This morning I woke up to a nice rainy day here in ZannaLand, and I thought I’d share my favorite things to do in Disney World when you experience some of Florida’s infamous “liquid sunshine”.
Of course, the first thing to remember is that you will not melt. Unless there are some hurricane-force winds going on or crazy lightning, Disney will remain open for your use. Certain rides with all or portions of the ride outside may temporarily shut down (especially if lightning is present) but the rest of the World will be there for those daring enough to get soaked and keep on walking.
In 2003, Disney made the switch to clear ponchos, so you weren’t *quite* as funny-looking (and you could spot your family members easier!). I have noticed that the most recent ponchos we purchased [it is the law that if you buy ponchos, you must forget them on every subsequent visit so you need to buy more when it rains again] are much thinner than they used to be, and the hood is sort of useless in keeping the rain off your face. If you have a baseball cap, wear that under the hood. You can also of course buy other ponchos at discount stores ahead of time but again, the key is remembering to carry them with you.
If, however, you arrive to the Walt Disney World Resort and see on the local weather that there is a 99% chance of rain all day every day of your visit, there are some activities to make you forget all about the rain rain rain coming down down down. Here are my top 3:
3. Innoventions This area of Epcot’s Future World is chock-full of activities to keep the whole family entertained. These buildings are located to the east and west of Future World, as you walk in the main entrance beyond Spaceship Earth. They have undergone many facelifts since their Communicore days with SMRT-1 (a robot that answered your questions with the latest in 1980s voice recognition technology) and the EPCOT Poll (a census-like poll where guests answered questions and learned group results at the end).
2. Resort Hopping on the Monorail This is a favorite activity of our family any time, but it’s especially convenient during a storm, because you never have to get wet once you hop on the Resort Monorail from the Magic Kingdom or the Transportation and Ticket Center. There are some truly unique shops and restaurants you can explore and enjoy whether you’re a hotel guest or not. In addition to being a fun rainy day activity, our family makes sure to tour the resorts each holiday season. I will discuss more on that in upcoming entries, but it is truly a magical experience the way Disney decorates for the holidays.
- The loop from Magic Kingdom takes you first to the Contemporary Resort which always has some fun shopping to experience as well as the popular must-reserve dining spot Chef Mickeys, as well as the delightful culinary addition of The Wave on the first floor. Another treat on the ground floor (no pun intended) is the coffee and espresso bar Contemporary Grounds, which serves delicious lattes. Our family also loves the arcade at the Contemporary and has spent many hours there accumulating tickets to turn in for prizes.
- Next stop on the monorail is the Polynesian Resort. The decor alone is reason enough to spend some time here – the lush gardens and waterfalls will relax even the most frazzled park visitor. Here you’ll find shopping with a tropical flair and items not found in other locations. Delicious meals, desserts and coffee await at the Kona Cafe (one of my favorite restaurants on property). Here’s a secret – you can also get Dole Whip at Captain Cook’s Snack Co. inside the Polynesian! You don’t even have to be inside Magic Kingdom to enjoy this popular treat. Breakfast lunch and dinner are also served at Captain Cook’s, if you’d like more than dessert.
- The final stop on the monorail resort loop is the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Disney’s flagship resort. While here you can enjoy the elegant atmosphere, shops and restaurants, listen to music or just explore the lobby. There is a Basin White location within the Grand Floridian which offers unique items not found in the Downtown Disney location, so it’s worth a visit if you love their soaps and bath bombs as much as I do.
However you choose to spend your rainy day at Disney, remember Mickey can’t control the weather (as much as I’ve been wishing for a clear dome with air conditioning placed over Disney World on the hottest of summer days there!). As frustrating as it might be to have your vacation interrupted by ride-stopping, shoe-soaking rain…you are still in the Happiest Place on Earth and it’s truly how you react and make the most of all Disney has to offer that sets the tone for the success or failure of your trip. Some of my happiest memories are of wearing cloth napkins on my soaking shoulders inside Germany’s Biergarten, laughing at how we’d just run through the rain and puddles to get there. A change of plans doesn’t have to mean a short-change in the memories.
I definitely had my share of rainy visits! Looking back, some of those were the best visits because we sought out different things to do instead of sticking to our typical routine.
Oh man Z, now I’m jonesing to go to Disney! My favorite time to go is when it’s raining because A) not as many people (obv ‘land is different b/c it’s more local than tourist) and B) I’m not hot! The last two times we’ve gone with my sister it rained and she was all bummed out and I was like “No! Really! It’s Soooo much better like this.” I don’t think she bought it, but it’s totally true.
I know it’s hard for people that don’t go ALL the time to not think “my vacation is ruined!” but there really are some upsides to rainy days! Maybe your sister will come around. 😉
Yay! Glad you had some good rainy day experiences too! 😀
The Costa Rican soda is my favorite at Cool Club! Tastes like the old red cream soda we used to get as kids! Mmmmm!!!!
Zannaland wrote…”One way to help those of stout-heart and spare shoes…” GREAT Tip! Bring an extra set of touring shoes when visiting. I for one am always in flip flops all day every day but if you are the sneaker wearing kind…make sure to pack a spare pair….they definitely don’t dry out as fast as crocs, flops, etc….
That one is great John! (and made me realize my pic doesn’t show the new ones) Glad to see you here! 😀
Exactly! You never realize how soaked sneakers can get until you have no choice but to wear them through a storm! 😀
thare rain wear use to be all yellow but so pantywaste cry baby just had to blow things out proportion and relate it to a 9-11 safety problem when it not so not it seems life today is infested with these people
that love to wine and flap thare darn gummit lips about nothing and relateing it to 9-11 when it has nothing to do with it
That one is great John! (and made me realize my pic doesn't show the new ones) Glad to see you here! 😀
Exactly! You never realize how soaked sneakers can get until you have no choice but to wear them through a storm! 😀