Tropical threat?? Leaving in 9 days...

[meremac]

Serious question (and please know that I'm not judging ~ I'm just trying to understand). If things continue to develop according to prediction, WDW will be significantly impacted by this storm sometime between Wednesday-Friday (give or take a little time depending on Ian's speed). Parks could very well be closed (maybe even for a couple of days), guests won't be able to leave their rooms, parties/events/dining reservations will be automatically cancelled, resources will be thin. I totally understand how important vacation time is and how disappointing things are when they don't work out as planned. But at the end of the day, to me, it doesn't sound like a vacation if I have to ride out a storm in a hotel room and won't get to do many of the things I wanted to do anyway. I get waiting to make the ultimate call until things are a little clearer, but I would be so so scared to head down there today or tomorrow for the week when I may very well be stranded/under a curfew/stuck with limited food options/etc.

 

[NHLFAN]

I hope so. I am still hoping that I'll be able to go, so it'll be a last minute decision on cancelling.

It's worth a call to American Airlines as I called yesterday and they changed our flight date and didn't charge us the difference in price which would have been close to $500 for the two of us.

 

[Alex Baker]

Serious question (and please know that I'm not judging ~ I'm just trying to understand). If things continue to develop according to prediction, WDW will be significantly impacted by this storm sometime between Wednesday-Friday (give or take a little time depending on Ian's speed). Parks could very well be closed (maybe even for a couple of days), guests won't be able to leave their rooms, parties/events/dining reservations will be automatically cancelled, resources will be thin. I totally understand how important vacation time is and how disappointing things are when they don't work out as planned. But at the end of the day, to me, it doesn't sound like a vacation if I have to ride out a storm in a hotel room and won't get to do many of the things I wanted to do anyway. I get waiting to make the ultimate call until things are a little clearer, but I would be so so scared to head down there today or tomorrow for the week when I may very well be stranded/under a curfew/stuck with limited food options/etc.

For me we are staying the the atruim club for an extended time. 11 days now. so 1 or 2 days wont kill us. Not easy to reset a 11 day trip with work for both of us. So wed rather have it be a 9-10 day trip than no trip at all.

 

[Mr. Drauer]

Serious question (and please know that I'm not judging ~ I'm just trying to understand). If things continue to develop according to prediction, WDW will be significantly impacted by this storm sometime between Wednesday-Friday (give or take a little time depending on Ian's speed). Parks could very well be closed (maybe even for a couple of days), guests won't be able to leave their rooms, parties/events/dining reservations will be automatically cancelled, resources will be thin. I totally understand how important vacation time is and how disappointing things are when they don't work out as planned. But at the end of the day, to me, it doesn't sound like a vacation if I have to ride out a storm in a hotel room and won't get to do many of the things I wanted to do anyway. I get waiting to make the ultimate call until things are a little clearer, but I would be so so scared to head down there today or tomorrow for the week when I may very well be stranded/under a curfew/stuck with limited food options/etc.

Well, typically, Disney has an emergency plan that includes a number of cast members that stay on site to provide services at the resorts should the parks have to close. They cannot force you to stay in your room, but there will really be nowhere to go when the storm is hitting. Most of the storms move through in a few hours or maybe half a day/night if it is particularly slow moving. Charley was only on the ground for about 2 hours, but Frances took about 12 to move through. Irma and Matthew were only maybe 5 or 6 hours. Afterwards, if there is damage or dangerous conditions in the area, the county may impose a curfew which would make area businesses unable to open for a day or two, but that wouldn't affect the resorts still being able to function. Unless it is a catastrophic type of storm, you are only talking about 1-2 days at the most of closures. The last storm that closed the parks saw characters showing up for impromptu games at resorts, cast members doing pop up things, and even Anna herself (Kristen Bell) riding out the storm at the Dolphin. The resorts are built to withstand hurricanes, and the infrastructure is in place to supply power and water without interruption. So it can be an adventure for those there, but just not the same as the typical park experience. To each their own.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

But at the end of the day, to me, it doesn't sound like a vacation if I have to ride out a storm in a hotel room and won't get to do many of the things I wanted to do anyway.

I'll just give my experience from Irma. The park going experience before and after was the single best park experience ever. There is no way we can replicate the experience. However we were able to easily float our plans. We lucked out that the 2 days the parks were closed were planned to be Universal days so we didn't lose out on FP selections then again you did not actually need much FP at all in the end due to the crowd levels.

It's not all roses like Jungle Cruise had storage damage and was inoperable after that (so it was good we were able to ride it when we were at the parks the day before they shut down)

A higher CAT hurricane is also different than what we experienced. My husband remarked to me if it was like Ian was originally predicted to be (CAT 3) we would not get a rental car so as to not want that liability. When we were down there with Irma we attempted to park the car away from trees as best we could.

For us we had been planning for 2 years (and yes I really do mean that) for that trip in 2017 having not been in Disney since 2011 and no plans to go back any time soon (we did make it back in May 2022 for our friends wedding in Disney). We used the DIS for so much prep information which helped us understand more of what to expect. We deal with tornadoes and remnants of hurricanes where we live in the midwest but not in the thick of hurricanes. We were at the Lake of the Ozarks for Labor Day weekend while Irma was barreling down, we went through so many scenarios and ultimately made the decision that we knew the parks would likely be closed 2 days and what that would mean for us. If you ask my husband All-Stars was a bit too tight for him for 9 days (that ended up being like 10 or 11) but those 2 days the parks were closed were really NBD in the end as far as the passing of the time within the room/resort.

If the storm were to hit when someone's trip was coming to an end it may not make as much sense to stay unless it's a conversation between "can I get out or not".

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

I booked a room at Coronado to ride out the storm Wednesday - Saturday.

Historically speaking, how is the food situation in the resorts during a hurricane? Do they ever close due to lack of supply?

 

[randumb0]

I booked a room at Coronado to ride out the storm Wednesday - Saturday.

Historically speaking, how is the food situation in the resorts during a hurricane? Do they ever close due to lack of supply?

Don't be disappointed if they offer you box lunches. It's what they've done in the past

 

[Aimeedyan]

Well, we are getting an unwanted Disney trip this week - not that we don't love to go, but because our house may be underwater and we need to evacuate Unfortunately, current tracking is worst case scenario for us.

Thankfully, there is a lot of hotel availability and rates aren't too bad this time of year.

 

[fla4fun]

I booked a room at Coronado to ride out the storm Wednesday - Saturday.

Historically speaking, how is the food situation in the resorts during a hurricane? Do they ever close due to lack of supply?

With a resort like Coronado, where the lobby is in a separate building from guest areas, they will sell boxed meals to take back to your room, and they will request that you stay in your room during the worst of the storm. The local news this morning said the computer models are indicating that the forward motion of Ian could come to a near stop when the storm nears Tampa and at this time they are expecting two days of tropical weather. You should be prepared to remain in your room for two days and if you get out earlier, yay!

 

[RoseGold]

I'm confused. I'm flying in Saturday afternoon too. Why should we be stressed if the projections say it it will he done 8pm Thursday?

Because Orlando is an hour from Tampa and if millions of people have no power in the general area, it will be complete chaos.

Sure, it's not raining anymore. But there's no power. Or gasoline. Or water. Or worse.

Sure, this will be obvious by Friday, and you'll know for a Saturday flight what generally happened.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

…. They cannot force you to stay in your room

As I recall from Irma and Matthew.. both Orange and Osceola counties had mandatory 24 hour a day curfews for several hours prior to the storms,the duration of the storm and for up to 24/48 hours afterward.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

Because Orlando is an hour from Tampa and if millions of people have no power in the general area, it will be complete chaos.

Sure, it's not raining anymore. But there's no power.

Not to mention and after days of rain… flooding and damage to infrastructure.

 

[Mr. Drauer]

…. They cannot force you to stay in your room

As I recall from Irma and Matthew.. both Orange and Osceola counties had mandatory 24 hour a day curfews for several hours prior to the storms,the duration of the storm and for up to 24/48 hours afterward.

Those are supposed to keep people from going out on the roads until they have assessed damage, but WDW still had services open at the resorts - that is why they keep staff on site overnight for storms.

 

[fla4fun]

…. They cannot force you to stay in your room

As I recall from Irma and Matthew.. both Orange and Osceola counties had mandatory 24 hour a day curfews for several hours prior to the storms,the duration of the storm and for up to 24/48 hours afterward.

Unfortunately the curfew didn’t stop people from going outside their rooms at the resorts and looking around. You weren’t allowed to drive anywhere, unless you were a necessary worker (fire, police, hospital). It definitely isn’t safe to exit your room during the rain bands, but even between them, there could be hazardous debris around. Give them the time to make sure the resort is safe before you go outside.

Flooding is expected to be a huge issue with Ian because the storm is going to move so slowly. I live on a hill, so I should be okay, but there are neighborhoods in Orlando that are flooded NOW from all the recent rains, and those waters will not have time to recede before Ian arrives. Please remember not to drive through standing water, even if it looks like only a few inches.

 

[IFlossU]

Even though American is waving change fees, the fare difference is astronomical so changing flights really isn't an option.

It's worth a call to American Airlines as I called yesterday and they changed our flight date and didn't charge us the difference in price which would have been close to $500 for the two of us.

I was able to move my AA flights without having to pay the fare difference as well. So definitely reach out to them if you’re considering canceling.

 

[niclodn]

I was able to move my AA flights without having to pay the fare difference as well. So definitely reach out to them if you’re considering canceling.

I'm going to hold out for now in the hopes that by Friday morning it'll be between Charlotte and Orlando and I'll be able to sneak out. Lol.

 

[RoseGold]

As I recall from Irma and Matthew.. both Orange and Osceola counties had mandatory 24 hour a day curfews for several hours prior to the storms,the duration of the storm and for up to 24/48 hours afterward.

Now I'm confused. I thought Irma passed overnight and the parks were open the next day. And Irma was a much bigger storm than this one.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

…. They cannot force you to stay in your room

As I recall from Irma and Matthew.. both Orange and Osceola counties had mandatory 24 hour a day curfews for several hours prior to the storms,the duration of the storm and for up to 24/48 hours afterward.

Yes they did, as per my screenshots you can see that Disney was abiding by the curfews.

The timing wasn't 24 hours nor 48 hours though at least not that I remember nor what Disney was advising. Ours at All-Stars IIRC ended about noon-ish although there were a few people (relatively few) out and about before then. It was listed on the screenshots as 7pm (ETA: although I believe Osceola had a bit earlier start time officially speaking) September 10th through about noon-ish September 11th. Parks were closed September 10th and 11th.

Those are supposed to keep people from going out on the roads until they have assessed damage, but WDW still had services open at the resorts - that is why they keep staff on site overnight for storms.

True although Disney did not want you to leave your room when you are located in a resort with exterior doors during the curfew time although they kept the food court open at All-Stars for about 30mins past the curfew time. That not leaving your room thing is mostly because of safety as Disney has a lot of trees and bodies of water.

This was a photo taken morning of September 10th


This was the next day:




The winds and rains wee picking up already when the parks were closed so walking out and about you'd want to be cautious. My husband took some go pro video too and largely it was just tree damage and such but you know walking around even after curfew ended you needed to be careful so yeah Disney didn't go around exterior door resorts policing people but they also advised you needed to stay safe.

 

[lilkitty819]

I'm supposed to get in early Friday morning. Even though American is waving change fees, the fare difference is astronomical so changing flights really isn't an option. Plus I'm at Dolphin and yesterday was the last day I could cancel/change without having to pay for the entire stay. I almost canceled last night but the projections looked like it would hit more in the panhandle yesterday. Here's hoping my flight will be able to sneak out while it's between NC and FL!

Did you ask them about charging you more money if you change your flight down. I'm flying down on SW and changed my flight from Thursday to Tuesday this week and SW didn't charge me any additional money even though the flight if you booked now was a hundred dollars more than my original flight. Hope for a safe flight for you.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Now I'm confused. I thought Irma passed overnight and the parks were open the next day. And Irma was a much bigger storm than this one.

Irma closed the parks for 2 days and a slightly early closure the day before. The actual main part of the hurricane yes did go overnight.

So the parks closed a bit early on September 9th, were completely closed September 10th and 11th and reopened September 12th.