Having Fun on Rainy Days at Walt Disney World

Embracing the Rainy Day at Walt Disney World

By: Lisa Green

I’m going to be a little bossy here for a second (imagine that!):  Do NOT go home from your Walt Disney World vacation whining about the weather.  Do. Not. Complain.  In the summer, it rains in Florida.  A lot.  If you don’t realize that going into the trip, you’re going to be surprised and disappointed!  Plan for rain – during certain times of the year, you’ll need to plan for daily rain.  That’s right – it rains every afternoon sometimes – a quick shower that comes and goes, but may be a torrential downpour for a while.  The average monthly rainfall is over 7 inches for June, July and August.  It’s HOT in Florida, too – but I’ll save being bossy on that topic for another day.

Back to the rain. You have two choices when it rains.  Tough it out or pack it in.  Here are my suggestions for embracing the rain – no matter which choice you go with.

1. Make like a good Boy Scout and bring a rain poncho to the parks during the rainy season.  Shoes that are water resistant or will dry quickly are helpful, too.  Flip-flops can become hazardous, near deadly instruments of torture in a downpour as they become very slippery on both the bottom and the foot bed….beware!

2. Hang in there.  Try to stay as dry as possible and wait it out.  Go for an indoor attraction like Mickey’s PhilharMagic or Hall of President’s in the Magic Kingdom, a movie in Epcot’s World Showcase (in Canada, China, or France), wait in the LONG (but dry) line for Soarin’ in Epcot’s Future World, check out the Great Movie Ride or MuppetVision 3D in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  In Animal Kingdom, you can see It’s Tough to be a Bug.  If it’s not raining hard, grab a snack and a seat and people-watch for a few minutes.  Wait and see if the clouds clear up.

3. Shop.  There is no shortage of shops in Walt Disney World!  Take the time to browse – if you’re usually rushing from thrill ride to thrill ride, you’ll find an undiscovered treasure trove of unbelievable Disney items for wearing, decorating, eating, and collecting.  Find souvenirs and gifts for everyone including your dog.  Just the number of different hats is staggering.

4. Head on over to Downtown Disney for bowling or a movie or both.  We wouldn’t normally spare the time for an activity we can experience at home, but rainy days may call for some adjustments and accommodation. Splitsville, the new bowling hotspot in Downtown Disney and an AMC Theater (complete with dine-in options) are side by side in the Westside district.

5. When the going gets wet, the wet get going.  Pack it in, people – sometimes the rain just won’t let up – everybody’s wet, cold and cranky.  This is the time to head on back the resort and order a pizza, watch some TV and rest up for better weather…which should come around unless you happen to be in Orlando during a hurricane.  Then you have my permission – encouragement even – to dismiss my bossy directive at the beginning of this post and complain away.  Whine til the cows come home.  If your entire vacation has been wiped out by a hurricane (it’d probably have an oddly mild name like Dudley), you deserve sympathy and a do-over.  I hope this hasn’t ever happened to any of you and hope it never does.

What are your Walt Disney World rainy day tips?

This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.
She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife and on Twitter at @life_of_green

Please be sure to check out Lisa along with me and David Hodges on The Disney Exchange Podcast!

The Disney Exchange- Episode 11 Show Notes: Things To Do On Walt Disney World Property, Outside The Parks

By Nick

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

-Main Topic- Things to Do On Walt Disney World Property, Outside the Parks
-The Disney Exchange is Lisa Green, David Hodges, and me, Nicholas Maglio
-I'd like to apologize to one of our biggest fans, allegedly, the lovely and talented Fran Drescher.
-Lisa tells of her unplanned extended vacation as well as that souvenir that keeps on giving.
-I start us off on our main topic, and go right to Fort Wilderness, where I have trouble just picking one awesome thing to do, as there are many, but settle on riding on a large mammal, also known as horseback riding.



And even though I am supposed to limit it to one thing, I sneak in carriage rides as well.
-Lisa keeps us at Fort Wilderness, and describes the 2 hour Wilderness Back Trail Adventure Segway Tour she took on her recent trip.

 
 Photo: Lisa Green

We show off our math skills.
-Dave cools things down by taking us for a swim and relaxation in the resort's pools, his favorite being at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House. We discuss other pools and the intricacies of pool hopping.

 
Photo: David Hodges

-I decide it's time to head to Downtown Disney to bowl and have a bite to eat at Splitsville.
Please stop back to The Disney Exchange Blog later this week for a more in depth article on Splitsville.



-Lisa follows me to Downtown Disney, and goes shopping while I bowl. David and Lisa discuss recent acquisitions and the shops they most enjoy.

-Dave talks about the free Disney Boardwalk tour, and I mention The Wilderness Lodge's free tour.



-The Wheel of Distiny topic this week: Our favorite movie released prior to the year of our birth. Yes, they made talkies before Lisa and I were born.
-Dave : Escape From Witch Mountain
-Me: Bambi. This causes an argument. Yes. An argument about BAMBI.
-Lisa: Mary Poppins

Thank you as always for listening to The Disney Exchange! (Especially you, Fran.)

TheDisneyExchange.com
twitter.com/disneyexchange
facebook.com/thedisneyexchange
instagram.com/thedisneyexchange

The 'View' at Downtown Disney

by Gaylin

While I was on vacation in May, I spent some time at Downtown Disney. It appears I have bad luck when it comes to choosing a time to visit WDW, a lot of the construction walls that were up when I was there are now down, and the stores are open. But me, I got to see construction walls . . . starting with the new Starbucks on the Westside.

And by the Cirque du Soleil there will be a food truck park. This hasn't opened yet but it has quite a big area to park in.

Behind these walls is more of the Food Truck Park. 

The Co-op looks like a great store, I would have loved to have seen it . . .

I have no idea what they are building with this huge crane near Fulton's or if it is a staging area for construction supplies to be brought in from the water rather than through Downtown.

 

As you can see, in front of T-Rex, it does look like a staging ground for construction supplies. If anyone knows if this is a staging area or a new build - let me know!

Behind Planet Hollywood is where the new parking lot is going in and it is huge! Most of the west side parking lot is closed for construction vehicles so if you need to park at Downtown - good luck.

Downtown Disney is going to be renamed Disney Springs at some point and this is the construction drawing of what that new parking structure is going to look like.

Here you can see that it is quite close to the Westside, here by Splitsville is about the centre of the parking structure.

This is the front of the World of Disney, where the other Starbucks is. Again, not open when I was there, opened shortly after I got home. I was quite surprised to see it sitting front and centre of the store. It is a walk-up location, no seating available. I wonder if the Starbucks craze ever ends, this location was chosen to make it easy to switch out to a Disney branded coffee shop or other food service area.

And finally, some silliness. Me and Lego Princess Sofie in the Lego store. Yep, she stayed still for a selfie!!!

And Cinderella for another selfie, she is so pretty and loves getting her picture taken.

Wordless Wednesdays: Many Different Disney Signs

Photos by Barbie and Nick