“If you don’t like the weather in Orlando, wait 10 minutes, it will change.” That’s the conventional wisdom, but it isn’t always the case. What is true is that the weather in central Florida can be quite unpredictable. Funnel clouds near Epcot are not unusual. This can be difficult if you’re planning a vacation to theme parks in Orlando, as you’ll probably be booking your trip months, if not years in advance, and there’s just no way to know what the weather is going to be like once you’re there until it’s too late.
I recently visited Universal Orlando Resort to check out the holiday season festivities for the first time, and the weather did not cooperate. While the actual day that most of the holiday events started was dry enough, I had some time to myself to visit the parks the day before that and found myself with the choice to either brave the rain or stay in my hotel room all day.
That’s not really an option, is it? If you’ve booked a trip to Universal Orlando, you’re not going to let rain stand in your way. I didn’t either, but that’s not to say I was in any way prepared for what I got myself into. Now that I have spent a day in a theme park in the rain, here are a few of the things I learned. Feel free to benefit from my mistakes.
Prepare For Any Weather
This one sounds obvious, and it definitely is, but that doesn’t mean that I did it. My situation is a bit unique as I don’t usually plan theme park trips far in advance. I’m usually going to these places to work, and doing so with as little as a couple weeks notice a lot of the time. Maybe that’s why I don’t usually do the necessary due diligence to check what the weather is going to be like. It’s Florida, so it’s always sunny, right?
If you can’t avoid the rain, then be comfortable in the rain. It’s all you can ask, whatever that means for you. If you have a nice coat or umbrella, bring it. I like to travel light and not carry too much when I’m in a theme park, but I’m not going to be running from one ride to the next the way I might be on a nicer day.
I hit the park wearing nothing but a light hoodie on this recent trip, which wasn’t entirely useless, but it got well and truly soaked, which meant that eventually, so did I. Even if I had decided to forego an umbrella, and I almost always do, I could have worn more appropriate clothing.
Some Attractions May Be Closed In The Rain
One great way to avoid the rain is to get on a ride. Most of the queues at both Universal Orlando and Disney World are indoors specifically to protect from both the heat and the rain. But there may be some attractions, i.e. the ones that are outdoors, that are going to close if the rain gets too heavy, so be ready for that.
All four of Universal Orlando’s outdoor roller coasters, Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios Florida, and The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Jurassic World Velocicoaster (the newest addition) and the excellent Hagrid Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal’s Islands of Adventure can run if the rain is light, but they’ll shut down if the rain is too strong. Considering how popular these rides are, and the fact that two of them are fairly new, there’s a good chance they will be high on your list of attraction priorities. If they’re closed, that can really mess things up.
This means that you’ll need to work around them if they end up closed, but it also means if you’re on a trip where they are up and running, but you’re afraid the weather may change later, you may want to go get in line now, even if it's long, to ensure you don’t miss your chance. Velocicoaster was the one ride I really wanted to ride, having not been able to do it previously. I had to wait until day two of my trip to do so, as on day one, it was completely shut down due to rain.
A Lot Of Lines Will Probably Be Shorter, Take Advantage
If you’re wandering a theme park in the pouring rain, it’s probably because you really couldn’t avoid it. However, anybody who can avoid it probably is. That means there’s a good chance that if you’re there in the rain, the crowds will be a lot lighter than they might otherwise be. You might as well take advantage of it. If you can't do the big rides because they're closed by the weather, make up for it by doing all the small rides. You'll be surprised how many there are and how many you can do.
That also means taking a fairly systematic approach to the park. Rather than running from one ride to the next based on what you’re most interested in or what has the best lines, consider an approach that hits rides that are close together one after the other. This reduces the amount of time you are subjected to the elements since the time between queues is much shorter.
When I have free time in the parks, I usually make a few key priorities and knock those out first, regardless of where they're located. I usually don't mind doing a lot of walking because theme parks are where I get the majority of my exercise. This meant I was crossing both parks constantly and just ended up getting wetter.
Eat Everything
This one was not a mistake I made, because I never make the mistake of not eating as much great food at Universal Orlando as I can. But it's all the more important if you're in a park in the rain. If you need to take shelter for a while, find a place where you can grab a chair and something tasty.
You may need to take more frequent breaks if the rain gets too strong or you just get too tired of it. If that's going to happen anyway, enjoy the downtime. Rather than having a couple of big meals, go for small, but more frequent dishes. You can try more stuff and you have more fun. Also, nothing warms you up on a cold night like hot butterbeer, which is the best form of butterbeer
If you discover that it’s going to rain during your next trip to Universal Orlando, there isn’t a lot you can do about the weather. It will be too late to cancel the trip by the time you realize the weather is going to suck. The best you can do is be ready for it.
Even though I got soaked to the bone, I still had a lot of fun during my rain-soaked day at Universal Orlando Resort. These are great theme parks and they’re fun rain or shine.
