Orlando Vacation Store

Orlando Theme Parks – What to Do When it’s Raining

Uh Oh! Get caught in one of Florida’s famous summer showers? It’s alright, The Orlando Vacation Store experts are here to help! First of all, don’t panic! Parks typically stay open during inclement weather (water parks are trickier ) and keep the indoor rides running. Outdoor rides may also still be open so long as there is no lightning. Once you know that it is safe to venture out, there are a few basic tips and tricks to follow: first, try to roll up a towel so it fits nicely in your backpack or bag, and secure cell phones and cameras, snacks, wallets and other valuables in individual zip-lock bags to keep them safe and dry. (I tend to do this EVERY time I go to a park in case I run through a watery play area or go on an extremely wet ride.) You can usually continue to text message, use apps and check the time without taking your phone out. These small bags can be put into one bigger “valuables” bag if you like, or placed separately in your backpack.

Another essential for a rainy Orlando Vacation is ponchos. We have all seen vendors in the parks making them available outside of water rides, but they are significantly cheaper at convenience stores and gift shops OUTSIDE the park, so if you have a chance, it’s worth getting them ahead of time. Even if you get them outside the parks, you can still sometimes find Florida and theme park related ones to keep as memorabilia.  What I do not recommend is bringing umbrellas. They can be hard to manage in a crowd of people once opened, and putting a wet one back in your bag so you can go on a ride can make all your stuff wet and sticky. Not to mention the obvious troubles of bringing one only to discover it doesn’t fit in your bag anymore after buying merchandise or moving things around. Not to mention that keeping kids all close together is hard enough without relying on them staying under the umbrella to stay dry.

If it’s a short storm, you can take the opportunity to duck in a restaurant and refuel for a few minutes. Keep in mind that rain storms in Florida don’t last very long, and that most people who don’t know this will run indoors or leave the park altogether, making lines shorter, so it’s definitely fun and worth going in that situation.  I have braved many a storm, much more severe than what we see on a day-to-day basis, and enjoyed full use of the rides and restaurants.

If it is raining and you fear that it isn’t worth going to the parks, you can always visit Downtown Disney or Universal Studios City Walk (but keep in mind that City Walk charges for parking). Both these places have shops, restaurants and movie theaters to escape the rain in and enjoy the Disney or Universal atmosphere while saving the rides for a sunnier day of your Orlando vacation.

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