tiny umbrella or poncho?

A

anonymousegirl

New Member
Okay, first of all, I don't mind getting a little wet. I don't worry about my clothes, hair or make-up. But we all know it can REALLY rain hard in Florida in the summer. So my question is, should I bring a super-small mini umbrella for use ONLY in those heavy downpours, or carry a poncho (which I tend to dislike as they make me sweaty and hot and are difficult to refold after use)?

For light rain I'll just walk quickly to my next ride/attraction and not bother with anything, but those insta-puddle storms soak you pretty much immediately.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
One Lil Spark

One Lil Spark

EPCOT Center Defender
I say TINY umbrella. You can shake it out and store it in the event of the next shower with minimal effort, whereas ponchos are kind of a 'one shot' deal.
 
Upvote 0
GoofyMom2

GoofyMom2

New Member
I have to say I loved my mini umbrella on our last visit.....until we went on EE and it started raining. My DS had a poncho on and needless to say I couldn't put up my umbrella and I got drenched while he stayed nice and dry! :eek:

So keep that in mind.....umbrella much easier to stow away, but no effective on outside rides..... :wave:
 
Upvote 0
Kristamouse

Kristamouse

Well-Known Member
I hate ponchos but I really HATE being wet and then chilly in the attractions. The A/C is really cranked up in some of thoose longer attractions like POTC, I swear I have gotten frost bite in Sept after getting soaked during a downpour. I have done both and the umbrella did nothing for me, where as the stylish poncho did keep my clothes and head dry.
We have some camping style button front rain jackets that are light and made of simliar material as thicker ponchoes and I bring a couple of grocery store bags to put them in when wet. I also try to dry them off a bit with a good shaking and some paper towels.
I know several posters that get a pack of many from the dollar store and pitch them after each use.
Have fund, I would rather be wet and chilly in WDW than anywhere!
 
Upvote 0
mickey&me

mickey&me

Active Member
Positives & negatives on both:

Umbrellas drip rain on others, poke others even when you're careful, and don't keep rain off your clothes (which are then wet and chilly); however, they're relatively easy to transport and don't cling to you when you're hot

Ponchos are hard to dry off and fold back up after use, are plastic and therefore hot, and are difficult to take on and off when wet; however, they're more protective for you and less invasive to others.

At WDW, we do ponchos; everywhere else we use small umbrellas.
 
Upvote 0
skeeder

skeeder

New Member
I say umbrella. But I do recall the night of October 1st 2007 (waiting for the must see Illuminations) a bad experience with umbrellas. My husband and I had got our spot for Illuminations and a little bit later these 2 girls squeezed in behind us. When it started raining they put up their umbrellas and the rain coming off of their umbrellas was soaking my husband. I still prefer umbrellas but people should be careful with them and considerate of others.
 
Upvote 0
happymom52003

happymom52003

Active Member
We actually take both. But we have two strollers, so it is very easy for us to stash the poncho and the umbrella underneath in the storage basket.

I also hate getting my clothes soaked...so if it is a heavy rain I throw the poncho on. If it is a light rain and we are in an open space, I use the umbrella.

Another use for a poncho.....if the ground is still wet after a rain and you want to sit down to wait for a parade or fireworks, you can sit on the poncho.
 
Upvote 0
kirksheppard

kirksheppard

Well-Known Member
I always use my umbrella AND my poncho

I always have both with me... my umbrella stays attached to my belt and my poncho stays in my pack. The umbrella is good for light drizzle; the poncho comes out when its cold and really raining. ALWAYS BE PREPARED!


and i wasn't even a Boy Scout.
 
Upvote 0
S

susan5027

New Member
I say use both!!! My family has used the ponchos many, many times. The ponchos are probably our best souvenir from our first trip in '02. They gave us the ease and mobility we needed and kept my kids very dry, except for their pants and shoes. As for packing problems, I always carry a plastic grocery bag to put them in and then put them in a backpack where the cushin of the ponchos protects my camcorder and camera. Also, over here on the west coast, we take them to our Fresno State football games where these ponchos give us "bragging/show off oportunities" to tell others, "Hey, we've been to Walt Disney World!" You see, in the central San Joaquin Valley WDW is a dream vacation for many. The biggest thing to hit Fresno was Trent Dilfer yelling, "I'm going to Disney World!!" after the Baltimore Raven's won the superbowl.

Now, as for the umbrella. This past Christmas at Disneyland , my husband and I had reservations for the Napa Rose at the Grand Californian. There was a HUGE downpour (for California standards) and we had to walk from the Disneyland Hotel to the Grand Californian. We had ponchos already, but I insisted that my husband go buy me one of those Mickey umbrellas, because I didn't want to mess up my hair with the hood of the poncho for our special night out. He grumbled, moaned, etc. and left to go to the main lobby to buy one, only to concede on the way back that I was 100% right. He was drenched with "helmet head" from the poncho on his adventure to the sundries shop and used the umbrella on the way back. :lol: Happy ending to the story: My hair stayed perfect and we stayed dry for the wonderful evening we shared. Moral of the story: Plan ahead!! It depends on what you want to do.

And if anyone makes it here to the west coast to Disneyland, you have to eat at the Napa Rose. It is truly special. Get a seat with a view! Sorry this is so long.
 
Upvote 0
Laura

Laura

22
Premium Member
I bring both. It's not worth getting the ponchos out and all unfolded for a quick, light rain. The ponchos are reserved for a few hours of hardcore downpouring. :lol:
 
Upvote 0
P

Philo

Well-Known Member
I do hate ponchos but don't let that stop you. I would always say use an umbrella and as many inside attractions as you can manage (but not at the same time....)
 
Upvote 0
janni518

janni518

New Member
anonymousegirl said:
Okay, first of all, I don't mind getting a little wet. I don't worry about my clothes, hair or make-up. But we all know it can REALLY rain hard in Florida in the summer. So my question is, should I bring a super-small mini umbrella for use ONLY in those heavy downpours, or carry a poncho (which I tend to dislike as they make me sweaty and hot and are difficult to refold after use)?

For light rain I'll just walk quickly to my next ride/attraction and not bother with anything, but those insta-puddle storms soak you pretty much immediately.
Click to expand...


I lose every umbrella I take anywhere, for that reason alone, I'll go with poncho.
 
Upvote 0
Mikester71

Mikester71

Well-Known Member
Our first trip down there, we just bought the WDW ponchos during one of the downpours and I have to say that I was really disappointed with their quality. All of ours (5 of us) ended up tearing quite easily, so we didn't even get to keep them as souvenirs. So last trip we just bought some from the dollar store and they did the job. Might just buy a bunch next year when we go down and then just throw them out as we use them. Much easier then trying to fold them back up and dry them out. :p
 
Upvote 0

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom