What Closes When It Rains at Walt Disney World?
April flowers supposedly bring May showers, but that idea doesn’t apply in Orlando, Florida.
Frequent rain showers are a thing at Walt Disney World. During a vacation, you may find yourself stuck in the rain. And there’s something you need to know.
Which attractions close at Walt Disney World when it rains?
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
A few obvious statements apply to rainy weather at theme parks. First, roller coasters are usually a no-go, especially ones that move at high rates of speed.
You don’t want any form of hydroplaning on something going at a high rate of speed.
Similarly, outdoor shows shut down because Disney doesn’t want to jeopardize the health or comfort of its cast members.
Still, some surprises exist at the parks, and we’ll find the first one at Animal Kingdom.
During rainy weather, Kilimanjaro Safaris can and often does stay open. Better yet, the animals behave differently in inclement weather. So, rainy days are some of the best times to ride!
You can watch how the various species react once raindrops start falling on their heads.
Conversely, Expedition Everest will almost certainly close, as will Kali River Rapids and (probably) TriceraTop Spin.
Park officials often shut down the Gorilla Falls Trail since the residents can get cranky in the rain.
The various indoor rides usually stay open, though. Both Na’vi River Journey and Avatar Flight of Passage have no need to close. The same is true of DINOSAUR as well.
You should also find It’s Tough to Be a Bug! and Festival of the Lion King hosting guests as well. Be forewarned that their lines will probably be longer than usual.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Here’s the park that the weather impacts the least! It makes sense when you think about the situation.
Which Hollywood Studios rides are susceptible to the elements? Well, there’s Slinky Dog Dash and…oh! That’s the list!
You can throw in the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!. The stunts there aren’t ones you should try in slippery, rainy weather.
Otherwise, not much changes at Hollywood Studios. Seriously, here’s a list of indoor rides there:
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue!
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Toy Story Mania!
Out of this entire list, the only ride that may shut down is Alien Swirling Saucers. It occurs in a covered area.
However, Disney chose not to enclose the area. So, whipping rain can force closures, but it depends on the storm’s ferocity.
Beyond that, you’ll find that Hollywood Studios attractions remain in operation during rainy weather. Of course, that includes the indoor shows as well.
Please note that these shows, like Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy and Muppet*Vision 3D, may be more crowded than usual, though.
People want to get out of the rain whenever possible.
EPCOT
Here’s the other park that is primarily weather-proof. At EPCOT, only one ride consistently closes when it rains.
I’ve actually stood in line at Test Track on many occasions when a raindrop or two forced cast members to pause all rides.
Rain proves such a concern at Test Track that Disney will close it if there are even reports of lightning in the area.
Contrast that to the list of attractions that will stay open in the rain:
- Frozen Ever After
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
- Journey into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
- Turtle Talk with Crush
I’m not including any of the Circle-Vision shows here, but I could. In short, most of the stuff you love at EPCOT takes place inside.
So, park officials rarely need to close any of it due to weather.
The one catch is that roaming around the World Showcase will require an umbrella or poncho. If not, you’ll get drenched.
Magic Kingdom
Here’s the Walt Disney World park that’s most susceptible to inclement weather. Disney designed this place to feature more outdoor rides.
That’s lovely most of the time. When it rains, you’ll suddenly realize your dilemma, though.
I mean, would you want to ride Jungle Cruise in the rain? It’s not supposed to be a wet ride, but it would be in that scenario.
Other attractions that are likely to close for rain include:
- Astro Orbiter
- The Barnstormer
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- The Boats to Tom Sawyer Island
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Liberty Square Riverboat
- Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Splash Mountain
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
The funniest of the batch, at least to me, is Splash Mountain. You go on this ride to get wet, yet Disney closes it during rainy weather. Seems inconsistent.
When you want something to do during a rainstorm at Magic Kingdom, here are some attractions that should remain open:
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Country Bear Jamboree
- Haunted Mansion
- It’s a Small World
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Space Mountain
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
I haven’t listed two other attractions, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel and Mad Tea Party.
These rides work like Alien Swirling Saucers. They can stay open during the rain, but you probably shouldn’t count on it.
In fact, Mad Tea Party sometimes requires a multi-hour maintenance routine after a rain shower. It’s rare, but it is known to happen.
Finally, you’ll note how few rides are operational at Magic Kingdom during lousy weather. So, you should expect the wait times to spike in length when it rains.
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