Hurricane Dorian / WDW Theme Parks Discussion

[Fido Chuckwagon]

As someone who has lived through several hurricanes I just wanted to chime in that I believe that anyone who has the ability to cancel their trip with refunds, etc., and is still flying down ahead of the storm with a plan to wait it out is making a big mistake. At this point your best case scenario is that you're going to have a really rainy really windy week in Orlando with the parks probably being closed at least one day. That is your best case scenario. Your worst case scenario is getting stuck in Florida during what could be a historically devastating storm without the ability to get home for some period of time due to infrastructure damage, shortages, roads being out, etc. etc. If you can cancel your trip at this point with a refund you should.

 

[lovewdwfun]

We’re here now and have Sunday evening flights back. I keep seeing the storm will hit Monday/Tuesday and everyone flying in should change flights. Anyone have any thoughts on Sunday night flights

 

[MinnieMom85]

As someone who has lived through several hurricanes I just wanted to chime in that I believe that anyone who has the ability to cancel their trip with refunds, etc., and is still flying down ahead of the storm with a plan to wait it out is making a big mistake. At this point your best case scenario is that you're going to have a really rainy really windy week in Orlando with the parks probably being closed at least one day. That is your best case scenario. Your worst case scenario is getting stuck in Florida during what could be a historically devastating storm without the ability to get home for some period of time due to infrastructure damage, shortages, roads being out, etc. etc. If you can cancel your trip at this point with a refund you should.

Agree! I am going to carry over my question from the prior page: Has any one been able to cancel a room only reservation for this weekend (Check in Sunday)? I dont want to reschedule because its the end of our AP. We were planning on driving down so we can be flexible but when I called yesterday they said they weren't doing cancellations yet because there were no watches/warnings for Orlando.

 

[Dismama2boys]

Texas gulf coast mama here. I cannot imagine purposefully heading toward a storm. I just cannot. We have areas STILL recovering from Harvey, 2 years later. The slow-moving, rain-dumping storms are the worst kind. I get the love for Disney, and the agony of cancelling. But it’s dangerous, y’all! And that’s an expensive vacation to burn potentially sitting in a hotel, no matter that it happens to be a Disney hotel. The locals will need all of the resources they can get for a while after this storm, and then when they are ready they’ll need your tourism dollars. (I live in a high tourism area too, and really we do not need extra people around when we are in dire straits ourselves.). Help them out by staying away, and keep yourself safe.

 

[dawgsgirl]

My favorite Disney hurricane story: 2004 Hurricane Jeanne to arrive in Orlando around lunch on a Sunday. Friday morning on a Disney bus and a woman was saying “My plane leaves at 9:00 Sunday morning and IT is not going to be here until 12:00.” I gently told her that maybe she should check with the airport. What a mistake! She yelled at me all the way to Epcot. BTW the airport closed Saturday evening. I really don’t think people not familiar with hurricanes have a clue.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Wow the new euro track ( the most reliable one ) has it stalling off the coast and going north missing florida completely.

I hope that’s true. Way to early and other maps don’t agree ... yet?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EDPWTEeW4AQC0aR?format=jpg&name=medium

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Agree! I am going to carry over my question from the prior page: Has any one been able to cancel a room only reservation for this weekend (Check in Sunday)? I dont want to reschedule because its the end of our AP. We were planning on driving down so we can be flexible but when I called yesterday they said they weren't doing cancellations yet because there were no watches/warnings for Orlando.

You’ll just have to call. We were able to cancel our DVC reservation without penalty yesterday even though Disney did not announce that their “Hurricane Policy “ was in effect.

 

[Bran Fox]

We’re here now and have Sunday evening flights back. I keep seeing the storm will hit Monday/Tuesday and everyone flying in should change flights. Anyone have any thoughts on Sunday night flights

If you can get out earlier do so.

 

[Bran Fox]

Agree! I am going to carry over my question from the prior page: Has any one been able to cancel a room only reservation for this weekend (Check in Sunday)? I dont want to reschedule because its the end of our AP. We were planning on driving down so we can be flexible but when I called yesterday they said they weren't doing cancellations yet because there were no watches/warnings for Orlando.

I canceled a room only reservation last night. Driving in is a terrible plan. There are gas shortages all over the state and that is before ANY evacuation has been ordered. Do not drive here.

 

[MinnieMom85]

I canceled a room only reservation last night.

Thanks. I will have to call again. The CM I spoke to yesterday did not want to accomodate and actually asked if I also wanted to speak to anyone in dining about making reservations.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We are here from the UK and due to fly home from Tampa 6.30pm on Mon. My Mum is also with us but is staying here a few extra days on her own and is flying home on Saturday 7th. We are staying on our own in a condo in Davenport near to WDW.

Such a dilemma for us as British Airways have given us no info other than to say that if we are “due to fly from MCO or Tampa on Monday or tues we can reschedule free of charge our flights to anytime up to the 7th”

So the dilemma is do we reschedule for later assuming our flight will be disrupted and get a slot home in a few days, but take the risk that the forecast is wrong and it comes through later in the week and we are then in the path?

Or do we assume the storm will move through later in the week and keep the flight as it is and potentially end up in a back log of cancelled flights if it moves through on Monday, with no flight booked which takes us longer to get home?

I have to say I’m not overly worried about getting home on time (the kids will miss their 1st few days of the start of school from summer break, but no biggie!) but it is all my husband who’s in a state as he’s self employed and worried about more loss of earnings.

My other MAJOR concern is if we do leave ok on Mon, my 73 year old recently widowed mother will be riding this storm out on her own. Like I said she won’t have the facilities of a WDW resort to look after her, and she gets anxious with a slight UK breeze!! She does have her own rental car but has only really used it to drive to and from the closest Publix here - she’s a tad anxious driving on the other side of the road to us and very anxious not knowing the roads etc

If anyone has any thoughts on this I’d be grateful

Can you get her on your flight with you? It might be the safest for her.

 

[bobbie68]

Wow the new euro track ( the most reliable one ) has it stalling off the coast and going north missing florida completely.

I hope that’s true. Way to early and other maps don’t agree ... yet?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EDPWTEeW4AQC0aR?format=jpg&name=medium

I hope that it does not make landfall in Florida, I have family there. However, even if it does turn north it could hug the coastline move slow and still dump lots of heavy winds and rains. From what I have been watching you are correct not all the models are in agreement. I honestly think it is going to be another day before they have a more definite answer.

 

[kleph]

The day before Irma, we met several people who had come to stay at one of the resorts during the storm because they were from South Florida and were getting out of the way of the main impact. In those cases, it made a lot of sense. (We stayed at our place nearby during the storm itself).

It's also worth noting that while many people at WDW during a storm like this are vacationers, there are also a lot folks responding to the storm as well.

As Irma approached, parking lots of the Caribbean Resort were full of utility vehicles from all over the country. While a Disney trip during a storm like this may not be the most advisable course of action, Orlando makes sense as a staging area for folks preparing to deploy further south to harder hit locations as soon as the immediate danger passes.

 

[HeiHei2018]

My other MAJOR concern is if we do leave ok on Mon, my 73 year old recently widowed mother will be riding this storm out on her own. Like I said she won’t have the facilities of a WDW resort to look after her, and she gets anxious with a slight UK breeze!! She does have her own rental car but has only really used it to drive to and from the closest Publix here - she’s a tad anxious driving on the other side of the road to us and very anxious not knowing the roads etc

If anyone has any thoughts on this I’d be grateful

I will echo the statements from others that you should not leave her to weather the storm alone. My aunt (50s, longtime Florida resident) rode out a storm alone once. She said the howling wind was terrifying, and she didn't sleep the whole night. (I believe it was Floyd in 1999, which didn't even make landfall here.) Driving will also be a problem with downed trees and rising water.

 

[kyomagi]

We flew in at 10/10 last year and landed in Orlando hours before Michael made landfall. It was a last second call and as i watched michaels projectsions keep curving north out of the way to orlando, the only thing left to do was wake up as if we were leaving for the airport and make sure our flight did not get cancelled. Turns out, we touched down like i said before landfall and had a great time. But by the looks of this storm, just stay home and go later in the month or october

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

I hope that it does not make landfall in Florida, I have family there. However, even if it does turn north it could hug the coastline move slow and still dump lots of heavy winds and rains. From what I have been watching you are correct not all the models are in agreement. I honestly think it is going to be another day before they have a more definite answer.

If the eye isn’t on land while moving up, that’s the best case. Worst case is part of the eye or full eye going north on the coast. I’m hopeful it avoids it completely.

Sadly though even if it completely misses, then the Carolinas and Georgia are in the crosshairs

 

[KMarston]

Am I right to assume that the “within 7 days” is on either side of the hurricanes hit date? We’re scheduled to fly out on the 6th and wanted to wait as long as possible to reschedule or cancel.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Thanks. I will have to call again. The CM I spoke to yesterday did not want to accomodate and actually asked if I also wanted to speak to anyone in dining about making reservations.

 

[bobbie68]

If the eye isn’t on land while moving up, that’s the best case. Worst case is part of the eye or full eye going north on the coast. I’m hopeful it avoids it completely.

Sadly though even if it completely misses, then the Carolinas and Georgia are in the crosshairs

I agree I wish nobody had to get hit with it!

 

[Jennasis]

Looks like even CNN is talking about Disney and hurricanes too! https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/disney-world-theme-parks-hurricane-dorian/index.html