Your experiences of Disneyland in the rain

[Christ0pher]

It is in the current forecast to rain next week so I would love to hear your experiences of being at Disneyland in the rain. Any stories and/or tips would be great!

 

[Cmangano]

As long as it isn't pouring it's lots of fun. It's usually less crowded too!

 

[goofy4tink]

My first visit to DL was last Dec, 2014. I was there for 36 hrs, and it rained for about 32 hrs!!! I'm used to WDW, so DL was a whole different story for me. Wear shoes that won't be damaged by water...DL doesn't seem to be set up for rain, the drainage isn't great!!! It's hard to find indoor seating for meals...again, lots of space outside since DL doesn't get a ton of rainy weather. Bring heavyish ponchos...we had the thin, dollar store ones. They were okay, but the hoods on them were flimsy and it was hard to see where you were going.

 

[avalovesminnie]

We were there the day it rained all day Christmas week and I found it to be awful. It was our last day so we were tired so that may affect my opinion. It was crazy crowded too. We got in at 7:30 with early entry and it was a sea of ponchos. Puddles everywhere. So hard to keep my kids dry. We have a toddler too so that made things harder. If we were just adults, it would be more tolerable... I would say bring full rain gear, just go on rides with indoor lines, have a TS lunch or dinner reservation.

 

[sherilaine]

We had a great experience, so much so I hope we have a few rainy days when we return this year. It all depends on how hard it rains and for us it was raining just enough that we didn't get completely drenched but it kept enough people away. This was a Sunday in early March at around 10:30A

 

[Mysteryincorp]

We went one day because it was raining, thinking the crowds would be super low......wrong!! But then other times the crowds really thinned out.
Either way, if you make the best of the situation and not sulk about it you will be fine! Bring a change of shoes, ponchos and a cover for your stroller (if you have little ones)
One day we went it was pouring, we just ducked in and out of all the rides in fantasyland, it was fun! You can walk almost all the way down main street by walking through the stores, they are almost all connected.
Also, dry off in the Tiki room, Moments with Abe, Main Street cinemas.
In DCA, we could spend hours in the animation academy

 

[chickapin parterre]

so it looks like it will be raining....do not wear cotton!!!!! Your body cannot dry cotton clothing and cotton absorbs.. Bring heavy duty rain gear and shoes, $1.00 ponchos will not give all day protection. No cotton socks!!!! If that is all you have, then bring extra pairs to replace wet soaking feet.

If it is raining when you wake up, then do not hurry, there is no place to stand out of the rain. And at the end of the day, there is no early value if you are wet longer. Everyone is crushing early to avoid rain, so may actually be more crowded then it will be at 2:00 The later you go into the day, the more uncrowded time you will have in the evening.

If it is not raining, then sure go early!!!!

go to BTMRR or NBC first, there is no protection from the rain at these attractions, then pirates. Save Indy for late into the day as it is actually warm and long wait under shelter. Jingle has some protection but not sure how sitting in the boat with no side cover will work. Tomorrowland has the most rain protection with Space, Buzz and Star tours.

After BTMRR, NBC and Pirates , head over to Small world, once again 0 protection from rain, but if it is light, then the trade off could could be the long ride.

Now as the day goes on into the rain, few small kids abound, melt downs begin to happen, this would be a good time to do fantasyland dark rides.

Tiki room, waiting in the rain my diminish dry value. So at the end of the day, tomorrowland is the best choice and all day long the train, Mr. Lincoln

 

[SMD]

We went one day because it was raining, thinking the crowds would be super low......wrong!! But then other times the crowds really thinned out.

This has been my experience recently too. I've gone 3 times this year specifically because it was raining and have found DL to be more crowded than it sometimes can be on random weekdays. Talking to other guests they are now going in the rain for the same reasons. And then when the rain doesn't last all day there is a greater influx in the afternoon of people who delayed going until the rain stopped. We'll have to see how the heavier rain that expected this year affects things because I suspect more outdoor rides will have to close sooner than they would in light rain. In DCA rain does seem to thin crowds more because the higher profile outdoor rides are more susceptible to closing. But with heavier rain and wind more will close sooner there too, so it will be interesting to see how that impacts crowds at indoor attractions there. Also with Aladdin closing that's a lot of capacity for indoor seating that's not available.

And for meals, with so little indoor seating my current plan for next week is to rent a locker, leave most of my stuff in the park and go eat at DTD. Then I'll have less stuff to take back through the bag check which I'm sure will be backed up while it rains with the new unzipping jackets and bulky sweatshirt checks.

 

[bumbershoot]

We have a toddler too so that made things harder.

It does.

On our first trip, when DS was 1 (a day trip from San Diego), it *had been* raining that early morning. When we rolled in around 10, the park was empty. Because it had been raining everyone was staying away (or had come and gone). By the time we got there it was sprinkling and the park was quiet.

But on our first BIG trip, when DS was 3, one day it truly rained. DH and I were fine; we had ponchos and we were walking and kept warm that way. But DS was in his stroller and he wasn't keeping himself warm by walking, and he was NOT happy. DH and DS ended up going back to the hotel while I stayed to play.

 

[deanimal]

I went during a rare rainy spell back in February a few years back. I wrote a blog post about enjoying Disney in the rain when I came back.

https://exploredreamdiscoveries.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/disney-in-the-rain/

 

[dotfurio]

When we went we wore those fold up rain jackets, which kept us dry but didn't cover our bottoms when we sat down. If you're rain cover also does not, I recommend a towel to dry the seats off of outdoor loading rides.

Our feet also got soaked, so definitely plan for that and bring extra shoes/socks. There were unavoidable puddles everywhere.

We went on a day that wasn't supposed to be that crowded anyway, but the rain certainly didn't thin out the crowds any more than they already were.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

I have been twice in the rain, once expected and once unexpected. For the trip where we expected it, it really wasn't so bad. We wore ponchos, hoodies, rain jackets, etc. As long as my torso remained dry (which it did), I didn't get very cold and the day was actually pretty good. The only thing I have yet to master is finding a way to avoid getting my socks and shoes totally soaked. That is the one thing about it I really hated. Definitely pack an extra pair of shoes, an additional extra if you can. Also, bring a towel for drying off seats and quarters for using the dryer at the hotel (especially useful for drying wet tennis shoes).

Now, the trip where rain was unexpected...it happened this past July. The weather was really kind of bizarre for California. I am used to hot, but it was extremely humid, and then all of a sudden it was pouring rain one day around 10 am. And I mean really pouring. We were totally unprepared and almost instantly my clothes and shoes were soaked. Everyone else was in the same boat, and there was not a leftover poncho in sight to purchase. Our party did have two emergency ponchos on hand, but those went to quickly covering the baby's stroller and the other to mom. I actually didn't mind being wet at first, we continued to go on rides for an hour or so, but eventually the soaked clothing made us really cold and we couldn't stop shivering. We made the mistake of going on POTC, which is FREEZING when you are wet, and after that we practically ran back to the hotel. Thankfully I had brought an extra pair of shoes, so once I had showered and put on dry clothes I was ready to go back out to the parks, as it had stopped raining by that time.

 

[Kittyskyfish]

DH and I went in Dec 2014 when it rained heavily for two days. We came prepared with Frogg Toggs, waterproof rain shoes and even a poncho to wear over the Toggs when the rain *really* poured down. And we wore ballcaps under the Toggs' hood to keep the drizzles off our face. We stayed dry and warm underneath!

You will find wet seats to be a problem, so bring a special towel that absorbs water like a sponge and keeps working, no matter how wet it gets (just wring it out). One brand is called The Absorber and you can find this or towels like it in the auto detailing section of Walmart, Target, and auto stores.

I think it'll be more crowded this week because of all the new stuff going on, but maybe locals will taper off a bit now that Christmas is actually over.

 

[SMD]

I think it'll be more crowded this week because of all the new stuff going on, but maybe locals will taper off a bit now that Christmas is actually over.

Holidays aren't officially over until the 6th. The days that AP blockouts end, which are Sunday and Monday and the 6th are always crowded. Plus with Three Kings Day only running for 5 days I don't see crowds tapering off this week. Very few people who are going for holidays are going to skip their last chance because of rain. And LAUSD is out until the 11th, which adds a lot of locals taking an extra day trip they might not have if the kids were in school.

 

[Christ0pher]

Loving all the stories! Going to go get a heavy duty poncho right now..

 

[GusGus77]

Be careful as traction can be bad in certain spots in the rain- especially in stores. I almost completely wiped out. Bring your ponchos with or buy early BEFORE it starts to rain. I recommend bringing your own as Disney ponchos are EXPENSIVE!!!!

 

[Susie63]

I am thinking about buying waterproof socks for our trip in February.

 

[PoohBearFriends]

I know this is more extreme but we are from the NW and when I knew it was really going to rain on our trip 3 years ago, in January, we brought our rain paints and rain coats. It was so nice to have dry pants and tops. You sit on a lot of wet and rain blows on you. We tied them both around our waste when it quit raining.

 

[Sorcerer Jody]

Be careful as traction can be bad in certain spots in the rain- especially in stores. I almost completely wiped out. Bring your ponchos with or buy early BEFORE it starts to rain. I recommend bringing your own as Disney ponchos are EXPENSIVE!!!!

How much are the ponchos at Disneyland?

 

[GusGus77]

DH said he thinks they were $10. I remember them being more expensive, though. You need to ask for them at the registers because they have them behind the counter.