RAIN!!!

[RyGuyLax]

I am going to WDW next week and for all the days it says there are going to be isolated and scattered thunderstorms! I am so sad! Why does it have to rain while I'm there? Has anybody experienced rain at WDW? What is it like? Also have you seen weather like this and then when you got there it was sunny and didnt rain one bit? I need some hope!

[Roland]

It's awesome when it rains down there!!! It's not like it rains ALL day long, sometimes for 45 minutes and it clears the parks out so you can get to those rides that had long lines.

Normally, rain is a vacation killer. At WDW, it's great!

Besides, I love rainstorms and boomers.

[Beast_fanatic]

As Roland said, it rarely rains all day. Generally, the storms are limited in nature, lasting about 30 minutes to an hour. Carry a rain poncho with you, or purchase one there (they magically appear in all the shops at the first sign of rain). And, just go about your business - some of the outdoor rides will close down (particularly if there is lightning), but catch a show and wait the storm out.

After the rain, it's usually a lot less humid, cooler and not as crowded. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[CJDDS]

If you don't like the weather in Florida, just wait an hour. My father in law used to say that when he lived in Vero Beach.

I stopped letting rain ruin my good time many years ago. My wife and daughter are kind of wimps, but my son is a real trooper and we just ignore it. It really isn't bad when the weather is warm. Once you decide that you're going to get wet anyway, you can forget it and drive on!! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[AbbyabbyAbby]

Call me weird, but I've always wanted it to rain at least once while we're there! [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img] I think it would be kind of fun!!

[Katzateer]

If you can wear some comfortable swim shoes or sandals that dry fast, that will make the rest of the day easier for you. The only time the rain has really stopped us was a time our socks and shoes were soaked after a downpour. The kids complained for hours about their wet shoes.

[G]

It rained every day while we were there in June, and like everyone said it only lasted awhile then went away. The only time it was a problem for us was when we were on the water Taxi. They have a rule that if there is a certain number of lightening strikes they have to park at the dock and everyone has to stay on the boat. This happened on our way to Epcot for our dinner with out the kids. We were only docked for a 1/2 hour.

[EmisDisneyMom]

A few years back it rained every day all day when we were there. The parks were EMPTY!!! We had no choice but to go to the parks because we had no clue when the rain would stop. We walked onto EVERY ride and we didn't mind that water rides either. Turn something that could be a bummer into a good thing. Plan on getting rained on and enjoy NO LINES!!! Have a GREAT trip sun or rain!!!

[davidgates2]

Don't let the rain stop you from having fun, all of the parks sell pancho's to keep you dry. The best part is that when it rains the lines get very short which think is really cool. The rain usually doesn't last very long anyway.

[MNNHFLTX]

Don't worry--when the forecast calls for isolated and scattered thunderstorms down here in FL, it does not usually mean that it will rain all day! As everyone else says--the rain comes, then it goes. I agree that a really good strategy is to bring the quick-dry type sandals. Nothing more miserable than wearing wet socks and sneakers all day!

I can empathize with people wanting to have a sunny FL vacation, but to tell the truth, we can use the rain down here now and again. It will keep us from another drought situation, which sets us up for brush fires. So we'll take the rain when we can get it!

[ April 13, 2002, 07:19 PM: Message edited by: MNNHFL ]

[faline]

Particularly if you go to Florida in the summer months, you can almost guarantee that you will have a shower during the day. Maybe we just got lucky, but we would generally plan a late lunch at a sit-down restaurant and, more often than not, that is when the showers would come through. While the showers can be intense (and can include lightening and thunder), they usually are gone pretty quickly.

On the other hand, I remember one trip when we had two solid days of rain (which was actually a good thing as this weather system prevented a hurricane that was lurking nearby from being able to get in). As everyone else says, you don a poncho (or bring an umbrella) and just go with the flow...as it were.

[PanTink]

Don't despair! The lovely little thunderboomers of central Florida don't usually last long, and when they do a lot of people leave the parks, clearing the way for the adventure-lovers to make the most of all the space left in the aftermath of the exodus. Take the sandals as back-up, take or buy some cheapo ponchos (if you can stand being wrapped in plastic in the Florida humidity), and enjoy yourselves! Personally, I've never covered up...it's usually so hot that wet clothes dry out in just a short while (with the exception of shoes...hence the sandals suggestion). To give you an example of the craziness that IS Florida weather: as a teenager, when I still lived at home, I once was driving down I-4 and it was sunny and cloudless on one side of the road and there was a DOWNPOUR on the other side of the road (about 50 yards away from me). Classic Florida

[RobFL]

Hints that it's going to rain...

The sun didn't come out from behind the last cloud.

A cool feel in the air.

A "Greeter" CM poking their head out from under their umbrella and looking toward the horizon.

Any CM holding their palm toward the sky testing for raindrops.

Any CM holding a long-sleeved costume jacket "just in case."

CM's talking about "rain gear" or "rain procedures."

The sudden abundance of ponchos at any gift shop.

-Rob

[Timbo]

I, too, love it when it rains at WDW. It seems like most people clear out of the parks when the rain starts. Meanwhile, I don my rainjacket and hit all the rides over and over again. [img]graemlins/party.gif[/img]

We usually have our jackets tightly rolled up in our Mickey backpack that I end up carrying. [img]graemlins/shakehead.gif[/img] We found these very light jackets that are water resistant, loose fitting, hooded, with a light cotton liner...and they are awesome for WDW while raining. [img]graemlins/clappy.gif[/img]

As mentioned above, we always carry a spare pair of socks in our backpack (rain or shine). Sometimes it just feels good to change socks...especially if it's a very hot, very long day in the parks (we don't usually like to go back to our room).

Be appropriately prepared and you will have a great time...even (especially) if it rains. [img]graemlins/mickey.gif[/img]

[AndrewJackson]

Originally posted by RyGuyLax:
Has anybody experienced rain at WDW?

LOL...I think the question is who hasn't experienced rain at WDW. Yes we have experienced rain at WDW, in fact I have serveral Mickey Mouse yellow ponchos to prove it. [img]graemlins/mickey.gif[/img] Basically, if you are at WDW, and it is going to be warmer than 85, it is going to rain.

No big deal, plan on one just about everyday between 2:00 and 3:00. It will be very muggy afterwards, but if there is no lightening, then throw on the poncho and go for it! [img]graemlins/muscles.gif[/img]

[Sportster]

As everyone says, just dress for it or at least be prepared for it. If the forecast is for steady rain, you make your plans accordingly. One trip it rained steady for two days (a hurricane was coming in from Tampa and moving northeast across Orlando. Fortunately as the storm moved inland the winds died down somewhat, but the rain was steady. We wore ponchos, did some indoor stuff at MGM one day and Universal Studios the next and had a blast! Make the most of it!

[cheshirecollector]

I've seen some bad rain days at WDW - not the ones where it rains all day, but the ones with several very sudden downpours.

However, they make for some great memories, like the time we ran for cover into one of the shops at Epcot, followed by a CM with a big garbage dumpster; and the time I was determined to walk all the way from DisneyQuest to the Marketplace bus stop, in pouring rain, WITHOUT an umbrella or poncho.

The best advice has already been given - prepare for the rain (pack extra shoes and socks, buy ponchos), and don't give up on the parks just because it starts raining.

[disneyismagic]

We spent a day at MK in the rain one day...and it was great! Sometimes you are willing to sacrifice having good weather for having "no" waiting in line! [img]smile.gif[/img] I remember having the perfect rainy day lunch at Columbia Harbour House, hot soup in a bread bowl. Of course that was in January so it helped take off the chill.
Just a few weeks ago on our visit rain was forecast for our day at AK. A shower or two did pass through but we were always under some kind of shelter so we did not get wet.
I hope you get sunny skies but make the best of whatever Mother Nature brings! [img]graemlins/mickey.gif[/img]