MNSSHP rain-outs....what happens?

[CapnJacksGirl]

Yes, I know MNSSHPs can rain out and you're just out of luck in most cases. We have tickets for Monday's party and the forecast is showing a chance of thunderstorms. Yes, I have been to WDW enough to know not to get too excited about long-range forecasts or forecasts of 30-40% chance of rain/storms, but this is not our normal 9-10 day WDW vacation where we can backtrack if one day is a wash-out. We are only there from Sunday to early Thursday morning then are off to a Disney cruise. And this vacation is my son's 7th birthday present and he's very much looking forward to the party so I'd like to have some slight idea of how things might play out.

So, here's what I'm wondering:

1. Does it have to be an all-out storm to force cancellation or does rain itself signal the end?
2. At what point do they consider canceling that night's party? Would it have to be an all-day soaking rain for them to cancel it prior to party start time?
3. If we plan to arrive at MK at 4 pm for the party and it storms at 6, will they cancel the party and usher everyone out at 7? Or might the park remain open later than 7, just without the party extras?
4. If we do get rained out, would we have any chance of talking guest services into allowing us another park day (not party since there aren't any for the remainder of our stay) to compensate for the lost party cost?

If anyone has prior experience with MNSSHP rain-outs, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[TXHauntedMansionFan]

We've dealt with rain at a MNSSHP twice over the years and they have never cancelled the party. We've had both parades cancelled and the fireworks were delayed for almost an hour one time but the party still went on.

I think that it's really unlikely that they would cancel the party for anything short of a hurricane. Even with lightning, the parks stay open it's just the outdoor rides that close until it's safe again.

I wouldn't count on much in the way of compensation if you do experience bad weather. I think the tickets to the event state that Disney isn't responsible for weather related closures/issues.

 

[figment_jii]

As TXHauntedMansionFan said, I've never heard of them flat out cancelling a party. They will cancel/delay elements of the party depending on the weather. If it's really wet, the parade won't run and other outdoor elements will either be cancelled or moved indoor. Fireworks tend to be presented rain or shine (I've been in MK on a non-MHP when they presented Wishes in the pouring rain).

Every year there seems to be a party that gets more than it's fair share of rain. If it gets that bad that a lot of the elements of the party are cancelled, I'd head over to guest services and see what they are doing. They have offered refunds or ticket exchanges in the past (see this thread from 2012: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3005722). Still, I wouldn't count on being able to get a refund or exchange unless it's pouring rain for much of the party.

 

[CapnJacksGirl]

I wouldn't count on much in the way of compensation if you do experience bad weather. I think the tickets to the event state that Disney isn't responsible for weather related closures/issues.

Yes, I think it does. I just thought there might be an outside shot at getting another park day in exchange for a cancelled party ticket since I know people have gotten party days switched because of weather. They'd be wise to do that with us.....Lord knows we'd spend way more than the cost of that ticket if we were inside a park eating and buying souvenirs!

Thanks for your other comments. I'm encouraged to hear it will most likely remain open. My DS will be disappointed if he misses the Horseman, but life will go on. Candy fixes most things!

 

[anonymousegirl]

Who knows what will happen with the weather?! Last week I checked for this week (flying red eye tonight) and it looked like my 2 MNSSHPs would be very wet. Last night I checked again, and now they are reportedly going to be dry.

 

[WDWBelle]

One party I attended this year ended up being a total downpour later in the evening 09/28- the second parade was cancelled but they still had the fireworks and first parade. The party wasn't cancelled but it definitely affected things. Even the vendors were packed up and no where to be seen by the end of the night. Earlier in the evening the Dwarfs were moved under an eave by Pinocchio's Village House so they were out of the rain.

(In Epcot that week we found Belle and her Photopass photographer taking shelter in the waiting area for the Impressions de France Movie while it rained and got pictures without any wait in there). If it rains don't give up, they may just relocate some characters.

When we were leaving the Magic Kingdom at the end of the night there was a huge line of people running out the door and all along the building at Guest relations. I asked a cast member what everyone was lining up for and was told it was "to mainly complain about the weather".

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I was at a rainy sold out MNSSHP on Sept. 26, 2014 - it would be fine for awhile and then the sky would open up and it poured buckets.

Here's what I encountered that night - luckily both parades were able to run but no headless horseman for either because the ground was wet.

All Trick or treat stations were open. I only did one just to get some candy for a snack.

Character lines like the 7 dwarves were moved under cover for them but people still had to stand out in the rain for the line. Minnie and Daisy were moved under cover as well back in Storybook Circus.
Jack/Sally are under cover already but the guest line isn't.

Face characters were out as much as they could be but they often had to end sessions early because of the rain.
Hag was not out at all - too rainy for her.

Photopass photographers had to keep going in because of the rain. It made it difficult to get magic shots. I never did find where the Hitchhiking ghost magic photographer was - every time I went to the spot where it was supposed to be, no photopass photographer was there.
Same with the photographer on the bridge from tomorrowland to the hub - every time I stopped there, they weren't out.

The Villains castle show was cancelled once and cut short another time due to the rain so I gave up on seeing that.

I went back to Peco Bills at 11pm to grab a bite to eat and get the skull cup but they were already closed for the night. They were letting people finish their food but no new folks could go in and get anything.

Fireworks went on as scheduled.

The Emporium did lock it's doors promptly at midnight so no new people could go in so if you want to shop for party merchandise- do it early.

All of the rides were going that were listed on the map except for a couple of times when BTMRR and 7DMT had to be closed because of rain/lightening.

I can now say I've experienced a sold out, rainy MNSSHP. And I'm taking a break from September trips for a few years to dry out because the days I went were rain, rain, and more rain. LOL

 

[DisUniversal]

Yes, I know MNSSHPs can rain out and you're just out of luck in most cases. We have tickets for Monday's party and the forecast is showing a chance of thunderstorms. Yes, I have been to WDW enough to know not to get too excited about long-range forecasts or forecasts of 30-40% chance of rain/storms, but this is not our normal 9-10 day WDW vacation where we can backtrack if one day is a wash-out. We are only there from Sunday to early Thursday morning then are off to a Disney cruise. And this vacation is my son's 7th birthday present and he's very much looking forward to the party so I'd like to have some slight idea of how things might play out.

So, here's what I'm wondering:

1. Does it have to be an all-out storm to force cancellation or does rain itself signal the end?
2. At what point do they consider canceling that night's party? Would it have to be an all-day soaking rain for them to cancel it prior to party start time?
3. If we plan to arrive at MK at 4 pm for the party and it storms at 6, will they cancel the party and usher everyone out at 7? Or might the park remain open later than 7, just without the party extras?
4. If we do get rained out, would we have any chance of talking guest services into allowing us another park day (not party since there aren't any for the remainder of our stay) to compensate for the lost party cost?

If anyone has prior experience with MNSSHP rain-outs, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance for the help!

If the rain is significant enough to cause cancellation of major party elements (ie, the parades and the fireworks), guest services will typically issue some sort of compensation, whether it be a ticket to the party on a different night or a 1 day park ticket for a different day. Refunds are possible, but extremely rare. You need to make sure you stop at guest services before leaving the park or you're likely to get nothing.

 

[3darlings]

I agree with the PP. If the parade and fireworks are canceled, they will normally give you some compensation. We received a full refund when this happened to us (I realize that you don't always get this). It seems like most people get switched to another day. You do need to go to guest services before you leave the park. Otherwise, I don't think you will get anything.

 

[CapnJacksGirl]

Thanks all! Your responses have been very helpful! I will keep it all in mind.....while I pray for a dry evening!!

 

[ShannonMB]

I was at a rainy sold out MNSSHP on Sept. 26, 2014 - it would be fine for awhile and then the sky would open up and it poured buckets.

We also experienced that sold-out, rainy MNSSHP - our first ever. Glad we got to see the parade and Hallowishes (amazing!), but very sad about the horseman and generally being so soggy! We attended the soirée, so at least that was indoors - and it was fine with us that a lot of our party time was sucked up by the event cause it sounds like there wasn't much greatness happening outside!

 

[mesaboy2]

I was at a rainy sold out MNSSHP on Sept. 26, 2014 - it would be fine for awhile and then the sky would open up and it poured buckets.

Here's what I encountered that night - luckily both parades were able to run but no headless horseman for either because the ground was wet.

All Trick or treat stations were open. I only did one just to get some candy for a snack.

Character lines like the 7 dwarves were moved under cover for them but people still had to stand out in the rain for the line. Minnie and Daisy were moved under cover as well back in Storybook Circus.
Jack/Sally are under cover already but the guest line isn't.

Face characters were out as much as they could be but they often had to end sessions early because of the rain.
Hag was not out at all - too rainy for her.

Photopass photographers had to keep going in because of the rain. It made it difficult to get magic shots. I never did find where the Hitchhiking ghost magic photographer was - every time I went to the spot where it was supposed to be, no photopass photographer was there.
Same with the photographer on the bridge from tomorrowland to the hub - every time I stopped there, they weren't out.

The Villains castle show was cancelled once and cut short another time due to the rain so I gave up on seeing that.

I went back to Peco Bills at 11pm to grab a bite to eat and get the skull cup but they were already closed for the night. They were letting people finish their food but no new folks could go in and get anything.

Fireworks went on as scheduled.

The Emporium did lock it's doors promptly at midnight so no new people could go in so if you want to shop for party merchandise- do it early.

All of the rides were going that were listed on the map except for a couple of times when BTMRR and 7DMT had to be closed because of rain/lightening.

I can now say I've experienced a sold out, rainy MNSSHP. And I'm taking a break from September trips for a few years to dry out because the days I went were rain, rain, and more rain. LOL

She has been appearing at the Villains Dance Party in these cases.

 

[ali2083]

We experienced a pretty terrible storm at a MNSSHP party in 2012. Rained the entire night, no parades, no fireworks. We left the park assuming there was nothing we could do. Found out the next day they were doing refunds or exchanges for another party. We were able to get the refund at the desk at Pop where we were staying - they actually had a clipboard with a list of other refunds or exchanges for another party. We would have much preferred the other party but we were leaving that night. (And took this as a lesson learned to schedule early in the week for MVMCP this coming December).

I know this isn't always the norm to get a refund, and we would have much preferred to attend the party, but it was a lot of money for a party of 7.