September. ..poncho or no poncho?

[AFwifelife]

I bring a dollar store one for each person with me when we go into the park. If it looks like it's going to be more than a quick passing shower, then we will spring for the Disney ones.

 

[Disnsyncey]

I was there the last week of September last year, and it rained every day. Not just sprinkled, but RAINY WRATH. I've read trip reports here from quite a few DISers who were also there throughout the month of September last year, and they all experienced the same thing. It was so much rain that I've resolved to avoid going again in September all together, if I can help it. So... Yes. Ponchos. For sure.

I think I was there! I just DON'T like ponchos though.....I brought my Columbia windbreaker that folds into its own pocket, about the size of a lumpy softball.....I might have used my friend's poncho once, but I don't mind getting wet, as long as my top part is dry......that worked better than ponchos for me.....

the MOST important thing for me is a hat to keep the rain off my face.....I could be in a hurricane and be fine if my face wasn't having water flow down it.....with a hat and my Columbia jacket, I was set!

6 days til I leave for my next September trip! WOOOO!!!

 

[fairy oma]

Definitely ponchos...we bought the $1 ones before we left and they only lasted 1/2 day. We bought the WDW ones and they lasted the entire trip and we are taking them again. We went September 13th thru the 21st in 2013 and it poured 1 day and showered on us 3 other days. If the WDW ponchos tear or the snaps break you can get the poncho replaced at any of the shops selling them at the resorts, parks or DTD.

 

[Disneylover99]

We always bring ponchos and if we are wearing running shoes, we always bring cheap flip flops to put on while it rains. There is nothing worse then wet running shoes.

 

[disney world dreamer]

definitely ponchos.
its still the rainy season.
and in fact right now is the height of hurricane season.

 

[Bree]

I always pack a poncho in my suitcase to bring with me. I was just there over labor day weekend and used it Friday, Saturday & Sunday. I paid around $20 for one on Amazon that is really nice. I like it much better than the ones they sell in the parks and leaps and bounds better than those $1 trash bag ponchos. It's much more durable, has metal snaps instead of those plastic nubs and the hood has a drawstring.

 

[tinabina919]

If you don't want to get wet I would suggest it. We were there for the for the first week of Sept and there was a thunderstorm every afternoon. only lasted about 1-2 hours tops though and was during our afternoon breaks so it didn't bother us at all.

 

[Lvdisfan]

We needed them in mid April, we need them the first week of June. We just check check the weather each morning and it it says no rain we take them anyway. A light shower is ok without one, but if you get soaked it makes everything a little less magical.

 

[Karin1984]

Just back. Very happy to have them with me. One night in HS it kept raining for over an hour and it didn't seem like it was going to stop. We decided to skip Fantasmic before we sat down waiting and then it most likely it would get cancelled anyway. Also another heavy shower in HS and MK in the afternoon made me happy to put the poncho in my bag. Yes, you get hot and a little sticky, but I prefer it over being soaked.

 

[tyandcoopsmom]

During the rainy season, I will take the rain poncho and cover the stroller while we are in attraction. I can't tell you how we have come out of an attraction or restaurant and find it had rained so much that there are puddles, but my child's seat will be dry from the poncho.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I use a poncho and have brought the same one with me on the last several trips - the Disney ones last well. I even used it Thursday at the Stone Mountain Yellow Daisy Festival. The crowds were heavy and I didn't want to worry about clobbering anyone with my umbrella so I grabbed the Disney Poncho.
When the skies opened up, I was prepared.

Last Sept. 2014 when I was in Disney World was a horrible rainy 5 days. It rained nearly all day long every day. I sure got alot of use out of the poncho then and was glad I'd brought several pairs of my Teva Tirra sandals because those were even taking hours to dry which was unusual.

 

[Rosebud123]

We just got back, and I can't imagine not having ponchos! We were there for 10 nights and needed the ponchos 3 or 4 times. It rained hard enough that you'd have been sopping wet if you didn't have one. I don't mind a little rain without a poncho but I don't want to walk around like I just got off Kali.

 

[Phillip Williams]

I am from NC and this year the weather has been very close to each other. I leave for Disney in 2 days and plan on going without one. From past experience when it does rain at Disney it usually does not last long and I use that time to walk into a shop or stop and eat somewhere.

 

[epcotty]

We do carry umbrellas but haven't done ponchos yet, maybe we should, just tough to find space in the bag for them along w/ clothes

 

[goofyintoronto]

Definitely ponchos...we bought the $1 ones before we left and they only lasted 1/2 day. We bought the WDW ones and they lasted the entire trip and we are taking them again. We went September 13th thru the 21st in 2013 and it poured 1 day and showered on us 3 other days. If the WDW ponchos tear or the snaps break you can get the poncho replaced at any of the shops selling them at the resorts, parks or DTD.

I think the whole idea of the dollar store ponchos is to wear them once and throw them away. thats why theyre so cheap. i bring a few of those to disney. You cant really save those.

The disney poncho's are great but i have two issues with them. 1) theyre HOT underneathe. So very hot. hate it. 2) theyre not portable! do you know how much space those things take up in a backpack??? Not worth it. Which is why i like the dollar store ones. You toss em once it stops raining. Although ive saved them for an entire day a couple times, and it was fine. It didnt break when i used it again.

 

[OKW Lover]

Since an average chance of rain is 40% each day I'm there, should I purchase ponchos for my group?

Yes, purchase ponchos. At the least its an in-expensive insurance against rain. At the worst, you'll be able to carry on if you happen to get caught in the rain.

 

[IvyWinter]

Going the 22nd, bought a pack of 4 ponchos for cheap on amazon just in case. They are more for if there is a downpour, anything less than that and i dont really mind much.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

People without ponchos / rain gear were not happy campers today!! They were all very very wet!!

 

[Accident]

Take them. We were there the first week of Sept. Rain chances were 60%. I called them our lucky charm since it only rained 3 hours!

What was your touring schedule? We only saw 2 days the same week without rain. actually 1 of those days my daughter saw ran on one side of MK while I was sitting on the other resting in the blazing sun so 1 day for her, 2 for me. Most of the rain really didn't last long, much less than the time it took for a QS meal which is when we ducked in to eat and stay dry.

My experience with ponchos is if it's a real rain, it's not going to help much. If it's light rain and humid out to start with, you just made yourself a greenhouse and end up really sweaty. With that said, I will buy them on site if it looks like the storm isn't going to stop soon and we need something to keep moving. I think this is generally a good plan of attack with any rain gear. Do something nearby while it's bad, pull it out if you need it to get to the next thing.

In 2014 at the end of september and into october, it was real rain over 3 storms a day with a couple hours near noon, a shorter near 3 and then a longer starting about 8pm every single day. You had to have rain gear to do anything.

 

[wdw4rfam]

I was there the last week of September last year, and it rained every day. Not just sprinkled, but RAINY WRATH. I've read trip reports here from quite a few DISers who were also there throughout the month of September last year, and they all experienced the same thing. It was so much rain that I've resolved to avoid going again in September all together, if I can help it. So... Yes. Ponchos. For sure.

We were also there that week, and I can tell you it was enough to swear off any further September trips.....EVER. And we have 7 September trips under our belt, it was the worst. It just wouldn't stop. I think we used ponchos EVERY day. We had to valet at the GF one night because it was raining so hard we couldn't see the parking lot. There were many days that we had to leave the parks even with ponchos because we were still soaked. The pathways at CSR were flooded all week, couldn't get to the laundry room without wading through inches of water. No more September here.