Hurricane Irma?

[sunshine1]

I cancelled ours earlier today. Took 6 hrs to do everything, package, MNSSHP, Southwest (only gave credit no refund) and memory maker, ADRs, FPs. I haven't stopped crying off and on all day. I also cried unpacking our suitcases. We were supposed to fly in the morning and arrive at Pop Century around 1pm. So sad about it, and it was a very hard decision. I am still not sure if it was the right one. We could not get changed or rebooked with our free dining. So we have nothing right now. Sad. I cannot get past what we would have been doing at WDW starting tomorrow. I also have multiple hours into our MNSSHP costumes that we now might not get to wear or go this year. Sucks.

I was due to fly in from UK tomorrow and yes whilst it is disappointing i watch the news and think it is nothing compared to people having theirs homes destroyed and even some have died.

 

[RIdisfan]

Will my friends that are there now till next Wen , will they have to stay in Pop all weekend ? Will the parks be open or will it be a wait and see each day

 

[Feralpeg]

Local news just announced all incoming and outgoing flights at MCO will be stopped at 5pm on Saturday.

 

[DLM1980]

Has any one cancelled their room and it is still showing up in MDE? I called but I can't wait 60 min to ask a question.

Yesterday people said they called cause the MDE was showing their canceled reservation still and Disney said just give it time, it will eventually fall off. I honestly would give it a day. I feel like its like getting a payment email from them, they don't happen right away. I wake up the next morning to find a receipt for my payment made the prior day.

 

[ktb2002]

We were still planning on arriving (via SW) this Saturday, Sept 7th, at 8:15 AM, but... I just got a text that our flight was just cancelled.
Changing DVC Reservations are NOT easy, and we were staying at the Beach Club (EXTREMELY hard to get).
I have terminal brain cancer (6 months into a 12 month median survival rate). We were staying at BC so that I could go to the room via a scooter any time Epcot/HS got overwhelming for me.
We already moved up our arrival time, and added a day at the end. If I could just move everything back a week, I would.
Today is an MRI for me. We were delaying my chemo infusion from today until we got back. Now, I have to make a decision based on all these unknowns.
Leaving home for my MRI/Chemo/doc appoint at 9:00am, DVC guest services open at 9:00am. SIGH.

Hoping everything works out for you some way with the least amount of stress possible! My husband battled GBM, you and your family deserve a magical vacation and more!

 

[AngiTN]

MCO is not trying to be annoying.
Any airport's goal is to safely move as many flights and people in and out of the area as possible.
If they can be operational for any amount of extra hours, then that is what they are mandated to do.

I agree but an airport needs to be more cautious, certain before making a call to close. If they made their call too early or put up an announcement in error both are huge issues.

 

[DLM1980]

Will my friends that are there now till next Wen , will they have to stay in Pop all weekend ? Will the parks be open or will it be a wait and see each day

It's all gonna depend on how much damage they have at WDW and if they have the staff to get there and clean it up, and to operate the parks. Just because Disney sustained little to no damage doesn't mean trees are down causing staff to not be able to get to disney to open a park. Right now it's best to play it by ear each day

 

[wonder whisper]

Our party of 8 just landed at mco. Here until 9/16. Plenty of supplies packed. Groceries ordered. We expect 2 very wind rainy days. I'll take a windy rainy Disney day over Pittsburgh anyday.

The sun is shining. We are going to enjoy our time before the storm. Hunker down for the storm. The resume vacation mode.

We were here for Matthew last year. That helped us with what we needed and how things would go

Now off to old key west.

Given the post from Karen above, good luck getting that grocery order......

 

[dclpluto]

Still just waiting and watching.

Our trip is the 10th through the 17th.

We are driving, so no flight to worry about. No free dining. In fact, the room is booked with our DVC points.

Our only concern is gas. And we think we have that pretty much figured out.

Waiting and watching.

Have fun. I arrive later this afternoon. For 10 nights. Was going to be 7 nights.

 

[otten]

So can anyone tell us what happens this weekend, at Disney with the big winds coming .

No one will know for sure until much closer to the time. To give you an idea, last year for Matthew at 10am October 6 when I arrived at AK the official word was that the parks were staying open as usual. Official announcement came not long after. If there is going to be a closure don't expect it to be announcement much in advance.

 

[AngiTN]

They can only do what they can do with the information they have. Public officials are darned if they do, darned if they don't, in these situations.

Even in my town, if a snow storm is coming, it's up to the superintendent to close the schools or not.

If he or she closes them and it doesn't snow, outrage from the parents. If they keep them open and it's bad out, outrage from the parents.

It's not easy being a decision-maker regarding the weather when it affects so many people.

Because it looked like more of a harder hit on Orlando on that time. And it takes a lot of time to safely shut down something like an airport.

Making these types of calls is not easy. That's all I know.

I agree about the schools. Same thing happens here all the time. Airports don't get that luxury. They have to be more precise/careful. Schools err on the side of caution, kids stay home, no harm. Airports post a closure in error, people cancel plans in error, airlines cancel flights in error, which cancel other flights, in error. HUGE difference than some kids staying home when no snow falls

 

[fla4fun]

Local news just announced all incoming and outgoing flights at MCO will be stopped at 5pm on Saturday.

Which channel? I am watching 35, and their info is conflicting, with the crawl saying five, but the anchors saying they spoke with the airport and it's not firm yet. Just curious. I don't think they can make a firm decision until the turn begins so we have a better handle on how far inland it's coming.

 

[KStash]

We were still planning on arriving (via SW) this Saturday, Sept 7th, at 8:15 AM, but... I just got a text that our flight was just cancelled.
Changing DVC Reservations are NOT easy, and we were staying at the Beach Club (EXTREMELY hard to get).
I have terminal brain cancer (6 months into a 12 month median survival rate). We were staying at BC so that I could go to the room via a scooter any time Epcot/HS got overwhelming for me.
We already moved up our arrival time, and added a day at the end. If I could just move everything back a week, I would.
Today is an MRI for me. We were delaying my chemo infusion from today until we got back. Now, I have to make a decision based on all these unknowns.
Leaving home for my MRI/Chemo/doc appoint at 9:00am, DVC guest services open at 9:00am. SIGH.

I hope everything works out for you. I am so sorry this hurricane is ruining your trip. Out of curiosity, how big is your room at Beach Club? I'm not staying at BC (I'm at a Copper Creek studio), but if your family can fit in the room, and you can postpone your trip a week, I'd gladly try to cancel my reservation so you and your family could have it (I'm at CCV from 9/18-9/22), if nothing is available and Disney would allow you to switch into it (assuming you can maneuver the change with your air/time off).

I really want to go on my vacation, but I could still go in January or the spring if I had to.

 

[Jasten]

I've gone back and forth on this decision for days. Its stressed me out way more than a vacation should! I can still make it in with DW and DD2 tomorrow around 4:30pm. We are supposed to leave next Thursday 9/14. I think a big part of this decision that is missing for us is the park closings and times. If we lose hours on Saturday, Sunday and all of Monday that is a major chunk of our vacation, plus the risk of having a direct hit and the parks being damaged and delayed for cleanup on Tuesday.

I'm on hold now, I feel like if they can move it (fat chance since we are on the enchanted escape package) that would be safer. Also still considering adding a few days and changing return flight to ensure we have more time in the parks. Hopefully I can get some options.

Its a 90 minute wait right now for reservations btw!

 

[wonder whisper]

So can anyone tell us what happens this weekend, at Disney with the big winds coming .

If a hurricane warning is posted, the resort closes and goes into "security mode". If it just remains a hurricane watch, it's not clear what they do, but I would assume they err on the side of caution.

 

[otten]

Which channel? I am watching 35, and their info is conflicting, with the crawl saying five, but the anchors saying they spoke with the airport and it's not firm yet. Just curious. I don't t think they can make a firm decision until the turn begins so we have a better handle on how far inland it's coming.

I suspect a lot of news sites are reporting the now removed website announcement. My suspicion about that is that a notice was prepared in advance and someone hit publish by mistake since their own twitter account stated it was unconfirmed even while the website notice was still up. That is really sloppy. All your communication channels need to be sending the same message.

 

[AngiTN]

So, we're supposed to fly in on Tuesday morning. Based on the models, Irma will have passed WDW by then, but I'm afraid of the post-hurricane issues (no water, etc).

I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO !!!! Cancel? Thoughts? Ugh!!!

Odds are it will be ok but *BIG BUT, there is still a lot unknown. I'd continue to monitor the situation and have an alternate plan in place but leave things alone as long as you possibly can.

 

[MinnieSotaGirl]

First time Disney family here... five kids 1, 3, 6, 10, and 12, two parents. I have been following this thread closely trying to come to a decision. As of now, we are still going.

We fly in to MCO Friday afternoon. Supposedly, our rental vehicle should have a full tank of gas when we arrive. We shall see about that.
We are staying at WBC. I have three suitcases full of water, non-perishables, flashlights, lanterns, packs of cards, and coloring books. We are prepared to stay in our room Sunday and Monday. We extended the end of our vacation by about 3.5 days in the hope of making up for stormy days lost. Our trip now extends to Wed the 20th.

I hope this is the right call. We would have lost thousands rescheduling, but extended for only about $550. I'm glued to the weather channel.

 

[AngiTN]

I suspect a lot of news sites are reporting the now removed website announcement. My suspicion about that is that a notice was prepared in advance and someone hit publish by mistake since their own twitter account stated it was unconfirmed even while the website notice was still up. That is really sloppy. All your communication channels need to be sending the same message.

I said last night that when the announcement went up that I found it very odd that it was not static, that it was on a scrolling feed on the home page. I think too some error happened and the notice was posted in error on that scroll. If and when they do make an announcement it would have to be static on the home page, not on a scroll that you have to happen to catch on the home page. I think some other message was supposed to go in that box.

 

[smallworldnh]

Really???.... Because I have family in sint martin with no more house or even grass in the yard and a car full of water. I have an extremely hard time believing things are back to normal for anyone.... also the airport is destroyed so no one can get out and Jose is on the way.

So scary and sad. That's all you poor people need right now.