Anyone else afraid of going to FL in hurricane season

[Daisymeo]

We went to Florida for three years straight in the summer in either July or August, but now due to the hurricanes in the past few years I can't get myself to go there in the summer. My husband and I have been going the first week of December for a few days but this doesn't work because we have a 15 year old daughter who can only go in the summertime because of school. She really wants to go back to Florida too. I would really like to go this summer but we want to visit Tampa and go to Busch Gardens and to the beach on the Gulf coast so I'm really afraid to do this because of a possibility of a hurricane. Does anyone else feel this way or do you go to Florida with a hurricane plan just in case?

 

[olena]

It doesn't bother me at all. If a storm is coming, we'll change our plans accordingly.

 

[MissMinnie]

My 2 cents........If you are going in the summer, go in early July which traditionally has few to no hurricanes as compared to mid August to October. Hurricanes love warm water for their energy and that is why there are more during the end of summer, early fall months. The ocean is warmer then. Most hurricanes form after mid August and by late fall things calm down. You usually have a few days warning before landfall, so you would have a small time frame to adjust your plans if need be.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I will never try to avoid hurricanes again. Mainly because I tried to do that, and failed miserably!! I purposely went in late October last year, mainly to go to MNSSHP and to miss hurricanes. Guess what? We got a passing hit by Wilma, which was the strongest hurricane at one point ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Basically there was two days of humid rain before Wilma, then a half day of rain and park closings when Wilma hit, then the next day was freezing and blusterly. Not the greatest time for a trip! Lots of stuff was shut down and much of the entertainment wasn't running (shows and characters and things like that, which is what I like) so it wasn't a very good trip for me. But I met so many people from South Florida with far worse problems, so a rainy vacation wasn't so bad to deal with!

But I guess my attitude now is that no matter what, I can't avoid hurricanes - so why try!!! Like Olena said, just go whenever you want to go, and plan according if something is happening then.

 

[Viking]

We've always gone ther in Sep/Oct ('88, '95, '97, '99, '01, '03, '04) and are already booked for '06. We had to change plans due to storms three times. Nevertheless the short lines in the parks, the low prices, and the empty beach make it the best time for us.

 

[slo]

We always go to WDW in Sept. and we have had to flee 2 hurricanes in the past. Its scary, but we plan accordingly and if we have to go, then we have to go. I like the low crowds to much to stop going in Sept because a hurricane may come.

 

[Ranatra]

. Guess what? We got a passing hit by Wilma, which was the strongest hurricane at one point ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Basically there was two days of humid rain before Wilma, then a half day of rain and park closings when Wilma hit, then the next day was freezing and blusterly. Not the greatest time for a trip!

We were there as well! It ended up being a pretty wet and windy vacation.
We've never gone in October before, but I wanted to be there for my birthday, Oct. 24th, The exact day Wilma hit.
It won't stop me from going again in October.

 

[powellrj]

we have never been when it wasn't hurricane season. We just make plans knowing they are always subject to change. Hurricanes don't really bother me because you usually have plenty of warning. We have tornados which can pop up suddenly and you really can't prepare for them other than take cover.

 

[chris1gill]

We were also there during Wilma last October! My son competes in a karate tournament in October & we can't avoid it... The next tournament is October 21 & we will be there... we'll be there for the whole week as a matter of fact... if we get hit, we get hit, there's nothing I can do about it, I'm certainly not going to think about it til it happens... I really think Disney resorts are about the safest places to be in a hurricane down there though....

As an aside, I agree if you are worried you should go late June to late July, it's extremely unlikely to be hit that early in the season...

 

[Beth76]

I am. I won't go to Orlando during hurricane season. I would really like to go to Destin, but in order to go and be warm enough to swim, I would have to go during hurricane season. I would consider it if we drove our own car (won't drive to Orlando) and could get a hurricane cancellation policy. If there's a hurricane anywhere near us, I won't even attempt to go. I was stuck in Mexico for 4 extra days after Wilma hit. I won't be living through a hurricane ever again.

 

[buddy&wooz]

I went to WDW twice last year- in September and October, and we were affected by hurricanes both times (another Wilma vet here!) I'd do it again, even with the mess it was getting home in October (we barely made it to the airport because they took the Magical Express busses off the roads and we had a harrowing taxi ride instead! Luckily our airline wasn't one of the ones that shut down.)

Even after all that- it was worth it.

 

[Kahana-ri]

We plan to go at the end or September and although I have thought about hurricane season, it hasn't detoured our trip planning. I am willing to chance it to see WDW again. Things you do for the love of WDW!

 

[ADisneygirl]

I can understand ~~ I don't want to live here in Florida during hurricane season! But as others have said, I think going in June/July is a better bet. Hurricanes are unpredictable, but they seem to occur in higher frequency during August and September.

 

[twinklebug]

I guess I'm an oddity here...

I get a thrill from seeing mother nature in action. That said, however, I WILL NOT put my family, or myself, in the way of danger. We were there for hurricane Charlie in '04 and Disney forced us to evacuate from their cabins over to POR... a smart move as the roads in the campground were unpassible after the hurricane and one cabin had a tree fall on it. I LOVED the warm rain (when I had a poncho on!) and there were MANY folk who, like myself, got a thrill from the experience.

When I was younger, my parents had a condo in Myrtle Beach. Pardon my bad memory for names, but one very bad hurricane hit the area and severely damaged many of the waterfront buildings. My parents took pictures of the front building with a giant hole chisled out of it and of pools that had been scooped up out of the sand and cracked in two at the water's edge. Did that hurricane, and many others that the area experience deter the owners from re-building or stop people from visiting the area?

I would go, and have gone again during August. Disney does a wonderful job of protecting their guests. I feel bad for the CMs and their families who are hurt by the hurricanes. I don't know if Disney has a plan to help them when disaster strikes.

 

[DVC Sadie]

I always plan at least one trip to WDW during hurricane season and have yet not had a problem. If a hurricane is forecasted to hit a area in Florida we reschedule our trip for several reasons. A lot of residents that live on the coasts of Florida go to Orlando as a safe haven. If driving be aware that finding gas could be a problem. There are so many variables. Last but not least we do not want to be part of the problem in the event of a mandatory evacuation.

 

[luvindisneyworld]

We have been to Disney the past few years in September and never had a problem.The weather has been Beautiful.We went in Late October last year and was there through Wilma.
We are going again this year,just trying to see when everyone can go,we will either be there in July, August Or September.
We Loe it during that time of the year.last of August or the first of September is Wonderful.

 

[AllyandJack]

I went in late Sept/early Oct.....I was there for Hurricane Jeanne. Aside from being trapped at AKL, hearing the word "Jambo" more times than I care to recall, and having to watch The Sixth Sense over and over again, it wasn't too bad. I felt perfectly safe. If you think you'll be there during a hurricane, plan ahead. Food. Entertainment. It worked out for me because I got a cold the day I got there so to have an excuse to stay in bed was GREAT for me.

I'd go during that time again. As long as you can get in before they close the airport, you'll still have a good time.

 

[Jpgirl]

I wouldn't avoid just b/c of hurricanes but in the future they may be a part of the consideration. I had the rare pleasure of having to leave FL last Sept to get home in time to BE in a hurricane. We live in Houston TX and we live with hurricanes-they're going to happen. If my kids would've been with us while we were in FL I wouldn't have left. We thought about flying them to join us but we have animals. I would go to FL during hurricane season-I love th beach in summer. You just learn how to prepare and run or hunker down accordingly. Would you avoid the Midwest during tornado season or California at anytime b/c of earthquakes? I understand your concern and it was a hassle but we coastal people respect the weather and learn to be prepared and go about our business. Hurricane season does run from June 1-Nov.30. This year maybe a whopper as the Gulf waters didn't coll down like in other years (even last year the Gulf waters were cooler at the beginning of the season than they are this year). It's hard to plan b/c you just don't know where or when they'll form or where they're headed. At least the weather guys do a good job of giving warning 2-3 days out so we can get our plans in gear. I say plan the vacation but be prepared

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

no, we usually go around Sept/Oct and have only been affected once - were at Poly during Frances.

 

[MamaLema]

We are booked for the first 2 weeks of September and I'm a little scared. We're driving from Canada so we'll be stopping on the way for weather updates.