It’s Raining, It’s Pouring, But Guess What We’re Enjoying?

Lately, it has been raining here ….  alot!  This is fine if you are at home, but if you are on a trip, rain can make or break a vacation. And, what if you are at Disney World?  Now, I am not talking about that afternoon storm that pops up and quickly rolls through on a Florida summer day.  I am talking about those rare days when it rains, and rains, and rains.

A little planning ahead and packing a few extra items in a backpack or carrier, can easily handle those quick bouts of liquid sunshine:

• ponchos – pick up one for every member of your party at the local dollar store — be sure to grab an extra one to cover your stroller
• a small towel to dry off wet seats or strollers — might be a great time to put those Sham-wows to the test!
• a set of dry clothes, including dry socks or extra sandals — what a difference dry feet make
• a few plastic grocery bags – to sit on instead of wet pavement while watching the parades, a few extra might come in handy to hold wet clothes

If you have a large family, you might want to rent a locker to hold these emergency items.  I would, however, keep the ponchos with you at all times and you will be ready, come what may.  If the rain comes and doesn’t look like it will stop anytime soon, then might I suggest the following:

• Head to a restaurant – guests often cancel their reservations when it is raining.  Call that hard to get into restaurant and see if they now have an opening.
• Visit all the characters at Mickey’s Toontown Fair — you can get lots of autographs and stay dry at the same time.
• All aboard the Walt Disney World Railroad or the Liberty Square Riverboat — there are spaces undercover on both of these scenic modes of transportation
• Innoventions at Epcot has lots to see and do indoors and while at Epcot, travel the World Showcase with many exhibits to visit and short distances between buildings
• Hop on over to Animal Kingdom –  animals love the rain and chances are they will be very active making this a great time to experience Kilimanjaro Safaris.  After that go for a ride on Kali River Rapids – you’re already wet after all!
• Grab a Hidden Mickey book — the crowd should be significantly lower on a rainy day, so take advantage of the fact and slow down and really look for these fun, little gems
• Arcades — as a previous post suggests, these can be a very entertaining place to wait out a storm

Don’t be like Eeyore and let a little rain ruin your day at the theme parks, as you can see there is lots to do.  If you choose to head for drier territory in the resort hotels or Downtown Disney, we’ll talk about those tomorrow.

Photo Credits:Flickr and WDW News