Walt Disney World is located in Central Florida, which is a tropical environment. This means that depending on the time of year you visit Walt Disney World, you will most likely encounter a rainy day at Disney.
While some Florida storms can blow through and be done within a few minutes to an hour, some storms like to hang around making for a rainy day at Disney.
Since Disney World does not offer rain checks, here are 10 things to do at Walt Disney World when it rains.
#1 – Ride Indoor Attractions
Not all rides at Walt Disney World are outdoors. Many rides are indoor attractions and will continue to operate in a dry environment, making them a perfect getaway to continue your fun despite the rain. Get to these attractions quickly as many others will have the same idea.
Walt Disney World Indoor Rides & Attractions by Park
- Magic Kingdom Indoor Attractions – Pirates of the Carribean, Haunted Mansion, “it’s a small world”, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, Peter Pan’s Flight, Space Mountain, Carousel of Progress and Journey of the Little Mermaid.
- Epcot Indoor Attractions – Frozen Ever After, Gran Fiesta Tour, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Living with the Land, Mission: SPACE, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Soarin’ Around the World, and Spaceship Earth
- Hollywood Studios Indoor Attractions – Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Rock ‘n Roller Coaster, Star Tours, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (Opens March 4th, 2020)
- Animal Kingdom Indoor Attractions – Avatar: Flight of Passage (part of queue line is outdoors), DINOSAUR and Na’vi River Journey (part of queue line is outdoors)
#2 – Catch a Show
Almost all shows at Walt Disney World are indoors. This can be a great time to catch up on some of these shows that you have not made time for yet. Some shows are at set times while others run continuously throughout the day.
Walt Disney World Indoor Shows by Park
- Magic Kingdom Indoor Shows – Country Bear Jamboree, The Hall of Presidents, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, and Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
- Epcot Indoor Shows – The American Adventure, Reflections of China, Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival and Turtle Talk with Crush
- Hollywood Studios Indoor Shows – Muppet Vision 3d, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Singalong, Walt Disney Presents, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage
- Animal Kingdom Indoor Shows – It’s Tough To Be A Bug, Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo – The Musical
#3 – Get Wet and Enjoy Lower Wait Times
When rain rolls in, the first thing people do is seek cover and rush to the above attractions and shows. If you don’t mind getting a little wet, take advantage of this time and ride some of the outdoor attractions. Disney World will run most rides during rain as long as there is no lightning in the area. Often, wait times will be very low for these rides.
#4 – Ride The Water Rides
Disney does not have a lot of water rides, however, if you get caught in a downpour and are already soaked, why not ride one of these rides?
We went on Kali River Rapids after being soaked head to toe from a rainstorm. Not only was it walk-on for the ride, but, we were not worried about how wet we would get, considering we were already soaked.
#5 – Resort Hopping
If the forecast shows that the entire day will be rainy, why not take a break from the parks and do some resort hopping? Using Disney Transportation, you can travel around to the different hotels and walk around, shop and even enjoy a meal or dessert.
A great resort many don’t explore is Animal Kingdom Lodge. This resort has some great shops, restaurants, and even animals such as giraffes and more right out back. This is a great resort to explore on a rainy day.
#6 – Shopping
For obvious reasons, all of Disney’s shops are indoors. If in the parks, go visit some of the shops to stay dry. If you are not at the parks, take the day to head up to Disney Springs or resort hop and visit the different shops.
#7 – Downtime
Sometimes you need a vacation from your vacation. A rainy day is a perfect day to just hang back at your resort. Take a nap or visit the spa. Just relax and collect yourself before heading back out to brave the crowds.
Since most storms in Central Florida are not constant, you may even be able to find an hour break to hit the pools at your resort before the next wave rolls in.
#8 – Head Off Property
Head out to check out some of the local indoor malls in the area and escape the “Disney Bubble”. The Florida Mall is a massive mall with many shops, all indoor. In addition, The Mall at Millenia is a more high-end mall with plenty of shops, all indoor.
#9 – Go to the Water Parks
This one may seem crazy, but, heading out to one of the waterparks can be a great way to spend a rainy day if there is no lightning. The waterpark attractions do not close for rain, just for lightning. As long as there is just rain, you can enjoy the waterpark, usually with low crowds. You will already be in your bathing suit, so it doesn’t matter if you get rained on as well.
#10 – Enjoy a Sitdown Meal
Take the time to enjoy a sitdown meal at either a table service restaurant or even a quick service indoor location. Since many storms will pass within an hour, taking this time to eat will free up time later once the storms have passed to enjoy the parks.
