Disney Parks in the Rain
"Disney Parks in the Rain" by Tara Freeman
When you're thinking of your magical Disney vacation several scenarios play out in your head. You dream of your child's first glimpse of Mickey Mouse. You think about them witnessing their first Disney parade. You plan out what you think will be your family's "must see's". One thing you don't fantasize about, however, is rain.
I was in this predicament in the summer of 2012. My husband and I were taking our two daughters on a trip to Disney World. It would be our first actual family vacation and I was thrilled. My girls were 7 and 11 months old at the time. I couldn't wait to watch my older daughter ride everything she wanted to now that she was a good height and since my youngest was obsessed with the Mickey Mouse Club on Disney Junior, I was counting down the minutes until she was able to meet the gang.
The morning of our first official day in the parks I woke up extremely early due to my excitement! When I walked outside though, there was nothing but extreme amounts of rain. Pouring everywhere. I frantically woke my husband up, checking the weather at the same time. There it was...Tropical Storm Debbie.
I called to see if there was anyway to reschedule our trip. I couldn't imagine lugging a baby and stroller through the mess. I was certain it would just ruin our whole trip. I was so distraught thinking about all of the memories we wouldn't make due to all the rain. My husband, being the calm person that he is, sat me down and assured me that no matter what, we would still have a great time. We didn't know when else we would be able to get down to Disney World, so our best bet was to just deal with the rain. That's just what we did.
We went to Magic Kingdom on our first day, and you wouldn't have believed how short the lines were. We walked onto every single ride and managed to ride all of our favorite rides over and over again. We all had ponchos and were able to use one on the stroller as well, so the only thing sticking out was the baby's head. My oldest daughter and I held hands and giggled down Main Street together as we splashed each other with puddles. My youngest daughter loved the rain splashing into the tray on her stroller. We all laughed as we dashed through the rain to get to our next destination. One of my favorite memories was when we were getting onto Thunder Mountain Railroad. The Cast Member yelled out "Come try our newest water ride!" It certainly felt like one.
At the end of the day, we were exhausted and wet, but we had certainly made memories. Perhaps they weren't exactly how I had dreamed them all to be, but I think that's why I cherish them so much. In the end, you're with your family at the happiest place on Earth making magical memories together. Nothing, not even a Tropical Storm, can prevent that.