What park on a rainy day?

[smeedell]

What park is the best to visit when raining? What park has most options to get out of the rain and still enjoy the day? Is Downtown Disney a good option?

[mjm12000]

I did Downtown Disney last year in the pouring rain... not a great idea it was so wet and flooded and getting from one store to another even with ponchos on we got soaked. I would go to a park for sure in the rain as it tends to die down and the rides that are inside all stay running, so wear a rain poncho some flip flops and you are good to go, I love magic Kingdom in the rain as it seems to almost empty out and most things are still running even some rides like Dumbo and Magic Carpets were still going when there was no lightning...

[rhonary]

We were in AK last yr and got caught in a down pour...dont think thats the park to be in when it rains...we had a hard time to find a dry place...but maybe its just where we were at the time. My friend was at MK and it just sprinkled...our luck I guess!:(

[lettripp]

Personally, I think Epcot is the best place to be in the rain. Yes, I know that walking around the world in the rain can be a pain, and I know that the square footage alone is intimidating... but once you get to a location you are inside for quite a while. There are also interesting places to escape the weather for a while (i.e. The Seas, Innoventions etc). I think that Disney Studios would be a close second for the same reason (with all the exhibits and shows, you are hardly ever outside).

I can't imagine that AK is fun in the rain and I have done MK in the rain and it makes the "happiest place on earth" appear a whole lot less joyful. Plus if that rain is paired with thunder, rides close. Also, when you go into an attraction at MK, you aren't inside for very long before you have to go back out and walk to the next.

I hope this helps, but of course that's just my opinion.

[eeyorepoohfan]

When we were at WDW in December, it was drizzly in the evening. We were at EPCOT and the place cleared out pretty well that evening. This could potentially be a good park to be in. Yes, I know it's big and spread out, but once you get to the World Showcase, you can spend more time in each country than maybe you normally would. Since every country has stores/restaurants/sites to see and explore, you can freely enjoy the sites! You can just wear panchos to get from one country to the next. Plus, the only real outdoor ride is Test Track, everything else should be open for you to enjoy! There is always Innoventions to check out and you will be completely protected from the eliments! :thumbsup:

[mjm12000]

Good point about Epcot, this also holds true for extremely hot days, Epcot seems to be spaced out so that buy the time you can not take the heat anymore you are at the next pavillion ready to go back inside the coolness, so the same would hold true in the rain I guess.

Personally I say throw on a rain poncho and keep going like there is not rain.., which I guess is easy for me to say coming from Vancouver BC where it rains about 70% of the time so I am used to just ignoring the rain and making the best of a day.

[VWL Mom]

We love MK during the rain. As the pp says, it does seem to empty out quite a bit leaving most rides as walk-on. We don our ponchos and off we go. :mickey:

[AXOAlum]

I think being at DTD during rain was the most soaked I have ever been! The drainage system is poor there, and we were soaked.

I love EPCOT in the rain - we enjoy walking around WS in our ponchos and enjoying the nearly empty sidewalks!

[DiannaJ]

Last May during all of that rain we were out AK during a huge downpoor and there were no places to get out of it because of the high winds so we left to get on the bus and the rain even blew under the bus stop roof drenching everyone. Not a place to be however I agree with Epcot being a great place to go to because of all the indoor attractions. However they do have drainage problems around the fountain and there was at least 4 inches of water in that area you could not avoid and my grandmother who was in a wheel chair even got her feet wet.

[finaldynasty]

I agree MK and Epcot are the best. If I had to pick one I would pick Epcot because you can hide out in the Lands or Nemo until the rain slows down.

[magicofdisney]

Last May during all of that rain we were out AK during a huge downpoor and there were no places to get out of it because of the high winds so we left to get on the bus and the rain even blew under the bus stop roof drenching everyone. Not a place to be however I agree with Epcot being a great place to go to because of all the indoor attractions. However they do have drainage problems around the fountain and there was at least 4 inches of water in that area you could not avoid and my grandmother who was in a wheel chair even got her feet wet.
We were there that same week, possibly at AK the same day as you. It was awful at AK and we had the same problem at the bus stop. I felt like everyone had the same determination as us because it was crowded everywhere we went and there was no place to really escape.

I don't recommend HS. We went to the stunt show. They seated us in the stadium. Made us wait for over 20min and then said it was canceled. I totally get that they need everything to be safe but the weather had not changed from the dreary downcast it had been an hour previously. Why did they make us go through all the rigamarole of seating if they didn't intend to do the show?

[Bubbie Girl]

I think we have been in all thr psrkd in the rain st some point. Not fun but, I would say MK is the best. Seems to clear out and most rides keep going and lots of places to get in out of the rain for a bit. The worst was AK, oh my gosh we were SOAKED and the bus ride back was freezing and it was July. When you are soaked through the air conditioning is very cold!! I do have one very cute picture of us though we all had our yellow ponchos on and were walking in a row and I took the picture from the back of the line and we look like a line of ducks. When we were in Epcot I went shopping. Great way to wait out a summer shower in Disney!!!lol

[CaptSmee]

I enjoy any of the parks but Animal Kingdom on a rainy day. not as much under cover as the other parks there. :blush:

[Tinksalot]

Have to agree with CaptSmee! All of the parks have some inside attractions except for Animal Kingdom.

[javamama]

Back in '94 I flew down to Epcot for the day, and did drink around the world with some friends from work in the middle of a tropical storm. It was fine, the rain held off most the day we had light showers, here and there. So I'm going to have to say Epcot, plus the cocktails probably helped. Now flying back up north that night the storms were really bad, huge delays so I was glad we missed that:cool:

[plutosnana]

Do NOT go to Animal Kingdom on a rainy day. Alot of the rides there are outdoors. Unless you don't care to get soaked. There probably would be like no line at all. I would probably pick Magic Kingdom just minus Dumbo, Indy Speedway, and Magic Carpet. If you wait in line for anything (also depending on when your going) your probably inside. Compared to Animal Kingdom, well that's the opposite. Luv, Plutosnana :pluto:

[goofygirl67]

I was there during the rain last May also. When it started I was just about to get of the safarri ride. They wouldn't let us hang out under the cover. By they time I got to Africa I was completely soaked. Since I was staying at AKL I went back, changed, got my Mickey poncho and my sandles and went back to AK for a nice day.
Rain doesn't bother me living here in Florida, I have had to learn to adapt. I have no problem going to any of the parks during the rain, some rides are even better in the rain.

[kathiep]

We got caught in a downpour last year at Epcot. It started around 6:30; the rain lasted through the rrific time and rest of the night but the downpour only last until about 8 . We were able to avoid the worst of it by exploring the Living Seas and a very leisurely pace. The kids had a terrific time and didn't realize we didn't do anything else that night.

We were also caught in a downpour the prior year at DTD. Awful! As a pp said, the drainage is terrible. The water was actually flowing into the World of Disney.

[kemps@wdw]

As long as we have our rain ponchos, they're all good!:thumbsup:

[LudwigVonDrake]

MK is the best with AK the worst :rain: :umbrella:

[spoiled]

I enjoy any of the parks but Animal Kingdom on a rainy day. not as much under cover as the other parks there. :blush:

yhea that is the best choice:D

[Pop Centurion]

Animal kingdom also gets twice as humid when it rains so it's like a sauna under your poncho. :(

Rides are closer together at MK so you don't spend as much time in the rain. So that's my choice.
Epcot isn't bad but if it's really pouring and you need to go from the TT side of FW to Soarin' it's not very fun.

[Beauty908]

I recommend DHS (my class was there while it POURED!!) but most of the attractions are indoor and so are their queue lines. Also, bring ponchos! They are a must have! If you don't want to pack them, stop by a store like Publix and buy them--you will not be sorry!

[mermaidmarian]

I have never made rain or potential for rain be a factor in my decision about how to spend the day at WDW. Rain is often an inevitable part of every day in central Florida at certain times of the year. Don't forget too, that it might be raining in the morning and beaming by lunch time. The ubiquitous ponchos will save you every time!

I think the suggestions about what is a best choice are all fine, albeit subjective, but a word of caution - DON'T rule out activities at WDW because of rain (unless there is lightning involved). If you plan out an itinerary that it heavily tied into the weather forecast, you might find yourselves missing out on a lot of great vacation activities.

[Beauty908]

but a word of caution - DON'T rule out activities at WDW because of rain (unless there is lightning involved). If you plan out an itinerary that it heavily tied into the weather forecast, you might find yourselves missing out on a lot of great vacation activities.

Agreed! For a few of the days during my trip it poured! But wear the poncho...and then play in the rain!! Part of what makes Disney special is they want you to feel carefree--and act like a kid! So enjoy your splish'n and splashin'!

[DizNee143]

i LOVE it when it rains at Disney! (well not really..i rather sun..) but when it rains its scares alot of people away and you get the park to yourself pretty much!
id go with Epcot or the Magic Kingdom..i usually just put a poncho on and go on with my day! rain will not stop me! :mickey:

[bruin1344]

I think MK, Epcot, and DHS have enough indoor attractions. Only drawback about Epcot is the park is so big especially going from east end to west end of future world or anywhere in future world to world showcase

[jans2kids]

To us on a rainy day (not stormy) we are not trying to avoid the rain, we through on our ponchos and embrace the rain. Last summer we were at AK on a rainy afternoon and we enjoyed it as much if not more than on a sunny day. We saw more animals out that we had never seen before on the Safari and walking the Jungle trails. We did Kali and didnt care about getting wet as we had our ponchos on. All the rides were oprating so we had a good time.
Our second choice would be MK as there are alot of rides close to do and again as long as there is no lightning all are operating.
Epcot was not a good choice for us as we enjoy the live shows in the World Showcase and most are cnacelled when it is raining as is Test Track and HS everytime we went into a ride we had to take off the ponchos and fold them up before we could ride, the go back out put them on again.

[Giselle]

Epcot. They have the indoor games (innovations), lots of stores to look at, indoor rides - maelstrom and donald duck ride in san angel, good food, indoor movies, and food.