Praying for sunshine, but planning for rain

[toni nicole]

Heading to Disney, May 16th-19th. Our first day there is at CSR and we are hoping to spend the day at the pool which is why I'm so worried the rain will come and ruin our day, but other than that, has anyone experienced Disney in the rain? I've got ponchos and umbrellas but I'm afraid of ride closures, especially since I have BTMR and 7DMT FP. Do they usually shut anything down?

 

[ArwenMarie]

Yes, rides shut down all of the time. Due to the rain and also due to the lightning. Mostly later in the day though IME

Your best bet is to try to get your must-dos done in the morning, that is when there is the least chance of closure due to storms.

 

[disneydee6]

Florida weather is so unpredictable (though I'm keeping my eye on tropical storm Ana!!!) It is early for tropical storm season in FL, but all you can do is bring ponchos and try to make the best of things!

 

[kbelle8995]

Go prepared. Florida weather as pp is unpredictable so it could change quickly. It's summer so you might get an afternoon storm. On the plus side if it's rainy it keeps some guests out of the park. Epcot is my favorite park to spend a rainy day.

 

[KEVD]

Yes, rides shut down all of the time. Due to the rain and also due to the lightning. Mostly later in the day though IME
Your best bet is to try to get your must-dos done in the morning, that is when there is the least chance of closure due to storms.

I'm pretty sure they only shut rides down if there is thunder and/or lightening in the vicinity. We've ridden rides such as BTMRR and Everest in the rain. It rained in the morning when were at AK last time. They closed some rides due to thunder but re-opened them after about 20 min. The Jungle Trek was closed off for a while longer... the CM said they needed to clear the water off the paths.

Anyway, we have experienced the parks in the rain (even during a tropical storm). Honestly it's not that bad. Ride lines tend to be shorter, which is a bonus. Definitely bring ponchos and also umbrellas(if you have room). It won't ruin your experience. The other thing I've found is that it usually rains less than the forecast leads you to believe. When we were there in June of 2012 we arrived the same day that a tropical storm rolled in. The forecast called for rain all week. But it actually cleared out after two days and we saw nothing but sun the rest of the week. When we went this past April the forecast looked awful all week but there were only two days that we dealt with any significant rain and it only lasted an hour or two each time. For the most part the weather was great!

 

[Belle61513]

Always have a poncho in your pocket.

If you don't like the weather in FL...wait 10 minutes...

 

[Tomh]

Generally speaking, the rain doesn't usually make a day long bother of it's self (there are, of course, exceptions to that) so even if you do get rain, it isn't likely to foul up an entire days plans.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I'm pretty sure they only shut rides down if there is thunder and/or lightening in the vicinity. We've ridden rides such as BTMRR and Everest in the rain. It rained in the morning when were at AK last time. They closed some rides due to thunder but re-opened them after about 20 min. The Jungle Trek was closed off for a while longer... the CM said they needed to clear the water off the paths.

Anyway, we have experienced the parks in the rain (even during a tropical storm). Honestly it's not that bad. Ride lines tend to be shorter, which is a bonus. Definitely bring ponchos and also umbrellas(if you have room). It won't ruin your experience. The other thing I've found is that it usually rains less than the forecast leads you to believe. When we were there in June of 2012 we arrived the same day that a tropical storm rolled in. The forecast called for rain all week. But it actually cleared out after two days and we saw nothing but sun the rest of the week. When we went this past April the forecast looked awful all week but there were only two days that we dealt with any significant rain and it only lasted an hour or two each time. For the most part the weather was great!

That's true. The problem with the hot season daily storms is that there is often lightning with them. The pools close often too.

 

[KEVD]

That's true. The problem with the hot season daily storms is that there is often lightning with them. The pools close often too.

I definitely agree with you. But the good news is, thunder/lightening storms usually don't last all that long. We've visited WDW in late June (thunderstorm season) a few times. Our experience has been that t-storms & rain interfere slightly but not significantly. We actually have a harder time with the heat/humidity during the hot season because that's a constant and wears us down by the end of the week. We're from the northeast so we're not as accustomed to the heat/humidity as folks from places like the southeast.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Agreed. But the good news is, thunder/lightening storms usually don't last all that long. We've visited WDW in late June (thunderstorm season) a few times. Our experience has been that T-storms / rain does interfere slightly but not significantly. We actually have a harder time with the heat/humidity because that's a constant during that time of year.

That's true. They do pass and hopefully the rain along with them.

 

[cluno]

When we were there in April, it rained a LOT on our last day, which we spent at MK. It started around 3, and went until about 7. We had O'hana reservations and sat by the window, and the castle actually disappeared for a while because of the storm. We spent some time in the store at Poly, and by the time we went back to the park, the crowds were gone. We walked on Splash, BTMRR x2, and Space before finding a spot for the electrical parade.

The best advice always seems to put on a poncho and have fun! You can have ideas at each park on good places to go in the rain (we ducked into the laugh floor, and Pete's silly sideshow). Your persistence will most likely be rewarded with short lines and thinned out crowds once the rain stops.

 

[toni nicole]

Thanks everyone for the responses!! Nice to hear the plus side of the rain (low crowds). My only fear are our FP rides being closed down!! I'm sure it'll still be a great experience regardless!