You’ve planned for months, maybe an entire year to get to Disney and now the week has arrived. You’ve saved and sacrificed, printed the matching shirts, coordinated and synchronized schedules and it’s all gone perfectly according to plan. And you check the weather forecast and….rain. Rain, rain, rain!!! Well, the good news is this is central Florida so rain showers pop up all the time. But what about when it looks like rain ALL DAY? We got you covered like one of those awesome Disney rain ponchos.
Welcome to Believe Vacations’ Weekly Post where today, we’ll give you some advice for what to do if it rains during your Disney vacation. For this post, our agents will provide a variety of examples in different locations throughout WDW so you can still maximize your fun while avoiding the puddles. Of course, if you don’t have park tickets for that particular day, may we recommend:
Sleep In and Enjoy the Resort
If you have no reservations, fast passes, tickets for the parks that day or any other responsibilities, enjoy the rest. No doubt you’ve taken a nap during a rain shower in your own bed so it will be more magical at Disney. If you do feel you should get up and about, try to stay under the covered porches, walkways or other indoor corridors and explore your resort. Hit up the arcades, restaurants and if you’re at a fancier resort, perhaps a live show. Of course, if you’re on the Monorail loop of resorts, may we also recommend…
Monorail and Resort Hop
Just because you don’t have park tickets, it doesn’t mean you can’t RIDE! If you’re staying at the Grand Floridian, the Contemporary or the Polynesian Resort, you can board the “Highway in the Sky” without getting in the rain. Jump on, take it to the other resorts and explore. For longer voyages, consider a trip down the track to EPCOT and back.
Disney Springs or Resort Shopping
If you have the urge to spend a little coin, your resort should have a pretty decent gift shop with apparel, plush toys, souvenirs and healthcare basics. But if you want to be bold and use that poncho or umbrella, go out to Disney Springs and take in the stores. The good news is the crowd traffic will be light and you’ll be able to maneuver around freely. And if shopping is not your thing, take in a movie at AMC 24 or bowling at Splitsville Lanes. And better news, you don’t have to tote your purchases in the rain as you can have them sent back to your resort and to your room!
Theme Parks
So at this point, you’re rightfully looking for the suggestions if you’re in the parks because you’re panicking about “wasted days = wasted money” and nonsense like that. Luckily, each park has enough going on for you to stay dry. For each park, we’re going to assume you may grab a bite indoors or even meet certain characters in their designated indoor location. So using that, we will countdown the best parks to be at when in rain starting with the one with the least options:
Animal Kingdom
Whereas the sprawling acreage and natural animal habitats bring beauty and awe to the Animal Kingdom, on rainy days, you’re going to have a tough time staying dry. While Dinosaur and It’s Tough to Be a Bug! are both indoor attractions, you really only have 2 shows (Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo). Those are great options for lengthy sittings out of the rain but those 4 items are spread far apart from each other and once you experience them, you’re somewhat out of options.
Magic Kingdom
Would you believe the mighty Magic Kingdom may only be the 3rd best option for parks on a rainy day? But only at the Magic Kingdom will you get to experience the very rare “Rainy Day Character Cavalcade Parade” featuring your favorite characters braving the elements with you. Stay on Main Street and hit up the stores including the street long Emporium. Unfortunately, most of the major attractions have outdoor portions so you’ll have to stick with an attraction like PhilharMagic, Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor or classic shows like Carousel of Progress, the Enchanted Tiki Room or Country Bear Jamboree. Again, good uses of 20 or so minutes but spread out at a nice distance.
Hollywood Studios
With the addition of Toy Story Land and Star Wars: A Galaxy’s Edge, rain days may provide you the opportunity to experience the “classics” of Hollywood Studios. (Aside – isn’t it odd we’re calling the following classics now?!) Start with 2 of the funnier shows on the property in MuppetVision and the Frozen Sing-Along. Of course, you have longer stage shows with Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, Voyage of the Little Mermaid and the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. But what really makes this in the top half of parks is that 2 of the most popular indoor attractions are located very close to each other, have lengthy queues mostly indoors and are well worth waiting out the storm. Those 2 are the “classic” Rock N’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror.
EPCOT
Back in the spring, we had a multi-week series called “The Great EPCOT Debate.” We looked at various categories and ranked where EPCOT landed compared to the other parks in that category. Well, may I suggest EPCOT is THE PARK to be at if it rains? Let me build the case for us:
Transportation – We already mentioned that if you were staying at the Monorail Loop Resorts, you will start dry and end dry by simply catching the Monorail and heading to the park.
Attractions – As soon as you enter the park, you can go directly to the big “golf ball” and ride Spaceship Earth. You can make and immediate right and go a little distance to The Seas and experience Nemo and Crush attractions or just hang out in the aquarium. You can check out The Land and hit up Soarin’ Around the World or Living with the Land. And that’s just in the front of the park with little running into the rain.
Lands and Characters and Acrobats – If you find yourself in the World Showcase, stay there! You’ll have multiple options and little rain. First, the Mexican Pavilion will welcome you indoors and you can ride the Gran Fiesta Tour. Many of the nations feature films that showcase their country and those are indoors. Also, if you have characters specific to a country (say, Mulan in China), they will move to an indoor location for you to snap those pictures. Speaking of China, the incredible Jeweled Dragon Acrobats will perform indoors as well. But if you want a lengthy reprieve for the drizzle, check out the good ole’ USA and take in some history with The American Adventure.
Conclusion
So there you go, you have options. Your day won’t be ruined and your money won’t be wasted. Wherever you find yourself, you’ll find entertainment. Sure, the hair and make-up won’t be perfect at the end of the day but part of the fun is making memories. Singing and dancing in the rain can be enjoyable for all. Nature happens, folks! But even Disney has answers for it, just like everything else to make your vacation the best ever! Stay dry and remember there’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!
