Rainy Day Plan?

[stobaugh6]

What do you do if the weather is bad during your WDW vacation? What does Disney do during "severe" weather? We will be there on the 11th and the weather is looking bad for the 12th. We are planning on going to MK and we have tickets to the Dessert Party that evening.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

What do I do? I pack ponchos and/or umbrellas in my park bag.

You really need to define "severe". Sometimes Disney has to shut down certain rides when there's heavy rain, but the rest of the park stays open. Sometimes the evening fireworks might be cancelled, but the other events will go on. I think they sometimes cease the boat transportation when there's lightning. Disney does not stop for much. Severe weather means hurricanes, and you won't be visiting during that season.

 

[LaurenT]

Poncho.
And the forecast for the 12th will change 8 times before it gets here. And it's extremely rare for them to cancel the fireworks ... Even in heavy rain. Once the tubes are loaded, they can't be unloaded ... They have to be used.

 

[CaitlinMarie13]

We bring ponchos. We might decide to ride something that has a covered wait area/ is inside...but thats only if its raining really hard.

 

[MomBird]

I pack ponchos for everyone and extra socks for DS who doesn't like flip flops. Also extra pair of shoes in case torrential rains have soaked his and they're still wet the next day (we don't carry them around in the park or anything). Rain usually passes quickly, so we usually just keep right along with our day. The thing NOT to do if it rains is to retreat back to your room. And I also don't go to Disney Quest in the rain because it's so crowded then.

 

[Reddog1134]

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

We like to carry around as little as possible, so we bring along a supply of those one time use dollar store ponchos. There is plenty to do inside the parks, the only thing we hate is if it is raining hard our shoes get very wet! Puddles are hard to avoid! Lots of indoor attractions and we find that the rain often clears out the park a bit, especially if it is late afternoon or early evening.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

When it rains you get on rides faster, Wishes dessert parties still have tasty treats and restaurant reservations open up. There's a silver lining to rain at Disney.

 

[hsmamato2]

go the parks and have fun till you're so soaked you have to go back to your room and shower up...then relax and go find a great place to eat dinner on property Oh, and pack 2 pairs of shoes pp, so you can wear one pair while the other is drying.... in other words,just go have fun. We all have windbreaker/raincoats/umbrellas anyway...so we just use those. All of this is a little harder if you are tent camping, but other than that it's all good.

 

[Fantabulously Cherry]

We buy 98 cent poncho packs at Walmart's hunting department and put them in our backpacks. The great thing about WDW is there are mony indoor attractions for rain or rest. For whatever reason, it ALWAYS rains on Epcot days for us. So we head to World Showcase and do all the indoor stuff like Oh Canada, etc. You can always duck into a shop for a spell if needed.

 

[lelesansan]

Ponchos are a must have especially since purchasing them there can cost an arm and a leg! We got caught in the rain last May in MK, and it gave us time to make it through some of the shows and grab a bite to eat. Florida Rain never seems to stick around for long. We also took an opportunity to rest while it was showering at our hotel before it cleared up in the evening.

 

[bbak30]

We keep going! Most people go back to their resorts and lines get shorter. We pull out the ponchos and get excited!

 

[isaboo]

We like to carry around as little as possible, so we bring along a supply of those one time use dollar store ponchos. There is plenty to do inside the parks, the only thing we hate is if it is raining hard our shoes get very wet! Puddles are hard to avoid! Lots of indoor attractions and we find that the rain often clears out the park a bit, especially if it is late afternoon or early evening.

You guys need some Keen or Teva sandals! They are not the prettiest shoes in the world but they are great either wet or dry. They are pretty much the only shoes we take to Disney.

 

[Yumi696]

And honestly, I continuously checked the weather last time we went and it kept saying it would rain and then it didn't. So you never know!

I agree with everyone here though; bring ponchos and waterproof sandals and have fun! Many families will hole up indoors during the rain so you might have shorter lines at rides!

 

[BalooFan]

If severe weather is imminent, I would take shelter wherever you are to be on the safe side. If it's just rain, I agree that you should put on a poncho, pull out your umbrella if you have one, and stay in the park. Take a deep breath, accept the fact that you are going to get wet (probably even with a poncho and umbrella), and keep to your touring plan to the extent that the weather and attraction closures allow. If you don't have waterproof sandals, have an extra pair of dry, comfortable shoes in your room as a backup until your wet shoes dry. As far as severe weather, I have been in Epcot during a bad thunderstorm, but I don't remember any restrictions. I was in the Christmas store in Downtown Disney during a tornado warning, though, and the cast members wouldn't allow anyone to leave the store until the warning expired.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

We will be there the same time and I'm obsessively checking the weather bc we too have reservations for the dessert party on the 12th. I am hoping the fireworks don't get canceled. That's really the only thing I am worried about. As for the rain we have ponchos and my stroller has 1 of those plastic cover things. I have learned in past disney trips that fl weather is very unpredictable. It downpours 1 minute and the next minute the sun is out. The only other thing I am worried about is my rental scooter. But I am renting from walker mobility and they say their scooters are water resistant but I'm still going to call and see what they suggest I do in rain maybe I just need to cover the battery or something.

 

[Timshar2]

If we have a good chance of rain we pack ponchos. It rained 2 whole days during our last trip a few weeks ago and we used our ponchos from 3 years ago that we did not need the last few trips. Some of our best days at Disney have been during rainy and even hurricane warning days. We did almost every MK ride during the on again off again rain when we were recently there. We were once there when a hurricane was supposed to hit disney but it moved off the coast at the last minute. It was one of our best trips. Not great weather but very low crowds. I know weather matters but at Disney it just seems to matter less.

 

[misha]

We'll be there then too! As usual Sept/oct park goers we are used to rain during our trips! I am not a poncho fan. I find them hot and sticky so we use hats and or umbrellas and quick dry clothes. Keenes are a must for me with a back up pair if one set gets too wet. I second many of the other posters - some of our best days have been rainy ones! A rainy day at disney beats a dry one anywhere else!
Have a magical trip and maybe we'll see you!
Michelle

 

[TT77]

The parks clear out in the rain, and if you stick it out you can have the place to yourself. We rode Splash Mountain 3 times in a row in the rain, and the third time we didn't even have to get out of the log, they just asked if we wanted to go again because there was no one in line

 

[over50visits]

We keep going! Most people go back to their resorts and lines get shorter. We pull out the ponchos and get excited!

We make an offering to the rain gods every morning! The best thing for our visit is an early- to mid-afternoon thunderstorm. It seems to clear out the parks (any earlier than that and a lot of folks will wait it out, but by then it seems they figure they've had enough and leave). The storms always clear after a while, and the parks seem so empty. Love it!