The rain is your friend...

[Maineiak]

At the World now.

Had a CRT ressie for this morning at 8:35am. The only time we've been able to get a 7DMT FP+ was for 10:30pm which is way to late for the 7yo daughter.

So, we got up early, hit the bus and were at MK for rope drop. It was raining very, very slightly. Park opening was 8am, but they dropped the rope at 7:45am.

We went straight for 7DMT. Sign said 30 minutes, but we waited no more than 5. Hit Pooh with less than a 10 minute wait, then Barnstormer with zero wait. 3 rides before breakfast at 8:35am with no FastPasses!

We then did Splash Mountain (no wait). Then hit Jingle Cruise with our first FastPass.

I think a combination of the early morning weather and the early time worked in our favor. Don't give up hope. Sometimes, being flexible and taking advantage of the situation is best!

 

[Jaime4004]

I love rain. It empties out the park and it's not so hot. Prayed for rain when we were there a few weeks ago but didn't happen Glad it worked out for you!

 

[Maineiak]

Compared to MK on 11/20 (party night) it was relatively empty until noon today.

 

[Chessica]

I love how the park clears out during the rain. That happened to my mom and I on a trip we took a couple months ago.

 

[DisneyOma]

As long as it is not monsoonish rain, we love a rainy hour or so at WDW, as we tend to go in August. It doesn't always cool the place down, but it does empty the parks a bit

 

[Accident]

I like the rain if the rides are staying opened during it but there's been more than a couple days where i'm so soaked, I have to leave to change and come back later. If the weather supports being a little wet and my feet are fine, I'm the one walking down the middle of the walkway alone with nothing protecting me like it's just another day out!

 

[mshanson3121]

We had great luck with rain this summer. Had a massive thunderstorm roll through in the evening, it rained out the 9:00 MSEP and 10:00 Wishes, and we sat on the balcony of Town Square Hall (is that the name? Where Mickey meets at MK?), and watched as thousands and thousands of people poured out of the park. The storm passed and they finally set off the Wishes around 11:00 pm and ran MSEP around 11:30 pm. Thanks to the thousands that left, we had prime viewing - sat right in the west FP+ zone for both, was great! So definitely stick around when it rains!

 

[Doug M]

Since the forcast for my trip has changed from 1 day of maybe rain to 1 certain rain, and 4 with greater than 33%, i just hope that means lower crowds. Of course 9-16 day forcasts cannot be trusted.

 

[theone74733]

Yeah, it rained on us for the good chunk of the morning at Animal Kingdom last September. I was worried about that day because everyone said that AK is the worst park for rain due to many outdoor activities. As it turns out, it was the best day of our entire trip. The waits for the Safari, Expedition Everest and Dinosaur was 5-15 mins for the majority of the day and the crowds were low. Also, the Safari was great in the rain as it seemed like more animals were out since the weather was more bearable.

Just make sure to bring your gear like your poncho, umbrella, and sandals and you should be fine.

 

[christineann]

We were at WDW last week, and there were some scattered showers. We had bought ponchos at the dollar store, and they were enough to keep us dry and thin enough to bunch up and put back in the little bags, which fit into our pockets. We had EMH at Epcot Thursday night, and it appeared that a lot of folks left when the rain moved in. We did Soarin and Test Track a couple of times with very little wait.

 

[Disneylover99]

The rain is your friend sometimes, depending on what you want to do. It can also close rides like 7DMT, Barnstormer, BTMR, and Test Track.

 

[SparklePixie]

In your case, rope drop was your friend not rain.

 

[christineann]

They did suspend TestTrack for about 30-40 minutes Thursday night. Many people left the building, but we checked the weather on my daughter's phone and saw that there would be a window of clear weather and stayed.

 

[wdw&sonny]

I love the rain. Had to share my magical moment.

Summer 2013 arrival day and it was pouring in the afternoon as we checked in to Bonnet Creek. We waited impatiently for our Garden Grocer delivery watching those valuable WDW minutes tick away. Finally, we headed for MK to arrive in the park at 6:00 PM. It was still raining moderately.

We were able to grab FP for Space Mt. for 6:55-7:55, then waited a bit for Monster's Inc then rode Space only to find it was already time to head to BoG for our 7:30 reservation. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and then headed back out into the park after dinner to find the rain had stopped and the crowds had thinned. It was just after 9 PM.

We took our time and wandered the new Fantasy Land expansion, rode the new Little Mermaid ride then over to Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan and It's a Small World, all with zero wait. The weather was very comfortable, the crowds were thin and we were all energized, finally feeling unleashed from the constraints of travel and crowds.

We were on our way to what I often refer to as my favorite Disney ride, the Haunted Mansion. This is one of the few rides that I actually remember riding as a very young child in Anaheim at the original Disneyland in the 1960s. And now I was having that Magical Disney Moment. The day had slowed down, I was realizing where I was, what I was doing and who I was with…

We hit HM, then BTMRR, Splash, then over to PoTC and finally Jungle Cruise all by about 11pm. I am a WDW vet and don't ever remember a time in the park that felt that empty. We felt like we were the only ones in the park. It was a magical night I will always remember.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

Anyone remember last September? Well, September 2014, really. We had 4 to 5 hours of rain, per day, for our WDW trip. It had rained a good part of the day when we had MNSSHP tix...then tantalizingly cleared up, only to have the skies open as we went through the ticket gates. I have waited years to see that Boo to You parade, and it was cancelled. We got multiple rides on 7DMT, in absolutely torrential rain, and laughed like hyenas with our fellow riders.

We Skipped through puddles every day and got very accustomed to never being dry. Our big learning point was to make sure we had dry warm sweaters packed for our younger travellers to wear in restaurants, as they would get chilled when we sat soaked in an well air-conditioned room, particularly since it was so very hot outside. Thank heavens for waterproof cameras!