once went to California in January. The day time temps were warmer than the summer temps where I am from so we were dressed in summer clothes. The locals were thought we were crazy as they were wearing winter clothes, sweaters, coats, etc.
 
As others have said, just be prepared with waterproof shoes and ponchos/raincoats (bring extras as they're hard to reuse) and you'll be right! When we were there a couple of years ago my sister didn't listen to us (typical!) and insisted on wearing her Converse in the rain. After a few minutes of soggy socks and shoes and she went back to the room to change into boots.
 
Ppl still in shorts ??
I have been watching KABC morning news streaming to gauge the weather in LA, even as they told the temperature, I do not have a real feel for it as we are pretty much high 80F all year round here.
So saw ppl on Black friday waiting in winter clothings and the weather girl says it cold. So I am really surprise ppl are still in shorts in DL.

I saw the wait times on the app Saturday, and saw really low time, then I remembered it's raining in Anaheim.

DH is still in shorts and we live in Washington state. It's 45 Fahrenheit and raining. He would love to be in Anaheim where it's 59F. :)

Black Friday coverage you're seeing people who live there. They think it's cold. They wear sweaters when it's 70F. :) My sister in law grew up in Chicago then moved to Florida and lost her cold tolerance. We went to DL our first time as adults one October and it rained and she was freezing. The rest of us were in shorts.

I grew up near San Francisco and our holiday pictures involved sunshine and maybe the occasional sweater. I have one thanksgiving picture wearing a sweater and scarf and also a short skirt and I'm barefoot... *outside*.

It's all relative. :)
 
I'm hoping it's raining while we're there. I'd love less crowds and rain doesn't bother me. Funny how people love the water rides and can get more soaked on those than walking in the rain. Doesn't make sense to me.
 
Yesterday I was at the parks from 7:30am to 11:30 pm. I'm from Vancouver, so I'm not afraid of rain...however...this was pretty heavy rain. I'd say the worst part was the wet feet and then sitting down on rides. Even indoor rides were wet because of everyone's ponchos.

But, I walked on any ride I wanted to go on and FPs for Hyperspace Mountain, Star Tours and Haunted Mansion never ran out (and were only 40 mins out most of the afternoon/evening), so it was easy to get on at least one ride every 40 minutes. I think I counted 31 rides? Plus the rain stopped at about 8:30, so caught WoC then booked it to Main Street for the Fireworks, and as I was about to leave at 10:30 - they announced PtN was starting but was a bit delayed, so waited for that - but it was an abbreviated showing w/out any dancers - just a couple of groups of "stylized walkers" (DIS Unplugged joke lol)

I was really wishing I had picked up one of those rain suits someone on here recommended off Amazon - it's like $25ish? And has pants and jacket for rain. I would have gladly taken that yesterday.
 
Rain in SoCal isn't like rain from the NW (I spent the first 40 years of my life there). DL is great when it rains, you would think it's acid rain falling from the sky! Albeit we have had more rain in the last 6 weeks than we've seen in years, it's still not that bad. It is cold too mid - 50's low 60's and I know I know - that's not winter weather, but for those of us accustomed to the SoCal Sunshine, it's freezing, my heat is actually on. Have fun, bring a poncho, and it'll no doubt stop pretty quickly.
 












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