Hurricane Irma?

[eddyeddy]

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but with the 'potential' of a Cat 5 hitting FL, and having to make a decision now instead of later in the week, I would personally be heading away, not to, Orlando. Mother nature can change quickly, true, but most 'all' models are showing straight up FL.

Disney is great doing whatever they can, but they definitely don't have a bubble to keep damage from storms away (they deal great with minor storms/damages which most are counting on). Disney has not ever taken a real bad hit, but not immune.

That's something we are thinking now at home.

We should be arriving on Sept 9th and can make arragements if we need to reschedule flight to 11th or 12th.

But what would we find on Disney Property if the hurricane hits there? I don't know if it hits hard WDW will be just ready for the next day after the storm.

 

[Miketorious]

I'm British too, although I've lived in Central Florida for the last ten years. My parents are here at the moment and they seem to think it will just be some wind and rain, I had to show them YouTube videos of what a Cat 5 hurricane actually looks like! We have family flying in from the UK Friday as well, including a 6-week old baby, and they're starting to panic too. It's hard to know what to expect when it's not weather that you're used to. Just get some supplies in, and know that the worst of it will only last a day or two.

I honestly expect our villa to flood downstairs and the upstairs to fly off, I don't know what to expect, watched some cat 5 vids though and does look like a lot of Florida is built so nothing flies away. But I may be overreacting tbh. My parents seem to also think it's just a lot of rain and "a bumpy ride" as my father calls it, I don't think he knows the ramifications of a hurricane.

 

[jo-jo]

Question: Just went to Moana Mercantile and there was plenty of food like bread, cheese, etc. Are folks going to be stocking up on food from the resorts? Should I go ahead and grab a loaf and some peanut butter and a few other things? I'd rather not, but I'd also rather not stand in line for a $10 sandwich box if this thing swings our way.

Look at it this way, if the storm turns away, you can have PB on toast for breakfast before heading out to the park.

We always bring some food, just in case it rains and we don't feel like going out for something to eat. And we're cheap. LOL

 

[vettegirl]

I am getting no availability for the military rates to change our dates. Going to have to work on different date scenarios. This is so streesful that I may go sit in a hurricane

 

[FSU Girl]

Another question: just trying to plan since it looks like it could possibly really come close. Should we park our van at Disney Springs parking garage if it looks like it's headed close?

Yes I would. If you car is outside it can get damage from trees or could flood. I would recommend I middle floor towards the center. I'm in south Florida, we are planning on doing this at the mall to protect our car

 

[scrapquitler]

We are leaving for the airport within the hour and heading down to Disney. I don't know if we'll dodge the bullet or if this will turn out to have been a stupid decision, but we are going. I'm feeling like we are likely going to miss out on MNSSHP on Sunday, and maybe we'll have trouble getting our flight home on Tuesday, but we're ready to roll with it and see how things go. Extra snacks, a book, a deck of cards and dice games, a couple flashlights with batteries are packed and we'll be okay to ride it out in the room, I guess.

 

[North of Mouse]

I agree. It's one thing to already be there and stuck dealing with it. You could not pay me to fly or drive into Florida this weekend.

You and me both!!

That's something we are thinking now at home.

We should be arriving on Sept 9th and can make arragements if we need to reschedule flight to 11th or 12th.

But what would we find on Disney Property if the hurricane hits there? I don't know if it hits hard WDW will be just ready for the next day after the storm.

All depends! The last time we were hit (was not a Cat 5), we were barely getting going after a week, and we were the lucky ones). Disney has great resources, but sometimes it takes more.

I honestly expect our villa to flood downstairs and the upstairs to fly off, I don't know what to expect, watched some cat 5 vids though and does look like a lot of Florida is built so nothing flies away. But I may be overreacting tbh. My parents seem to also think it's just a lot of rain and "a bumpy ride" as my father calls it, I don't think he knows the ramifications of a hurricane.

Where do your parents live? Have they experienced a hurricane before? I do not/would not take them lightly at all - 'slightly' more than a bumpy ride!

 

[kbelz78]

Called Disney and Hurricane Policy is in effect, they are not playing around with this storm. We are moving our trip into October or November as it is just not worth it to me to spend all this money and deal with rain and sitting in hotel with a storm of that magnitude.

Legit in effect? We were scheduled to arrive on resort 7th-12th and need to make a decision by noon today! If policy is in place, I will absolutely cancel and reschedule - not worth the risk!

 

[stickeymouse]

I was hoping for an overnight miracle, but alas, not much has changed. I will cancel first thing tomorrow morning if Irma keeps on this track. I just can't justify rolling the dice and possibly losing half my trip to weather, especially when I know that Disney and Southwest will allow me to cancel/reschedule without penalty. When else will I ever be offered a full refund for bad weather? Never!

It almost pains me to gripe about this on this forum, when there is potential for loss of life and homes. I know that is the true issue at hand, and my heart goes out to the families in Irma's path.

 

[vettegirl]

Legit in effect? We were scheduled to arrive on resort 7th-12th and need to make a decision by noon today! If policy is in place, I will absolutely cancel and reschedule - not worth the risk!

This is what the CM on the phone at 6:30 this morning told me.

 

[AngiTN]

Cone has shifted slightly toward the west on the 5 am NOAA model. Still heading straight up the middle of the state as Mike predicted last evening.

New info from Jim Canatore this hour - rain amounts in Central Florida looking to be in the 8 to 12 inch range...

Interesting statistic just mentioned - the margin of error in 5 day out predictions can be as high as 225 miles "off"

So again... still too early to say for sure, but best to have a plan solidly in place "just in case" **sigh**

This just can't be stressed enough.
Yes, it's good to have a few ideas in your mind in case X or Y happens but to make plans today based on anything is a bit premature, Unless you just have the freedom to change open ended to another date.
There is more they don't know than they do know right now.
Despite the amount of fear mongering the media likes to do. Sometimes I just want to hold them responsible for all the bad that happens during disasters. They get folks all riled up unnecessarily. They cross the line between alert and alarm.

 

[Miketorious]

You and me both!!



All depends! The last time we were hit (was not a Cat 5), we were barely getting going after a week, and we were the lucky ones). Disney has great resources, but sometimes it takes more.



Where do your parents live? Have they experienced a hurricane before? I do not/would not take them lightly at all - 'slightly' more than a bumpy ride!

We're all going together and they're really not that worried, which annoys me so much. If I was in charge of this trip I'd be cancelling right now.

 

[SaintsManiac]

This just can't be stressed enough.
Yes, it's good to have a few ideas in your mind in case X or Y happens but to make plans today based on anything is a bit premature, Unless you just have the freedom to change open ended to another date.
There is more they don't know than they do know right now.
Despite the amount of fear mongering the media likes to do. Sometimes I just want to hold them responsible for all the bad that happens during disasters. They get folks all riled up unnecessarily. They cross the line between alert and alarm.

170mph winds isn't something to scoff at, though. This storm is a monster. It's going to affect Florida in some way. Hopefully the mountain ranges tear it down a little as it passes over the islands.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

We head out for our trip at 3:00am Thursday morning on a 7 hour drive from GA so I have exactly 1 day / 18 hours to make a decision. We have Chef Mickeys reserved at 12 Thursday and I can already taste it! on top of that, I was trying to get around my kids who wouldn't pick up and I kicked the corner of a doorway and broke my 4th toe! maybe its a sign I need to move our vacation to next week lol

 

[AngiTN]

I know no one wants a hurricane to ruin their vacation but the models continue to show Irma slipping further south and into the Gulf of Mexico. We need to hope this does not happen Texas does not need another Harvey nor does NOLA. Lets hope Irma goes out to the Atlantic and does not touch land!!

Not sure about NOLA but they have said that at no point will it move towards Texas. There are some false reports floating out there showing it will but they are fake

We are driving and will arrive on Friday. We are staying off-site and need to make most of our food due to severe food allergies. Our plan was to buy necessities like water once we get there, but now am thinking we need to have water shipped to our resort. Who does everyone use? Staples? Amazon? We have 9 people in our group, so trying to make sure we have enough in case we are without for several days.

If you are driving why not stop and bring everything you need with you? Why ship it in?

 

[AngiTN]

170mph winds isn't something to scoff at, though. This storm is a monster. It's going to affect Florida in some way. Hopefully the mountain ranges tear it down a little as it passes over the islands.

I never said it was nothing to scoff at. I said that no one knows what it will do and that is fact. Anything else is not. It may still barely graze FL like Matthew did. No one knows today what it will do.

 

[Craigx3]

Hi All. We are due to fly out from Manchester, UK to MCO arriving at 2.30pm Saturday. I know no one can answer these questions with any degree of certainty and I wouldn't normally ask but we are getting married in FL on the following Thursday and I'm starting to panic now.
Is the general consensus that we will be getting in just before the storm hits and should be okay in regards to flights?
The notary is meant to be coming to the beach club on Monday to sign off the wedding license, is it safe to assume this probably won't happen now?
On all current models, should the weather have passed by Thursday for our wedding?

A few of the recent comments here about not going if you were paid have me really nervous, but i would rather deal with the reality of the situation than pretend its not happening. The planned wedding just adds another layer of complexity in regards to cancelling or changing plans.

 

[ArwenMarie]

It's one thing if you live somewhere already. It's another thing if you are going into a region that is forecast to get a hurricane. That is optional. Especially when WDW has a hurricane policy and you can reschedule.

 

[AngiTN]

175 mph winds have now been confirmed. Center of path shooting the gap towards south Florida.....ughhh. C'mon Canada cold front and push this beast out to sea!

They said this morning there is a front moving down right now that could indeed steer it. We are due to get a couple inches of rain from it tonight and it's moving right towards Irma's path. The guy said that it was the type of front that would push the direction of the hurricane. How much remains unknown. Lets hope for a lot as the more is pushes the further East it will go

 

[Slaterdom]

We're all going together and they're really not that worried, which annoys me so much. If I was in charge of this trip I'd be cancelling right now.

Make sure you are the one mentally preppared while the rest of them freak out and panic.