Rain is an unavoidable part of most Disney World trips. Despite rumors, no there is no glass dome over the Disney Parks. During some times of the year, it is a daily part of your trip and you should have some idea of what to do if it affects your day.
Epcot is one of the best places to get caught in the rain due to its pavilion-style layout. Many of the buildings have multiple rides, shops, and restaurants in them without having to go outside between them.
Now there are many great places to go in the rain in Epcot but I'm going to eliminate one of them now. Most of the World Showcase is not the best place to be in the rain. The majority of pavilions hold several unconnected buildings each with only one thing in each building. If this is your plan for the rain, be sure to have a poncho or umbrella as you will be traveling between buildings. Also, chart your course before you leave to limit your time outside in the rain.
If you are in World Showcase in the rain I recommend making your way to Mexico or America.
The main building of the Mexico Pavilion holds multiple shops, a restaurant, and the Gran Fiesta Tour, a ride starring the Three Caballeros. On top of this, there are cultural exhibits to explore the history of Mexico. All of this is within the entirely inside pavilion, meaning you can do all of this without having to go outside. You can easily ride out an afternoon storm here without ever going outside.
America holds restaurants, performances, cultural exhibits, and the American Adventure, a wonderful show showcasing American history from 1776 to the mid-2010s. This show is about a half-hour long, making it the perfect way to avoid the rain. It can easily entertain you for the duration of an afternoon storm. On top of which if you are lucky you can catch a performance of the wonderful Voices of Liberty in the rotunda of the building.
Whatever you do, do not end up in Canada. There is almost nothing inside in this pavilion besides small shops, a table service restaurant, and a Circlevision show, all of which in different buildings. This is the worst place to be in a rainstorm at Epcot.
Whatever you do, do not end up in Canada. There is almost nothing inside in this pavilion besides small shops, a table service restaurant, and a Circlevision show, all of which in different buildings. This is the worst place to be in a rainstorm at Epcot.
Ideally, in the rain, you want to be in Future World as almost every pavilion is a great place to get stuck in the rain, with several rides or shows in each.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends has both a ride featuring all of your favorite characters from the film as well as Turtle Talk with Crush and a fully functioning aquarium that used to be the largest in the world. This can easily keep you entertained and dry for several hours.
The Land is probably the best place to be in the event of a prolonged storm. It holds two rides, two restaurants, and a film.
You can ride both Living with the Land and Soarin without having to go outside as well as choose between either a table or a quick-service restaurant to eat at. This can easily fill multiple hours of time with fun rides and give you a place to eat in a storm.
You can ride both Living with the Land and Soarin without having to go outside as well as choose between either a table or a quick-service restaurant to eat at. This can easily fill multiple hours of time with fun rides and give you a place to eat in a storm.
The Imagination Pavillion is an ok place to be in the rain but it's not the best. It does hold a fun ride with Epcot's mascot, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, but the post-show is...outdated. By which I mean it runs on a 90's version of Windows and has features that haven't worked in years. It can be fun but not for long periods of time.
It has however gotten more enjoyable with the addition of more meet and greets replacing the outdated exhibits. While we do miss the entire post show being themed to Figment, there is no denying that these are more fun than the outdated exhibits they replaced.
This pavilion also holds a 3D theater at the moment showing a collection of Disney and Pixar shorts. The problem is, while it's in the same building, you must go outside to get to it and it exits directly outside.
Spaceship Earth can be a great rain escape. It's a long ride followed by a post-show with many free arcade games. You can easily spend a few hours in here if needed. But with it entering a multi-year closure soon this won't be an option for long.
Test Track would be a good place to spend a storm as it generally has a long line. The problem is if this closes down because of the rain, which would just send you outside. The post-show is not the best in the park but has many fun games to play.
I am going to say the one place you don't want to be in Future World in the rain is Mission Space. It has relatively short waits and until Space 220 opens the only thing on the inside other than the ride is a small interactive space race game. Not a lot to do if you get stuck inside for an extended period of time.
Epcot has many great places to spend a rainy day, just be sure you are prepared so you aren't caught off guard.
Originally Published: 8/27/18
Last Updated: 2/28/20
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