For those who use ponchos on water rides...what do you do with them between rides?

[Mugglemama]

So, a few days ago I was looking for rain suits because rain was forecasted for the days we'll be in the parks.

Lucky for us, the forecast changed, and now we're looking at no rain, with a high of 78 our 1st day and 80 on our 2nd day!

However, since it will be cooling off PLENTY at nighttime, we don't really want to get soaked on GRR or Splash, leaving us in wet clothes when the temps dip back down. We want to stay until the 8pm closings each night, and since we're walking from the hotel, running back to change isn't really anything we want to do, either.

So, it looks like the obvious solution is to bring ponchos to wear on the water rides. We've never actually worn ponchos in the parks before. I will have one insulated backpack with us that we use for water and snacks. Will that be sufficient for stuffing the ponchos into between water rides?? And what if we still have foodstuff in the bag and don't really have room?

Those of you who utilize ponchos on water rides...what do you DO with them in between rides?

 

[Karenann*]

Dollar store ponchos. Use em and lose em! 2 for a dollar.

BUT last time I wore a poncho I was the wettest one getting off the ride. My kids laughed so hard every time I was soaked on the ride. Now I just take my chances.

 

[AustinTink]

We buy ponchos at the dollar store 2 for $1. They're not worth stuffing in your bag and carrying around wet, so we chunk them or give them to others waiting in line as we leave.

Then we replenish our backpack with new ones the next day. With the money you spend at Disney, 50 cents per person/ per poncho is no big deal.

 

[Echie]

We buy ponchos at the dollar store 2 for $1. They're not worth stuffing in your bag and carrying around wet, so we chunk them or give them to others waiting in line as we leave.

Then we replenish our backpack with new ones the next day. With the money you spend at Disney, 50 cents per person/ per poncho is no big deal.

Yup same here! Depending on how busy it is we'll ride a few times in a row with the ponchos and then either give them to someone else in line (sometimes people even ask us if they can have them, as they see us taking them off), or just toss them.
Not worth carrying around, plus who wants to put on a wet poncho again later!

 

[GrandBob]

Well, Splash was DGD's favorite ride (until this last trip, when she really got into Matterhorn). So for us, it's not worth tossing them after the ride, since we would need 20+ sets of them for a 4 day visit (no lie, that was the typical number of Splash trips). So we always bring some large baggies to store them in between rides. The trick is that the cheapo ponchos are ultra thin, so they pack down really small. If your kids want to do Splash more than once in a week, I'd advise baggies (we always keep a bunch in our pack for various purposes).

Oh, and when you get into the ride with your poncho, be careful to tuck the poncho under your butt and sit on it. The natural inclination is for the poncho to gather behind you at your back. If that happens, the seat gets wet, and milliseconds later your butt gets wet. Word to the wise

HTH,
Bob

 

[Mugglemama]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I'm going to try to estimate how many times we might be riding water rides, and then I'll decide between keeping them in baggies, or giving them to someone else as we exit rides. Thanks, again!

 

[larina]

If you don't give them to somebody, what do you do with them? Seems like a lot of trash to put out into the world.

 

[Mugglemama]

If you don't give them to somebody, what do you do with them? Seems like a lot of trash to put out into the world.

I was thinking this, exactly. I try to be environmentally-friendly, so buying 20 of them just to throw away after a single use isn't really an option for me. Still trying to figure out what to do. I suppose we could rent a locker with a change of clothes, and just make sure we finish all water rides early in the day. That would work!

 

[Love Tink]

I bring a freezer-size Zip-loc bag. The dollar-store ponchos fold/crunch down very small. I can fit all five of ours in one Zip-loc. That way we can use the cheap ponchos for several days before they basically disintegrate and we have to toss them. (Although it's always fun to give my husband one with a big rip down the back that he doesn't know about.)

 

[GrandBob]

If you don't give them to somebody, what do you do with them? Seems like a lot of trash to put out into the world.

I suspect that may be (at least partially) directed at me. Since we never know when we're done with Splash, we just put them back in the baggies and take them home with us. At home, we make sure they're dried out well and repacked nicely, ready for the next Disney trip. Of course, after a few trips, they're in bad shape and have to be tossed. Then they go into recycling.

-Bob

 

[suevr]

We had to buy Disney ponchos one trip and they're nice so we have to keep them. When they're wet, we just shake them off, fold them up, and put them in large ziplock bags. Just make sure you dry them out or else they'll get moldy.

 

[bumbershoot]

At the giftshops, you can ask for a clear bag to keep your stuff dry. They are a good size (clear so they can make sure you're not stealing stuff), and are very helpful.

When we all had the thick plastic Disney ponchos, dollar store ponchos having been tried once and the whole idea discarded b/c of the waste and the horrid clinginess of that thin plastic, I would find a good spot to shake off the water, then loosely fold them and put them in the bag for later.

Now only DS has a thick plastic one (from Universal) so his still gets that treatment; hubby and I bought "real" rain ponchos from the Rick Steves store, and those fold up into their own pocket, and go into the backpack or into the clear bag.

 

[ORMom2Four]

I agree with Molly. The dollar store ponchos are too clingy and the plastic too thin. They rip too easily and don't dry off very well. They pretty much are good for one use. Once they get wet, they are pretty much trash.

We spent 2 weeks in Orlando in Sept, it rained a LOT! We used good quality, thick ponchos and put them in ziploc bags when the rain let up. Those we put in a backpack.

 

[Rainasunshine]

On a previous trip I want to say back last March it was raining so bad at DL (on a good note there were no people ) so some of us used the dollar store type ponchos while others went and bought the DL ones. The DL ones were far better at keeping them dry and actually workikng well, so as economical as it may seem to be to buy the cheapie ones it isn't worth it several water rides down the road. PAy the 7 dollars once and you get a a nifty functional keepsake!
The DL ones hold up pretty well and are easy to just shake off and fold into a backpack. Or you can bring a little handtowel to dry them off after the ride. The little towel is also handy to dry the seat off before you sit on it!

 

[bumbershoot]

Or you can bring a little handtowel to dry them off after the ride. The little towel is also handy to dry the seat off before you sit on it!

Ooh, nice idea.

 

[suevr]

Ooh, nice idea.

Very good idea. Why have I never thought of that! LOL!

 

[Rainasunshine]

Very good idea. Why have I never thought of that! LOL!

lol it took me several wet bottoms and a good friends suggestion before I came to that conclusion! Paper towles work well too

 

[Geemo]

We've used the ones from the dollar store too. When we were done riding we gave them to others going on the ride. If we had any left over we draped them over the rail by the entrance of the ride. It wasn't too long and someone was slipping it on and going in for a ride.

I like the idea of the ones they sell at the DL Grizzly River Run store. I think that's what we will use on our next trip. Do they sell them on the Disney Store web site? I'd like to get them ahead of time to take along.

Geemo

 

[Mugglemama]

Thanks to those who mentioned how clingy and easily torn the cheapie ponchos are. Before I'd read those posts, I actually went to Wal-Mart yesterday to check some out...but they were SOOOO flimsy, that I ended up buying nothing. I'm glad I didn't.....the clinginess would have driven my kids bananas. And while they're not inclined to complain AT ALL about ANYTHING while at DLR...I have a feeling wearing clingy plastic might have caused them to break their wonderful track record, lol. Heaven knows I don't want to listen to kids whine and complain while I'm at Disneyland!!

I've decided to just bring a (warmer) extra set of clothes each day to put in a locker...we would have needed to do that anyway since the weather will get cool at night. We'll finish all water rides during warmer hours. We haven't been in the parks during Winter in almost a decade (not since we had AP's and lived close to the parks - back then we were in the parks in Winter a LOT...), so for a long time we've been accustomed to needing nothing more than shorts/T-shirts/and *maybe* a long sleeve shirt for morning and late-night.

Since we'll only be in the parks for 2 days on this trip, bringing an extra set of clothes each day isn't too much of a hassle.

Thanks again for all of the input!

 

[pixiewings71]

lol it took me several wet bottoms and a good friends suggestion before I came to that conclusion! Paper towles work well too

I say this in every rain thread I post in......Shamwow is your friend at DLR in the rain. Seriously, we always have a shammy to use for wiping the seats off. Wipe as you enter the ride vehicle, wring it out after you board and fold/roll it up and put it away. You can use a large Ziploc to store the shammy after you wring it out and it won't get anything in your bag wet.