Latest / Mom Street USA / 99. Rainy Days at Disney
Transcript
- 0:05Welcome everybody to Mom St. USA.
- 0:07My name is Jackie AKA Wishes Mama and today on Mom St. we are
- 0:11going to be discussing rainy Disney days and what to do if
- 0:16the weather is not cooperating and you have a Disney trip
- 0:19coming up. So I'm going to do my best today
- 0:22to give you some advice and some tips, some experiences that I've
- 0:27had and hopefully get you prepared for if you do end up at
- 0:31Disney World or Disneyland during the rainy season, what
- 0:34that looks like and what you can expect.
- 0:37So the goal today is to talk about what to pack in your
- 0:41suitcase, what to put in your park bag, where in the parks you
- 0:48can go if it is raining and you need a place to hide from the
- 0:52rain. And then also talking about what
- 0:56to do and what to remember after your rainy Disney day is over.
- 1:01Just some tips and tricks and things like that.
- 1:03So that is on the list for today.
- 1:06So we're going to go ahead and just hop in and chat about rain
- 1:11at Disney. So sometimes of year at Disney,
- 1:16Disney and rain go hand in hand, right?
- 1:18Especially if you're visiting Florida, Disneyland doesn't have
- 1:22quite as drastic of an issue with rain as Disney World does,
- 1:26right? But this episode aims to help
- 1:29you better prepare for rain while on your vacation to the
- 1:32Disney parks. My goal is again to highlight
- 1:36different things to help you before, during and after.
- 1:38So let's take a look, starting with what to pack in your
- 1:42suitcase. So we've done some episodes here
- 1:45on Mom St. about different ideas of what to pack and what you
- 1:49need to make sure you get ahead of time things to prepare for
- 1:52weather. So just reminders for a lot of
- 1:55this because we have talked a lot about a lot of this before.
- 1:59But before you even leave for your trip, you've got to check
- 2:03the weather, which is kind of a given, right?
- 2:05But I would also be sure you're checking it kind of daily in the
- 2:09345 days leading up. Depending on when you start your
- 2:12packing, you're going to want to start to check that daily
- 2:15because things can change drastically, especially when it
- 2:19comes to Florida weather. If you're visiting during any
- 2:22sort of storm season, hurricane season, tropical storms, or if
- 2:26you're visiting Disneyland during some of those kind of
- 2:29record-breaking wet seasons that they've had in years past.
- 2:33So if you're going to Disneyland, the rainy season
- 2:36tends to be in the winter months.
- 2:39So December, January, February is kind of when you're looking
- 2:43at their rainy season. So completely opposite of when
- 2:46we see it in Florida, right? Just a fun fact per Google, on
- 2:51average in Anaheim, which again, Disneyland, we're talking, it
- 2:56rains about 30-4 days each year. So very, very minimal in
- 3:02comparison to that, but you've got to still be prepared because
- 3:07that's the average. It could be more, it could be
- 3:09less, you never know. Now, the rainy season in Disney
- 3:12World typically runs from April to about September.
- 3:18Now, that doesn't mean that's the only time that it's going to
- 3:21be rainy, right? But that is when you will see
- 3:24those warmer months that tend to have more rain storms come
- 3:28through in Florida. On average, it rains about 148
- 3:31days each year in Orlando. So that is a good portion of
- 3:36their year, nearly half, right, that you're going to have rainy
- 3:39days in Orlando when you're visiting.
- 3:41So again, those warmer months have those pop up afternoon rain
- 3:44showers and they can happen anywhere from about 1:00 PM
- 3:48until about 5:00 PM, depending on all sorts of factors, but a
- 3:52lot of the time depending on heat and humidity.
- 3:55So you'll be able to look at that.
- 3:57So sometimes when you're looking at that app that you're using to
- 4:01check weather, it can be a little tricky, especially for
- 4:03Walt Disney World, for example, my last trip that I took with my
- 4:07family, we went over Memorial Day, which is in that rainy
- 4:10season. We knew it was likely to rain in
- 4:12the afternoons, and we were looking at the percentages of
- 4:15rain on the, you know, extended forecast.
- 4:18And it was like 35 to 40, maybe percent.
- 4:22So in my head I kind of said, oh, OK, those are going to be
- 4:26those afternoon pop up rain showers.
- 4:28That's no problem. We'll just plan accordingly and
- 4:30make sure that we, you know, take shelter ahead of time or
- 4:35take a trip back to the resort to relax in the room for a
- 4:38little bit while it's raining. You know, we'll have a plan set
- 4:41in motion. Well, our trip over Memorial Day
- 4:46ended up being the rainiest trip that I have ever taken to Disney
- 4:51in the decade plus that I have been visiting the parks.
- 4:54So we had rain in the mornings first thing we had rains, you
- 4:59know rain at at around six, 7:00 PM at dinner time.
- 5:02So you never truly know, Florida rain especially can be fairly
- 5:06unpredictable. So you really want to keep
- 5:08checking the closer you get to your trip in case you need to
- 5:11pivot and pick some different clothing options or, you know,
- 5:17pivot a little bit from what it might be that you're planning.
- 5:20So let's talk about what to pack to help prepare you for if you
- 5:24do see rain in the forecast. And these kind of go for both
- 5:27coasts, right? This is kind of a universal
- 5:30topic, not universal at the park, you know, but for both,
- 5:34both sides of the country when it comes to that.
- 5:37So a couple things to make sure that you've got packed in your
- 5:39suitcase if you're anticipating any sort of rain.
- 5:43Poncho, umbrella, rain jacket, those are all kind of Givens
- 5:46when it comes to rain, But making sure that every person in
- 5:51your party has some sort of plan when it comes to rain.
- 5:55I highly suggest for little kids doing like a really nice rain
- 5:59jacket. Chances are good they probably
- 6:01already have one, especially if you're someone that lives in a
- 6:04more rainy climate where you are.
- 6:07But I really suggest having a nice rain jacket for them.
- 6:10Ponchos can be a little bit too much for some little kiddos,
- 6:13especially if they're toddlers, right?
- 6:15Not only are they uncomfy and you kind of have to just tough
- 6:19it out, but they don't make really great like toddler kid
- 6:23sized ones. So they're going to be big.
- 6:26If they're new walkers and they want to walk in and splash in
- 6:30the puddles, a poncho is going to be really tricky to navigate.
- 6:33Even my 6 and 8 year olds when we did them last trip had a hard
- 6:36time. Like where does my head go?
- 6:38Where do my arms go, right? It's a very foreign experience,
- 6:41so I don't highly suggest ponchos for kids.
- 6:45I do. I would rather see something
- 6:47like a rain jacket. But for the adults in your
- 6:50group, ponchos may be fine. Be sure to have a plan for
- 6:54storing whatever your rain gear is after they get wet.
- 6:59So if that's a a bag for your umbrella to go in after you're
- 7:06done with it. If that's a bag for your poncho
- 7:10to be able to go in, then that is an option as well.
- 7:15It just you need to have some sort of plan for after they're
- 7:20wet when it's no longer raining, right?
- 7:23You want to make sure that you can put those away and have them
- 7:26not get everything else in your park bag wet.
- 7:28So whether that's the bottom of your stroller, that's what we
- 7:31tend to do because we still have a stroller when we go to the
- 7:33parks. We just designate that bottom
- 7:36storage area to throw our wet stuff in the meantime while
- 7:40we're still running around the parks.
- 7:43Or if that's an extra bag, they make, you know, mesh wet bags
- 7:46that you can get for like bathing suits and stuff.
- 7:48Those would be a great option. But have some sort of a plan.
- 7:52Just a note for the whole poncho versus rain jacket thing.
- 7:58I was chatting with our good friend Kate, the Disney
- 8:00Cicerone, former Co host of Mom St. about this topic this week
- 8:05and she mentioned to me that there's just a funny kind of
- 8:09culture thing that Disneyland tends to see less ponchos and
- 8:14more rain jackets. So she noted that she thought it
- 8:17was funny because when she is in Disneyland and she sees a
- 8:21poncho, she typically she knows that that's likely a Walt Disney
- 8:25World transplant family that is visiting the the West Coast
- 8:28part. So again, just kind of
- 8:31differences with that. You're going to see more
- 8:33umbrellas and rain jackets in Disneyland, whereas Disney World
- 8:37tends to be more ponchos, but they also do get some umbrellas
- 8:40there as well. Something else to consider
- 8:43packing when it comes to prepping for the rain and for
- 8:49the weather at Disney is shoes that can withstand the rain.
- 8:54You want to make sure that whatever shoes you have packed
- 8:58are going to be good in the rain or going to dry quickly, are
- 9:01going to hold up right and not get really sloshy, not take on a
- 9:05ton of water. So you really need to consider
- 9:07that and think about when you're getting dressed each morning,
- 9:11whether or not that shoe is a good choice for the weather
- 9:15forecast for the day. If you don't have shoes that are
- 9:20really good options for rain, then investing in something like
- 9:24a shoe cover is also a really great idea.
- 9:27So the way that these shoe covers typically work is they
- 9:30look like little ponchos for your shoes.
- 9:32The bottom has like a sole on it and then it either zips or like
- 9:37cinches up and it covers your your whole shoe.
- 9:40So you can wear those in place of having like a water resistant
- 9:45or waterproof shoe. If you're like, I don't want to
- 9:47go buy new shoes for my Disney trip.
- 9:48I really like my tennis shoes. I already have.
- 9:51Maybe a shoe cover is a better option for you.
- 9:53But do keep in mind you want to have something that completely
- 9:56comes up your ankle and gives you you a little bit more height
- 10:01on it because especially in Disney World, there are several
- 10:06pathways that are prone to flooding because the rain comes
- 10:11down so hard and so fast during that time.
- 10:16Then you you may be stuck having to kind of wade through some
- 10:22rivers of rainwater in the parks.
- 10:24So just keep that in mind. You want to make sure that
- 10:27you've got enough coverage kind of up your ankle to be sure that
- 10:30you are feet are not going to get soaked when you're walking
- 10:33through the parks. Something else to consider is
- 10:36making sure that you pack multiple pairs of shoes.
- 10:39So that way if your shoes do get soaked in an unexpected rain
- 10:44shower, they have time to dry. So that way and you still have
- 10:48another pair of shoes to wear, right?
- 10:50Two pairs of tennis shoes or two pairs of park shoes minimum for
- 10:53every Disney trip that you take because your shoes need to have
- 10:57time to dry in between if they're ones that are going to
- 11:00get wet. So making sure that you have
- 11:02those and those are available for you to swap out if you're
- 11:06coming back in the middle of the day to get, you know, dry clean
- 11:11socks and shoes on, making sure that you have another pair that
- 11:14you can swap out. Something else to consider when
- 11:18it comes to covering. When it comes to the rain
- 11:24stroller covers, you've got to have some sort of a rain cover.
- 11:28Be sure in Disney World that you have that stroller cover because
- 11:34you want to make sure that your stroller does not end up soaking
- 11:37wet and your kiddos don't end up really sad because they have to
- 11:40sit in a wet seat on their stroller.
- 11:44So be sure to use it. Have one with you.
- 11:47I would pack it, even if the chance of rain is really, really
- 11:51small, pack it with you. Make sure you have it.
- 11:54And if it's questionable, if you're getting ready to go into
- 11:58a show or a dining reservation and you're looking at the
- 12:03weather or looking at the sky and you're going, I'm not really
- 12:05sure, just put it on. Just put it on.
- 12:09I cannot tell you at least three or four times a couple trips
- 12:13ago, we got caught without our stroller cover on and it poured
- 12:17on our stroller and we were soaking wet and we had to figure
- 12:21out something to get it at least a little bit dry before my kids
- 12:24were wanting to sit on it. So just use it, be sure that you
- 12:28have one with you. Be sure that you are taking a
- 12:32look at the weather before you're going into some of those
- 12:34extended indoor activities to make sure that you don't get
- 12:38stuck with a wet stroller. The last thing when you're
- 12:41looking at what to pack for the rain is just contemplate your
- 12:47wardrobe choices, OK? You don't want to be caught
- 12:53wearing clothes that become very translucent when they're wet or
- 12:59are going to be very heavy if they get wet.
- 13:02You want to make sure that you are really thinking about that
- 13:06for you, but also for your kids to make sure that whatever
- 13:11they're wearing will be comfortable in the rain.
- 13:13If it's going to rain, I would not put your your little girl in
- 13:17one of those big Princess puffy dresses, even though they may
- 13:20love it and that may be their favorite thing in the world.
- 13:22If it's going to rain, that dress is going to gain about 15
- 13:27extra pounds, right? So you just want to make sure
- 13:30that you're thinking about that and thinking about picking out
- 13:33quick drying material that is going to be beneficial for rain
- 13:38showers. So if you do get wet, they will
- 13:40have more of a quick drying ability and you won't be stuck
- 13:44wearing drippy, soppy clothes for the rest of your park day.
- 13:49So that is kind of in a nutshell, what to what to think
- 13:54about before your trip and what to pack.
- 13:57But let's talk about on your actual park day, what are good
- 14:01things that you can put in your park bag?
- 14:03So a couple things to consider. And we've gone through and I've
- 14:07done a whole episode on what I like to pack in my park bag.
- 14:10So scroll back in our archives a little bit to find my what's in
- 14:13your Disney Park bag episode. But things that are weather
- 14:17specific to pack, again, we talked about poncho, rain
- 14:22jacket, umbrella, whatever of those you're doing or if you've
- 14:25got a combination of them, be sure they're in your park bag,
- 14:28right? It doesn't do you any good if
- 14:30you're bringing them to the parks and then not taking them
- 14:32into the parks with you. Do keep in mind that if you've
- 14:34got an umbrella, that is something that will likely set
- 14:38off Disney security. So your best bet is to hold it
- 14:41with two hands straight out in front of you when you go through
- 14:44the metal detectors. So be sure that you are thinking
- 14:48about that whenever you're getting ready to go through
- 14:50security. But being sure that those are
- 14:51all in your bag and making sure that every member of your
- 14:54parties is accounted for. So whether it's they're all
- 14:57together in one bag, you know, like we've got four people in
- 15:00our family. So all four of our ponchos lived
- 15:02in my husband's backpack for the whole week that we were there
- 15:05last trip. Something else to consider is
- 15:09extra pairs of socks in your park bags, because you may be in
- 15:14a situation where your shoes have dried or mostly dried, but
- 15:20your socks are still sopping wet, right?
- 15:24So walking around the Disney parks, having wet socks and wet
- 15:29shoes, wet feet, not a great way to spend your Disney day if it
- 15:33can be avoided, right? So being sure that you have an
- 15:36extra pair of socks and again, having somewhere where wet socks
- 15:40can live in your bag that won't get everything else wet.
- 15:43I always suggest just grabbing a couple ziplocks to have them in
- 15:47your bag or having some sort of designated wet clothes bag in
- 15:52your park bags that you're taking in or in the bottom of
- 15:54the stroller, having a place for those to go.
- 15:57Speaking of ziplocks, another good thing to have in your park
- 16:03bag if it's going to rain are ziplocs.
- 16:07Primarily for those wet clothes aftermath, but also for if it's
- 16:12going to pour. Throw your electronic devices in
- 16:15a zip lock and just be safe. The worst is when your phone
- 16:19gets wet and it won't charge or the speaker sounds funny and you
- 16:23can't listen to things if you want to be watching or listening
- 16:26to things while you're waiting in queues for for different
- 16:29attractions. So grabbing a Ziploc bag,
- 16:32grabbing a couple, I typically just throw like one small one
- 16:35and one big one in our bag and we just have them in there for
- 16:39whatever we need. So definitely being sure that
- 16:41you have those available for you and also remembering to bring
- 16:47your stroller cover. We just keep ours in the bottom
- 16:50of our stroller. Anything else we have that needs
- 16:52to go into that bottom storage area just gets piled on top.
- 16:56But that way it's accessible. If we just like reach in the
- 16:59side of our, of our, our storage area under our stroller when we
- 17:05need it, we just reach in, grab it out and throw it on that way.
- 17:08We're good to go with that. So those are kind of my, you
- 17:12need to have this in your park bag when it comes to weather and
- 17:17rain at the Disney parks. The next thing we're going to
- 17:20talk about is where to go and what to do if you're in the
- 17:25parks and it's going to be raining.
- 17:28So if you are visiting and you're already in the parks and
- 17:31it starts to rain and you were not expecting it or you were
- 17:34expecting it but you still need somewhere to go, let's talk
- 17:37about what to do in that situation.
- 17:39So here's the thing about visiting the Disney parks in the
- 17:42rain. There will be a large split on
- 17:45rides that close and rides that stay open.
- 17:49So you need to kind of plan accordingly to what area you're
- 17:53going to try to visit and go to if it does look like it's going
- 17:56to start to rain or starts to rain.
- 17:58So anything with an out outdoor track will likely close.
- 18:03Now keep in mind I'm talking rain only, OK?
- 18:07Things like Thunder, wind, lightning, that is a kind of a
- 18:11different story. So I'm talking like straight up
- 18:14just rain, not massive storms or lightning, anything like that.
- 18:18But most stuff with outdoor tracks will close in the rain
- 18:22unless it's just like a little sprinkle.
- 18:23But if it's raining, good, they're going to close.
- 18:27Any character meet and greet or or attraction experience that
- 18:33has uncovered or exposed areas is going to close in the rain.
- 18:37So any character meet and greet that does not have an overhang
- 18:40that it hangs out underneath or like a building that it's in,
- 18:44those are going to close. So like some of the pop up
- 18:47characters, you get it like Epcot, I'm thinking of, those
- 18:49are going to close. Any of the roaming characters
- 18:52you see a lot in like Fantasyland at Disneyland, those
- 18:55characters are all going to go back to their backstage areas
- 18:58when it's raining just because of the weather.
- 19:01So keep that in mind, especially if you're planning out rides for
- 19:05an afternoon where you know it's going to rain.
- 19:07Maybe avoid those outdoor ones and hit those either in the
- 19:10morning or the evening or another time when it's not going
- 19:14to be raining outside. Something else to consider is
- 19:17attempting to plan dining or rest breaks at your resort
- 19:21during known rainy time. So I mentioned that a little bit
- 19:25earlier that if I know it's going to rain at 2:00 PM, then
- 19:29I'm just going to plan to be back in my room, right?
- 19:31That's a great time to take a break anyway because it's likely
- 19:35hot, especially if you're visiting Disney World.
- 19:38Disneyland is a little bit different, but chances are good
- 19:40you can just walk back to your resort if you're staying near
- 19:43property at Disneyland. But using an afternoon break or
- 19:47using a rainy time break to go back to the room, recharge,
- 19:51reset a little bit and not have to worry about getting soaking
- 19:54wet is a really great idea as well and can definitely be a
- 19:57huge help. Again, mostly at Disney World.
- 20:01So let's talk about in parks, specific places that I suggest
- 20:05you could take a look at to consider where to go when when
- 20:09you're considering where to go to get out of the rain.
- 20:12So at Disneyland, we're going to start West Coast and move our
- 20:15way E here. So Disneyland, a couple places
- 20:18that you can go that would help you get out of the rain would be
- 20:24the fantasy fair and Royal Hall area, any of those shows.
- 20:28So Tiki Room, great moments with Mr. Lincoln, the Main Street
- 20:33cinema, the Disney Gallery with the new Walt animatronic show.
- 20:38Those are all really great options that you could pop into
- 20:40one of those shows to help get out of the rain for a little
- 20:43bit. Doing the castle walkthrough is
- 20:46a good option. Do keep in mind that if you're
- 20:49doing something like the Castle Rock through walkthrough, you
- 20:52can't just like stand in the middle of the walkway, right?
- 20:54You have to actually physically do the walkthrough so that it
- 20:56doesn't become a hazard to other guests.
- 20:58So it's not a place where you can just go and hide, but if you
- 21:01want to go actually do the walkthrough, it's a great option
- 21:03as well. And then any indoor rides, So
- 21:06you're going to hear me say this at all of these parks because
- 21:10all of these parks have rides that are indoors and or have
- 21:14ride queues that are also covered or indoors.
- 21:18So at Disneyland, things like the Jungle Cruise, Space
- 21:22Mountain, the Indiana Jones ride, they have indoor spaces
- 21:26that you can stand in a line and not get drenched while you're
- 21:29doing that. Not every ride has a covered or
- 21:33indoor queue, so you're going to need to scope out the area that
- 21:36you're in to be sure that you don't accidentally try to go to
- 21:40a ride that has an outdoor exposed queue that you're going
- 21:43to get drenched while you're waiting for that ride.
- 21:46Now over in Disney's California Adventure, a couple places that
- 21:50you can go. The Animation Academy would be a
- 21:53great option over there. If you've got little littles,
- 21:56doing the Disney Junior Dance Party is a good option to get
- 22:00indoors. Fill Her Magic the Show is a
- 22:03great option. Again, shows are good and again,
- 22:05indoor ride queues. A lot of the rides over there do
- 22:08have some indoor and covered spaces for their attractions as
- 22:12well. Now all of that being said,
- 22:16please keep in mind that if you are at any of these places,
- 22:22again, you cannot block exits, you cannot block entrances.
- 22:25You have to follow the norms of the the flow of the the queue or
- 22:30the crowds, things like that. So just keep that in mind.
- 22:34Cast members during the rain are unfortunately constantly telling
- 22:38people that they can't stand in doorways because it does become
- 22:40a hazard. So make a safe choice and go
- 22:42somewhere safe whenever it is raining for sure.
- 22:45And that again applies to all of these parks.
- 22:48Now going over to Disney World, let's talk about what that looks
- 22:53like for a couple places that you can go, starting with Magic
- 22:57Kingdom. Magic Kingdom has quite a few
- 22:59shows that you could consider hiding out in if it's going to
- 23:03be raining. Carousel progress, country bears
- 23:06fill her Magic Monsters Inc, laugh floor, Hall of presidents.
- 23:09All of those are options that you could consider.
- 23:12Hall of Presidents also has like a lobby area that's got some
- 23:17like museum memorabilia and stuff like that that you could
- 23:19wander in and take a look around without actually doing the show
- 23:22and still be out of the way. Again, making sure you're not
- 23:26blocking any exits, entrances, those types of things.
- 23:29Princess Fairy Tale Hall, meeting the Princesses is a good
- 23:32option because that queue is inside, or if it's not inside
- 23:36and it has spilled to the outside queue, it's still
- 23:39covered. So that is a great option as
- 23:41well. And again, any other attraction
- 23:44that has a covered queue, things like Small World, Peter Pan,
- 23:50Pooh Bears queue is mostly covered to an extent.
- 23:53You know, things like that. The teacups are fairly well
- 23:55covered. Dumbo is covered.
- 23:57So a lot of Magic Kingdom attractions do have a covered
- 24:01queue, but you've got to be careful for things like the
- 24:05Tomorrowland Speedway, that queue is covered for a little
- 24:08bit of it, but then once you get closer up to the front, it's no
- 24:12longer covered. Now, that attraction typically
- 24:14won't run in the rain because of the exposed track that's
- 24:18outdoors, but things like that you've just got to kind of take
- 24:20a mental note of and be weary of as you're walking through the
- 24:24parks. But any other attraction that
- 24:26has a covered queue area is always a great option.
- 24:29Another note about Magic Kingdom in the rain, it can be really
- 24:34frustrating when the rain ruins plants right if if it's ruining.
- 24:37Like if you want to go see Festival of Fantasy, the parade
- 24:41that is at Magic Kingdom during the day.
- 24:44It doesn't run in the rain, however.
- 24:47The nice thing about Festival fantasy that kind of is
- 24:50different than like a fireworks show or any of those other
- 24:54experiences is they will often do.
- 24:57If it gets cancelled, they'll do what they call a rainy day
- 25:00cavalcade, and it is super cute. The cast members wear these
- 25:04adorable bright yellow raincoats with red hats and red boots.
- 25:10And the characters a lot, a ton of the characters that would
- 25:13typically be in the parade will still appear in the rainy day
- 25:17Cavalcade, and they will ride in the covered buses and Main
- 25:21Street vehicles. So that way they can still come
- 25:23through that pathway and wave to everybody and still have a
- 25:28little bit of a parade go on. So I think the rainy day
- 25:31Cavalcade is super cute. Granted it's not the big floats
- 25:34of festival fantasy, but it's still a fun way and a unique way
- 25:38to see characters that not allow lot of people get to see.
- 25:41So don't be too bummed if that's what happens because Disney will
- 25:46do its best to make it up if they just have to delay.
- 25:50They might just delay for weather.
- 25:52It just really depends on the situation and the circumstances.
- 25:55For that let's talk about Epcot. If you are in Epcot it is the
- 26:00best park in my opinion to be in when it is raining outside
- 26:05because really the only attraction in Epcot that that
- 26:09routinely closes due to weather is Test Track because it does
- 26:13have that outdoor part of the track at the end.
- 26:17So that makes Epcot again an amazing park to visit in the
- 26:20rain again. Just beware of outside and
- 26:23uncovered queues. The queue for Frozen Ever After
- 26:27is uncovered and exposed once it gets outside the building.
- 26:31The queue for Guardians of the Galaxy, Cosmic Rewind.
- 26:35They have some umbrellas. Those umbrellas are made for
- 26:37shade. They're not made to keep the
- 26:39rain off. So just be aware of those types
- 26:42of things. The queue for Remy's Ratatouille
- 26:46Adventure is mostly covered. So you just again, have to kind
- 26:49of look and see about a lot of these queue lines to see whether
- 26:52or not they're covered to determine if it's a good option
- 26:55for you to be able to visit during the during the weather.
- 26:59The shops of World Showcase are a fabulous place to wander when
- 27:05it's raining outside. And you will find a lot of
- 27:06people that also tend to do that too.
- 27:09The good news is there's a ton of them and you can kind of
- 27:11meander and wander and look around until you find places
- 27:15that are not super packed. But you do need to be prepared
- 27:18to jump from country to country out in the elements.
- 27:20So so still having an umbrella or a poncho readily available is
- 27:25a good idea regardless of if you are spending the majority of
- 27:28your time inside of those shops. So again, Epcot is a great,
- 27:32great park to to visit if it is going to be raining just for for
- 27:37that alone. Let's talk about Hollywood
- 27:40Studios. Hollywood Studios has a bunch of
- 27:42shows which can be helpful. You've heard me talk about shows
- 27:46at some of the other parks. So Hollywood Studios has shows,
- 27:49but do keep in mind that sometimes the shows will close
- 27:52due to weather. The Indiana Jones show will
- 27:55close due to weather. And sometimes the Beauty and the
- 27:57Beast show will close due to weather, depending on how hard
- 28:00the wind is blowing and if they're at risk of the stage
- 28:02getting wet. You know, we got to keep
- 28:04everybody safe that is performing in these shows.
- 28:07But the inside shows Little Mermaid, the new the new Little
- 28:11Mermaid, the new villains show frozen, the frozen sing along.
- 28:15Those shows have really great indoor spaces that you're able
- 28:19to to wait. And again, pay attention to the
- 28:22queues. The villains queue is outside,
- 28:24the frozen ever after queue is outside.
- 28:26Both of those are uncovered and you could definitely get wet.
- 28:30The majority of The Little Mermaid queue is covered, but if
- 28:33it gets long enough, it does go to an outside exposed area.
- 28:37So just keeping in mind that when you're looking at the
- 28:40shows, most of the rides at Hollywood Studios will still run
- 28:45in the rain. Slinky Dog will close because it
- 28:49is an outdoor roller coaster, so that one will close in the rain.
- 28:52And sometimes you will also see aliens swirling saucers close in
- 28:55the rain, just because of the nature of that attraction.
- 29:01If it gets windy at all and that rain starts blowing underneath
- 29:04the awning where that attraction is, it just becomes a safety
- 29:07issue. So those two are really the only
- 29:10ones that you will find. Toy Story Mania is a great one
- 29:14because again, their whole outdoor queue has an awning that
- 29:17covers it, and then a lot of their queue is indoor.
- 29:20So that's a really great one. The queue for Rise of the
- 29:24Resistance a little a little skeptical on that one.
- 29:28Same for like Tower of Terror. Those are outdoor queues that
- 29:31you you will likely get wet if it starts to rain when you're
- 29:34waiting in those queues. So you have to kind of ballpark
- 29:37it, take a look and see what you think.
- 29:40But generally speaking, Hollywood Studios has some some
- 29:43options there as well. And last but certainly not least
- 29:48Animal Kingdom, most of the rides again at Animal Kingdom
- 29:52will stay open. Cali River Rapids does tend to
- 29:55close for weather because it is an outdoor ride and it is a
- 29:58water ride. So got to keep everyone safe
- 30:00when it comes to storms and rain.
- 30:03The safari can actually be really fun in the rain.
- 30:06So my family on our one morning we had an Animal Kingdom on our
- 30:10last trip around Memorial Day, we were there on a rainy
- 30:14morning. We were like, well, let's go on
- 30:15the safari and see what we can see.
- 30:18We saw so many animals. I think the rain helped cool it
- 30:20down. So the animals were a lot more
- 30:22active than we had anticipated. So it can be a really unique
- 30:26experience to see and experience that safari during the rain.
- 30:30Again, not during lightning and Thunder and storms, but during
- 30:34rain. It can be a really fun
- 30:35experience and same thing here that I talked about at the other
- 30:39parks, being aware of those outdoor queues.
- 30:43Unfortunately, things like Flight of Passage and Navi River
- 30:46Journey both have outdoor queues that are not really covered
- 30:50until you get in the building. So just things to to keep in
- 30:53mind when it comes to that. The Lion King show can be a
- 30:57little deceiving. It does have some, some I don't
- 31:02know. It's more like lattice covering
- 31:05on the top of the queue area. It doesn't stop the rain, so you
- 31:10will still get dripped on and wet if you're waiting in that
- 31:13queue when it's raining outside, it's more of a sun covering than
- 31:19it is a rain covering over there.
- 31:21So again, just taking a look, scoping it out, seeing whether
- 31:25or not you think it's an option that will work for you and for
- 31:29what your needs are. Again, if it starts raining,
- 31:32throw those stroller covers on. Be ready to go and if you can
- 31:36get dining or you are hungry at the right time and can go into a
- 31:41dining quick service location to grab some food when it's
- 31:46raining, that's always a good idea as well.
- 31:48So if it starts raining and you're like, well, I could go
- 31:52for a snack, pull up your your phone and do your mobile order.
- 31:55So that way you've got a place to go that is inside.
- 32:00But again, be kind to the cast members and make sure that
- 32:04you're not just taking up a bunch of tables just because
- 32:06it's raining when people are trying to eat.
- 32:08So just be aware and be courteous of those around you
- 32:11when it comes to that because you're all experiencing that
- 32:14rain together. So working together to keep
- 32:17everybody safe and dry is your best bet for that.
- 32:22So that is kind of a fast and furious list of of where to go
- 32:26in the parks if it does happen to be raining.
- 32:30But now let's talk about at the end of your rainy day, what you
- 32:35need to remember to do to set yourself up for success for the
- 32:38next morning. So you have spent a day in the
- 32:43parks. It rained, you got wet, your
- 32:45clothes are wet, things are wet. What do you do next?
- 32:49Well, the first thing is kind of obvious.
- 32:51You need to be sure to completely set everything out to
- 32:54dry. Lay it out.
- 32:56Use all of the space you have available.
- 32:58Use chairs. Use hangers in your little
- 33:02closet area in your resort room. Use what you've got to be able
- 33:07to help with that. Also, if you are in a Walt
- 33:10Disney Resort room, chances are good that a lot of the bathrooms
- 33:14in those rooms have these retractable clothes lines that
- 33:18you can use. So a lot of people will use them
- 33:20for like swimsuits and things like that.
- 33:21But these are really great for drying wet clothes and drying
- 33:25wet ponchos. So take a look when you get into
- 33:28your room to see whether or not you have them.
- 33:30I know that I think all of the value resorts have those and I
- 33:35also think a lot of the moderate ones do too.
- 33:37I'm not 100% sure on the deluxe resorts if they have them, but
- 33:41be sure to take a look at that. Also, you can use your hangers
- 33:45in your little closet space to help you dry things as well, but
- 33:51you want to make sure that everything is is laid out as
- 33:55much as you possibly can so that you don't get any yucky gross
- 33:59smells or anything like that when it comes to your wet items.
- 34:05If your room gets morning or afternoon sun, something that
- 34:10you can do if you have wet tennis shoes that we actually
- 34:14saw this in at our Disney resort on our last trip and had never
- 34:19thought of it before. And it's so smart if your room
- 34:21gets the sun, prop your shoes up in the window sill.
- 34:26So we did this with my husbands tennis shoes because I I do
- 34:30Crocs and and sandals and things like that.
- 34:32But he does like Brooks tennis shoes.
- 34:34So we we typically keep our shades close to help keep the
- 34:38room cool. So my husband just kind of
- 34:40propped, you know, toe down and, you know, loosen the laces as
- 34:44much as he could his shoes in the window because our window
- 34:47got afternoon sun. They dried way faster that way.
- 34:53So it sounds very basic and like it would be a no brainer, but we
- 34:57had never thought of that before at Disney.
- 35:00I'm so using the window sills to dry.
- 35:03You can also use the hair dryer to dry things, but that's going
- 35:06to take a really long time. So every Disney resort has
- 35:10laundry facilities available. So if you are someone that has a
- 35:14stash of wet clothes, I do not recommend shoes obviously in
- 35:19their dryers and don't put your ponchos in their dryers.
- 35:22But if you've got wet clothes from being in the parks, doing a
- 35:27quick load, even if you just put them in the dryer, if you're not
- 35:29looking to or you don't need to actually wash the clothes, but
- 35:33throwing them in for a quick cycle in the dryer is a really
- 35:37great option just to make sure that things are completely dry.
- 35:40So you avoid putting any wet clothes in a hamper, in a
- 35:44drawer, back in a suitcase. That is just asking for
- 35:47disaster. So just being sure that you
- 35:50utilize what's available to you to be able to do that.
- 35:54If you are looking for dryers, they're typically by the pools.
- 35:57So most of the time your laundry facilities are going to be near
- 36:00pools at your resort. So take a look at your resort
- 36:03map or call down to the front desk desk and ask them where
- 36:07your closest laundry facility is for that.
- 36:12Placing things near your air vent can be a really good idea.
- 36:16Those air vents kick out a lot of air.
- 36:18It's not warm, but it will at least help to be able to get
- 36:23some air flow in circulation to help dry out.
- 36:26Like we typically will put if our ponchos are not drippy, we
- 36:29will like drape them over the chairs and put them right under
- 36:32where the air vent comes out just to help make sure that they
- 36:35completely dry overnight. Because you don't want to be
- 36:37stuck having a wet poncho still in the morning when you need to
- 36:41repack it to go back into the park for the day.
- 36:43You want to make sure that it's completely dried so you don't
- 36:46have any issues with that. So using the air vent overnight
- 36:49can be a really big help with that.
- 36:52And just being sure to completely empty every pocket of
- 36:58your park bag to ensure that everything dries because
- 37:02otherwise you're going to have gross pockets inside your bags.
- 37:06It's not going to be a good situation, right?
- 37:09So making sure that you completely empty every pocket of
- 37:13your park bag and that you completely empty out your the
- 37:16bottom of your stroller. And I would also suggest when it
- 37:20comes to your stroller, taking one of the towels from in your
- 37:24room, kind of sopping up any extra water from the seats in
- 37:30your stroller because the strollers don't dry very
- 37:33quickly. They're not really made of
- 37:35weatherproof material, unfortunately, at least in my
- 37:38experience. So using one of the extra towels
- 37:42to kind of help SOP up any extra water to give that a chance to
- 37:46completely dry overnight and being sure that you don't leave
- 37:48your stroller folded up if you've got space in your room.
- 37:52I know there's not always a ton of space in resort rooms, but if
- 37:55you've got a space where you can keep that stroller up and open
- 37:59out as much as possible. Because if you have it folded
- 38:03up, you run the risk of moisture getting caught in where things
- 38:07are folded. And when you go to open it the
- 38:09next day in the morning when your kids are in their new clean
- 38:11clothes for the day, they're going to end up with a wet
- 38:14behind because they're sitting on part of a stroller that
- 38:17didn't get to dry all the way. So be sure that you are really
- 38:21utilizing every inch of your room, opening up your park bag,
- 38:26opening up your stroller, laying things out, using the hair
- 38:29dryer, using the sun for the next day.
- 38:33Again, it's so important that you have more than one pair of
- 38:35shoes to make sure that if you do need to leave your shoes in
- 38:39the window sill for a day, that you have another pair of shoes
- 38:42that you can wear. And again, utilizing all of the
- 38:45closet space and hangers to dry clothes if needed as well.
- 38:50So that is kind of a short and sweet rundown of different
- 38:55things that you can do in the Disney parks if you are stuck
- 38:59there on a rainy Disney day. Hopefully this has been helpful
- 39:03to you and that you got some good ideas and tips and tricks
- 39:06and things maybe you didn't think about for handling the
- 39:11rain at the Disney parks. As always, if you've got
- 39:15comments, questions, you need further guidance, you want help
- 39:18planning or looking into what you want to do at your Disney
- 39:22trip, or you've got suggestions for topics that we can cover
- 39:26here at Mob St., you could always reach out to us at Mom
- 39:29St. usa@gmail.com and you can find us on several social media
- 39:34platforms. We are at Mom St.
- 39:35USA on all of those. Before we end our time together
- 39:41today, I do want to chat about what is coming up next because
- 39:45our next podcast episode is, Believe it or Not, our 100th
- 39:52episode of Mom St. USA.
- 39:54And we are thrilled and so excited to be planning kind of a
- 39:59fun unique podcast episode for you guys next time we're going
- 40:03to have. Some trivia, some just fun
- 40:07little statistics about Mom St. and what we've, you know, been
- 40:11doing for the past three years because it just so happens that
- 40:15this is also our three-year anniversary of Mom Street.
- 40:19So, so many fun things to come next week on that episode.
- 40:24But for now, thank you guys so much for being here.
- 40:27Thank you for listening. We love our Mom St. community.
- 40:30You guys are amazing and so supportive.
- 40:32So thank you, thank you, thank you for being here and we will
- 40:35catch you on the next episode of Mom St.
- 40:37USA. Bye everyone.