Oh NO, El Nino! What is Disneyland like in the POURING rain?

[chickapin parterre]

Sherry has done a great job putting this all in perspective. The other problem with this weather issue is don't travel to Disneyland without $2,000.00 sitting in your banking account for emergencies . Many times i read here that folks travel on shoe string budgets to visit Disneyland and put a strain on their month to month expenses. Someone reading this site will become stuck in California or can't move north or east and need extra nights in lodging, maybe a rental car if your car is flooded out, flights canceled, food purchases. We have already seen one interstate go down, expect that to happen many times this winter with extreme wash-outs and flooding. And for folks who draw WDW rain parallels....I did not know that WDW was open during hurricanes.

 

[CassieScraps]

When we were there in April, it rained twice I think. We were fine, as we'd packed ponchos and sweatshirts. The ride lines went down to minimal waits, but trying to get food was nuts. The park really did clear out and once the rain stopped, it was so clean and pretty. I think after the rain when the park was closing was the best time to be there!

 

[calitink]

All I think of when people talk about the possible wet Fall/Winter is NO CROWDS!!! I'm just ready for this month to be over so I can enjoy my park again without a billion people there

I agree!! I can't wait till fall comes alone, less ppl at the park!

 

[dsnydaddy]

Empty. And glorious!

 

[Dobbsie]

I just read that El Nino is expected to bring a "Godzilla like" storm to Southern California that could last months and cause major flooding and land slides this fall and winter. We are planning a once in a lifetime trip in mid-November. What is Disneyland like when it rains like that? Will they close a lot of rides? What about parades and fireworks? Will the park close completely? Will characters be out walking around? My kids are most looking forward to meeting characters and watching parades. Are we going to be miserable?

I'm so sad right now

I second what many have said- Disneyland in the rain is a special place, and for a day, trading the full slate of rides for a drizzly half empty park is an adventure to treasure. A few quibbles- First, if you know it is going to be raining, go get a real poncho ahead of time. A heavy gage poncho from REI is 6 inches longer than a mickey poncho, and the fabric doesn't cling. you'll stay dry as a perfect martini. Also, ditch the mouse ears for a large brim hat- if you can't pack one, the Indiana Jones version will do just fine. Third, park hopping is your friend; popping back and forth across the plaza on a normal day is a mug's game, but in a half empty resort, you can cherry pick the best indoor rides from both parks. Finally, Grizzly river and splash mountain are ironic fun when the sky is pouring down, and the mark twain is not to be missed. Enjoy!!

 

[lawdvd]

I was in DL for a VERY rainy one day trip a few years ago in January. It was so rainy that they closed the parks early on at least one or two of the days.

Sounds like MLK weekend in 2010. IIRC Sunday there was a steady drizzle. No problems, most everything except teacups, Alice in Wonderland were open. Monday, it rained hard all day. I just checked and Anaheim had 1.91 inches recorded that day! We had to drive back to Phx that night; so we left early (around 4 p.m.) and later heard they closed the park early for one of the few times in history. It was cold, and there was so much standing water, our pants were soaked up to our knees even though we had ponchos. It was heaven to sit at Rancho Zocolo next to a space heater. It was us, Rainy Day Pixie (apparently) and probably about 200 other people in the park by early afternoon. Could walk onto any ride. Despite the adversity, it's still a fond memory.

 

[bcla]

The Tea Cups almost always close in the rain because the surface area becomes slippery.

I don't think they're too worried about the surface being too slippery. I believe it's pretty much a slip-resistant coating that should resist slipping in rain. It's the mechanism (that you don't see) that no longer functions when it becomes wet. I don't know the way the Disneyland ride is built, but many of these rides are built with rubber drive wheels under the edge of the main turntable, and there may not be enough friction to turn the platform once it gets really wet. Gears can be used, but they're not very smooth.

Strangely enough, I was looking for info on particular mechanisms and came across this:

http://zyrides.com/products/carousel-ride/tea-cup-rides.html

It's a Chinese company selling generic teacup style rides, but their photos at the top show versions of the Mad Tea Party at Disneyland, WDW, and Disneyland Paris. I really doubt that an American or European company would have the chutzpah to do that.

 

[Sith]

28 years ago I had one of my best days at Disneyland. I was 12, and it was a Thursday. The forecast was for rain, but it ended up just sprinkling until early afternoon. Well, it was enough to keep the crowds away. Like, totally away. It really seemed like we were almost the only people there. I remember running through Tomorrowland with my brothers, laughing as we just walked onto everything. I'd sure like to experience that again.

But, I may never be so lucky. I was there mid May of this year with my wife and son. It rained on a couple of the days. Although it held the crowds back a bit, there were many people who were just as willing to brave the weather as we were. It was less crowded than usual for a while, but nothing like that day over a quarter century ago...

 

[bcla]

I remember the Saturday after Thanksgiving 1984.

I wasn't very old at the time, but a bunch of my extended family (just the kids) went off on our own. It was raining and wet, the stores all brought out ponchos to sell, and we went on PoTC maybe four times in a row. The lines were so short that we basically got off, ran back to the front of the line and was back on the ride after waiting for one boat to load ahead of us. Oh - and there was entertainment there that day, although we barely saw any. The adults in the group insisted on going to see Dancing Waters at the Disneyland Hotel.

 

[RainyDayPixie]

lawdvd- It was indeed walk-on that day! Unfortunately for DH, going from space directly to ST resulted in getting sick ON the ride.

Perhaps that colored our experience a bit, too.

Luckily we were the only ones in our row and perhaps the car.

It was DH's first DL trip and it was a few years before I got him to go back. Subsequent trips have been great, though!