In my latest visit to Disney World, I learned first hand about something I have heard many lifer Disney fans talk about, which is the fun that can be had in a Disney park during a rainy day. I will confess that I am the type of person that once we get into the window of two weeks before my Disney trip, I obsessively check the weather. I know how unpredictable the weather is, especially in Florida, and I know that two weeks out is basically a shot in the dark by the weather service, but still I check and obsess. Things were even worse this last trip because I was leading a group of 14 family members, most of which have never been and for the rest, it had been decades. I wanted everything to go perfect!

We had a great start to our week, but our day marked for Hollywood Studios was looking bad. Even random local people we would meet while filling our car with gas remarked about the huge storm coming into the town Thursday morning. One weather channel even commented about a possible tornado watch! Now, I have been around Florida weather enough to know that predicting the bad weather accurately, is like trying to get selected as the rebel spy on Star Tours, it does happen occasionally, but I never count on it. The long story short, in a situation where we didn’t have Fast Passes for the new Slinky Dog Dash coaster, a ride everyone wanted to do, we determined the night before that come rain or shine, we were going to press onward.

As we pulled out of the resort parking lot the next morning, it was raining a decent amount, but by the time we had parked, it was down to a drizzle. We put on our ponchos and headed to the front gates. No kidding, by the time we were in the park, nothing at all but gray clouds. It can’t be overstated here, the amount of doom and gloom that was preached all week leading up to this day. Even the weather channel radar, hours earlier, seemed to predict hard showers till almost 11 am. Well, our perseverance was rewarded with a near-empty park that allowed us to ride both Slinky Dog and Toy Story Mania, along with an opportunity to take a few fun pictures in the new land, all in the first hour of the day without any Fast Passes. By 11 am the clouds were gone, and the beautiful blue skies were back.

After returning from this trip, I talked to and heard from other Disney fans about how they love the rainy days. The parks empty out, and if you aren’t afraid to get a little wet, you can have a blast! So next time you are faced with the possibility of a rainy day at the parks, look at it as an opportunity. Start off with a plan. Know where you will go if the weather is really bad, indoor rides and shows are great for this. Have the proper clothing and equipment such as ponchos, plastic baggies for your phone or other electronics, shoes that dry out quickly or even a change of shoes/clothes if needed. And why not even consider renting a locker for a quick change into those dry clothes. In the end, Disney parks are the most magical places on earth and with the proper planning and a little courage, you can make memories no matter what mother nature throws your way. Oh, and I almost forgot, the best tip I can give you?

Don’t try and figure all this out on your own. Take advantage of our entire ConciEARS team as we are here to support you, not just during the planning process but even while your vacation is in progress. With ConciEARS you are never alone! And in the end maybe you will get lucky, and the storm will pass you by as it did us, but as my favorite superhero wardrobe designer, Edna Mode would say, “Luck favors the prepared, darling.”

#SlinkyDogDash #Rain #Family