Do you tour the parks in the rain?

Revan

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 12, 2008
We just got here and tomorrow, Friday, is our first day, with a reservation for MK. The forecast shows rain all day with about a total of 1.5" over the course of the day. We have an extra day tacked onto the back of our vacation with no park visits. Would you shoulder through and just plan on getting wet or shift your non-park day?

I'd hate to start a Disney vacation with two non-park days since we arrived today and walked around Disney Springs.
 
We will be soldiering on in MK tomorrow but we don’t have an extra day that we could shift to. So our situation is different from yours.
But it can be done in the rain. Rain typically won’t close the outdoor rides but lightning will.
 
Usually I would say go and have a great time. We've had rainy days at Disney before but it was on and off, not the all day rain and t-storms forecast for tomorrow. I would probably wait until morning to decide since forecasts can and do change. If it says the same and since you have an extra free day, I would change my park day. There are a number of museums in the Orlando area and maybe one of them would interest your family. You might also try resort hopping as I think they've started their Christmas decorating and have some nice dining choices.
 
It rained on our Boo Bash night last week. We weren't giving up those tickets, so we soldiered on. Unfortunately, we had forgotten raincoats/ponchos back at our hotel room (ugg) so Disney made 60 bucks off us for 4 ponchos. I call it my $15 trash bag. And of course, two of those four ponchos were lost over the course of the trip, lol. It did slow down towards the end of the night at least. If it is going to be steady rain, I'd recommend that you pack a pair of dry socks or two. Wet socks are the worst!
 
Thanks, Everyone, fingers crossed - when I look at Accuweather they are predicting .1" per hour - so maybe not the monsoon weather we've seen in New England this year.

I checked and adding an extra day for the 5 of us would only cost $97, I might keep this and add a day onto the end. Do you know if I have to add the day before I enter my first park or can I do it at any point during our ticket window?
 
Rainy days sometimes means low crowds. If you wear clothing that dries quickly and pair it with a rain jacket or poncho, I think you could have a spectacular time and be pleasantly surprised by how much rain won’t impede your enjoyment. Some of our favorite memories are from enjoying the parks with lots of rain. We remember hiding out inside the red phone booth in the Canada pavilion while a downpour came through. We ended up pushing through and had an absolute blast.

We wear keens in the park to keep our feet comfortable, even during heavy rain.

I say go for it!
 
Op I would soldier through and have on many occasions including a few tropical storms. In fact, some of our best memories were days where it rained so much that even poncho and umbrella couldn't keep you dry. It's fun. The crowds do thin out when it rains all day. Less waiting and more open space. There have been many times where I'd way rather walk around in the rain then in the scorching sun.
 
I did it once with bands of a tropical storm. It was memorable, for sure, lol. I'm someone who doesn't like to get wet when I'm not supposed to be - so, if I were in your shoes, I might do other things
 
I prefer to avoid completely rainy days, but I have enjoyed rainy days. You just have to go prepared to be wet all day and having everything be wet the entire time. Don’t count on any of the clothing you wear on the rainy day being dry the next day unless you have a dryer. Hats and shoes seem to stay wet forever in FL. I have a great pair of sandals that don’t rub even when wet. If there is anything you need to keep dry, put it in a plastic bag so you won’t stress about it staying dry. Seats on rides get wet, so be prepared for a wet butt. It may close outdoor rides…….
 
Yes, and its wonderful as many guests leave the park. We always have raingear in the backpack. We get in line for indoor rides. When the rain stops, it takes at least 1-2 hours for the parks to fill back up, so short lines for outdoor rides.
 
If you get large amounts of rain that last all day, being at a Disney park is no fun. That is part of the reason fewer will be there, but getting soaked walking in a downpour is no fun either. If it only rains for a few minutes, then we usually find an indoor place to shop or a ride where you don't get wet waiting in line. Forecasts of weather can also be wrong and storms tend to move off rather quickly.
 
Thanks, Everyone, fingers crossed - when I look at Accuweather they are predicting .1" per hour - so maybe not the monsoon weather we've seen in New England this year.

I checked and adding an extra day for the 5 of us would only cost $97, I might keep this and add a day onto the end. Do you know if I have to add the day before I enter my first park or can I do it at any point during our ticket window?

It used to be at any point before your final day was used up. (For example, if you have a 4-day ticket and were planning on taking Day 4 on a Friday but want to add Day 5 on Saturday, you could add it any time before you enter the park on Day 4.) I believe that's still the case. You definitely don't need to add it before you enter your first park, that much I know for sure!
 
Rain forecast for all day, becoming thunderstorms in the afternoon.
We plan to do the outside rides this morning.
 
Knowing we might encounter rain, we packed umbrellas in a backpack. That let us stick around as many were leaving.

A tip if you are bringing an umbrella into a park: hold it above your head as you go through the bag screener to reduce the chance of being sent to secondary screening.
 
Knowing we might encounter rain, we packed umbrellas in a backpack. That let us stick around as many were leaving.

A tip if you are bringing an umbrella into a park: hold it above your head as you go through the bag screener to reduce the chance of being sent to secondary screening.
they usually recommend holding all objects out in front of you as you go through the screener. Not sure how holding over your head would help.
 
One of my family's most fun park days ever was during Tropical Storm Debbie. We went to Animal Kingdom and it rained buckets the entire day and we had an absolute blast. The place was pretty much deserted. We walked on everything, and watched animals play in all the water. We wore cheap dollar store ponchos with baseball hats on top, which kept the hoods in place and water out of our eyes. Honestly, it was an incredibly fun and memorable day. It's what you make it.
 

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