Driving Vs Flying During HURRICANE season

[TyRy]

Hi all,

We are having a HUGE debate about whether to fly or drive from the Chicago area for our 06 trip which is last week of Sept/first week of Oct - PRIME hurricane season. It would just be my husband and me in our mini-van. I should also mention I am not the best flyer, and if we get bumped/have to leave late or early, I would probably have a nervous breakdown. I can fly as long as I'm on schedule and have myself talked into it!

Any views would be welcome. We would probably take about a day and a half to go down, and two coming back if we drove.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[ducklite]

It's entirely your call, but keep in mind that if you drive and there is a hurricane, you could have problems getting fuel to get back home. Food for thought.

Anne

 

[NotUrsula]

Also be aware that if there is a major evacuation, hotels near interstates may have no vacancies for as far as about 400 miles inland (but if you are already in a hotel when the evacuation is ordered, you will be allowed to stay over.) Once you get on the road you'll have to keep going, and if you run out of gas you will be SOL.

BTW, that isn't prime hurricane season. *Prime* (or peak, as we actually think of it) would be about 2-4 weeks earlier than that, from mid-Aug to mid-Sept. If it is any comfort, we've visited Orlando in Sept. every year since 1998, and have never actually been through a hurricane warning while there.
(Not to say there haven't been any, of course. The point is your dates are just as likely to be safe as any others in that sixth month period.)

 

[luvindisneyworld]

We drove in Sept 2004 and we were leaving coming back home with the people trying to evacuate and I have never ever seen anything like it.It was CRAZY.Gas stations was running out of gas people pulled at rest areas staying in their cars all the way back to NC.
If I were you i would fly.You may have to spend a couple extra days or cut your trip short but much,much better than driving in that mess

 

[puffkin]

I was going to say the same thing about running out of gas and traffic if others are evacuating. I would rather take my chances and fly.

 

[liveforthemagic]

I am going to argue the other side. I am not a good flyer either. My one and ONLY worry about my trip in Dec is that I am travelling along with my DD (no DH along to steady me) and I get very nervous. If we wake up the morning of our flight and there is bad weather, it will take every fiber of my being to get in that car and drive to the airport.

If its just you and DH, its not like you are driving with kids that need to be entertained. Maybe you could make the drive there part of the vacation, find a nice bed and breakfast to stay at, stop from time to time at little places along the way. You know--all that stuff you say you are going to do some day but never do. It might take some worry off you if you know that you can turn that van around at any time if hurricanes threaten. Or, if you are at DW and need to scoot out a day or so early, or decide to drive farther inland and ride it out, you have more flexibility when you have your own transportation.

I know--its perfectly safe to fly and much safer than driving a car. But for those of us who are "not good flyers", its hard to accept this known truth.

 

[pepe of ohio]

In all our years of Disney travels, have never given any thoughts to hurricane season. Lo and behold, this past October got real acquainted with Wilma. We arrive about 9 days, via Amtrak, before Wilma was to hit. We stayed 10 nights at the Poly and heard through the grapvine that Amtrak was suspended 3 days before landfall. Well that got my boxers in a twist. Called conceirge and explained our delima and asked if we could extend our stay fight where we were and they said no problem. That was a Thursday and the more I thought of it after spending 10 nights at 450.00 a night, I wasn't gonna pay any more so we recalled and asked if room was available at Pop until Amtrak got up and running again, really not knowing exactly when, the moved us to POP, 74.00 a night to ride out the storm. I believed it hit Sunday and we stayed 3 extra nights there until Amtrak started again, but from Orlando north, we usually detrain in Kissimmee. I even called the airlines for a flight out before the hurricane, I hate flying, and tickets were 600.00 each one way. Tried rental car, had to get there in 45 minutes, they were closing account of storm and may not open for days and after watching traffic on TV told wife we're staying right here until Amtrak runs again. Not alot of fun them last few days, felt trapped with no plan of attack but Disney is the best in helping make your hurricane stay the best. Figured their resorts are able to withstand hurricane winds and its just better to hunker down. Do it again in season ? If this year is like last, I'ld rethink my travel time and watch the forecasts !!

 

[skoba-nelson]

Drive. We drove down non-stop from NE Ohio to make it before Frances made landfall. We felt we were safer at WDW than anywhere else along the I-95 corridor. Once in Georgia we drove for 50+ miles at a time w/o seeing another southbound car. Traffic northbound was bumper to bumper. If I recall, we last got gas near the I-26/I-95 interchange and easily made it to WDW. We had to wait one day to get gas at WDW (on property) for they were out. We did not try to find it, we didn't need it yet for we mostly use Disney busses even though we have our car.

We wondered aloud a couple of times on the way down if we were doing the right thing. Once we got there we were assured it was. Disney and the CM's were well prepared.

For all those folks who were stuck with a closed airport for three days I felt sorry for them. Orlando airport was closed Friday and Frances didn't make landfall until Sunday. Many people at PC were at wits end trying to figure out how they were going to get home, work, fix messed up arrangements, everything because of the airport's early closure. Seeing all of the chaos the closure caused would make me drive anytime in hurricane or not weather.

BTW, people here in NE Ohio always tell me why do you drive down? It's only a 2 hour flight. For our first trip in 2000, we flew. I remember eating breakfast at the airport, so our flight out must've been early. I also remember with luggage, shuttle, check-in at a busy time that we had to rush to make our dinner reservations for the Luau. So much for the 2 hour flight, our whole day had been consumed.

 

[TyRy]

Thanks everyone for your opinions and keep them coming - figure sooner or later I'll show DH this thread. The main reason I wanted the car with us is so we'd have options if we had to stay or go early. Trying to rearrange flights is not my idea of fun!

 

[goofy4tink]

August 13, 2004...Friday the 13th. We flew from Boston to MCO, arriving about 1ish. Hurricane Charley arrived about 7 hrs later. I have no problem with flying at this time. The airlines try to work with you if there is a hurricane coming that will impact your travel. I would rather fly than worry about food/gas for the trip down or back.

 

[CarolA]

FLY!!!!

My dad evacuates... traffic is HORRID, gas is EXPENSIVE and where do some folks go.. Disney.

YOur chances of getting killed in an accident DURING the evacuation are high.. IDIOTS on the road with thier motorhome (See my Dad above). Folks think the emergency lane is for "them", cut you off to save 40 seconds and just generally show no common sense... If you fly, you just wait it out at Disney.

 

[Uncleromulus]

An excellent question and one we were debating too--for our mid Sept. trip. Ordinarily we always drive and there is so much about flying and airports that we don't like I felt we'd probably never fly to WDW again.
But this past huricane season changed my mind. They are never really sure when (or where) these storms will hit until almost the last minute. So one day you feel pretty safe with your drive plans but the next morning--it's all changed!!
And then with the evacuations, fights at gas stations, abandoned cars all along the road, no rooms anywhere--
As much as I hate to even contemplate flying, I believe that's what we'll do in September.