I recently went to Hollywood Studios in severely BAD weather (rain AND chilly temps). Normally I would stay away from the parks if it’s raining (Eric and I have canceled a number of our beloved Wednesday date nights because of downpours), but this particular day unique...I had a meetup event planned and over 40 people were going! For those that don’t know, I have a meetup group where I organize various activities, all geared around the parks and Disney… Blog post on that coming soon, promise!
All week the rain was predicted for our park day, but as the weather in Florida goes, I thought it would clear up! It didn’t… it only got worse! We were at a forecast of 100% rain ALL day for the event!! Since it was a large group, and I was the host, I couldn’t cancel (well, I probably could, but I didn’t want to… plus, people were depending on me)! I knew the rain would definitely scare some away (and sure enough.. That morning the participants for the event started dropping like flies)!
As I as I drove to Hollywood Studios, I contemplated the weather and my sanity. It was either the smartest thing ever to weather the bad weather and head into the parks OR it was the worst idea and would result in misery by all.
Can you guess what the verdict was? It was a blast, of course! Partially due to the company and a good time was had by all. Would I recommend visiting the parks if the forecast predicts heavy rain super cool temps? It’s hard to say. If you can avoid going in the rain, I would, dealing with being wet and rain gear is sort of not the most magical thing ever… HOWEVER, if rides and shows and experiencing everything with minimal waits sounds appealing, then definitely go in the rain!
And if you do find yourself with a trip planned and less than ideal rainy weather predicted, I’ve compiled a few tips and tricks to help get you through the wet weather.
Layer your clothing. If it’s cold, this is a MUST. You will get wet, even if only slightly, so layers are key to staying dry and keeping warm!
Pack an umbrella. You might not be an umbrella person (they’re big and bulky, and heck, when you bring them inside, they’re wet!), but an umbrella is a must! If you want to look at your phone while out and about, an umbrella can help keep you and your device (somewhat) dry. I’d recommend a small compact umbrella that way it’s super easy to fold up, and carry, but I did see others with quite large umbrellas. With the larger umbrellas, keep in mind that you cannot go on certain rides with them, so you will need to give it to castmember before boarding (they will have it for you as soon as you exit the ride)!
Plastic grocery bag. This would be to house your small compact wet umbrella when you go inside or on a ride… that way you (and your clothes or bag) don’t get wet! I took one, but actually didn’t use it because the type of bag I had made it super hard to access. Which brings me to my next tip…
Rethink your bag. It’s raining and things will get wet. You will be covered via an umbrella and or a poncho, so a smaller bag would be more ideal. I took a backpack thinking if I got hot I could take off one of my layers and put it in my bag, but honestly, the backpack was not the most practical bag to take. It was big and extremely cumbersome when I needed to get something out of it (what made it difficult was I was wearing it underneath the poncho, so in order to get into any of the pockets I had to unsnap the sides of the poncho and bring the backpack to my front side… so hard in the rain)! It really had me regretting taking this bag and really wanting a...
Fanny pack. I do not own a fanny pack (I haven’t since elementary school), but after my recent experience with a backpack in the rain, I’m convinced a fanny is the way to go. It would be in the front of your body easily accessible. Yes, it’s smaller than a large backpack, but in the rain, you really do not want much to carry around. Just the necessities, which I think would fit perfectly into a fanny pack.
Rain boots. This is a MUST!!! My feet stayed nice and warm and dry ALL day long! I was with others who did not have rain boots and not only did their shoes look sopping wet, but their jeans were drenched as well! See, the rainboots help keep your pant legs dry because you tuck them into the boot!
Rain gear. I’d recommend a rain jacket. I currently do not own one, but am on the hunt and will be purchasing one very soon because, let me tell you… I do not want to experience another rainy day without one! I had a poncho, which kept me somewhat dry, but t didn’t protect my arms (they got wet). And the most frustrating thing about the poncho was at almost every single ride (show and meet and greet) you were told to TAKE IT OFF!!! It was so hard to constantly take the wet poncho off and then have to put it back on! Nope, next time I will be have a rain jacket! I think the ponchos are great for passing showers or to get from point A to point B, but we were in the park ALL day, so it just was not the most practical!
Ears! Even though it's raining, you can still have fun with your park day outfit and accesories! I'd recommend any of our laser cut acrylic ears (the acrylic is waterproof)! I wore theses ears.
Now that I talked about things to bring and items to leave at home, let’s talk about things to do!
Ride ALL the rides. There will be next to no wait, so take advantage and go on as much as you can! We were able to hit EVERY single ride in Toy Story Land within an hour! Slinky Dog was only a 15 min wait (and honestly, riding the coaster in the rain was definitely a memorable experience!
Meet all the characters. The characters will have hardly any wait, so get as many photos as you can. We were able to get photos at the new Incredibles wall, meet Mr. Incredible and Edna Mode with no wait! It was INCREDIBLE!
So, all in all it was a great rainy day at Hollywood Studios. I hope next time you see showers in the forecast for a park day, you don’t let them scare you away. Take advantage of the circumstances and if you follow my tips, you will have a blast!
*Our bad weather did not include thunder/lightning. Had there been lightning, I’m sure it would have been a completely different experience. Rides would have been closed and people would have wanted to stay under shelter.
