Don’t Rain On My Parade

How to make the best of a rainy day in Walt Disney World

Everyone knows that rain in Florida is inevitable, but that doesn’t have to put a pause on your vacation. The first day of our first ever Disney trip together was met with the horrendous wet stuff that tends to fall from the sky.

When we landed in Orlando the pilot ever so delightfully announced that the rest of our day would be pretty sloppy.

Of course I had planned our first day to be in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which is primarily outside, so I was understandably a little nervous.

Being from the south we’re pretty used to the common afternoon rain, but I wasn’t sure what kind of mood it set for the rest of the trip. Here are a few things that helped brighten up our cloudy day.

Rain Gear 

Whether you brought a raincoat or picked up a Disney poncho while walking into the park (guilty) having some type of protectant from the rain is a big help. I don’t recommend umbrellas since they take up too much space and you’d have to carry it the rest of the day.

Inside Attractions 

Attractions such as It’s Tough to be A Bug in Animal Kingdom and The Great Movie Ride in Hollywood Studios are great for getting out of the weather. Keep in mind the wait times for the indoor attractions can get long during inclement weather. If you don’t mind getting a little wet, (and there are no lightening restrictions), then this is a great time to ride any outdoor rides that normally boast long wait times. During the rainy day, on our first trip, we were able to walk right on to Expedition Everest.

Pick The Right Park 

While we ended up doing almost all of Animal Kingdom’s big attractions pretty easily in the rain, I would recommend picking a better rainy day park. I would pick Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom’s over Epcot and Animal Kingdom as their attractions are almost completely indoors, which makes it easy to get out of the rain. 

Explore Disney Springs

If the rain just isn’t letting up, you can head over to Disney Springs and get some of your souvenir shopping taken care of or explore the other activities Disney World has to offer. With most of the shops being indoors it’s a perfect opportunity to stay dry and maybe do a little retail therapy!  Or if you want to use this time to relax head over to AMC Movie Theater where you can dine during the movie.

Have Fun

A little rain never hurt anyone, remember you’re on vacation and enjoy every minute of it. Since most of Disney is operational during a rainstorm there’s no need to let a little water ruin your trip. So get out, throw on a poncho, and have fun!