Was anyone here at WDW on 9/11/01?

[rgf207]

I worked with a lady who was a Computer Tech in the pentagon that day. She was responding to a tech call with a computer server at the location where the plane hit.

She was on her way to the call when she realized she forgot her tools. She walked back to her office to pick up her tools and that is when the plane hit. Had she remembered her tools she would have been in the exact location where the plane hit.

Talk about a guardian angel

 

[madge]

I wasn't in WDW or NY when the towers were hit, but I was 8 months pregnant. I remember thinking, "what kind of world am I bringing this child into?" I was scared at the uncertainty of it all. Today I am grateful that nothing else has happened on US soil in 6 years. Thinking about it now, we have been at war for my daughter's entire life. Today I am saying a few extra prayers to all those who are fighting for our freedom and our children's freedom.

God Bless America!

ditto. My daughter's due date was September 18, but she ended up being 2 weeks late. 2001 was the only year we didn't take a Fall break vacation to Disney World.

I visited the World Trade Center site in April. I was unprepared at how moved I was, standing there in the busy city. I can't even begin to imagine how it was to be there on that day.

 

[sartello]

We were at Sea World on 9/11/01, but staying at Port Orleans. It was our first trip there with my kids. We found out in one of the worst possible ways too...

We were almost done at Sea World - we were going to go back to one of the Disney parks after we saw Shamu. We go into the stadium and a girl comes up and asks if we've been told they are closing in 30 minutes. We said no and asked why.

She tells us, you haven't heard, the terrorists are attacking. The World Trade Center is gone and they've hit DC and Pittsburgh.

So my first reaction is...bombs are going off and I'm in tourist mecca??? We had no idea it was planes or anything. My second thought was...my dad lives in Pittsburgh.

It wasn't until we got to the truck that we found out what exactly was happening - 30 minutes later. The scariest 30 minutes of my life.

We stayed until Friday that week. Wednesday and Thursday were pretty slow at the parks. Between 9/11 and the tropical storm bearing down on Orlando, not many people were venturing out. Actually Thursday we had the early hours at Magic Kingdom and I don't think we saw more than 30-50 people for the first couple of hours.

Shelly

 

[GolfNPirate]

We drove from Maryland on 9/10 arriving at 6 AM on 9/11. Quickly checked into ASMo, got breakfast and headed over to AK. We knew of nothing going on, in fact we got on Kali River and Kilamanjaro Safaris. We were sitting in the Lion King show when about 15 minutes into the performance all of the music stopped and performers went behind stage. An AK vice president came out and stated that due to events in New York and Washington, Walt Disney Co. were closing the parks. We were aghast and horrified after a cast member told us what happened. Disney did a terrific job in getting everyone out, along with handing out free tickets at the exit. We went back to ASMo to get lunch and again Disney came through. The food court was jammed like it will never be. They brought in cast members from all over to help in the hotels. The rest of the day we watched TV and into the pools. Amazingly enough, we had ressies to do Hoop De Doo that night and was the most inspired performance ever for that show. Made you feel proud to be an American. Everything opened the next day, had our moment of silences but parks were empty. People couldn't get in or out with the planes grounded. I heard Disney put a lot of people up whose planes couldn't fly. A tropical storm blew throught that Friday (we were in Universal Studios) and had even less people. We'll never forget it. Disney did an awesome job that week, security tightened up and that's when bag checking started.

 

[Tom Kurowski]

I had a teacher who once said "to forget the past is to allow history to repeat itself!", and it did just that. December 7th, "a day that would live in infamy!", and yet we were attacked again on our own soil. We have to teach our children to remember what happened on these days, and to pay respect to the unknowing victims as well as the heroes who gave their lives so that we could continue on with ours.
Unfortunaletly alot of people these days sit back and either ignore past events or out and out say they never happened. Someone told me that the concentration camps in germany during WW2 never existed, yet my grandfather who had a small farm in poland was taken from home and placed in one. People forget we had our own in-house wars and what they were fought for. People basically go back to being rude and disrespectful. I remember when I was young we would walk the boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ and at 9:00am the national anthemn would come on over the loudspeakers and people would stop where they were and put their hands over their hearts; now hardly anyone even stands when they hear it. I was at disney this past May when they were having the flag lowering ceremony (which I videotaped) and it is amazing how many people were just walking about paying no attention (many without even removing their hats). The lack of respect is overwhelming. Kids will not hold doors open for woman, everyone believes they should be first in line, most people will not recognize the fact that other people are present and deserve respect too, hardly anyone says thank you anymore, etc., etc. I know I am ranting but it makes me feel sad to know that this will happen again.
Whether or not anyone agrees with the war, we should not forget those that work so hard and give so dearly to protect the colors that make this nation so great. Also the home grown heroes (fireman, policemen, emt's, etc) who run towards danger, putting themselves as shields between us and harms way, protecting not only our lives but material possessions that we take for granted. People should stop and stand when they hear the national anthem, taking theirs hats off and putting their hands to their hearts to show the respect to a flag which heroes die to protect. We should stop and shake hands with a soldier and say thank you for his courage and sacrifice. Pull your car to the side of the road when we see and hear firetrucks or emergency vehicles rushing in certain directions, and show them the respect they deserve as they rush to protect us. Or even just stop by your local firehouse, taking them a box of doughnuts and saying thank you for a job well done. Maybe if we begin showing respect to the heroes, it could become contagious and the rest of the world will catch on. Also lets not forget them and their sacrifices so history does not repeat itself again.

My apologies for ranting but this is a very moving day for me. I am a retired philly policemen and lost a few friends 6 years ago as well as some friends in Iraq and have a tendency to get "emotional" on this subjetc. Thats why we love Disney! A place where we can always smile.

 

[MRussell]

I was on a business trip with a friend and my boss in Orlando. My boss was getting ready to go home but my friend and I were staying a couple of extra days to visit Disney.

My boss came over for coffee and to say good bye and we had the news on. We saw the second plane hit the towers. When the plane hit the Pentagon we knew something bad was happening. It was so scary being away from home and family during this time.

My boss decided to leave right then and drive straight through to Maine. I didn't want to do that. My friend and I decided to leave the next morning. It took a couple of days to get home because we didn't want to drive up the east coast so we detoured around. I was so happy to get home and give my husband and kids a big hug.

God Bless all of those who lost family and friends. Thank you to everyone who continues to fight for our freedom.

Martha

 

[susieq76]

I was 12 weeks pregnant with my first child (would up being twins) when the planes hit. I was driving to work when DH called me and told me that a little plane (we thought it was one of the tiny ones at first) had hit WTC and we were joking about who gave this guy a license. When I got to work I called my DS Donna (my BIL was FDNY- he died 11/25/05 from pulminary disorder resulting from 9/11) to hear what was going on. I was on the phone with her when she and Chuckie started screaming that a second plane had hit. I watched the towers fall on the head partner's TV, all the while trying to reach DH who worked at JFK.

My other BIL Mark was FDNY as well, but he was on restricted duty and was driving the chief around. Thank God he was not working that day as when building 11 went down his chief and the chauffer were killed. Mark would have been there.

Chuck spent months digging through body partys behind Shea Stadium. It was horrid and he would come home devestated. It kills me that people have forgotten what happened. I haven't.

 

[ahowanitz]

May God bless our country and all of our soldiers who fight for our freedom everyday around the world and all of those who lost their lives that day and their families and friends. We must never forget!

 

[going2disney]

"I know this day in history will live on, to quote another, in infamy, for it's anniversary. So, I just want to pay my respects to all those people who lost their lives on this date two years ago, and we pay all our respects to them and to all of you who lost somebody special, and to all of us who lost our innocence on that day. We will never forget it, no. But let us also not forget all the millions of people that have died all over the world for the same terrible reasons. I hope that one day we will find a peaceful world to live on." -Dave Matthews 9/11/03

 

[AuntBot]

One of my sisters and her family were in the parks on 9/11/01. I work five blocks from Ground Zero and was supposed to be at my desk at the office that morning. Because of bad weather in NYC on the 10th, I couldn't get a flight out of Atlanta and was re-booked by Delta on the morning of the 11th. As I prepared to leave for the airport that morning, my other sister called me into the living room saying "Something's happening in New York". As we watched, the second place crashed into the towers. I immediately called my office, but they were already running for safety. I have never felt so helpless - watching the city and the people I love going through such horror. I remember being so frustrated the day before when I couldn't get back and then my mother called sobbing, saying she was so glad I had not gotten back.

My sister called me from the parks - they were chasing everyone out of the parks and no one could find out what was happening. I told her the towers were gone and she didn't believe me. I wasn't able to get back into the city until the next Saturday and even then I had to fight to get back. The plane was full of rescue workers and military heading for Ground Zero. Please dear God - never again!


Aunt Bot DN10 DN8 Dn4

 

[mla1977]

September 11 is my Mother's birthday. I was in my second year of law school and I had just woken up (probably at 8:30) and the first thing I did was roll over and call to wish her a happy b-day.

I had the radio on while I was getting ready and heard that a plane had hit one of the towers. My first thought was "stupid pilot", thinking that it was a Cessna (sp?). My class was at 9:30 so I hopped in the car and was heading there when my mother called to tell me to turn around and go home. I thought she was over reacting and I needed to get to class because I had already missed the class once that semester (I know, it wasn't setting a good example). I did listen to the radio the whole way in and I was trying to get a grasp on what was happening. There was an expert talking about what type of plane he thought it was based on the profile.

When I got to school they had all of the monitors on with the news and I found out that the Pentagon had gotten hit. I rushed to call my BFF since she was 9 months pregnant and her husband was stationed at one of the two east coast Navy bases. The Navy were already activating all of their plans and I believe her cousin was rushing there to be with her.

One of my friends borrowed my phone to try to reach his mother since one of her company's offices was in one of the buildings, and then my Prof. came in and started class. After about 15 minutes the Asst Dean came in and said that the school was closing for the day. The Prof chose to keep us there since he had our attention (yeah right). I'm sure some people left, but I stayed to the end since my friend still had my phone.

After class, my friend gave me my phone back and thankfully his mom was okay and had gone to work in another office. We headed out to our cars and I started heading home. There were several messages from my mother, each getting more frantic. When she said a plane landed in Pennsylvania, then I started to get nervous. I kept looking in my rearview mirrow to see if there was smoke coming from Center City Philadephia, but it looked okay.

Mom wanted me to go to her friend's house about 1 hour outside of the city. I finally managed to get in touch with my boyfriend who had just started his rotations in med school and he told me to go to his mother's house. That was fine with me since I pretty much had to pass it to get to my apartment anyways.

I remember being in shock and finally being able to reach one of my friend in NYC Wednesday afternoon. He started complaining the no one cared about him, but shut up quickly when I told him that we we calling every hour since the day before.

I am still amazed at what happened and I was brought to tears reading these stories today.

 

[drizzlah]

I live in NYC but was raised in Florida. I was in NY when the Towers were hit. I was able to reach my family by phone through out the day,a great relief for them and myself.At some point during the day, I recall my sister stating
Disney had closed. It sort of just added to the fear. Fear that these three actions spread so far wide.

I have been to Disney more times then I can count.As a child, and an adult. On my most recent trip in August I asked a CM at Chef Mickeys, when had Disney closed and not opened at all? His eyes filled up and he sat down at our table and grabbed my hand and said 9.11 was the one time he recalled the parks had closed mid day. He was a fellow NY'er.

I was so touched how at 8:30AM on a random Sunday morning, in the happiest rest. in the world, two total strangers could relate on a topic so quickly and with full hearts.

PS I must add hear because this is all so sad, I then made my way too the dessert table and had one of every dessert.HEY just because it was 8:30 AM does not mean I could not enjoy a little Disney dessert....

 

[ujpest_doza]

We were not there on Sept 11th 2001 but were due to fly out on friday sept 14th 2001.

As planes were still not in the right place and the FAA were not sanctioning all flights, our flight was cancelled 1 hour before take off and we had to hastily arrange a holiday to majorca, Spain instead departing on sunday 16th sept 2001.

Our flights and car hire money was refunded immediately but we never got our rental money back from the home owner whose villa we had rented as he used a terrorism clause in his rental agreement to welch on refunding us

 

[SHammett]

We checked into the dolphin on 9/14/2001. We arrived at 10pm and were the 2nd family checking in that day. We got a free upgrade to a huge suite because the hotel was so empty. The parks were desserted. We attended an e-ride night and it was so empty it was actually creepy. That, in combination with the stress and fear the bombings caused, made the vacation very surreal. We dream of park crowds like that, but I hope we never experience it again.

 

[brauergirls]

We will never forget that day. We arrived at Disney on the eve of 9/10. Was at Magic Kingdom on 9/11. Just got there when everything changed. We were there to celebrate my daughter's 2nd birthday on 9/12. Disney was fantastic. They handled everything with Disney magic. We ended up having a wonderful time. Very sad about all the families who lost someone in the attacks. We did have to rent a car to drive back home to Illinois. But atleast we were with family on a family reunion. Will never forget our Disney trip that year.

 

[apirateslife4evr]

I wasn't at WDW, but my 9/11 experience was one I will never forget.

I spent the summer of 2001 with a mis-diagnosed hernia, and had exploratory surgery scheduled for Wednesday, 9/12/01. I was in alot of pain, and was instructed to rest as much as possible prior to the surgery. My DH (then, my boyfriend), was still in tech school in Cherry Hill, NJ and had to be in class at 8am, so I had gotten up to make sure he'd get off to class on time, and then laid back down on the couch and fell asleep around 7am.

I woke suddenly around 8:55am, which was unusual, since our TV timer would have normally gone off around 8:30am. The TV wasn't on, so I was disoriented in what the time was. I manually turned on the tv, just a few minutes before the second plane hit the WTC Tower TWO. It was so earie, something that I thought I would NEVER see. I immediately called my mom, who quickly filled me in on what was going on. My mom was worried, as my dad (at that time) worked for a major chemical company in the area, and was having a hard time getting ahold of him. I immediately tried to reach my DH on his cell, and by then, most of the cell systems were overloaded. By now, the Pentagon had been hit, and they were talking about other planes being hijacked also. I finally got a call from my DH, saying that all their classes had been cancelled, and the campus evacuated, as a precaution, so he was on his way home. By this time, there was talk of biological and nuclear weapons possibly being used, and I was FREAKED out.

My DH was home for about 2minutes when Tower TWO collapsed, and we both spent most of the day glued to the TV, knowing that the world we lived in would NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN. To this day, I cannot see images of the WTC without breaking down. I have not been to Ground Zero since the tragedy (I have purposely AVOIDED the site on every visit to NYC since that fate-full day)....it's just TOO SAD.

I did not know anyone specifically that perished that day, but my heart aches for EVERYONE who was affected by the tragedy of 9/11.

 

[MNWDWMANIAC]

My sister had just been married on the 7th. We had a beautiful moment with both sides of the families gathered on a paddle boat on the St Croix. Al of our extended family and her husbands family had left and been home for a few days. We were picking up a tire we had fixed because ours had gone flat during the wedding set up and we were running on the spare. This was the first day we had free time to take care of things.

It was amazing just the way people interacted with each other on that day. Everyone we ran into was either crying, scared or upset.. but no matter which it was they were all together in it.

Just something we will never forget.

 

[Seahunt]

We were at WDW about a week later and it was very quiet. I remember some CMs standing by the castle holding out menus for us to look at and just begging us to eat at CRT

 

[cigar95]

We checked into the dolphin on 9/14/2001. We arrived at 10pm and were the 2nd family checking in that day. We got a free upgrade to a huge suite because the hotel was so empty. The parks were desserted. We attended an e-ride night and it was so empty it was actually creepy. That, in combination with the stress and fear the bombings caused, made the vacation very surreal. We dream of park crowds like that, but I hope we never experience it again.

We checked into the Yacht Club the same day. You might remember, not only was it surreal because travel was so restricted at the time, but Tropical Storm Gabrielle was going through WDW the same day. I still remember entering Epcot via the International Gateway for what then was still called Surprise Mornings, and literally not seeing another human until I got to Mouse Gear. Even the DVC information booths were deserted.

WDW was a very unusual place that week. That same morning, the president had called for a national moment of silence at noon. I was just outside the German pavillion. It *was* silent at noon, but that was because even though the rain had stopped, there was no one around.

I also recall the rotunda of the American Adventure that week being almost like a shrine. Every performance from the Voices of Liberty that week had people in tears, including a lot of the performers.

 

[cigar95]

We were at WDW about a week later and it was very quiet. I remember some CMs standing by the castle holding out menus for us to look at and just begging us to eat at CRT

Oh yeah - that was the other really unusual thing about this trip - I had breakfast at CRT twice as walkup! The second time, several of the princesses welcomed me back.