And then the rain rain rain came down down down...

[sweetpee_1993]

When I was a kid we lived in Central Florida and had the old 3-Season-Salute passes for several years. We would go out to WDW for day trips just about every weekend we could. I remember one particular day, I'm sure it was late afternoon, we were on the ferry heading back to the TTC while some pretty scary clouds were approaching. We watched a funnel cloud start to dip down. It eased down about 2/3 of the way to the ground then went back up. I'll never forget it. I came completely unglued. As a child I had numerous reoccuring nightmares about tornados (although I had never been in one). It was freaky to say the least.

Also weather related... A friend of ours who lived in Chalmette, Louisiana was on vacation at WDW when Hurricane Katrina hit that area. They were DVC members. When they saw the storm approaching on tv they knew they had absolutely zero chance of getting back home in time to salvage anything. So they extended their stay where they were and started buying more clothes. Sadly, they ended up losing their home, cars, possessions, everything except what they took on vacation with them. The flood in their area was at the peak of their roof. Somehow their kitty survived, tho. Our friend had a great attitude about the whole thing. He said that it didn't really matter if they were home or on vacation, no matter where they were the storm was coming and they knew without a doubt that they would lose everything. That's what insurance was for. Yes, it would have been nice to take things that can't be replaced with you when you evacuate. But if they were going to have to evacuate and be away from home while this happened to them there was no other place they'd rather be. Now THAT is a bonafide Disney Nut.

 

[jemlover]

Last September we had the Fantasmic dining package and it had been raining off and on all day but we had managed to be inside during the worst of the downpours. It looked like it was clearing up but just as we entered the back entrance for priority seating for Fantasmic the deluge started. I was wearing my poncho but my DH was getting soaked (no, I don't need my poncho today:lol. DH kept saying let's stand under this tree and I said are you crazy! You don't stand under a big tree in a lightning storm! Needless to say they cancelled Fantasmic and we made it back to our resort in one piece.

 

[Jerriko]

While watching Beauty and the beast stage show at DHS last July as storm had rolled in at the beginning of the show. At the end of I believe the first song at the exact moment that the song ended and the entire cast does their dramatic pose a clap of thunder hit. It almost sounded like the thunder you hear later in the show at Beast Castle...

what was funny about it was the entire cast for a brief second looked very confused thinking the thunder wasn't supposed to be there...then they went on with the show....The timing was perfect... very humourous moment....

Later I got to splash in puddles at Epcot with a small child, we were on our honeymoon and my wife looked on thinking she had just married a big kid....Which of course she did lol :ROFLOL:

 

[peters]

I was there that night - what a downpour! We slogged through ankle-deep puddles all night. The fireworks were delayed 45-50 min and then they ran the parade immediatly afterwards. We were soaked to the skin and it took days for our shoes to dry out. Thank goodness we each had a spare set of footwear.

If that was 9-14-07, I was there for MVSHP too and that rain was crazy! We went to try the Laugh Floor and when we came out the downpour was so heavy you could hardly see across Tomorrowland. At least they gave us new tickets for the inconvenience.

 

[mousermerf]

One particularly bad storm caught me and a friend at the MK. It was a relatively busy day and the place quickly started to become a ghost town though because of how bad the storm was. Dumped a lot of water quickly, and water was rolling down main street at a noticeable depth.

We waded our way out of the park and then to front plaza at the entrance. It was ankle deep water down the bottom of the sloped walkways. The line for the monorail was insane, we tried to ride the ferry, despite the waves crashing up against the seawall nearby.

We got on the boat, and it was doing a little bit of shifting about, but nothing too terfiyng, and the crew informed us that we weren't going anywhere because of how choppy the water was. We could stay and sit and bounce around on the boat if we wanted to though.

We ended up walking to the Contemporary and getting on the monorail there, then hopping off at the TTC.

We were soaked, like painfully cold and wet, but we'd given up on being dry at that point.

My friend drove me back to my car which had been parked infront of the Virgin Megastore. That parking lot flood really bad - incase you didn't know. My car had flooded too and wouldn't start. It was still pouring, so we gave up and retreated.

So i spent the night at my friend's place in Orlando, and the next morning we went to get my car and see if it worked. It worked, but it was surrounded by other cars in that section of the lot while the rest of the lot was abandoned - and disney had roped it off.

So amid other people who also had their cars drowned because of the poor drainage, we got my car running and vowed to never park there again. That's my crazy WDW weather story.

 

[marni1971]

Post RoE June 2001:

 

[Disneybub]

In September 07, we went to a MNSSHP, the weather was fine, with no reports of rain. after wandering around for a bit we decided to go on the TTA, the weather was dry when we got on when we come out the other side the heavens had opened and it was pouring down, continuous thunder and lightning for what seemed like forever.

We went to buy ponchos' it was raining so heavy and it was coming down so quickly the water us up over my ankles!!!!
After buying ponchos we realised we were already soaked through and they wouldn't do much good. We then found ourselves sitting under the big umbrella just outside Pete's garage eating chocolate covered popcorn, we stayed there for ages, watching the rain waiting for the fireworks and parade.
Even though it rained more than I have ever seen in my life, I'd give anything to be sitting under that umbrella now, I was soaked through sitting on a plastic box in the MK - And I could think of a place I would have wanted to be anymore than being there in that moment.

 

[Disneybub]

I was there that night - what a downpour! We slogged through ankle-deep puddles all night. The fireworks were delayed 45-50 min and then they ran the parade immediatly afterwards. We were soaked to the skin and it took days for our shoes to dry out. Thank goodness we each had a spare set of footwear.

Yeah thats the same night i was there i have posted that too

 

[Hrudey3032]

I was there for Hurricane Irene in Oct of 99 and we stayed at our hotel on 192.It was a great time tho as I had never experienced a hurricane before and while I wouldnt want to do it often it was a experience I will never forget.What was fun is that I had never seen the MK as empty as it was the day after the worst of the storm.We walked onto everything that day not a single wait in line other than say a show like COP.We were soaked but had such a blast.

 

[adrianuk91]

On our last trip to WDW in October 2002 we got stuck in the rain, it was towards the end of our 2 week holiday so we were park hopping a lot going on our favourite rides, anyway we were just heading out of MK and after we got off the monerail at the car park we noticed some really black clouds, we were waitin for the tram thingy to take us to the section of the car park where we had parked the car and luckily the rain held out untill we had got into the car. we then headed to MGM and it was like the clouds were following us from MK and we got to the car park at MGM and then the heavens opened we must have sat in the car for nearly half hour before we thought what the hell and ran for the park enterence in ankled deep water luckily we were parked near the front so it wasn't too far and we had coats with us as well (my mum says never go outside without your coat as you never know when the weather will turn) the only problem was when the busses went passed they cause a big wave through the car park as the water was a few inches deep so we had to time running from the car across to the enterence lol if was quite good after that as the park was nearly empty because of the small storm we went to ride Tower of Terror which looked really impressive in the thunder and lighting storm and by the time we had come off it the storm had passed

 

[Tomcat47]

This story goes all the way back to April of 1991. It was my senior year and my music department was at Disney for Magical Music Days. I had just marched with the band in the afternoon parade. We found out at the end that the parade had been moved up due to a HUGE thunderstorm bearing down on the Magic Kingdom. Sure enough as soon as we change and reenter the park to enjoy it here comes the storm. My girlfriend and me were seeking shelter by the tea cups when we saw some friends getting in the line for yes 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. We decided to join them. When we boarded the sub it struck me odd that with all the rides they closed during the storm they choose to leave this one open. I turn to my friends and ask " Do you relize we just got on a metal sub in water riding on an electrical track?" At that point we all looked at the cast member who just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Everything went fine but I love telling this story especially now that the ride no longer exists. In Sept 2002 me and my wife enjoyed our honeymoon there. We had a thunderstorm late everynight. The best lightning show had to have been while we were on the monorail coming back from Epcot. Sept 2007 while down at the World for our anniversary we had 5 major thunderstorms in the first 36 hours including one that greeted us on our way to Magic Kingdom right after check-in. That one may have been the worst storm I have ever experienced at WDW.

 

[Disneyfanman]

About 5 years ago we were at IOA for the day. The weather forecast said rain, but the morning was clear and sunny . On the way it began to sprinkle. The moment we crossed through the entrance the heavens opened up like only Florida storms can do, and the rain came down and down and down. We were prepared for rain (ponchos and extra clothes in a backpack), and had often visited the parks on rainy days, so good spirits all. Usually central Florida storms come and go on summer days.

But it kept coming. Like a relentless army of troops, wave after wave of storms came through, with the rain so thick that you couldn't see across the walkways. We were in line for Spiderman when the power flashed, and everything in the park shut down for a minute or two, but then every ride in the park had to be reset. For an hour we stood right in front of the loading area while Spiderman himself entertained us. By the time we got to the Toon Lagoon, we were so wet (even in ponchos) that we could barely move in our saturated clothes. Since there was no lightening, the water rides were open so we went on Dudley and Bluto. In fact we stayed on Bluto for several rounds since the park was quickly becoming empty.

We ate at the restaurant next to Jurassic Park, with the rain on the window so thick that we couldn't see anything. We changed into our spare clothes and exited again, hoping that we could run between indoor attractions. By the time we got to the Discovery Center it felt like we hadn't changed clothes at all. Our feet were swollen and cracking from the excessive water so we all bought JP socks at a local shop to change. Ten minutes later again it made no difference. We took refuge in Poseidon's Fury and shivered/dripped through the attraction. We raced over to Sinbad in another freaking downpour and discovered that it was canceled due to potential lightening in the area (They said that it might travel through the prop wires and injure the performers........that was news to me!). It was, by then, about 4:00 PM and we decided that we just couldn't endure anymore and headed for the exit. As we headed past the talking fountain the rain had finally slowed to a drizzle and the stupid fountain called out to my kids and I. I had never heard the thing speak before. I had on a WDW tee-shirt and it made fun of it and lured me over to it. In front of my kids and wife in the still misting rain it squirted more water all over me. My kids went insane and ended up stalled in front of it for at least 30 minutes telling jokes, singing, etc. Then the sky opened up full throttle again and we hit Cat in the Hat for about 6 rotations before heading to Jimmy Buffet's place. We sat there for over 2 hours laughing about the day.

In my 46 years of life I have never been that wet, cold, swollen, and frantic for an entire day. But we had paid for those tickets and were determined to make a day of it. It was like God was overturning huge buckets of water right over our heads all day, the pathways were partially flooded at times, water poured over the tops of the rain gutters over the doorways, and toward the end of the day the park was blissfully empty. But the best memory of the entire day (and the memories get happier as time goes on!) was that dumb talking fountain hitting me with a blast of water on that rainy rainy day. Looking back on it, it was a really really fun experience. And I hopefully will never have to be that wet for 8 hours again!

Making the Magic with my family for another year!

 

[rictusred]

When I was still in High school we went to Disney on a family trip and had lots of fun except that it rained all the time but refused to buy ponchos til the second to last day we bought them and then 1hour later the rained stopped and didn't rain the rest of the vacation. now I bring that poncho everytime I go (my mom and I consider them are lucky ponchos) and since then it has never rained when I have been in a park the 10 or so trips since we bought them.

 

[bellasguy87]

My Disney Rain Story

I have a really great Disney World rain story that I remember.

I was in Disney World with my amazing girlfriend for the first time ever. I had met her there after having spent ten days in California with my family and we had really been looking forward to seeing each other and spending time together in DW. She has always been a huge Disney fan and we were both really excited.

That day we ended up going to Epcot. It was extremely scorching hot out and very very humid. It was almost unbearable. Anyway we were waiting online for the Nemo ride and all of the sudden in began to pour.

The rain just kept coming down heavier and heavier but it felt so good. We got soaked but it really cooled us down so much and was such a relief. I remember it was a lot of fun. I actually wish I was there now with her under the rain. I cannot wait till we go back soon! :animwink: