Fall travel and Hurricanes Post your 2004 Hurricane Season Memory

[A Mickeyfan]

I just wanted to post this since we are really in hurricane season and many are making travel plans for the fall. Aug thru Oct are usually the most active months for hurricanes. While they aren't the only months, but normally the most active ones. Please take a look at what you are booking and if you can change your plans last minute in the event of a storm. Will you get a refund? Will they allow you to postpone your trip? Can you take out trip insurance? These are questions that you may not have thought of and should have. Plan ahead to save your money in the event a storm was to hit.

I was ready to book a unit with my SkyAuction Certificate tonight and found out that if I book and a hurricane does end up hitting and I cannot get to my unit (either it hits my hometown or Orlando), I must forfit my trip. There are no refunds and no way to change my dates. I have decided to wait until my travel dates are closer to book.
Hurricanes can get me both ways, either hit my hometown or hit Orlando. I don't want to be in a position where I am stuck and have to evacuate my home or the roads to Orlando are not driveable, or end up not finding a gas station with gas.. yes, no gas.. In 2004 there was NO GAS and I could not get any to drive up to Orlando. It was between Charley & Francis just before Labor Day Weekend.


If anyone else remembers the 2004 Hurricane Season and what it did to their travel plans, please post it to jog everyones memory. I don't want to see anyone's hard earned money be wasted due to a storm.... Times are tuff this year with the economy the way it is, money is tight for most poeple, there is nothing worse than planing your dream vacation than to have it washed away by a storm and only bills as your memory for your vacation

 

[laurabelle]

Thanks for the heads up. I do have a room only reservation at Pop I had planned on hanging on to in case I didn't find anything with my sky auction certificate. I'm still waiting on that to come. I was at POFQ during hurricane Wilma in 2005. I was due to fly out about the time it was due to hit and I was able to add a day at the resort at my same rate and change my flight home on SW without charge. It wasn't bad, but we did get rained out of MNSSHP. The next day the parks were closed. They brought in Goofy for breakfast that morning and we were supposed to get updates on the t.v. but that information wasn't the latest...the food court buzz was! They did reopen the parks that afternoon, first to on site guests. Things were somewhat limited. We flew out the next morning, no problem. Overall it was not bad. I feel like I can't complain at all...I'm there on vacation and can go home. I think of those living in FL who lose homes or worse...

 

[alliesmommy]

DH and I had to reschedule our trip twice that year. We had originally planned a long Labor Day weekend (9/3-9/7) at the Hotel Royal Plaza. Charley hit and they closed the hotel. They moved our ressie to the Sheraton Safari hotel. We decided to stay onsite and booked at the Pop. Then Frances hit. We changed our flights and our ressie to the following weekend (9/10-9/14) Then Ivan hit. So, we were finally able to enjoy our trip the following weekend (9/17-9/21). It was one of our favorite trips. The parks were virtually empty. There was a lot of stress leading up to it though. We canceled both our flights out before they "officially" canceled them through AA. We had non refundable tickets and we were holding our breath that they canceled so we could rebook. We learned a valuable lesson that year. From now on we when plan a September trip to Disney, we buy trip insurance!!!