Hoppin’ news! Universal Epic Universe is now open — and you can save on your Universal Orlando tickets when you purchase through Undercover Tourist, up to $88 per ticket!
Right in the heart of Orlando, Universal Epic Universe is a shining, shimmering new theme park jam-packed with five frogtastic worlds of wonder. From the ominous streets of Darkmoor to the larger-than-life alleyways of Place Cachée, this thrilling theme park has so much to explore. While not ideal for a perfect visit, rain is bound to happen at some point during your vacation — especially during the summer. Like clockwork, you can always count on an afternoon shower in June through September (sometimes even in May and October). A little (or a lot) of rain should by no means put a damper on your day, though. We're here to help you navigate a rainy day at Epic Universe and share our best tips for surviving everything from a slight sprinkle to a heavy downpour.
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Overview of Orlando's Climate
Florida's rainy season typically begins in late May, lasts for about five months and clears out by mid-October. During this time, it tends to rain or thunderstorm in the afternoon or evening hours. In fact, Orlando receives more than half of its yearly rainfall during this period — about 61%!
As the sun heats the land more quickly than the surrounding ocean, air rises over the land. Cooler, moist air from the Atlantic and Gulf then rushes in to replace it, forming sea breezes. These breezes collide over the Florida peninsula in the afternoon, causing rain to rapidly rise, condense and form those daily thunderstorms, usually between 4 and 6 p.m., when the heat is at its peak.
Sometimes these showers come and go quickly, but they can also last for hours. It varies by the day.
In October, cooler and drier air masses from the north begin pushing down into the southern half of the United States. These cold fronts drop dew points, lower overnight temperatures and disrupt the sea breeze cycle, choking off the fuel for those afternoon storms.
Packing for the Rain at Epic Universe
It's unfortunately not always a perfect day for wing gliding. Here's what you need to bring should the weather decide to make Berk's wet heap of rocks even wetter.
Ponchos or Raincoats
Ditch the umbrellas (which can be a nuisance to carry around all day) and either throw a poncho in your backpack or tie a raincoat around your waist. Ponchos provide more coverage — and can even keep your backpack dry — while raincoats can also act as a jacket. While there are ponchos for sale at most gift shops, we recommend saving some money and buying a pack of them from Walmart or Amazon in advance. When you get back to your hotel, remember to dry off your rain accessories to prevent mold and mildew.
Quick-Dry Clothing and Proper Footwear
Lightweight, moisture-wicking, quick-dry fabrics are going to be your best friend on a rainy day. While thick fabrics, such as denim or cotton, may look more stylish, they dry more slowly and can get uncomfortable when wet. The last thing you want is to step inside an air-conditioned queue, restaurant or gift shop and start shivering because you're soaked from head to toe.
Speaking of toes, be sure to bring water-resistant shoes that have a good grip to prevent slipping and sliding, and even an extra pair of socks to keep your feet comfy!
Ziploc Bags
Keep your wallet, phone and other valuable accessories and electronics dry with either a sandwich or gallon-sized Ziploc bag.
Small Hand Towel
This isn't exactly a necessity, but we do recommend throwing one in your bag to wipe off wet seats and benches and even yourself once the rain clears!
Stroller Rain Cover
If you're using a stroller, consider bringing a rain cover to protect it from the elements. It'll keep your tadpole dry if you find yourself needing to walk in the rain, and even the stroller itself if you need to leave it outside. (Some stroller parking is covered, but not all.) We recommend keeping it on throughout the day and zipping it closed when you need to leave it behind before hopping in a queue. You can find fairly cheap ones on Amazon. Ponchos also work, but they can blow away in the wind easily.
Tips for a Rainy Day at Epic Universe
In addition to casting good ol' "meteolojinx recanto," here are our top tips for surviving a rainy day at Epic Universe.
1. Knock Out Outdoor Attractions Early
The biggest thing to know about a rainy day at Epic Universe is that many rides will be affected by a weather delay. (See the list of unaffected attractions below.) That means you're going to want to hit up everything that will close down due to weather (i.e. thunder and lightning) as early as possible. That includes Hiccup's Wing Gliders, Curse of the Werewolf and Mine-Cart Madness. Getting these out of the way before thunder and lightning appear will help you not worry about missing out on them later.
2. Stay at a Universal Orlando Resort Hotel
There are tons of reasons to stay at a Universal Orlando Resort hotel, but the biggest one of all is having access to Early Park Admission. This epic perk allows you to enter the park up to one hour prior to opening. Use this extra hour to tackle rides such as Yoshi's Adventure and Stardust Racers if the clouds are forecast to turn grey later in the day.
3. Enjoy Indoor Activities
In addition to riding indoor attractions, there are tons of other ways to wait out a weather delay. Enjoy a nice sit-down meal at Atlantic or The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant, get that souvenir shopping done, see one of the two Broadway-caliber stage shows, or even undergo a fangtastic makeover at the Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience.
4. Explore the Village of Darkmoor
You're going to be grateful you packed those ponchos and raincoats. There's one wicked world in Epic Universe that absolutely glistens in the rain: Dark Universe. The decrepit and decaying village of Darkmoor was quite literally made for dark clouds, rainfall and lightning-filled skies. If you've ever wanted to know what it felt like to be in Dr. Henry Frankenstein's lab on that fateful dark and stormy night, you're not going to want to miss out on this bone-chilling experience. Brave the showers and stroll the village's crumbling streets. Plus, absolutely nothing beats seeing the vanes of The Burning Blade Tavern set ablaze once the skies open up.
5. Wait It Out
Something that tends to hoppen at theme parks when rides start seeing downtime and bad weather starts rolling in is that guests will start to leave. Don't be one of those people. Wait it out and be one of the first to get back in a line when the rides start reopening. Plus, rides will only shut down if there's thunder and lightning in the area. If it's just a shower, outdoor rides will still remain open! We were recently able to throw on our raincoats and walk right onto Yoshi's Adventure during a slight drizzle. We've also been able to meet Toothless in the rain since the actual meeting area for the lovable dragon is underneath a covered structure!
6. Check the Weather Radar
The best thing you're going to want to do is keep your eye on the forecast. Download a free weather app, such as The Weather Channel or MyRadar, track any incoming storms and gauge the intensity level to figure out if you can make it to another attraction before the clouds start rolling in. Radars will give you an accurate depiction of what's to come (or what's currently going on) in your specific location.
Best Epic Universe Attractions for Staying Dry
Hop to these epic attractions when thunder and lightning appear in the area.
- Constellation Carousel (covered outdoor queue and ride)
- Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry (indoor queue and ride)
- Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge (indoor queue and ride)
- Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment (indoor queue and ride)
- Le Cirque Arcanus (indoor show)
- The Untrainable Dragon (indoor show)
What are your favorite ways to survive a rainy day at Epic Universe? Let us know in the comments below!
Related: What to Do on a Rainy Day at Universal Orlando
Hoppy planning!
