Rain, Rain, Do you Poncho?

[ANiceNurse]

A 30% chance of rain really isn't very high and is probably just an indication of the afternoon showers that we get. We don't have the all day rain events very often. I will be there this Wednesday and we aren't planning on bringing ponchos.

 

[PoohsFan1]

We never used to do Ponchos until a couple of trips ago when we all bought umbrellas and that was a nightmare, too hard to carry 4 of them in my bag and they just got in the way. When we were there in December, it started to downpour on us one day, so we decided to buy ponchos.....WE LOVED THEM, but not the price. So for our March trip I went to Walmart and bought the more sturdy Ponchos, made for camping, which survived this trip and are packed away and ready to be put in our suite cases for our upcoming September trip.

 

[Mr. Disney 1986]

Honestly, I don’t wear any rain gear. I can be in a large group with everyone wearing ponchos or rain jackets, while I stand there getting soaked. Rain at Disney never bothers me. I’m weird like that

 

[leebee]

We always poncho, usually from the Dollar Store. Yup, they are thin, but they usually last the week if it isn't pouring the whole time. Just be prepared to buy the Disney ones if you have to. Two summers ago we were at MK on the day after a hurricane. Still pretty rainy/windy. It started to pour, so we whipped on our dollar store ponchos... and the wind whipped them off us in about threre minutes! Just tore them to shreds, so we bought the Disney ones, which are extremely durable. This is the first time the Dollar Store ponchos haven't been sufficient. We always take them, sometimes choosing to wear them on Splash or Kali.

I wipe down the ponchos with a hand towel when we get back to the room each evening, and hang them to dry out, to avoid the mildew issue. To carry them in my backpack, I fold or roll them, stick them in a zip-lock bag, and squoosh all the air out. They pack down to practically nothing, which is also what they weigh! (sigh.. jealous...)

 

[pepe of ohio]

I have found that the dollar store ponchos are not durable at all. They rip very easily. The ones Disney sells, while they cost more, really do take more of a beating than the dollar store ones.

If you don't want to haul ponchos around, then don't. If it starts to rain Disney will have them readily available for you to buy. But I wouldn't waste money of the dollar store ponchos.

We purchased Disney, yellow ponchos over 10 years ago and still use them each trip. They are worth the money, very sturdy and a good shake dry quickly and can be folded into a small package. We found small pouches that slip onto a belt and when we're headed out and rain is for-casted, we each take our pack and wear them in the back. We've seen too many guests with them dime store flimsy ponchos, cussing at the rips and smallness of what they bought. The old adage, "you get what you paid for", is definitely what those cheap ponchos are all about. Most of the Disney CM's have the same pouch on their rears when rain is for-casted and so easy to pull out, they are quite large too and easy to tote around. For my money, I rather purchase a quality one and reuse it trip after trip them buying a bunch of saran wrap ones and tossing them. After 43 trips, the afternoon 30% chance of rain is over before it starts and we don't bother to take ponchos on those days. We found you could set your watch to that cloud burst and we either stay at the resort and go out after or if we're in the parks, we just duck out in an attraction and by the time the attraction is over, the rain is gone and the sun is already drying out the water, but an all day rain, ponchos are on our belts.

 

[tndisneyfan]

I think the dollar store ponchos are great for Florida afternoon thunderstorms. They are light weight in your bag so you can carry several. When the rain hit put it on, when it's over just throw it away. But if it's going to rain for an extended period I would get one of the Disney ponchos, the cheap ones aren't very durable and not made to be wore for an extended period of time. They are just thin plastic (about like a dry cleaning bag), so they rip and tear easily.

I would prefer a poncho to a rain jacket just because the poncho is longer. The only thing that gets wet when I wear a poncho is my legs from the knees down and my shoes. If I wear a rain jacket my butt gets soaked.

I kept a few rubberbands in my packpack, when I took my poncho off I kind of rolled it up to make it more compact and put a couple of rubberbands around it. They didn't take up much space at all in the bag rolled up.

 

[Native NYer]

We always carry ponchos. We've gotten them cheap at the Totes outlet and at Target.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Last trip I brought a poncho that I used at summer camp and overall it lasted me about five years. My mom brought a slightly thinner one that we never used again after the trip. We only wore them on Splash. For this trip I went to WalMart and bought two $6 ones that seem to be a decent quality. I'm hoping we do not get last May's constant rain, and we will only have to wear them on Splash and Kali.

 

[ilovejsparrow]

I HATE ponchos! Especially when it's muggy out. I think they are the most uncomfortable things in the world. However.. if you can stand the stickiness they're worth it. My mom usually carries a poncho in her backpack on days it looks like rain but I opt for my Mickey umbrella. Doesn't make me as crazy! Maybe I'm claustrophobic or something?? lol

 

[Bullseye]

A 30% chance of rain really isn't very high and is probably just an indication of the afternoon showers that we get. We don't have the all day rain events very often. I will be there this Wednesday and we aren't planning on bringing ponchos.

Nurse, I was thinking the same thing...30% isn't a very high probability. We normally go in June which from what I hear is the highest rainfall month in Florida. My DW wears a Disney poncho, but me and the kids don't. We just duck in somewhere to not get wet. It doesn't usually rain that long anyway and then the sun dries you off pretty quickly.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

We just looked at the weather each morning and decided whether to pack them for the day or not. We took them some days and didn't need them. But we did need them twice. We had dollar store ponchos, they were great. So cheap you don't mind throwing them away, though we kept ours

 

[susiesk]

Are the Disney ponchos just a solid yellow or do they say WDW on them or any pictures? Do you use them at Universal too if they do have WDW on them?

Do they have childrens sizes also?

Do they come in a reusable package or should I bring ziplock bags, or rubber bands and one poster suggested?

30 days left and trying to hammer out all the little details

 

[tinkabella627]

Are the Disney ponchos just a solid yellow or do they say WDW on them or any pictures? Do you use them at Universal too if they do have WDW on them?

Do they have childrens sizes also?

Do they come in a reusable package or should I bring ziplock bags, or rubber bands and one poster suggested?

30 days left and trying to hammer out all the little details

The last one I bought was in 2006 and they are clear with mickey on the back. They have adult and children's sizes. There was no bag I usually smoosh it down, fold it up, and stick it in a ziploc until I get back to the hotel.

 

[swedie]

We arrived at wdw on Sunday April 18th. As we were driving, we watched the storm clouds getting darker & heavier. We checked in & unloaded the car. My husband was bringing in the last batch of things from the car & said - you will not believe it - a torrential downpour had just begun! I had bought the dollar store ponchos (2 for $1). I said no problem - we have ponchos. Yah for us!
We headed out to the studios & by the time we got to the bus stop - we were drenched. These ponchos were nothing more than a tall kitchen trash bag with a hood! No sleeves or arm covering, came to about mid-thigh on an average person, and slim-mode, not allowing our park bag to be carried undercover! We got to the studios as alot of people were leaving & I told the girls to wait here, undercover, & I went to purchase a disney poncho for my husband, who was not being such a happy camper and was ready to head back to the room. When I came back to the girls, my husband was putting on the poncho he had just purchased, so now I also had one! Couldn't leave the girls without so we bought 2 more. It took us about 3-4 hours to dry off (mostly dried off anyway), but we got to do most of the major attractions at studios in that time. We had a hard time finding a place to have dinner, as most of them had closed due to the low crowds! My husband then went back to the room & I and the girls headed to MK, which had EMH that evening.
MK was so empty, we were able to do EVERYTHING, leaving IASW, Splash and HM for when my husband would be with us. I figured we might as well leave before the 2nd parade and EMH began, to beat the crowds to the bus. As we were walking up Main Street I noticed there were NO crowds, to the point we could walk up to the curb moments before the parade marched down Main Street! We watched the entire parade, walked to the bus stop, where we were able to get onto the first bus and even get seats!
The next day was also calling for rain, we brought our ponchos with us to EPCOT. We had arrived before RD, did almost everything in FW, when indeed the rains came! We were prepared this time! We put on the ponchos, were able to leisurely stroll WS whilst everyone was taking cover.
The sun was kind to us for the next three days.
We took Unofficial Guides advice and went to AK on recommeded day, arriving before RD & were able to do everything we wanted to. Another park completed and we had 2-1/2 days to go!
Being that we had done everything we had wanted to, we were able to enjoy just being at disney rather than the need to hit the attractions! We even took an evening off to just enjoy the resort pool & hottub and just relax.
Summary - the disney ponchos and rain are the best thing that can happen to you!

 

[kerri0616]

If you buy ponchos and put them in your backpack, it will almost certainly NOT rain on you

Now if you buy the expensive Disney ponchos and leave them back in the room, I guarantee it will rain on you!!

Also...don't do what I did...We bought the nice Disney ponchos and used them for a few trips. I unknowingly packed them while still a bit damp, and a year or so later they were a mildewy mess!! Only way to destroy a Disney poncho.

Kerri

 

[NJ Mets fan]

Take them. If you leave them at the room you can bank on it raining!!

This so true. We were staying at the Boardwalk Villas and as soon as we got to the gates at Epcot it totally opened up and rained very hard for at least an hour. We of course had dinner reservations we had to rush to and I wound up buying ponchos at the entrance. If you do buy the Mickey ponchos and one rips while you are there, just take it to a store that sells them and they will replace it. The dollar store poncho idea is probably a good idea in case of an emergency.

 

[PlainJane]

I prefer a rain jacket and umbrella combo.

 

[Tara922c]

Last year I bought ponchos, but it was pouring!!! I would wait until you get there. If it starts raining to the point you think you need a poncho, then buy one.

 

[Nancy F]

It poured last Sunday night while we were in Magic Kingdom. So I broke down and bought a poncho (figured I wouldn't look any worse than anyone else in one.) I looked around at all the ponchos and had to laugh. We looked like members of a cult. LOL. Yes... Disney had us all "drinking the Kool Aid" that night.
Nancy

 

[Mr_G3]

When we were there in June, it rained (or "sprinkled") every day. Two days had extended rain showers. We had the dollar store ponchos with us, but we didn't use them for the brief showers. When it actually rained we were at AK and used the cheap ponchos; they worked fine, but we decided they were not worth the trouble of drying and saving. The second rain occurred at Epcot when we were staying for Illuminations. We splurged on two Disney ponchos for all four of us to share. While we didn't stay totally dry, it did keep us comfortable. Of course, we kept those ponchos.

I think we will take the disposable variety again since they are easy to carry, but we will also take 4 "real" ponchos to have in case we have hard rain more than one day.