Not so great weather predicted for our DC & AQ days..how to plan?

[zilp]

Ok, so we are about a week away from our quick Orlando getaway. Looking at the weather it looks like temps will be low 70's and good chances of thunderstorms and rain . Wondering if it's worth it to go to Aquatica if the temp is 70/cloudy. Any tips to make the most of these parks with so-so weather predicted??

eta, unable to change the dates as we are in Orlando for 2 days only

 

[KBF]

Ok, so we are about a week away from our quick Orlando getaway. Looking at the weather it looks like temps will be low 70's and good chances of thunderstorms and rain . Wondering if it's worth it to go to Aquatica if the temp is 70/cloudy. Any tips to make the most of these parks with so-so weather predicted??

eta, unable to change the dates as we are in Orlando for 2 days only

According to the weather channel, every day for the next 10 days is above 80 degrees (except the 10th day which is 79 degrees) and the highest chance of rain is 30% which means a slight chance of a brief shower. I think you should be ok.

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USFL0372

 

[zilp]

According to the weather channel, every day for the next 10 days is above 80 degrees (except the 10th day which is 79 degrees) and the highest chance of rain is 30% which means a slight chance of a brief shower. I think you should be ok.

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USFL0372

I was looking at multiple websites yesterday and they all said 70s/rain. On some of the websites (accuweather) it is still the same. I know there is still time for the weather to change...I am just nervous!! Our last years trip had some unplanned weather too, mainly it was FREEEZING . I was just hoping to prepare better for this trip, especially since we are going to go to DC and AQ water parks for the first time.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I was looking at multiple websites yesterday and they all said 70s/rain. On some of the websites (accuweather) it is still the same. I know there is still time for the weather to change...I am just nervous!! Our last years trip had some unplanned weather too, mainly it was FREEEZING . I was just hoping to prepare better for this trip, especially since we are going to go to DC and AQ water parks for the first time.

The water at AQ and DC is heated (some areas more than others....some as warm as bathwater), so when you are actually involved in the swimming activities, you should be fine. If the air temps are lower, you may be a tad chilly when going from attraction to attraction....so bring a cover up or large towel in case they are needed.

The nice thing about cooler-ish temps? AQ will be far less crowded than on a hot day .

Of course, this is coming from a hearty Canadian, who read your initial post and thought "70's? That's summer weather!". My son broke out his shorts when it was 10 degrees celcius and declared it to be "hot" outside....that's 50 F for my American friends .

 

[momof2n2]

The water at AQ and DC is heated (some areas more than others....some as warm as bathwater), so when you are actually involved in the swimming activities, you should be fine. If the air temps are lower, you may be a tad chilly when going from attraction to attraction....so bring a cover up or large towel in case they are needed. The nice thing about cooler-ish temps? AQ will be far less crowded than on a hot day . Of course, this is coming from a hearty Canadian, who read your initial post and thought "70's? That's summer weather!". My son broke out his shorts when it was 10 degrees celcius and declared it to be "hot" outside....that's 50 F for my American friends .

While my kids would whole-heartedly agree with your son I am also watching the forecast carefully. Our (1st?) AQ day is 5/5 and I'm the type who likes it 90°F!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

While my kids would whole-heartedly agree with your son I am also watching the forecast carefully. Our (1st?) AQ day is 5/5 and I'm the type who likes it 90°F!

That's one of the nice things about our August trips.....we never have to worry if its going to be warm enough to swim .

Being from Western NY, you must be anxious to enjoy some Florida sun after this awful winter!!!

 

[momof2n2]

That's one of the nice things about our August trips.....we never have to worry if its going to be warm enough to swim . Being from Western NY, you must be anxious to enjoy some Florida sun after this awful winter!!!

And then some!
Yowsers!

Cold today, too!

 

[DOOM1001]

I see a cold front coming through around Wednesday/Thursday,the highs before the front comes through look to be as high as 93,that's hot,after the front goes through it'll be cooler around 77 but with plenty of sun.I don't see any day with the temperatures being too cold,you just gotta keep watching the forecasts to see what day the front will bring rain,any day that says 30% or less isn't too bad,May 1st is showing 70%,but things can change so just keep looking at the forecasts,the closer you get the more accurate it'll be,a week out is still too far as the forecasts will likely change 5 times between now and then.

 

[Lynne G]

We've been to DC twice, once in the summer and once on Christmas day. In the summer, it rained the day we were there, later in the day. Since no thunder was heard, no one was ordered to get out of the water. At first, we were like, crap, it raining. Then we realized we were already wet, and there were always clean, dry towels available. We swam with the stingrays and enjoyed the pool. The rain only lasted about an hour.

At Christmas, it was much cooler than the summer, around the high of 70 or so. The water is warm, and when we got cold, we wrapped ourselves in towels and put clothes on. It was actually really nice to not be so hot or have the sidewalks hot.

And for our hardy northern neighbors, we swam at Aquadica during the week after Christmas, and the temp was 62 degrees. It was mad dash from the roa rapids to towels, and my DD found out that the speed slides did not have heated water. She only did them 4 times before jumping in the rapids to warm up.

Unless you think there will be a bad thunderstorm, rain at DC may not be that bad. Florida always seems to have rain later in the afternoon.

I hope you have a great time. We really enjoyed our times at DC.

 

[zilp]

Thanks all. We are still planning on going to DC and AQ, bad weather and all. It's great to hear about the heated water, I am sure that will help. I have two more questions that I thought of:

1. In the case of thunderstorms, what happens if your dolphin swim is cancelled? Any chance we can get a refund on the dolphin swim portion of the ticket? Thunderstorms are predicted both days.

2. Talk to me about the wetsuits at DC. I am wondering if we should decide on the long vs short wetsuits. My understanding is that the dolphin pool is very cool. Can we start with one choice and then switch later in the day? How comfortable are they and do they keep you warm? Do most people wear them all day or do most of you change for lunch etc.

TIA!

 

[Lynne G]

Thanks all. We are still planning on going to DC and AQ, bad weather and all. It's great to hear about the heated water, I am sure that will help. I have two more questions that I thought of:

1. In the case of thunderstorms, what happens if your dolphin swim is cancelled? Any chance we can get a refund on the dolphin swim portion of the ticket? Thunderstorms are predicted both days.

2. Talk to me about the wetsuits at DC. I am wondering if we should decide on the long vs short wetsuits. My understanding is that the dolphin pool is very cool. Can we start with one choice and then switch later in the day? How comfortable are they and do they keep you warm? Do most people wear them all day or do most of you change for lunch etc.

TIA!

1. If there are thunderstorms, all must get out of the water, and then they will tell you when it is safe. Both times, we had our dolphin swim in the morning. I suggest that, as it's usually not the rain time of day. I think you can reschedule once without charge. Otherwise, if you are there already, not sure they will let you change, but we found DC people really nice to work with.
2. I've never tried a long wetsuit. Let's just say I may not have the best body for it. Both times we all had the shortie. I thought the dolphin pool felt much colder when it was 90 degrees out then when it was 70. At Christmas, I thought the dolphin pool was not that cold at all. Same with the cooler stingray pool. I will say, the lazy river and the water around the animals was the warmest. You can change whenever you want. I think after the dolphin swim in the summer, we went with just the vest. In the winter, we stayed in the wetsuit the entire day. We ate lunch in our wetsuit. The chairs and all around the food has water friendly furniture. I saw lots of people wearing their suits to lunch. I found the wetsuit very comfortable. It did seem warmer with it on.

 

[jpeppers]

From my understanding and my experience Aquatica adjusts its water temperatures according to the weather, it has always been wonderful when we have been there. As far as Discovery Cove goes we went once when it was in the 60's in February and the water was wonderful. We wore the wet suits during the dolphin swim and while snorkeling but the lazy river was like bath water. the last time we went the water was actually a little too warm.