For FL residents..should we still come down?

[FanofG00fy]

Howdy!

I know this question has been asked, and I never really considered it after hurricane Charley, but now after 3 hurricane strikes and Jeanne and Karl churning away out in the Atlantic, do Florida residents want tourists down there?

Please don't get me wrong, I know Charley was devasting, but I heard Disney was okay, and (sounds shallow I know) I was thinking "No problem, they will get it straightened out."

I am so sorry for feeling that way. I have family down there, and they have said they are great, no damage, everything fine. But my mother was watching a news show (don't know which one), but someone like the head of tourism said not to come down or if you come down don't expect the same service. Anyone else hear this?

So, I'm putting my question to the Florida residents. I know I'm not coming down for almost a month, but the question is....do you want tourists or do you want us to stay away?

Any help would be appreciated. I'm really in a turmoil. One part of me says "hey, you've been planning and saving for a year, I deserve this, its Disney, they will be great and ready to dole out the magic." Another part of me says, "Hey, they need time to regroup and don't need me in their fast."

Anyone else?

Thanks for listening....

God Bless the victims of this hurricane season

Chris

 

[Feralpeg]

I think most people here absolutely want you to come down for your vacation. The income of many people here depends on tourists such as yourself. Many people here are hurting financially due to the hurricanes. If tourists stop coming, they many lose their jobs as well. The area around WDW and a good portion of Orlando are in good shape. There are no shortages or power outages in the immediate Orlando area. If you venture out of WDW, you will see tree limbs and other signs of the hurricanes along the streets, but it shouldn't cause you any problems. There are areas in Kissimmee that are still in pretty bad shape. If you are planning on staying in that area, you might check with you hotel to make sure they have no problems. I wouldn't plan on visiting along the east coast of Florida at this time.

 

[safetymom]

I agree with Feralpeg. If you are staying offsite I suggest calling your hotel. Onsite may be back to normal but many areas offsite were hard hit and are closed or damaged.

If your plans are offsite make phone calls ahead of time to see what you will be dealing with.

Come on down.

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

Thanks for your replys. I too was wondering and we don't want to put additional hardships on the good people of Florida, but I did also think that many incomes depend on the tourist dollars. I plan to head to Florida on Sunday to spend some of my hard earned dollars to help your economy. (I may spend a little extra if it will help...think I can use that as an excuse to my DH?)

 

[FanofG00fy]

Thank you, for your responses. We will be coming down, and because of your responses, we added an additional day.

God Bless Florida Residents!!!

Chris

 

[seashoreCM]

Use your own best judgment depending on your own desires. If getting refunds is a question, you are probably better off going.

For every curmudgeon who doesn't want tourists getting in the way, there is another wage earner or business owner eagerly awaiting new customers.

Unless the place (hotel, park, restaurant, etc., not city) you are going obviously looks battered or is lacking in something such as electricity, you have every right to receive the same quality of service now as you would last spring or last Christmas.

IMHO it is not a good idea to cancel your vacation because a storm might be coming, you should at least wait until the storm is almost certain to hit and even then the storm might still miss.

Unless you want to cancel when the cancelling's good (when airlines offer refunds) because you think it will rain a lot during your vacation.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[A Mickeyfan]

As long as we aren't getting hit with another hurricane I would say come on down and enjoy! But if there happens to be a hurrincae lurking on our coast, I wouldn't come.... I don't count Jeanne...she seems to be wondering away.. thank goodness God only knows we need the tourism business. I am here down in SW FL and it looks like some of ours will be out of commission for a while. South Seas Resort on Captiva Island was basically demolished. Ft Myers Beach is struggling to get everything up and running, same for Sanibel Island. At least the tourist area of Orlando is in full swing (more or less). We can forget the Pan Handle for a while & I want to say Vero & Palm Beach area are fixing up. I guess one way to sum it up is: Our coastline is fixing up, but our inland is open for business

 

[doombuggy]

I have not heard anyone around here wanting the tourists to stay away. If you come and a hurricane comes too, you have to realize that this is not the norm and that somethings might have to change for a short period. Around hurricane Frances, a woman came in my shop and "complained" about the inconvienece. I was as nice as can be to her, even though she needed a wake up call - yes, it is her vacation and she probably spent 2 days indoors, but soe did everyone else in the area, some of whom had serious damage to their homes with Charley 3 weeks before. There are still many homes with tarps on the roofs. I couldn't find duct tape, and my dad brought some with him this past weekend when he visited me. My apt. bedroom window now has a bad leak when it rains - a crack runs along the inside edge of the window frame. The complex has about 60 of it's 300 units with the same problem, and it's being fixed outside first by an outside contractor.

if you are a roofer or something like that, the business is booming!

come visit us if you can, we'd love to have you!

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

I was just on the east coast this weekend from Jax to Daytona Beach. Other than some limited damage, there isn't much to interfere with someone having a holiday there.

Disney is as about untouched as you can get, and so are Universal and SeaWorld. Barring another hit from another storm, you will be fine.

 

[ThAnswr]

Originally posted by FanofG00fy
Howdy!

I know this question has been asked, and I never really considered it after hurricane Charley, but now after 3 hurricane strikes and Jeanne and Karl churning away out in the Atlantic, do Florida residents want tourists down there?

C'mon down. I'm at Charley - Ground zero and things are starting to get back to semi-normal around here. So, I don't see why that isn't the case in Orlando.

One word of warning: If you come down here, be prepared to hear a million different stories about the hurricane because we've all got a story to tell.

Originally posted by FanofG00fy
God Bless the victims of this hurricane season

Chris

Thanks so much. We've had so much support from people around the country and even around the world. It is appreciated.

 

[WDSearcher]

I will add my voice to the other Floridians who are saying, "Come on down!"

Not only does the tourism business you're bringing help the immediate economy and keep people employed, the money that comes in means that a little bit less has to be allocated on the state and national level to help subsidize lower-than-normal tourism income. Which means that more federal and state dollars are available to be used by the people who need FEMA money, Red Cross assistance, and other more basic needs.

So yes ... come on down, spend ALL your money , and have a great time!!

 

[Ted and Holly]

I agree. And buy some Orange Juice while you are here.