MK in the rain

[ericaseiler]

On our upcoming trip (first in 2 years), we have ONE day in the park (MK). I have planned FP+, dining res and hotel choice (GF) all on this day. It will be me, DH and DD8, DD4. I have been stalking multiple weather sites and it appears no matter how you slice it, we are not looking at a very nice day. Depending on the site, it ranges anywhere from 40-90% rain chance, some thunderstorms and wind. This is 4 days out from now--with plans on arriving Thurs and doing MK on Fri. I live in S.FL, I know how the FL weather works. Typically, its a little bit of rain in an afternoon for an hour or two at most and then it clears up BUT when it has been forecast for rain to bring a cold front, and the forecast shows an increased rain chance from 10 days out-- your chances of having a pretty bad weather day are high.

Our options are:
to keep everything as planned and arm ourselves with ponchos, etc.
OR
re-arrange "normal" life stuff to leave the night before we were suppose to, arrive late to Orlando, stay off site, drive very early to the GF to park and drop off our bags, and head over to MK (with 2 tired kids).

The latter option would take away our EMH at 8am and close time of 10pm (Fri's hours), our ease to take a mid-day break like we had planned, and all of our dining and FP+ ressies. HOWEVER, it is suppose to be nice weather on Thursday

Thoughts?
How does MK operate in the bad weather? I know the indoor rides are open. I am not worried about the Mts (my kids won't ride them) but what about things like Dumbo, Aladdin, The Barnstormer? How about character meet and greets out doors like the step sisters or Buzz? Parades? Street Shows?

Thanks so much for any advice or information.

 

[anniemae]

I would keep the plans as they are and not stress about it. But then rain/cold/wind does not bother me. Unless a hurricane is bearing down on FL, I would go and have fun and not change plans.

 

[davkata]

Last Feb we encountered torrential rains during late afternoon while at Lights Motor Action at DHS. Our evening plans were to go to MK. We went back to hotel, grabbed our ponchos and stuck to our MK plans. So glad we did, most things were walk on! Even the Anna and Elsa M&G and 7DMT. I say stick with your plans, go prepared with decent ponchos or other rain gear/shoes that can get wet (ours were the disposable ponchos and since they make you take them on/off for some rides/attractions, they wear out quickly!).

 

[alliecat523]

Bring your ponchos and have fun! Our last 2 trips had rain, but we still had a great time. Most rides will be walk on. Depending on how hard it's raining will determine if Dumbo, Aladdin, etc are shut down.

 

[tsme]

I agree with the others, throw on your ponchos and continue with your MK day. One of the most memorable moments our family had was a day a MK where it was raining so hard. We were walking through MK in front of the castle & were the only ones out and about. It seemed like the park was ours alone. Of course, everyone else was hiding in the shops. It was fun!

 

[MickeyWaffles]

We don't change our MK plans due to rain. I actually think it's the best park to be in when it rains anyway. Poncho it up and you'll still have a great time!

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

We're going down next week - last I saw the rain on Friday was in the late afternoon/ evening - I wouldn't worry about it - as others have mentioned -put on your ponchos and go !

 

[ericaseiler]

Thanks everyone. Just mainly concerned about things like the Parade and Wishes being canceled and my DD's not being about to meet characters they want to meet, or go on certain rides (Dumbo, etc)

 

[waynethexplorer]

If it is raining too hard to ride any outdoor rides, the TTA may be a good option..just keep riding the loop until the rain slows down.

 

[Alesia]

FWIW, never trust a weather forecast for Orlando that is more than a few hours out. If you rearrange your days, it may end up that Thursday is rainy all day and Friday is gorgeous.

 

[kermiebudge]

You'll have fun no matter what! In FL it seems to rain every day anyways, so probably not worth rearranging plans. Some of our best MK days were in the rain...

Just make sure you have ponchos & umbrella (or hat with visor to wear under the poncho). Ponchos are great, but they don't shield your face from getting splattered

If you are wearing sandals or flip flops, make sure they aren't the type that get super slippery when wet. I made that mistake once and now make sure I wear flip flops with good grip, even when wet.

 

[HelloMimi]

We were in MK this past Friday when the storm hit. It had been raining pretty steadily the whole time we were there, but at about 10:40, the sky started getting darker and the rain picked up a bit. We were in line for the Pooh and Tigger M&G, and at 10:47 (2 minutes past their slated start time), a CM came out and told us that there was a good chance Pooh and Tigger wouldn't be coming out because of the weather. As she was talking to us, Pooh and Tigger did, in fact, come out carrying umbrellas, but by that time, the line had been reduced to three small groups. The sky opened up while we were making our way over to the Pooh ride (we got completely drenched in that 10 seconds), and I'm pretty sure Pooh and Tigger left after meeting the third group. So, yes, outdoor meet and greets will definitely be affected by bad weather, even partially covered ones like Pooh. We were told that they would come back out later, but if you're running on a schedule, that might not work for you.

But on the bright side, the wait for 7DMT was only 20 minutes at 11:15 on a "crowd level 7" day!

 

[MinnieMe129]

I feel ya. We were feeling spontaneous yesterday and bought $19 flights to Orlando for this week (AP holders). We get in Thursday afternoon and leave early Saturday. Our one park day is Friday...and we totally failed to check the weather! Opps. Oh well. We will be packing our rain gear and umbrella's and hoping for very low crowds! A rainy day at MK is better than a rainy day at home, right?

See ya there!!

 

[jmkjr72]

Just roll with what you have planned grab some rain gear and go

 

[Doug M]

If you wont mind the rain consider it a massive bonus. Rain really clears out the crowds, and as long as the rides you like are still running you come out way ahead.

 

[ericaseiler]

Thanks for your feedback. Ponchos are packed. I don't mind the rain. My concern is the call for Thunderstorms, some severe, most of the day. I can't help but think maybe we move to Thursday with higher crowds and no FP+ booked (not much is available anymore at times that would work for us) but what looks to be gorgeous weather.
Thoughts?

 

[Jon84]

FWIW, never trust a weather forecast for Orlando that is more than a few hours out. If you rearrange your days, it may end up that Thursday is rainy all day and Friday is gorgeous.

Completely this.

Last year our whole trip was forecast for rain, yet each morning the forecast changed day by day to be beautiful weather. So unpredictable!

 

[ericaseiler]

Thanks everyone for your advice. Although I am stocked with ponchos and had a positive attitude about the rain, I may have to throw in the towel. Weather has now changed to 100% rain chance with severe thunderstorms (on one outlet, it's about 70% on the other). While we may have an hour or two with just clouds and another hour with just rain, I am not sure trying to tough it out for hours in the thunderstorms will be worth it for us with our 2 younger kids. We also love the parade and were planning to do the 9pm one. I think it may just be too cold and windy for my girls to sit through that and enjoy it.