An afternoon rain shower in Florida during the summer months is inevitable. We’ve covered what to do if it rains in Walt Disney World, but there’s a difference between everyday rain showers and a lightning storm. While both storms might just come and go, if lightning is observed near the parks, even if it’s not raining, some attractions and rides will be closed down for safety concerns. But fear not, here is everything you need to know when lightning strikes and how you can still enjoy a magical time at the park:
1) Rides that close during lightning – Cast Members keep a constant eye on the weather radar at Walt Disney World. Unfortunately when lightning strikes within 10 miles of the parks all outdoor rides, including water rides close for the safety of the guests. At Magic Kingdom those rides include Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Dumbo (even the indoor Dumbo play area is closed,) Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Liberty Square Riverboat, Tomorrowland Speedway, etc. Meanwhile any indoor rides like Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid and Pirates of the Caribbean will remain open. So the rule of thumb is if it’s an indoor attraction it might be open, if it’s an outdoor attraction it’s closed. You can use the My Disney Experience App to see exactly which rides are open or closed. In addition to the rides closing, all Disney parades and fireworks shows will not perform. The same goes for Disney’s other parks.
2) To Wait or not to Wait – So you’re inside Walt Disney World and Cast Members are alerted of lightning in the area. If you are waiting in a queue, they will first shut down the attraction or ride if there is a danger (mostly the rides that are outside.) Most of the time if you are already in a queue, they won’t kick you out, but other guests won’t be able to enter the queue area. Here’s where you need to decide. You can either leave or stay in hope that it will be reopened soon. First thing you should do is confirm with a Cast Member that the ride is closed due to lightning. If that is the case, leaving is the best option most of the time, especially if you haven’t waited that long. And while, I know that it might be hard to leave after waiting for a long time, it might be the best option. Even if the lightning storm is far and probably will pass around the Magic Kingdom, you’ll are looking to at least an hour wait. It is advised to leave the queue and have fun somewhere else, but keep close to the ride you wanted to go on. When and if they open up again, the wait will be short when they reopen, so get a bite to eat and wait it out there instead to see if they reopen.
On the other hand, if you were at a Disney World Water Park, I would consider staying, especially if it looks like the lightning will clear out in an hour or two. Early afternoon showers and thunder storms, scare off most people. They are not used to the Florida weather, where it’s rainy one minute and sunny the next. When and if the storm clears, the park could be almost empty. Even if you only have an hour or two left until the park closes, you can defiantly get a lot more done if everyone else chooses to leave. Besides, two hours waiting for the storm to clear can fly by if you have lunch or get some shopping done in the meantime.
3) Head indoors – Ok so there’s lightning. What can you do while there’s lightning? Lots. While there might be lightning in the area, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s raining. Not every ride and attraction at Walt Disney World ® is located outside. In fact, there are some pretty entertaining and thrilling rides that don’t involve being outside. Here are a few of our favorites:
Epcot ®:
Soarin’ or anything in The Land area
Imagination
Innoventions
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Ellen’s Energy Adventure
Hollywood Studios ®:
Toy Story Mania!
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Disney Junior Live on Stage!
Magic Kingdom ®:
Space Mountain
Haunted Mansion
Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor
The Carousel of Progress
Mickey’s Philharmagic
Pirates of the Caribbean
Animal Kingdom ®:
Dinosaur
Festival of the Lion King
It’s Tough to Be A Bug
4) Shop and Eat – Something that never closes at Walt Disney World are the fantastic shops! So if you see some down time on the rides you want to go on, get your shopping done. There are so many things that you can only purchase at Walt Disney World. The other good tip to burn some time is to eat. We all got to do it. Might as well use this time to sit down and relax to a fine meal. After lunch, you might find blue skies once again.
5) My Disney Experience App vs Cast Members – The My Disney Experience App is a helpful tool to find out which rides are open and which are closed, but if you want to be first in line when ride are reopened after the storm has cleared. You’ll want to constantly ask Cast Members whenever you can. And if you notice them getting ready to open again, that’s a good sign to stick around the entrance of a popular ride. While the My Disney Experience App is a great tool to use, it won’t be updated as fast as the Cast Members will be.
Orlando, FL -- 08/21/14
By: Jena Pugh & Alex Mateo
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