Hurricane Dorian / WDW Theme Parks Discussion

[lovethattink]

Can you report back on how the gas/traffic situations are? Would be useful I think.

My dh couldn't find gas after work tonight. He stopped at 3 stations before giving up.

 

[LSUmiss]

Just some thoughts I’m having -
Wondering if I am crazy to not even look at changing our plans. We fly in Saturday at 9:00 am for 7 days.

The thought of canceling freaks me out because I gradually paid for this trip with mostly gift cards. I believe all of those funds would go back on the individual gift cards - over $4000. I’m not even sure where I put them all

You can get them to put it all on one or a few gift cards that you know you have. But you can’t get it refunded to a credit card or anything.

 

[RaySharpton]

Has anyone stayed on Walt Disney World Resort property during a hurricane in the past?

Which hurricane or approximate date were you at WDW?

Which resort did you stay at?

Did the parks close while you were there?

Were your resort restaurants or food courts still open or were they closed?

I was just curious about past experiences staying at a WDW Resort during a hurricane.

I am staying oceanfront at Daytona Beach, Florida and this afternoon, Volusia County says they may make a decision tomorrow if a mandatory evacuation will be issued where I am staying.

I don't think they will make the call for mandatory evacuation tomorrow, but maybe Saturday. I don't know.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=367077950881300

I think that they said they were going to see the updates and then make a decision about the day and time.

They said the bridges from the beachside to the mainland would have to close down at sustained wind speeds of 39 miles per hour. And they mentioned another wind speed for when the emergency personnel will not be out and about.

The wind now is only 10-15 miles per hour.

I have a WDW Pop Century Resort reservation for Sunday and Monday and afterward, I hope that I can return to Daytona Beach, Florida to finish my reservation through a week from Sunday.

Three years ago, there was a mandatory evacuation when I was here during Hurricane Mathew, and the oceanfront resort closed due to the Volusia County mandatory evacuation. I was lucky to get the last plane flight out and back to Atlanta.

I have a rental car now and the gas tank is full and everything packed just in case I am told to leave.

Thank you in advance.

Ray

 

[SaintsManiac]

Has anyone stayed on Walt Disney World Resort property during a hurricane in the past?

Which hurricane or approximate date were you at WDW?

Which resort did you stay at?

Did the parks close while you were there?

Were your resort restaurants or food courts still open or were they closed?

I was just curious about past experiences staying at a WDW Resort during a hurricane.

I am staying oceanfront at Daytona Beach, Florida and this afternoon, Volusia County says they may make a decision tomorrow if a mandatory evacuation will be issued where I am staying.

I don't think they will make the call for mandatory evacuation tomorrow, but maybe Saturday. I don't know.

I think that they said they were going to see the updates and then make a decision about the day and time.

They said the bridges from the beachside to the mainland would have to close down at sustained wind speeds of 39 miles per hour. And they mentioned another wind speed for when the emergency personnel will not be out and about.

The wind now is only 10-15 miles per hour.

I have a WDW Pop Century Resort reservation for Sunday and Monday and afterward, I hope that I can return to Daytona Beach, Florida to finish my reservation through a week from Sunday.

Three years ago, there was a mandatory evacuation when I was here during Hurricane Mathew, and the oceanfront resort closed due to the Volusia County mandatory evacuation. I was lucky to get the last plane flight out and back to Atlanta.

I have a rental car now and the gas tank is full and everything packed just in case I am told to leave.

Thank you in advance.

Ray

If you run a search you can find lots of reports from Irma 2 years ago. There was one huge thread for sure.

 

[randumb0]

Has anyone stayed on Walt Disney World Resort property during a hurricane in the past?

Which hurricane or approximate date were you at WDW?

Which resort did you stay at?

Did the parks close while you were there?

Were your resort restaurants or food courts still open or were they closed?

I was just curious about past experiences staying at a WDW Resort during a hurricane.

I am staying oceanfront at Daytona Beach, Florida and this afternoon, Volusia County says they may make a decision tomorrow if a mandatory evacuation will be issued where I am staying.

I don't think they will make the call for mandatory evacuation tomorrow, but maybe Saturday. I don't know.

I think that they said they were going to see the updates and then make a decision about the day and time.

They said the bridges from the beachside to the mainland would have to close down at sustained wind speeds of 39 miles per hour. And they mentioned another wind speed for when the emergency personnel will not be out and about.

The wind now is only 10-15 miles per hour.

I have a WDW Pop Century Resort reservation for Sunday and Monday and afterward, I hope that I can return to Daytona Beach, Florida to finish my reservation through a week from Sunday.

Three years ago, there was a mandatory evacuation when I was here during Hurricane Mathew, and the oceanfront resort closed due to the Volusia County mandatory evacuation. I was lucky to get the last plane flight out and back to Atlanta.

I have a rental car now and the gas tank is full and everything packed just in case I am told to leave.

Thank you in advance.

Ray

I remember reading 2 years ago reading about hotel guests complaining about the food being bag lunches as none of the restaurants were open. The parks were closed for 1 or 2 days.

 

[randumb0]

 

[RaySharpton]

Thanks, randumb0. Maybe I'll have better luck adding the word Irma to my search.

I remember reading 2 years ago reading about hotel guests complaining about the food being bag lunches as none of the restaurants were open. The parks were closed for 1 or 2 days.

 

[LSUmiss]

Yep. I will never travel during the summer again. Both times we had storms heading to our house while we were away. I remembered why I always say no to summer travel!

I thought I was safe with this July but then Barry. It was a non event, but it caused me all kinda stress trying to decide what to do.

 

[RaySharpton]

Thanks, randumb0. I didn't think of that.

I remember reading 2 years ago reading about hotel guests complaining about the food being bag lunches as none of the restaurants were open. The parks were closed for 1 or 2 days.

View attachment 430905

 

[randumb0]

It's a good thing you have a full tank. There are no gas stations around me with gas

 

[AngiTN]

Has anyone stayed on Walt Disney World Resort property during a hurricane in the past
Yes

Which hurricane or approximate date were you at WDW?
Mathew

Which resort did you stay at?
Boardwalk

Did the parks close while you were there?
Yes

Were your resort restaurants or food courts still open or were they closed? No

in our case they did not un with operations as normal
all meals were run out of a central choice
they put a bufffet in both flying fish and tratoria
Same food in. both. flat rate
Food was just fine.

 

[Tonyz]

Has anyone stayed on Walt Disney World Resort property during a hurricane in the past?

Which hurricane or approximate date were you at WDW?

Which resort did you stay at?

Did the parks close while you were there?

Were your resort restaurants or food courts still open or were they closed?

I was just curious about past experiences staying at a WDW Resort during a hurricane.

Animal Kingdom Lodge during Hurricane Irma. Amazing experience!

- The parks closed early Saturday night and stayed closed the next two days. Sunday morning we were giving information on what to expect for the new two days. There would be a channel that played nothing but Disney movies if you didn’t want to leave your room. There would be activities every hour in the lobby, concluding with a screening of Aladdin at 8:30 that night. The gift shop would be open. The Mara would be open. Boma would be open… and only 20 bucks! Housekeeping would not be available, but we were given extra towels, toilet paper, coffee and a flashlight.

- The whole day there were good vibes throughout the place. Safari Goofy and Rafiki led dance parties. There was face painting and drum circles, trivia and games.

- With the storm starting to pick up around 8:00 PM, kids were still in the lobby singing Let It Go. It could have been a very scary experience for these kids, but the cast members turned it into a party. I went to shop at the gift shop and management was sitting on sandbags making sure the water was getting into the store. They were laughing and joking around, and asked me to join them so of course I did!

- The morning after it hits, it was basically business as usual for the resort. I went down to The Mara at about 8 in the morning and kids were already in the lobby playing games with the cast members. The pathway to The Mara was currently being cleaned so we were taken through the backway that the cast members use. A couple hours later everything was cleaned up and you were free to go outside to The Mara or walk the pathways in the savannah. Safari Mickey made an appearance in the lobby and led another dance party. Later that day Minnie made an appearance too. Boma was open and delicious as ever. And at 20 bucks it felt like stealing.


Nothing but good things to say about doing Disney during a hurricane!

 

[RescueRanger]

I thought I was safe with this July but then Barry. It was a non event, but it caused me all kinda stress trying to decide what to do.

Us too. What normally is a 14 hour drive took us 20 hours. In order to miss the storm, we had to drive up and around to get back to SE Texas.

 

[mckennarose]

For those of you who mentioned you don’t have gas around you, can you share where those area are?
We are currently in Georgia watching what happens and will decide tomorrow what we will do, turn back home or proceed. We’re in Byron and gas is available. I called the Sheraton where were scheduled to stay tomorrow and they told me several people who live on the coast are booking there to ride it out. We’re trying to catch up on updates now after having been driving all day.

 

[RBZ]

The Weather Channel is saying this could be an unprecedented event. There's still uncertainty, but if it hits Florida they expect it to move slowly north and dump a lot rain with hurricane force winds from Sunday evening into Wednesday. This is going to ruin a lot of vacations, including my own. We have cabin reserved at Fort Wilderness and we don't expect Disney to let us stay there. I'm going to call in the morning with the hope they let us cancel as I have family member with mobility issues, so moving from place to place and not having the proper facilities is not an option.

Stay safe everybody, especially those who live there!

 

[drp4video]

Has anyone stayed on Walt Disney World Resort property during a hurricane in the past?

Which hurricane or approximate date were you at WDW?

Which resort did you stay at?

Did the parks close while you were there?

Were your resort restaurants or food courts still open or were they closed?

I was just curious about past experiences staying at a WDW Resort during a hurricane.

I am staying oceanfront at Daytona Beach, Florida and this afternoon, Volusia County says they may make a decision tomorrow if a mandatory evacuation will be issued where I am staying.

I don't think they will make the call for mandatory evacuation tomorrow, but maybe Saturday. I don't know.

I think that they said they were going to see the updates and then make a decision about the day and time.

They said the bridges from the beachside to the mainland would have to close down at sustained wind speeds of 39 miles per hour. And they mentioned another wind speed for when the emergency personnel will not be out and about.

The wind now is only 10-15 miles per hour.

I have a WDW Pop Century Resort reservation for Sunday and Monday and afterward, I hope that I can return to Daytona Beach, Florida to finish my reservation through a week from Sunday.

Three years ago, there was a mandatory evacuation when I was here during Hurricane Mathew, and the oceanfront resort closed due to the Volusia County mandatory evacuation. I was lucky to get the last plane flight out and back to Atlanta.

I have a rental car now and the gas tank is full and everything packed just in case I am told to leave.

Thank you in advance.

Ray

It is my understanding that Disney has it's own power generator and most of the lines are underground so they do not lose power during hurricanes. In 2004 I was there for Hurricane Charlie, staying at POP, we did not lose power. The parks closed at 1:00 p.m. on the day of the hurricane and disney showed movies on the tv all night. Parks were opened the next day, except for the Animal Kingdom which was closed for two days. The food court did close the afternoon of the hurricane and only free snacks were handed out by CM's. Those of us smart enough, coughmecough, stocked up on food before the food court closed. Once the hurricane went through, at about 11:00 pm, the food court opened up for sandwiches and other cold items. It was opened for full breakfast the next day. Disney kept us updated with flyers and phone calls to the room.

 

[joviroxx]

Agree, after the storm is awful. Waiting for the hurricane is kind of pain too especially when they slow down but after is a pain. No power, it's hot, dealing with damage and insurance. It's not fun. Thankfully our hurricane damages over the years have been covered by insurance and we were able to remain in our home but it's never fun. My heart always hurts for those that have lost everything. I was in S Florida when Andrew hit and that was awful. Have family that lost their homes.

I did Andrew and Im still live here. The mosquitos! Those things love the standing water. Hot, humid, mosquitos and bugs

Can you report back on how the gas/traffic situations are? Would be useful I think.

im in South Florida, (Broward county). There were gas stations running out today and long lines at some stations)

 

[MimiDee905]

I called about 5 hours ago and was on hold for an hour. Spoke to Disney and explained my situation. Our trip begins Wed. 9-4 thru Sun. 9-8. Was mostly worried about flying in Wednesday not know what this storm is going to do. He allowed me to cancel my whole package, room and tickets. Southwest allowed me to change flights and pay the ticket difference to California, so we booked Disneyland instead! I'm so thankful to be rid of the anxiety of this storm but still keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers for your safety! I hope everyone going can still make the best of their trip!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Has anyone stayed on Walt Disney World Resort property during a hurricane in the past?

Has anyone stayed on Walt Disney World Resort property during a hurricane in the past?
Yes.

Which hurricane or approximate date were you at WDW?
We were there for Irma (September 2017). We arrived on the Friday and Irma hit on Sunday evening.

Which resort did you stay at?
Bay Lake Tower

Did the parks close while you were there?
Yes. They closed early Saturday night, in order to start getting the parks ready for the storm. And they stayed closed Sunday and Monday. They reopened on Tuesday but I can't remember if it was on time or if the opening was delayed.

Were your resort restaurants or food courts still open or were they closed?
The restaurants including the Contempo Cafe (quick service) were open. Since we were in Bay Lake and the restaurants are in the Contemporary, we didn't have access during the actual hurricane because getting to the Contemporary meant leaving the building and walking over. I believe the restaurants were open during that time for guests of the Contemporary. Restaurants were open on Monday and we were able to walk over because the storm had passed. They had a buffet set up in The Wave and it was only $15 per person, an awesome deal. Because of that, we ate there for both lunch and dinner on Monday and didn't even check out the Contempo Cafe to see what they were serving.

For during the hurricane, I packed some snacks in our luggage. I was concerned about lines for food on Saturday due to horror stories I'd read here about super long lines at the food courts and them only having boxed lunches available. So when we arrived Friday night, we ate at the Contempo Cafe, and I ordered a couple extra meals to go. We took those back to our room and stored them in the refrigerator. Since we were in a villa, we had a microwave in order to reheat the meals, and that was dinner for Sunday.

 

[Lauraubie]

We cancelled as well. We were supposed to arrive Sunday evening, check out on Saturday. They did allow me to cancel and said I would get a full refund. She said it would take 7-10 business days for the refund to come through. I paid with gift cards for part of my trip and they will refund to the gift cards - which I don't have any longer. So now I have to either call it a loss for that or go through guest services to get that money back. Thankfully it isn't too much.

I am grateful that Disney allowed us to cancel. But sad that we won't get to go. We were going to celebrate my daughters 9th birthday on Tuesday.

Now we are going to re-focus our energy on re-booking and planning something for this weekend for my disappointed daughter.

Stay safe everyone!