By When it rains, it pours at Walt Disney World. Sometimes, that’s preferable to the intense heat in the area, as Central Florida can get a bit, well, swampy.
Does that mean you won’t enjoy a Disney visit? Of course not! If anything, you’ll have more fun scurrying from the rain or cooling off on a hot day.
Still, you want to avoid unpleasantness during your dream vacation. So, here’s what you need to know at each park when it’s rainy or ridiculously hot at Disney World.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
We love Animal Kingdom, Disney’s most ambitious theme park in the world. Still, we’ll warn you that, at least to us, it’s Disney’s hottest theme park. We’ve had a couple of rough experiences here during extreme heat.
Disney keeps this park a bit warmer to make it more comfortable for the animals, which is completely understandable. Also, you’ll walk more here than at any other Disney park.
Animal Kingdom covers more than five times as much land as Hollywood Studios. So, we’re discussing a significant difference in scale.
Also, rain can create problems here, especially when you’re walking between themed lands when it starts. You’ll lack cover in long stretches of open space.
Please always remember to pack an umbrella or rain poncho. That’s a good idea everywhere at Disney World, but it’s especially true at Animal Kingdom!
In terms of attractions, both rides at Pandora – The World of Avatar reside indoors, but some of the line queue occurs outdoors at each one.
So, these are good places to go as long as the lines aren’t long. If you notice you’ll be standing in the rain, well, it’s probably too late by then. You’ll have to grit your teeth.
On hot days, these line queues are perfectly comfortable, though, as Disney ventilates them. It’s a newer park, and Disney knew better by then.
At Africa, Festival of the Lion King is a winner, but it’s not even the top target. Kilimanjaro Safaris usually stays open during rain! You get the benefit of watching the animals play in the rain, too!
You’ll find plenty of covered areas here as well, including bars and restaurants. Plus, you can hop on the Wildlife Express Train to Conservation Station.
Folks, on a rainy day, Conservation Station is secretly one of the best places to be at Disney World! The vets will continue with their work no matter what, and the animal exhibits remain open.
As for the heat, Kilimanjaro Safaris features a covered line queue, which makes it quite comfortable on most days. Similarly, Conservation Station is indoors.
Therefore, you’ll be happier at Africa than you will be at Asia. Why is that? Well, every instinct in your body will tell you to go to Kali River Rapids on a hot day.
That’s completely reasonable in theory. In practice, the wait times surge on hot days, while the line queue doesn’t shield you from the sun. So, it’s bad in the heat.
You’ll love getting wet on the ride, but you won’t have fun waiting in line for those few minutes of joy. It’s an “is the juice worth the squeeze?” calculation, and the answer’s situational.
Rain is a different story. Since you’re already wet on rainy days anyway, it’s a good time to ride with smaller lines. Few guests will think that way, causing the lines to disappear.
Expedition Everest can run in the rain, but Disney closes it whenever there’s lightning in the area. Generally, one leads to the other, which negates its value on rainy days.
As for the heat, Expedition Everest features a partial outdoor wait and a delightful indoor one. So, the difficulty depends on the size of the line. You can just do Single Rider here, too, which solves the problem.
In this same area, remember Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond! It’s an excellent solution during rain or extreme heat.
Similarly, Zootopia: Better Zoogether, the new show on Discovery Island, is an ideal way to kill two birds with one stone. You want to see it anyway. So, a rainstorm or some blistering heat provides an ideal justification.
Generally speaking, Animal Kingdom isn’t a bad place to be when it rains. The park includes plenty of trees that can provide some cover.
Also, you’ll find a lot of covered shops, restaurants, and bars. So, you don’t need to adjust much during rain. However, you should have a plan on especially hot days. Otherwise, you could fall victim to dehydration or worse.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
You’ll be fine at Hollywood Studios during bad weather…as long as you’re not at Toy Story Land. Let’s quickly talk through your options.
We’ll start with the obvious one, as you’re probably wondering what’s wrong with Toy Story Land. Well, a Disney Villain named Bob Chapek was running Disney theme parks back then.
Chapek called for some last-minute budget cuts, which included the removal of potential shaded areas at Toy Story Land. Even then, Disney analysts recognized the danger.
When the new themed land opened in 2018, the number one (and two and three) complaint about Toy Story Land was its lack of shade.
Since then, Disney has improved the coverage in the area. Still, it’s a makeshift setup and an imperfect solution. So, the glaring sun will grind you down quite quickly.
Similarly, this isn’t the place to be at Hollywood Studios during a sudden rainstorm, a lesson we’ve learned the hard way over the years. It’s another spot where you’ll want an umbrella or rain poncho.
If you get stuck here, head to Toy Story Mania!, a great ride with an indoor line queue. Alien Swirling Saucers and Slinky Dog Dash have covered areas, but they’re near the front of the line.
So, you’ll be drenched by that point. The same problem occurs on hot days as well. You’ll notice the sun a LOT while waiting in line for these rides, especially Slinky Dog Dash. Its line can stretch a long way through an uncovered area.
Other than that, most of Hollywood Studios is perfectly manageable in any kind of bad weather. It helps that this is a show-heavy theme park.
You can head indoors at For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure, or Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After.
The most famous outdoor show here, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! will close during the rain, though. It’s an outdoor stunt show that would endanger the cast by remaining open.
In terms of rides, Slinky Dog Dash will close during hard rain. Alien Swirling Saucers may or may not, depending on the situation, but Toy Story Mania! is better anyway.
Virtually every other major ride at Hollywood Studios primarily resides indoors. Thankfully, most of the lines are indoors as well.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway are examples of lines that will require some time spent outside in uncovered areas, though.
In some instances, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will as well, and we presume that will be particularly true when the new mission and Muppets themes debut.
What we’d encourage you to do at Hollywood Studios is prioritize indoor shows and attractions during the rain.
Then, on hot days, you should adopt a half-and-half approach. Choose something with an outdoor queue or ride experience. Afterward, go indoors for a while to recuperate.
Thankfully, the park hosts several indoor restaurants, which means you can grab a bite to eat while cooling off/staying dry as well.
A premier destination, the shopping bazaar at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, is mostly covered. However, this themed land stretches across 11 acres, and some of it is in the open air.
Should a sudden rainstorm strike, you’ll be in some trouble. Head away from The Resistance’s part of Galaxy’s Edge and toward the main part of Black Spire Outpost.
Other than Toy Story Land, that’s the only real trouble spot at Hollywood Studios. Everywhere else is a short walk away from something indoors, removing any potential weather-related stress.
EPCOT
For the most part, EPCOT’s a lot like Hollywood Studios. You should be fine on rainy days, as there’s typically a place you can duck and cover for a while.
We’ll warn you that the walk between pavilions at the World Showcase is a bad place to be during a sudden rainstorm, though. That’s not the real danger, though.
This part of the park can be brutal on hot days. So, you should walk with purpose at the World Showcase. Please check the map and know where you’re going and why.
Should you wander aimlessly, you may regret it. To a larger point, you’ll find food and drinks seemingly everywhere here. Make sure to keep yourself fueled and hydrated!
The other main thing you should know is that EPCOT doesn’t have any pure outdoor rides per se. Test Track’s the closest one, and most of it takes place indoors. The outdoor section only lasts a few seconds.
So, you shouldn’t struggle with heat while awaiting rides. Sure, some of the attractions like Spaceship Earth and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will require some time standing in line outdoors.
For the most part, you’ll be shielded from the elements while waiting on the attractions, though. It’s the exploration part where you must be smarter.
EPCOT’s a large park with plenty to do. So, you should again adopt a half-and-half strategy. Once you’ve been outside walking for a while, go indoors to do…something.
You can choose anything you like, as you’ll enjoy a plethora of options. The shopping and dining at EPCOT is the gold standard, and it’s a show-heavy park, too.
Also, many of the World Showcase pavilions feature indoor exhibits and similar distractions. So, the strategy here isn’t complex.
When you’ve been outside for a while, you should always be thinking, “Where should I go next that’s indoors?” The options are plentiful, and we include dining in that.
Overall, the only EPCOT attractions that could cause you any problems during rain are Test Track and (oddly) Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana. Everything else will remain operational.
The heat’s a different story in that it can strike at any point. So, that’s why we strongly recommend that you rarely spend more than half an hour in the open sun. Sweltering heat can overwhelm your senses.
Still, you shouldn’t ever have a problem at the front of the park at EPCOT. Meanwhile, the World Showcase will only bother you if you push yourself way too hard. Simply avoid that temptation, and you’ll be fine.
Magic Kingdom
Among the four theme parks, we’d rank Magic Kingdom the second-most challenging when dealing with the weather. That’s because it hosts plenty of outdoor attractions.
Here’s a list of rides that may close during lightning/heavy rain:
- Astro Orbiter
- The Barnstormer
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Jungle Cruise
- Mad Tea Party
- Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
- Walt Disney World Railroad
So, you can understand how a rainy day could absolutely wreck your itinerary. Thankfully, that’s only a few of the available attractions and experiences at the park.
While the rain could adversely affect you, plenty of attractions will remain open during inclement weather. You just need to pick something indoors instead. Options include:
- Ariel’s Grotto
- Country Bear Musical Jamboree
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- Haunted Mansion
- It’s a Small World
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
- Pete’s Silly Sideshow
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Princess Fairytale Hall
- Space Mountain
- Tony’s Town Square Theater
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
- Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
The math here suggests that most attractions remain open during the rain, but this information should come with an asterisk. Since everyone sprints inside, the lines swell in size.
Still, you can tell from the list that you’ll enjoy an abundance of attractions even when the weather’s atrocious. Also – and we should stress this – that rarely happens at Disney World!
Heat’s a different story, and we don’t want to sugarcoat it. In truth, we’d rather come across as alarmist so that you overreact rather than underreact. The world’s getting hotter. That’s just math.
So, theme park guests can struggle a bit on particularly hot days. Florida has a few of those, with the Heat Index reaching 110 degrees in extreme examples. You shouldn’t expect that, but it’s possible, especially from June to August..
On scorching-hot days, your park approach should center on the attractions in that second group. They’re the ones that primarily reside indoors.
All the attractions in the first group will be fine as well, but you’ll want to offset the outdoor experiences by heading indoors afterward. The key is to avoid overdoing it at the park.
That’s shockingly easy to do at Magic Kingdom. You’ll be so excited during your visit that you won’t want to stop and take a break. Coincidentally, that’s the danger zone on a hot day.
Fortunately, every themed land at Magic Kingdom features some sort of high-quality indoor experience. Should you need a break from the sun, look for one of these places:
- Main Street, U.S.A. – Town Square Theater
- Adventureland – Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
- Frontierland – Country Bear Musical Jamboree
- Liberty Square – Hall of Presidents
- Fantasyland – Ariel’s Grotto, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Princess Fairytale Hall, Storybook Circus
- Tomorrowland – Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
Stating the obvious, when you’re getting hot, Fantasyland’s the place to go. You can find something fun indoors within a short walk of anywhere in the park, though. That’s the genius of Magic Kingdom.