Tips about Planning, Rain and Resorts

On a rainy day I brought out a balloon animal kit I got at Target (I was thinking of any rainy day when I bought it). Besides distracting my kids (4 and 6), I wanted to use the handy instructions from the kit to make something other than a dog. My first several attempts failed, but I started getting the hang of it. At lunch we headed to the Contemporary's food court. The animals drew attention. We had instant friends for the kids, thankful parents for distracting their kids, and my skills multiplied. I was even offered game prize tickets for a balloon giraffe. Think of something you like to do on a rainy day and bring it with you to Disney. Your ideas could work their own Disney Magic. - Toohill

A thing that I found to really help pass the time during the storms was trying to make it to a 3D show in the parks. These usually last about 30 minutes and are indoors. Most of the time when you come outside the rain has stopped and the sun is out! - Amy Famiglietti, Malden, MA

What do I do when it's raining on my Disney vacation? I call the airlines and see how much it will be to extend my stay, of course! Actually, I pack the rain poncho and water shoes and head to the parks. There is no better time to get pictures of the World without all of the crowds of people in them. All you need is a break in the clouds to let the sun in for a minute or two and you can get the best pics! - Kathy J. Miller

One of our favorite things to do anytime, but especially if it is raining, is to find a bench or table out of the rain and simply people-watch! On our trip last September, we were waiting for dinner at the Concourse Steakhouse at the Contemporary Resort as the outer bands of Hurricane Rita showered off and on. We sat out in the lobby facing the lake. We also had a great view of the escalators and saw an entire wedding party come in from a soggy ceremony, decked out in their drenched formalwear, but they still were bubbling and overjoyed by their magical Disney wedding, even in the rain! That was priceless! - Callie Shreckengost

My daughter and I wore our Crocs, the comfortable-foam like shoes. It didn't matter whether our feet got wet or not. Carrying a small jacket for those days can help young children to stay warm under their ponchos during the colder months. We also brought homemade ponchos made of hunter orange fabric and could easily find each other in the crowd. - Diane Taylor

For those busy moms who need to keep track of strollers and children during a rainy park day I suggest a great invention.....the umbrella hat! You can find them at various novelty stores on line and they simply are worn as a hat but are actually small umbrellas. They will not keep your entire body dry but they keep the rain out of your face so you can see and you have both hands free to use on the strollers and kids. I have actually worn them and they are pretty comfortable and yet snug enough that they won't blow off unless there is a huge gust of wind.

Disney Springs is a great spot to visit on rainy days. You can go from shop to shop many times without evening going out into the weather. While you are there shopping you might consider taking in a game of bowling or a movie at the AMC theaters.

Take a Disney Vacation Club Tour. That's what we did and we are so glad we did. The DVC has been a wonderful purchase for our family. It is an opportunity to explore the DVC and be in out of the rain at the same time! - Steve & Susan Beck

Take advantage of the exercise rooms in most of the Disney hotels, a nice meal and maybe even a nap... the sun will come back soon enough. And, you will be refueled and energized, ready to go. - Mary Parker

One day it rained the entire day and we were lucky enough to have planned the tea with Alice that day. We took the monorail to the Grand Floridian where my daughter spent a wonderful hour with Alice and the Mad Hatter and my husband and I had a quiet hour together listening to the piano player in the lobby and watching the rain. We took the boat back to the Wilderness Lodge where she spent the rest of the afternoon at the Cub's Den making crafts. After dinner at the hotel where she rode in a hobby horse race, we sat and watched her have her character portrait drawn by the lobby artist. It was a wonderful day and we discovered many wonderful new things to do that we might not have done had it not rained. - Lisa Bliss

A great way to spend a potentially not-so-magical day is to visit Disney Springs. The shops are fantastic and are each beautifully themed. The Once Upon a Toy Store will keep the younger set busy with its interactive toy displays -- be sure to design your own Mr. Potato Head postcard for a fun and cheap (free!) souvenir. The outdoor LEGO play area is also sure to be a hit. As far as dining goes, there are plenty of options to please all members of your group. Disney Springs is also home to a huge movie theater and DisneyQuest -- an indoor interactive theme park good for a few hours of fun when the weather isn't wonderful. My family and I could easily spend an entire day wandering around Disney Springs. Regardless of the weather it's a great place to relax a bit after storming the parks. Enjoy! - Amanda Downs, Whitney Point, NY

Last time we were in Disney on a rainy day we took a bus to Disney Springs to the shops and bought a scrapbook and supplies. We then went back to the hotel and I started working on it while my husband plotted out the next day's itinerary. I even included a rainy day section with pictures of us stuck in the hotel room. I was able to do most of the scrapbook before we left Disney and I had something fun to show my coworkers when we came home. - Danielle Mahoney

My husband and I like to drive over to Disney Springs and do a movie marathon at the AMC24 theater. If we are at the BoardWalk Villas as DVC members when it is pouring, we try to grab a rocking chair on the deck outside the main lobby, curl up with a book and we have a great view of the lagoon and BoardWalk. - Shelley Bordo-Bracken

All Star Resorts - When my family of four (two adults/two teenagers) stayed at the All Star Music resort we brought along two twin-sized air mattresses and the electric pump to inflate them. My daughters slept on the air mattresses while my husband and I had the full sized beds to ourselves. We did need to push the full sized beds closer together to create enough room for the air mattresses and in the mornings we would need to flip one mattress on top of the other but this wasn't too big of a deal. The wonderful Cast Members who came in to clean our room didn't seem to be bothered by the air mattresses and they left our full sized beds where we had placed them. This was our great solution to the sleeping situation when it came to only being able to afford the value resort rooms but needing more space for sleeping. The cost of the air mattresses was actually less than paying for fold-out beds for the eight nights we were there and everyone had their own bed to stretch out in for a more relaxing night's sleep. - Lisa Cash

EDITOR'S NOTE: While this arrangement worked in this particular case, we wanted to note that most All-Star rooms are only meant to accommodate up to four individuals, plus one child in a crib. Bringing the air mattresses to squeeze more than four occupants in a room would be violating the hotel's fire codes.

All Star Resorts - My husband, 4-year-old son and I just returned from a fantastic 10-day WDW trip and one of the best things we did was ship a small coffee pot with filters and coffee packets to our All-Star resort ahead of time since they do not provide coffee pots in those rooms. What a treat it was to just wake up and make our own personal pot of coffee each morning. The 4-cup pot at Walmart was only $19.99, and the filters/coffee were inexpensive. - Laureen EDITOR'S NOTE: The Family Suites at Art of Animation and All Star Music have coffee pots.