“Into every life some rain must fall.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
When planning your Walt Disney World vacation, you are usually planning for fun-filled sunny days. But what if all your vacation days don’t end up being sunny? What should you do when it rains on your Disney vacation?
Mindset: It’s NOT the end of the World
I promise, no matter how hard it rains, your vacation doesn’t need to be ruined. It is important to plan ahead for rainy days just in case they show up on your vacation. It is even more important to have the right attitude about a rainy day. If everyone gets all gloom and doom about a rainy day, then you will all be correct–you won’t have any fun, and it will be a no-good terrible very bad day.
However, if you have a plan AND maintain a positive “we are going to have fun no matter what” attitude, you may find some of your favorite vacation memories happen on your rainy day(s).
What are the odds it will rain on your Disney vacation?
It’s always a good idea to check the weather for the Orlando area for the week of your trip before you leave home. We’ve been surprised a few times by much colder temperatures or a lot more rain than we expected. Forewarned is forearmed. If you know it’s going to be cold at night during your trip, you can plan ahead for that and pack a sweatshirt.
https://www.weatherbug.com/weather-forecast/now/walt-disney-world-resort-fl-32836
It’s also a good idea to check the weather in recent years for the time period you are going. For example, if you are traveling to Florida in April, you might check and see how much rain the Disney World area traditionally gets in April (2.72 inches, some rain on an average of 16 days).
Rainy Season
The months that get the most rain at Walt Disney World are June, July, August and September. This is considered “rainy season”. Hurricane season runs from June through November.
If you are traveling any time during rainy season, you can expect at least SOME rain most days. Torrential downpours that last all day are not common, but they do happen.
Regardless of when you travel, the odds are good that you could have rain on at least one day of your Disney vacation.
Be PREPARED for Rain on your Disney Vacation
One of the best things you can do to set your family up for fun rainy days is to be prepared! There are few low – cost items you can add to your park bag to help you stay reasonably dry and minimize the impact on your park fun.
Rain Ponchos
The single most important investment you can make to prevent rainy day misery when it rains on your Disney vacation are rain ponchos. On rainy days, you will see rain ponchos for sale at every shop around Disney property. The problem with waiting to buy a poncho until you need it is that a) you are usually already pretty soaked by the time you get into a shop to buy a poncho b) you are stuck paying Disney Parks prices for your ponchos and c) occasionally you end up at the one store that sold out of ponchos 10 minutes ago.
It’s best to pack your own ponchos in your daily park bag so that as soon as it starts to rain, you can put them on and minimize your risk of getting soaked. Bonus: wearing ponchos on rides like Kali River Rapids will help you stay dry when everyone else in your boat gets drenched.
Where to Find Ponchos?
There are tons of different ponchos you can get before your trip. You can buy them at the Dollar Store or at Sporting Goods stores or even on Amazon.
For example, if you have a big group and need lots of ponchos, you may want to consider something like this:
These are thinner than the Disney ponchos, but the whole package of eight ponchos–4 adult and 4 children sized ponchos– are only $15.99. These are also packaged up very small and are very lightweight.
Here’s a 10 pack of clear, lightweight and easy to pack rain ponchos. The 10-pack is $15.99, so about $1.59 per poncho. That’s pretty tough to beat. But keep in mind these are very thin and lightweight. They are intended primarily for one time use. If you are careful not to tear them, you may be able to get multiple uses out of one poncho, but most likely, you will want to have a few extras in case it rains multiple days on your trip and you are unable to reuse your first poncho.
This poncho is a little heavier weight than the one time use ponchos shown above. It can be re-folded and stored until the next time you need it, as long as you are careful while wearing it and when you take it off. This particular poncho is fairly similar to what you would be able to buy inside the parks. They are usually just big rectangles with hoods, with a couple of snaps under each arm to hold the sides together.
We bought a few of this style several years ago and have been able to reuse them on multiple trips. This particular poncho is priced slightly more affordable than Disney’s at $12.49 but it’s not a big savings. The advantage with buying ahead is that your family will already have ponchos when it starts to rain on your Disney vacation.
Backpack Covers
If you or someone else in your group carries a backpack as your park bag, you may want to consider carrying a backpack cover in case of rain. While a large poncho can usually go over your backpack as well, you may want stronger protection for your backpack, in case it doesn’t completely fit under your poncho or in case you want to carry it outside of your poncho.
These waterproof backpack covers come in a variety of colors and sizes. Prices range from $9.99 – $11.99, based on the size. Quick and easy to use, I really like the security of being able to protect my park backpack.
Extra Shoes and Socks
If you are traveling to Disney during rainy season, I recommend you bring at least 2 pairs of whatever shoes you are planning to wear to the parks. That way, if your first pair of shoes get soaked, you can let them dry at least 24 hours before wearing them again. Just wear your second set of park shoes the next day. If you are staying at a Deluxe Resort, you will most likely have access to a washer and dryer, so drying your shoes in the driver may be an option for you–but if there is a time crunch, or you just don’t want to bother with drying them in a dryer, you’ll be glad you have that second pair of shoes. I usually carry an extra pair of dry socks in my park bag if I’m expecting a rainy day. As long as your feet can be warm and dry, you will generally be fairly comfortable.
Phone Protectors
Another rainy day tool that can be really helpful can also do double duty if you are visiting a water park or planning some pool time is a waterproof protector for your phone.
We originally purchased these to protect our phones on lake weekends. Later we discovered that they were super useful for Disney water parks and water rides at the theme parks. They’re also super helpful on really rainy days.
What can you do when it RAINS on your Disney Vacation?
If you are prepared for the rain, there is no reason for the rain to interrupt your theme park plans. Fun fact: attraction lines tend to be much shorter on rainy days because travelers unprepared for the rain often leave and return to their resort, leaving the theme parks wide open to those of us made of sturdier stock.
On some rainy days at the Magic Kingdom, Disney will send out the Rainy Day Parade. You can only ever see this parade on a rainy day, so you can consider yourselves very lucky if you happen to see it live and in person.
Fireworks
Disney doesn’t cancel their nightly fireworks shows very often. Unless there is lightning or very high winds, the fireworks shows tend to go off no matter what. We have watched the fireworks in the rain many times. If you have a good poncho, you can sometimes get some great fireworks viewing spots out in the center while those that want to stay out of the rain crowd under the trees or awnings where they are available.
During last May’s mother – daughter trip, I didn’t take my own advice and we did not pack our ponchos. It started pouring while we were having dinner. It stopped briefly after dinner and we made our way towards the front of the castle for fireworks viewing–and the skies opened up on us. We found a little shelter under a tree but we still pretty much got soaked during the fireworks show.
Crowds Thin Out After the Rain
After the fireworks, most people left the park because of the heavy rain, which stopped about 30 minutes later. We were freezing so we bought a couple of very expensive sweatshirts. (Again, I hadn’t taken my own advice and brought one in my park bag!) We used the hand dryers in the ladies bathroom to try and dry our skorts off a little bit because the rain water kept running down our legs! It was pretty funny, honestly–and a memory I know we will never forget.
And the best part? All the rides were pretty much walk ons the rest of the night.
Short Lines and Shopping
Rainy days are great days to ride attractions with shorter lines. Many visitors decide to wait out the rain and either leave the theme parks altogether or hang out in covered areas hoping the rain will stop.
This means shorter lines for everyone willing to venture out into the rain. The harder the rain, the shorter the line! Keep in mind that some outdoor rides may be shut down during a heavy rain–but most rides keep running, regardless of the rain.
We’ve ridden Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in the pouring rain. I don’t know if you can tell in this picture, but it’s raining pretty hard on us here.
If you’d prefer to stay out of the rain, there are lots of shops to help you stay dry. For some of us with family members that don’t really allow us time to visit the gift shops, a rainy day can be a great advantage. If your family doesn’t want to play in the rain, you can spend a lot of time playing in the stores.
Will you let a little rain ruin your Disney Vacation?
As I said at the top of this post, a little rain is likely to fall at some point during many Disney vacations. For some Disney visitors, rain on their vacation is catastrophic. But it’s important to remember, rain doesn’t not HAVE to ruin your vacation or even your afternoon.
All you need to do is be prepared for a rainy day and manage your mindset. You can have as much fun as you WANT to have. Let the kids splash in the puddles. Play in the rain. Ride all the rides with short lines.
Whatever you do, decide that you can have a great day at Disney no matter what the conditions.
What do you think? Do you think you can make rainy day fun at Disney?
P.S. Another bummer on your Disney vacation is aching legs and feet. Did you know that you will walk an AVERAGE of FIVE miles per day during your Disney theme park vacation? Read here to learn how to prepare.