Adjusting for weather

Trip is 8 days away, so I’m starting to see actual weather forecasts for my dates. I know they’ll also change before next week, and generally, I expect Orlando in July/August is generally hot, humid, with a chance of afternoon showers, so I’m sure I won’t be too surprised. However, if there’s a day that’s projected to be lots of rain, do you change your plans? Are there scenarios you would change or wouldn’t change? I’m not too concerned about general park days, as we have our trusty ponchos and can push through, but I’m just curious what others do and if i should consider being prepared for some adjustments.

I would make sure to adjust what I wear - I’m not a big poncho guy (especially combined with the humidity) but on a “rain day” make sure to wear synthetic fabrics that wick water and dry quickly. Basically it’s the wrong day for cottons as you’ll stay wet forever. The other thing to look at is to time rides that can be impacted by weather well. Off hand, Test Track is one of the few that shutdown due to weather if it’s heavy rain. Having to sit out the storm in the queue could make for a long wait. Some of the shows are weather dependent as well like Fantasmic!

I’d also guess you’ll end up wearing 2 sets of clothes a day as everything will be soaked in sweat that won’t be fun to put back on after a break so plan on a laundry day. Have fun…

Haha, I totally have planned for two sets of clothes a day. We’ll be back at the hotel swimming midday each day, so a change of clothes before evening activities is a must. Good thing 2 members of our family have tiny clothes, so I can pack a few extra outfits there and postpone laundry day a couple days.

Good thoughts on the drying fast clothing. I had those prepared for days we were doing water rides, but I wasn’t thinking about rain days. Thanks!

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One trip I had visit MK in an evening but due to bad weather decided against going and went the following night. Unfortunately so did everybody else which meant the times and some of the rides went out the window. So in summary stick to the original plan and tough it out.

In the warm weather I just accept being wet. I wear shoes that are designed to get wet (Keens, Tevas, Five-Fingers, etc) and say the heck with ponchos. After the first minute or so I am soaked to the skin, can’t get any wetter, and just go with it. I take a dark pleasure watching everyone else huddling under overhangs and messing with ponchos “trying” to stay dry. A good thing about rainy days is that the crowds are typically smaller. I remember one RD at MK. It was pouring with t-storms in the area. I rode every major attraction in the park (except BTMRR and Splash, which were closed) in 3 hours.

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You can get some great clothes from shops that sell camping/outdoor clothing, after its gotten wet it takes minutes to dry, my DH has a few shirts like this and they are a dream! No ironing either! They also sell ladies/kids wear.

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We carry on through the rain, wearing ponchos! I try to bring two pairs of sneakers in case one gets wet, and head to an indoor attraction.

Many people will leave the parks when it rains, so if you are cool with being a bit soggy, you can experience reduced wait times!

Thanks everyone, that’s what i had planned, but it’s good to know I’m not nuts. I will say that I had a couple afternoon ventures to waterparks planned, so guess I’ll have to be flexible on those.

On rainy days, I ill bring an extra pair of socks (nothing worse than wet socks) or throw a pair of flip flops in the park bag.

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I just did a five day trip at WDW. First night, the afternoon rains waited until 8pm and poured buckets! But our cheap 97 cent Walmart ponchos did great! Plus they fit in a pocket. The other days there were some afternoon showers, but ranged from just threatening or sprinkles to heavy rain. Fortunately I could avoid them with an ADR with lucky timing, or being in places I could spend a long time (big stores, interesting exhibits, indoor attractions especially shows). Be aware that outdoor attractions can shut down for lightning a few miles away, without rain. That included the MK train. Also, your afternoon hotel pool break may be during rain/lightning. I’d plan to do “at risk” attractions in the morning, when weather is best. Those are often also the most popular rides, too. I agree with the others’ advice about footwear, clothing, taking advantage of short lines during rain.

They close Test Track in Epcot when it rains. Oh, and they cancel Jedi Training in Hollywood Studios. Anyone know of other attractions that close when it rains? If those are musts for you, I’d adjust.