Being located in Florida, Disney World is filled with sunny, hot weather almost all year round. Unfortunately, that means it’s also home to hurricane season, and if you’re not prepared, it can ruin your Disney World trip.
Rainy day in Magic Kingdom
Don’t worry — that’s why we’re here! We’ve been coming to Disney World during storm season for a long time, so we pulled our best tips and tricks together so you can still have a great trip.
1. Stay flexible with travel dates
Magic Kingdom entrance the day after Hurricane Milton
To avoid the storm, you might have to push your vacation by a day or two. While this is certainly annoying, making sure you can take those days off of work, school doesn’t start the day after, and there are no major life events soon can help you move your trip with minimal issues. Being flexible can help you still have your vacation around the same time frame and help prevent it from being completely cancelled.
2. Know the cancelation policies
Visitors leaving Magic Kingdom and EPCOT at the Transportation and Ticket Center
The best way to avoid the unknown is to know the details! Knowing things like whether your park passes are refundable or transferable, what’s happening with your hotel, and even if your flight can be canceled are all valuable things to know, so when that storm is getting closer and closer, you can figure out what you need to do.
3. If you can cancel, you might want to
Crowds in Magic Kingdom ahead of the hurricane
When that storm is coming, it might be the right decision to cancel your trip, especially if you can get a full refund. We know it’s not ideal, and a few tears might be shed, but when it comes to safety and enjoyment, it might not be worth it. If you’re staying at a Disney Resort and the parks get shut down due to the storm, Cast Members will make sure you are fed and taken care of, but it’s not an ideal experience for a Disney trip. We would much rather push our trip back by a month or two and be able to experience the full Disney magic, riding every ride we want.
The parks closed due to Hurricane Milton
Just because there’s a storm coming, doesn’t mean Disney is going to shut down the parks, but certain attractions and experiences may be canceled or modified for the weather, and if you want to have a perfect trip, it might not be the right time.
Prepare for lots of rain in the coming days
Travel insurance can be a great way to make sure you get a full refund, and Disney even has their own! This might be an excellent choice for your trip, so you can get all the refunds you need and use that money for an even better trip in the future. If we’re booking a trip from June to November, we tend to add some sort of protection so we’re prepared if a storm hits.
4. Make sure you pack accordingly
Slinky Dog Dash
If you’re going to brave the parks, make sure you’re ready for it! Great quality raincoats and ponchos can make navigating the parks a little easier. You might want umbrellas, extra socks and shoes, and changes of clothes in your park bag as well, so you can handle everything coming your way. We also love bringing snacks and bottled water for our resort, so if we’re stuck in our rooms for a bit, we have everything we need.
5. Know what attractions will be open and closed during the rain
Flooding in Disney World
Disney will shut down many outdoor rides if it’s raining heavily or there is lightning and thunder in the area. If you visit Disney World and don’t care what you ride and just want to experience the parks, coming during a storm might be a great option. On the other hand, if you know that all you want to do is ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and watch Happily Ever After, coming during storm season might not be a good idea. Know your priorities and decide what is worth it for your family.
Make sure you have great rain gear!
All in all, if your Disney trip is planned during hurricane season, be prepared to be flexible and know that you may have to make decisions that are best for your family. Florida is also known for weather that can change quickly — yes, that storm might come in sooner than expected, but it could also move around Orlando and not hit it at all!
Make sure you’re staying up to date with all the news surrounding your trip and keep following Disney Food Blog for more.
OUR TIPS AND TRICKS FOR CONQUERING RAINY DAYS IN DISNEY WORLD
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Have you ever gone to Disney World during a storm? Tell us about your experience in the comments.
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I was at Magic Kingdom last year the morning before Hurricane Milton hit. It was raining pretty steadily, but the wind wasn’t too bad yet. We got there at about 10:45am, and we were able to go on 6 rides and have lunch before leaving a little after 1pm. (MK closed at 2pm that day) The only ride we had to wait in line for was Peter Pan, and the wait was only 20 minutes. Everything else we walked right on. The biggest crowd we saw was at the Confectionery on the way out of the park, where it seemed everybody had the same idea to pick up some treats to take back to the hotel. We got back to the hotel with plenty of time to spare before Milton arrived. It was actually a pretty good morning!