Wildfires

[WDWDad]

What is happening right now in Florida in regards to the fires. I've heard that central & southren Florida was still experienceing drought conditions. How close are the fires to Disney? Is the smoke becoming a problem?

We leave for OKW in 7 days with a group of 17 ! My father has minor lung/breathing problems. We are hoping all goes well.

[wdwnut]

hi: we've been at wdw during times when they had problems with wildfires. you could smell smoke sometimes. there were a couple posts (i think on the resorts board) regarding the wildfires the past week or so. let me give you a pat on the back in advance-travelling/coordinating a large group like that means you'll really need this vacation. i had a group of 14 down at wdw last may.

[Galahad]

Right now, the fires don't look like they will directly affect WDW. I4 has been closed off and on (mostly closed) for a number of days just west of WDW because of the largest of these fires. That will probably be the biggest "problem" for you....roads closed NEAR WDW. So far, the prevailing winds have kept the smoke blowing either west, towards us here in the Tampa area, or northwest, toward the area due west of WDW. You should be fine! Have fun!

[MinnieMe2]

We just left WL on Tues. We never noticed the smoke at the resort or in any of the parks, but as we were driving toward MCO (in our rented convertible with the roof down), the smell got pretty yucky and we could see the smoke way off in the distance. I have no idea what things are like today, of course.

http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/WeisKat/RAcroc.gif Counting the Hours Til We're Back in the World

Mother-of-Four (Five, If You Count My Husband)

[PamOKW]

You can check out www.orlandosentinel.com (http://www.orlandosentinel.com) to get an idea what is happening. One day last week one of the Webmasters here posted a warning about how smoky WDW was but when Pete Werner got there later in the morning he reported the wind had shifted and things were okay again.

[PKK/MJK]

A friend of ours works at the Front Desk in the Wilderness Lodge and he said you definitely could smell smoke in the lobby at various times. I guess it depends on wind direction/speed etc--since other posters said they didn't notice the odor at all. My daughter has asthma and is extrememly sensitive to smoke so I am quite grateful we are not at WDW right now. Hope things are under control very soon.

Phil and Mary Jo
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/vltdisney/dvclogo.gif
WDW--82,83,85,87,89,93,95,96, 97,98,99,00,01
DVC/OKW

[MdmMim]

I left WDW on 2-17 and the smoke was becoming a problem. The winds were from the south, and the smoke moved in during the night. (I could smell it in my room-BWV.) During the morning, I walked to the BC, and when I got inside the building, I could tell my clothes smelled of smoke. By the time I left for home, my eyes and throat were beginning to bother me. As I neared Kissimmee heading to Amtrak, the smoke had cleared, but it soon moved in.
If the winds are from the south, be prepared. It is so dry in Florida--they really need lots of rain.

[Pooh]

What would happen if a fire destroyed one of the DVC resorts?
I am not a member yet. Do you have insurance?
Would you be reassigned a different home resort?

[PamOKW]

These fires are no where near the WDW resort. (Polk City where they have evacuated is 20-25 miles away from WDW.) They are massive fires generating lots and lots of smoke that is being blown to WDW and if it gets severe enough may cause difficulty for people with breathing problems. The resort is not in danger of actual fire. www.orlandosentinel.com (http://www.orlandosentinel.com) is a good source for info about what is happening with the fires.

Disney has all kinds of precautions to take to prevent fire damage. However, they do carry fire insurance on the DVC resorts. There is lots of fine print covering the situation but basically they intend to re-build any destroyed building using the insurance with the outside possibility of having to assess members for anything not covered by the insurance. However, if they did not rebuild you would not be entitled to use other DVC resorts. It's good to be aware of the wording but I would not lose any sleep over it.

[This message was edited by PamOKW on 02-23-01 at 08:23 AM.]

[This message was edited by PamOKW on 02-23-01 at 08:35 AM.]

[pugdog]

We were down there when the fire started by the over turned truck, and we didn't have any problems until the day we left. And then you could even smell it at the airport in orlando.