Hurricane in Disney Question

[Lori Porter]

I have a friend who wants to go to Disney World in September. Is the traveler's insurance recommended? If there is a hurricane threatening the Disney World area and if there is a mandatory evacuation will Disney refund the money?

 

[pozey]

Last year, when Hurricane Matthew hit Florida, it was only the 4th time ever that WDW closed the parks. So...it's extremely RARE for them to close the parks. I personally have never bought, nor have I ever needed, travel insurance. But I'm sure others have.

 

[Gorechick]

I was there for Charley in 2004. No evacuation. Disney was best place to be while surrounding areas were without power, etc...

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I never purchase travel insurance for my Disney World vacations. (Where as for a cruise, European vacation or Hawaiian vacation I would and I have)
It's highly unlikely for the parks to close.
It's highly unlikely for there to be an evacuation but rather much more likely is a shelter in place if need be.

 

[design_mom]

We went in September once and I did buy trip insurance. It was very reasonably priced (I didn't buy it through Disney) and if there was likely to be a hurricane, we wanted the option to cancel. If your friend buys trip insurance, though, make sure she reads the policy to be sure about what is covered. For some, very specific conditions have to be met before the hurricane coverage kicks in.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

I was there in October for Matthew. We stayed at Pop and did not have travel insurance. We were already scheduled to stay thru the storm. We met people at the hotel that did have travel insurance and were glad they did because they could not fly out for a few days and it covered their hotel stay.

We did lose one day in the park when they closed. I went to guest services the next day, and they gave us each a 1 non-expiring pop hopper. Very gracious and appreciated.

With that said, I would not hesitate to return to WDW in the fall, and I would not purchase trip insurance. It just doesn't happen that often....

 

[sonnyjane]

I was there in October for Matthew. We stayed at Pop and did not have travel insurance. We were already scheduled to stay thru the storm. We met people at the hotel that did have travel insurance and were glad they did because they could not fly out for a few days and it covered their hotel stay.

We did lose one day in the park when they closed. I went to guest services the next day, and they gave us each a 1 non-expiring pop hopper. Very gracious and appreciated.

With that said, I would not hesitate to return to WDW in the fall, and I would not purchase trip insurance. It just doesn't happen that often....

My friend was there also (at Polynesian). They were originally planning to go to the parks one less day anyway, so the fact that the park closed just meant they had another opportunity to go on their ticket. They also had dining reservations somewhere in the park but since it was closed, they made her a reservation at Ohana. They were asking that guests not leave their specific hotel to cut down on traffic/pedestrians out and about. As mentioned above, it's VERY rare to have the parks close, but if it's a big family vacation, travel insurance can really never HURT. Not just for hurricanes, but what if you have an unexpected illness (or worse) come up, or you lose your job and can't afford it anymore, etc.? You'll want to be able to get out of it if necessary.

 

[VACamm]

We generally travel to WDW during hurricane season. I have never purchased the insurance. I've walked through Animal Kingdom and also Magic Kingdom while Orlando was in the outer bands of storms. Buy ponchos and be prepared to have a fantastic time!

 

[mmouse37]

We were going on a Disney Cruise back in 2004 I think and Port Canaveral was closed due to Hurricane Jeanne. We happened to be passing WDW on I-4 just as we got the call that the cruise was postponed a few days (the ship could not get back to port so those guests had 3 extra days onboard....our cruise got shortened by 3 days). But, we did have trip insurance and so we pulled into WDW and got a room at the Poly to ride out the hurricane. We went to the park and it was creepy quiet. You could feel the wind picking up. They closed WDW later in the day. We stayed 3 nights at the Poly, had 3 extra days of our car rental and 3 extra days of meals to pay for. I saved all our receipts and our travel insurance reimbursed most everything. It was definitely a new experience riding out a full blown hurricane at WDW. They provided us boxed meals to take back to our rooms and we were not allowed (after a certain time) to leave our building. We had to take all our patio furniture into the room so it would not blow around. This hurricane came right over central Florida so WDW was right in its path.

We never lost power or TV!!! I would not hesitate to travel on a cruise or to WDW in September again.

MJ

 

[Aliceacc]

I always get travel insurance. The closest we came to needing it was when TS Faye arrived on our departure day in 2008. A day or two before, I sent a fax to our travel agent asking how it would work if our flight didn't go off. She said to sit tight, and wait until the flight was actually cancelled. From that point onward, the insurance would kick in and handle our expenses.

It doesn't have to be a hurricane. it could be illness, or (God forbid) a death in the family. But with all the expenses of a trip to WDW, it seems to me that travel insurance is one that brings a lot of bang for the buck.

Oh, and as teachers we only go over the summer, and of course that's hurricane season. Our brush with Faye was the closest we've had in terms of an issue. (And it was GREAT!!! They opened the parks early, and we had the Magic Kingdom to ourselves!!!)

 

[Cinnabunny]

I never travel without insurance. Having said that, I'm from the UK and I'm used to the NHS, so the idea of medical costs scares me. I'm also convinced I'm going to get plane delays/lost luggage etc.
Anyway, travel insurance can be very cheap if you shop around, and I'd rather pay the little extra to cover "just in case" than not.
If you're specifically worried about Hurricanes though, I would echo a PP and say make sure to read your policy very carefully before you commit. There are likely specific conditions and details on exactly what is and isn't covered, and you probably need to read on deadlines for claiming and what proof you need etc. Sometimes the excess you'd need to pay means it's worth finding a different policy.

 

[winterman]

Evacuations for hurricanes happen along the coasts, not inland. So, unless the coast gets much closer to WDW, it will remain a place that people evacuate to, not from.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I have a friend who wants to go to Disney World in September. Is the traveler's insurance recommended? If there is a hurricane threatening the Disney World area and if there is a mandatory evacuation will Disney refund the money?

It is not guaranteed but Disney and airlines have been flexible in the past with adjusting dates. It's how we were able to book a room at the last minute in order to evacuate in 2004.

So insurance wouldn't necessarily be needed, but it would certainly make things easier.

Direct hits are rare. And while parks close, the hotels will stay open. Only barrier islands, low lying areas and mobile home conmubities are evacuated.

They do evacuate Fort Wilderness usually bumping folks to a resort hotel while the Fort is closed. This is due to the danger of winds and the obvious hazard of being in a trailer, camper, or tent.

 

[dennis99ss]

Been a while since we have been there during a storm, but, sometime in the late 90's, we were in the Destin area, when a storm turned in, and we took off and headed to WDW. Great choice. lots of rain, but not so many people. sure, we got wet, but it was better than staying on the coast

 

[RangerPooh]

We were at WDW for Hurricane Jean in 2004. The parks closed one day, and early the night before. I can still recall the announcement of the early closure, and an eerily quiet and clear park as we left our dinner at LTT that night. As we did not have a vehicle we were at the mercy of buying what was in the store at POR for provisions to wait it out in our room. In the future I would stick up early as there was very limited food. The resort sent us voicemail updates throughout the day which was nice. The downside was when they finally sent a voicemail that the food court would be open and serving dinner we got it almost too late, as the food court was crowded and almost out of food. Low crowds during our trip was a HUGE plus! We did not have travel insurance. We were a family of 2 then so we were not concerned about a delayed trip. If we were flying cross country again with our current family size during hurricane season I consider adding trip insurance. As it is now we drive as we live now live in the south (as opposed tot he PNW).

 

[Duchie]

Travel insurance is good if you have to shorten or extend your trip for some reason. If the airports close and you can't get out, and need to stay in a hotel for a few extra days, it covers that sort of thing. Plus it also covers expenses in the event of a medical situation. We got ours through DVC and the price was really reasonable, so we took advantage of it.