What are your best rain tips?

[pktbMouse]

word to the wise about those cheap dollar store ponchos....they are fine in normal rain but in Florida's monsoons...they don't work!!! they are so flimsy the hood dosnt stay up,they don't have enough room in them to wear over a backpack, purse or bag, the back or front blows up you end up more wet than you can imagine plus they are not very long so your bum gets soaked!!...we tried them 2 yrs again and said never again! If you can afford it spring for a Disney one or a similar Target or wallmart heavier duty one, you will thank yourself if you do.

 

[Autumnslight]

word to the wise about those cheap dollar store ponchos....they are fine in normal rain but in Florida's monsoons...they don't work!!! they are so flimsy the hood dosnt stay up,they don't have enough room in them to wear over a backpack, purse or bag, the back or front blows up you end up more wet than you can imagine plus they are not very long so your bum gets soaked!!...we tried them 2 yrs again and said never again! If you can afford it spring for a Disney one or a similar Target or wallmart heavier duty one, you will thank yourself if you do.

I second that! We had the cheap ponchos for our September trip, when it rained almost every day. After the second day, we went and bought heavy weight ponchos.

 

[amg35]

Be careful with flip flops!

I had a pair once that the band went across my foot not in between toes. I was walking when it started to rain (not at Disney) and I actually had to stop walking. My foot was sliding all over and I kept falling out of the shoes!

Just make sure if you are wearing any sandal/flip flop that they are secure on your feet.

 

[wdwpirates]

We do ponchos. Have had our WDW ponchos for a couple years and have gotten good use out of them. If you wear sneakers I would suggest bringing 2 pairs with you. If one happens to get soaked you'll have a fresh dry pair for the next day.

 

[katt789]

Umbrellas are allowed, but it can be a real hassle, and if you're not careful/aware of your surroundings, you can seriously take someone's eye out with them in the crowds….

Poncho's are my best advice! We got stuck in a HUGE storm once in Ak, and once in MK (actually just last week) we ran as fast as we safely could from the Grotto to a gift shop, picked up some ponchos and were fine for the rest of the day, the park cleared out amazingly, all the rides/greets were walk ons and it was wonderful.

If its raining hard, maybe take a break at an indoor attraction, restaurant (though know it will be crowded) and just wait it out.

 

[fbarker]

I cut our ponchos down the front so we can take them off easily. And we stay just as dry.
Nancy

so how do you keep them closed?

 

[Misha5454]

This year I bought myself some rain boots, since I live in Florida anyways. I am going to bring them with me for the rainy season, then I won't have to worry about wet sneakers and socks. Rain boots and ponchos, should work great, then I can stay and enjoy the parks.

 

[DreaminDsny]

My family does something that I think is unique; I've never seen anyone else do it, but maybe it's very common.

We use Disney ponchos, but we also hate going through bag checks because of the long wait times, so we try to travel light in the parks. We buy portable fabric water bottle holders that we can clip onto our belt loops. Then, we roll up the ponchos very tight and stick them in the bottle holder. It's very handy because you don't have the hassle of a bag or stuffing them in a pocket, and when it starts raining, you only have to yank it out. (Also, if you keep your ponchos with one person with a bag and it starts raining, well...) Also, it's light and secure enough that you don't have to worry about removing it for rides, but they fit nicely in all/most item pouches on the rougher attractions.

The only downside is having to roll it back up, and with Florida's on/off rain showers, it sometimes gets annoying having to pull it out every 30 minutes.

Just be careful that the poncho and fabric holder isn't heavier than your shorts or pants unless you have a belt-I learned that very quickly.

 

[Radiorox]

The water parks are a great place to be on rainy days. Low crowds and you're already wet anyway

Experienced this last June. I just could not understand why everyone was leaving! Was great though, by 3pm all slides were walk-ons!

I always pack extra socks and if I KNOW it's just going to pour, I pack sandals or something other than sneakers. Sucks to walk around in wet sneakers all day. Crocs work well too!

If you go in the summer, buy a decent rain poncho at some shop at home. The Disney ones are a little more expensive. The dollar store ones are a glorified trashbag and are not too good for wearing more than once.

Also, if you are going with a stroller, take a poncho, rain coat, trashbag, something nylon and large enough to cover it with. Stroller parking is never under any form of cover. Your belongings will get soaked.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

We do ponchos. Have had our WDW ponchos for a couple years and have gotten good use out of them. If you wear sneakers I would suggest bringing 2 pairs with you. If one happens to get soaked you'll have a fresh dry pair for the next day.

That is exactly what we did. When we were there last August - it rained everyday. If we went back to the room and the jackets were soaked we took our second set back with us. We always had a backpack filled with them and it also fit under the rain jacket.

The rain didn't stop us. We did indoor rides and shows and then after the rain stopped the park was much less crowded.

 

[andreajanowiak]

My most important tip- do NOT wear canvas shoes. Yesterday it poured while at HS, and after about 10 steps in the rain, my feet were we for the entire day. A rookie mistake, I know.

 

[boiledpeanut]

Worried about shoes and winter weather. We were planning on tennis shoes for our whole visit. We have rain boots, but wouldn't our feet hurt after a while??

 

[disnut8]

Binder clips. Use under your chin to keep the poncho hood more secure and tighter. Also, we wear a ball cap under the poncho hood to keep the rain off our faces.

One more word of advice for when it rains. If you do feel the need to stand under something to wait out the rain, please be aware of your surroundings and be mindful of others. For me, it's irritating to try and enter a shop when there's a massive amount of rain dodgers standing right outside the door because there's a shelter there and they don't want to move even an inch to allow me to enter the shop. Also, if you do get an out of the way place to wait out the rain, invite others to join you. We did that once when we managed to get a table under an umbrella when a storm can up quickly. We invited others to join us and had a great time chatting for the 45 minutes we were stuck there.

Rain showers can be a lot of fun.

 

[ShelliRenee]

I take an umbrella/parasol. I use it if it is lightly raining and I am not in a crowded place. I also use it to keep the sun off me and provide a little relief from the hot temperatures. Yes you have to be aware of what/who is around you, but you have to do that out of Disney as well.

 

[ten822]

Also, can you umbrellas in the parks?

My family has experienced a lot of rainy days in Disney! We were there one year when there was a strange weather system and Orlando had 10 in of rain the week we were there!
Do I have tips!
1-Wear crocs/water friendly shoes- DH wore leather sandals that week and they never dried, had nasty wet, smelly shoes whole time!
2- If you have a stroller- beware- it will get wet. We covered ours with a poncho while on rides, but, it would blow off each time and CM would move stroller if we had it under shelter and it was always wet. Maybe bring clips to hold down poncho on stroller.
3- Visit EP or MK on rainy day- many attractions indoors, especially EP- innoventions can keep you occupied for long time!
4- Don't leave anything in stroller- it will get wet. Use backpack or fannypack underneath a poncho and your stuff will stay pretty dry.
5- Most rides are still open so make the best of it- certainly don't sit in your hotel room, the parks usually thin out and you might accomplish a lot of rides!

 

[Emagine]

I have sensory kids. One that seeks the largest puddles and one that hates clingy things. If it is warm enough we let them wear swim clothes and water shoes. Problem solved. We take a change for when it gets cooler or a need to change. Now to figure out the Service Dog. I have yet to master that one.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

A note about the WDW ponchos - if they get torn, you can have them replaced with new ones for free in any shop that sells them. This does not just apply to the day or trip that you purchase them. We have used ours for many years and have had to replace a few over time because of rips.

And before someone chimes in that this is not the intent of the return policy - I make sure to tell the CM each time the age of the poncho being replaced, and every time I have been told that they can still be replaced.

They are expensive (about $10), but they are durable and can be used for many years without any signs of age. Now, if I could only remember them every trip.