When we visit WDW in the summer it invariably rains in the afternoon - often shutting down rides & leaving us stranded under overcrowded overhangs or shoulder-to-shoulder snack areas with little to offer.

What are you favourite places to wait out the rain?

Us:
1) Blue Line
2) Cosmic Chicken/Starlight Cafe

I like the little shop by the entrance in the Studios with all the memorabilia. LOTS to look at, and because it's not connected to anything else, it's usually not too crowded.

What do you mean by "Blue Line"?

What do you mean by "Blue Line"?
The Tomorrowland Transit Authority - great place just to sit back & relax in the middle of a busy day. We'll go around a few times without getting off. It's covered and runs even when raining.

The Tomorrowland Transit Authority - great place just to sit back & relax in the middle of a busy day. We'll go around a few times without getting off. It's covered and runs even when raining.

Yea, that is a good one!

#1. Under my rain poncho, continuing to do anything that I want to, usually with shorter lines because everybody else is hiding out under an awning or in a shop somewhere ;).

#2. Columbia Harbor House -- table by the window, upstairs, in the covered bridge over the walkway between Fantasyland & Liberty Square. Enjoy some fish & chips, and watch everybody else who's still out there under their rain ponchos.

I haven't been any place good during the rain. But I can honestly say that being at a busstop, waiting for a ride is not a good place to be stranded. Also, being on the monorail, when the rain is so bad that the trains stay at the stations...that's not too fun either!

I'll tend to stop wherever and just wait it out. While it's happened many times, for whatever reason I really remember the time when I was walking in Epcot from Test Track to the Mexico side of the World Showcase, and the rain hit just as I was passing the Oddysey. I just hung out there by the Oddysey with a great view of both Futureworld and the World Showcase, enjoying all the silly people as they scurried to the exit. Twenty minutes later I had the WS all to myself!

O' Canada.

I went in there once during a thunderstorm last year and when I came out, the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. Hockey, cheap medication, and stopping the rain. Is there anything Canadiens can't do?

#1. Under my rain poncho, continuing to do anything that I want to, usually with shorter lines because everybody else is hiding out under an awning or in a shop somewhere ;).
This is my take as well. Unless there is a real bad storm and safety is an issue, we don our poncho's and keep on going.

I usually will don a poncho, too - but I really really hate for my feet to be wet, which is what will keep me under cover for the worst of a downpour.

Le Chefs de France; two times in a row now, our ARs timed out perfectly to thunderstorms -- made it so nice to be inside and comfortable, dining in Paris.

I usually will don a poncho, too - but I really really hate for my feet to be wet, which is what will keep me under cover for the worst of a downpour.

I've never been a fan of the ponchos. Yeah, they're great outside in the rain, but then you have to struggle to take them off when you get inside. And then you have a wet hunk o' plastic to drag around. I much prefer the Mickey umbrellas. I never bring one with me - I just pick one up if it looks like it's gonna stay rainy for a while. I've got about 5 of 'em at home by now!

We usually head the opposite direction of where all the crowds are going:p

I've tried the Mickey poncho and the Mickey umbrella each on different trips, and although I love how the poncho made me feel free walking in the rain, I hated the on/off process, I think I prefer the umbrella, it was much easier.

Usually we throw the Yellow mickey poncho on an keep going! Otherwise there have been about 3 times when we were at AK and we sat under the protection of the Dawa bar area until it let up. It's a nice big covered area so my son could still get out of the stroller and run around a bit and I could have beer and relax during the waiting. :)

Ellen's Energy Adventure! Takes 45 minutes, so it usually coincides with the showers!

Right now getting caught in a rain storm in 70 or 80 degree weather sounds very appealing to me, as I sit in my family room in Chicago waiting for another of our long line of snow storms to start. They are predicting 4 to 8 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow!! It sure is nice to know that in one week we will be in Disney, so that rain does not sound too bad.

Contemporary Resort....I used to go upstairs to the California Grill, order a drink, sit by the windows facing the MK!! Good Times!

Just about any of the eateries in Epcot will work fine, particularly the Bier Hall. I also like ducking into the Mexican pavillion if its a sudden shower.

We only go to WDW in the hottest, wettest months (thanks to the kids' school schedules) ... so we learn to live with the rain. It's omnipresent, but the good thing is that it rarely lasts too long. There's no point getting upset about it because it's going to come ... so just poncho up, secure the cameras and have fun with it.

Take advantage of short lines!!!

Most of the lines are under awnings of some sort, so DON'T go to a restaurant like everyone else. Most people will take this time to get a snack or meal. But it is the perfect time to hop in line for space mountain, or another ride with an indoor queue. It was absolutely pouring one day, and my friend and I were able to do Fantasyland in half of the time while everyone else ran into dry places. It was totally worth getting out feet wet on a warm, yet very rainy, Disney World day!

My favorite place to be during a downpour in the summer is right in the middle of the street. No crowds and a refreshing soak to cool me down. Keep in mind that I dress to get wet in the summer so there are no worries about wet feet.

I have had a couple of lovely rainy afternoons spending too much money at Mousegears! But the last rainy day we went over to Disney West Side and went to the movies.

Do you remember the aerial trams that used to run between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland? These were the ones that hung from overhead cables - they used to be in both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland but - much to my chagrin - they were removed from both parks a few years back. Anyway, they were the WORST place to be during a heavy rain storm. There were bad thunderstorms at Disneyland and the ride stopped for some reason. They actually had to bring in ladder trucks and have people climb down out of the baskets. Ah, those were te days!

We've jumped on It's a Small World during a storm and the electricty went out in the middle of the ride...then the dolls looked scary!!! :eek: