Youre on the vacation that youve always dreamed of, Mickey calls your room to wake you up, you bounce out of bed and pull back the curtains of your hotel room, and.NO!! Its raining outside. And according to the weather forecast you just turned on, its likely to rain all day.

Now what? Well, theres no need to stay cooped up in your room all day. In fact, unless the weather is severe, the best thing to do is put on your rain ponchos and duck shoes and hit the parks. Youll find that the crowds are lighter because the rain will keep many away, especially locals. And a large majority of the attractions at Disney Worlds theme parks are under cover or inside. So the amount of time youll spend slogging through the rain will be managable.

If the weather is severe, or you just cant stand to be out in the elements, try heading to Downtown Disney for the day. You can spend the day shopping, eating, and enjoy some indoor entertainment. Take in a flick at the AMC Movie Theater, spend hours trying out the 5 floors of indoor interactive enterainment at DisneyQuest, or watch magic demonstrations at Magic Masters.

You can easily blow your diet sampling Downtown Disneys food choices: split a sundae at Ghirardelli Chocolates, make your own treat at Goofys Candy Company, try fine Italian dining at the Portabello Yacht Club, or have food with a Latin flair at Bongos.

If you do decide to brave the weather and visit the parks, here are some useful tips:

• Wear a baseball cap to keep the rain off your face (much easier than trying to carry an umbrella).
• Protect your camera, cell phone, pager, etc. by storing them in a zippered plastic bag.
• Carry a small hand towel or twotheyll come in handy for drying off seats and other surfaces.
• Waterproof shoes will keep your feet most comfortable; but at the very least wear rubber-soled shoes to keep from slipping and falling in wet areas.