hurricane at disney?

[mbtileguy]

anyone ever been there for a hurricane, i know they close the parks , what else do they do ? do they lock you in your rooms can you get a meal ? do you loose power and the t.v. i pitcher people buying up all the drinks and food at the resort food court and stores.

 

[warpdarkmatter]

that's a really good ? I'm going in sept and would like to know the answer

 

[ont/ohana]

Curious as well, we will be there end of September as well

 

[NYDisneyKid]

Me three ºOº

 

[briar_rose_59]

I'll be there in 9 days (single digit dance baby!!!) so I'd like to know too!

 

[JTsBoys]

They do shut down the actual parks, and any "extra" activities like tours of the resorts. I am not sure what they would do if a strong hurricane actually came really close to Disney, usually its just severe weather. The storm typically weakens as it comes on shore, and Disney in in the center of the state, so usually its not too too bad. Last time they brought out games for the kids in the lobby, and had storytime and played movies. The restaurants stayed open. WIth the exception of a few hurricanes, typically they pass fairly quickly, so it may just be for that day that everything slows down. Unless the weather was really really bad, I cant see them having everyone stay in the rooms, especailly since there are several upper levels, with sliding glass doors

 

[happylady]

I was attending a scrapbook event at the Contemporary Resert when Hurricane Charley hit in 2004. The cast members at the resort did a phenominal job before, during and after the storm.

Thursday evening the hurricane was headed north of Tampa. It turned overnight and was heading on a more Southern path. It was suddenly moving towards us, due to hit Orlando as a category 2 storm around 7pm to 8 pm on Friday August 13. The staff had very little time to prepare. When we woke on Friday morning, we found an information letter slipped under our door. We were told that the parks would close at 1pm and the resort restaurants sometime around 3pm. Since our event was being held in one of the ballrooms in the main (tower) building, we were told we were would not be able to leave the main building and return to our rooms once the winds picked up. (Most of our rooms were in the garden wings and we would have to walk outside to get from the tower building to the garden wings.) Also, at some point late afternoon the roads would be closed down, so if you left the property you might not be able to get back in until Saturday.

Disney evacuated Fort Wilderness. Those with fifth-wheels and travel trailers were direct to the Contemporary (someone said that there is sometype of parking area under the resort...maybe a delivery area???...but I'm not sure). The campers were put up in the empty ballrooms and, from what I heard, provided with dinner.

We were also warned to visit the restrooms before the storm hit. We would not be allowed out of the ballroom due to the possible danger of the glass wall outside breaking during the storm. And believe me, they had guards posted. Since some of our 300+ group were from the Southwest Florida area that was due to be hit first with winds now up to a category 3-4, a TV was brought in to the ballroom. It was a hard evening as some of the group lost cell phone reception with their loved ones. Luckily none of the family members were injured, though a few late found out their homes suffered extensive damage.

During the worst of the storm we lost power, but the generators immediately took over. We lost 1/2 of our lights and one part of the room developed a roof leak.

The next morning we had reservations at Chef Mickey's. When we arrived at the restaurant we were told that only Chip and Minnie would be greeting guests. Jokingly, we asked where were Mickey, Dale and Goofy. The cast member informed us that "Mickey was out checking the parks to make sure it was safe for his guests". We were laughing so hard, they finally admitted that he was stuck in traffic trying to get to work.

We when left Disney Sunday afternnon, you could see the path of destruction left behind. There were many downed trees and some damage to buildings. But this was nothing compared to the Arcadi and Port Charlotte area on the Southwest coast.

During the weekend, one of the castmembers advised us that the Contemporary is one of the safest buildings in Florida due to it's design.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I haven't been there for a hurricane, but I went right after the one that hit central Florida hard a couple years ago (2004?) and I can tell you that Disney got the streets and areas you could see cleaned up before the folks did in the surrounding cities.

The drive in from the airport, there were fallen trees and debris everywhere. Soon as we hit Disney property, you could hardly tell there had been a storm.

From what I read on the boards here, they moved the folks in Ft. Wilderness cabins (in effect, trailers) into real hotels. They had children's activities in the hotel lobbies.

People were not locked in their rooms or denied food. I'm sure we'd have heard about it if that had been the case.

Hurricanes are rarely strong enough for Disney to have to shut down the parks. It usually just rains a lot.

 

[Sammie]

Well it depends on many factors and yes I have been there several times during hurricanes. The most recent and severe was Charley, which came right over the Orlando area. We were at the Grand Floridian.

Parks closed the day of the storm at 2pm and when you send everyone back to the resorts at the same time, it can and is chaos. Restaurants served food until 6pm as the storm was predicted to make landfall at Disney that night, and the lines were very, very long and people were very, very rude. Counter service closed earlier about 3 or 4pm.

You need to always prepare to stay in your room for at least 24 hours, possibly less, with food and a flashlight. Very seldom does Disney lose power but it can happen and has for brief periods.

It is good to have snacks in advance, as the stores at the resort will sell out. It is like people don't believe until the last moment one is coming. We got our supplies days before the storm. They do predict these things on TV.

If you have kids, games etc are good. Disney will show nonstop Disney movies on TV. But during the peak of the storm, Yes you will be asked not to leave your room.

Of course if you are in a value or moderate resort, they can't stop you from being foolish and going out in the storm. But at the deluxe resorts where there are hallways, during Charley, they had CMs in the halls to make everyone go back to their room.

Any other guestions I will be glad to answer. We never felt in danger, it is mainly a inconvenience but then it is Mother Nature, you are dealing with. Patience is needed, and you will have a good time as they don't last long and even with Charley, they cleaned up the damage really quick.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

I was there for Hurricane Wilma.
Disney has its own power and the line are all underground, the lights never flickered the entire time.

May 30, 2006 — Officials from the NOAA National Weather Service have declared Walt Disney World® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., as a StormReady® community. As the first theme park and resort in the nation to achieve this recognition, Walt Disney World joins more than 1,050 StormReady communities throughout the United States. (Click NOAA illustration using StormReady poster for larger view. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)

"More than 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 2,500 floods and 1,000 tornadoes affect the United States annually, and hurricanes pose a significant threat—especially to the coastal regions of the Gulf and southeastern states," said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, director of the NOAA National Weather Service. "The National Weather Service developed the StormReady program to help protect every American from such hazardous weather."

The nationwide community preparedness program uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle local severe weather and flooding threats. The program is voluntary and provides communities with clear-cut advice from the local NOAA National Weather Service forecast office and state and local emergency managers. The StormReady program began in 1999 with seven communities in the Tulsa, Okla., area.

"StormReady encourages communities to take a proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations and public awareness in partnership with their local National Weather Service office," said Bill Proenza, director of the NOAA National Weather Service southern region. "StormReady helps communities improve communication and safety skills needed to save lives—before, during and after the event."

Located on 28,000 acres of land near Orlando and one of the most frequented vacation destinations in the world, Walt Disney World Resort opened in 1971 with the Magic Kingdom theme park, hotels, campgrounds, golf courses and shopping villages.

Walt Disney World Resort has its own emergency operations center, 24-hour warning capabilities and an amateur radio club. Its emergency management staff is highly regarded by the NOAA National Weather Service and other federal, state and local government agencies.

"We appreciate this acknowledgement of our continuous efforts to ensure the year-round safety of our guests and cast members," said Lee A. Cockerell, executive vice president of operations for Walt Disney World. "Our partnerships with local, state and federal emergency management agencies are part of our overall safety strategy that enables us to provide our guests with the highest level of security and comfort possible."

To be recognized as StormReady, a community must:

Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center.
Have more than one way to receive severe weather forecasts and warnings and to alert the public.
Create a system that monitors local weather conditions.
Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars.
Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.
Walt Disney World Resort is one of 70 StormReady designations in Florida. In a special ceremony at the resort, officials were presented with a formal recognition letter and StormReady signs. The StormReady recognition will be in effect for three years as the resort conducts the renewal process.

Outside the Poly during the Hurricane

 

[happylady]

The restaurants stayed open. WIth the exception of a few hurricanes, typically they pass fairly quickly, so it may just be for that day that everything slows down. Unless the weather was really really bad, I cant see them having everyone stay in the rooms, especailly since there are several upper levels, with sliding glass doors

During Charley, all the resort restaurants closed, but reopened first thing in the morning. We were able to get soda/pop from the fun center snack bar. Because of the glass end walls at the Contemporary, we were told to stay in our rooms. Having gone though four hurricanes, if I was in one of the rooms, I would have taken pillows and blankets and sat in the bathroom...anywhere but by a sliding glass door. One of my friends stayed in her room in the main tower and said it was the scariest couple hours of her life with the sliders rattling.

 

[rie'smom]

As a previous poster stated, by the time a hurricane reaches WDW, the winds,rain,etc have calmed considerably. That's not to say there's no danger if someone is foolish enough to venture outside-yes, people have done this. It's more an inconvience than anything else. WDW really shows the southern hospitality during a storm.
If travelling to WDW during hurricane season,:
Bring a flashlight
Bring snacks
Bring games
Be calm

 

[raven69david]

Last year we were at AKL when Ernesto hit in August. The resort TV channel kept us posted and advised of their emergency plan should it go into effect. It stated that they would broadcast emergency information on the tv and via the phone. If the hurricane was to directly target WDW, the resort guests would be moved to the lobby for further evacuation either into a safer area or basement (big glass windows in AKL lobby dont make it an ideal place to remain).

To be on the safe side, if you plan a vacation during hurricane season, it would be prudent to buy trip insurance.

 

[Wendy1953]

DD is a CM and has been stationed at the Resorts instead of the parks during hurricanes. Disney takes every precaution so that Guests are not affected by the storm - other than not being able to go to the parks.....the entertainment in the hotels goes up a notch.....being in the middle of the state helps as the storms tend to die off when they hit land! Guests are kept "safe" in the confines of the hotels, as well as, the CM's who are already on duty!

 

[Smailey]

I was staying at POR when hurricane Jeanee hit in 2004. They closed the parks, early the day the storm hit. We never once lost power in the room and Disney put on different Disney movies on throughout the storm if you got tired of the storm coverage on TV. My wife (at the time girlfriend) and I stocked up on snacks. Get what you can, that is my best advice. Don't just buy enough for 24 hrs. When they finally do open up the restraunts they open them up to the staff first. Remember that these people have been working very long shifts, away from their families often and they have very little time to prepare themselves for the storm i.e. getting food. The resort will say that if you need to go to the food court (if you have kids who are hungry) feel free too. They try their best to service those in the most need first. I ended up going to the food court to get a pizza for the two of us around 11pm, 6 hrs after the storm left. By this time the food court was open to everyone. It took 2 hours. The whole resort had the same idea. Go figure.
I have to say, we were locked up in the room for 36hrs straight. We could hear the storm but it was easy to tune it out. My wife opened the door during the storm to look out, around 10 am. Never open the door, there were branches and other things flying around. It was eary. She opened the door again 1/2 hr later and in that time a tree had fallen directly on top of our room (we were on the second floor). We didn't hear a thing.
The Disney staff was amazing throughout, if you have to be in a hurricane, Disney is a great place to be!

 

[DisneyDadC]

We were also there during Charlie.At no time did we fear for our safety,Like posted staff members kept everyone calm.The only problem we had is:We were in the south wing at the Comtemp.Since every thing was closing they were giving out comp diiners in the tower but the strom got bad and they basically locked us down in the wing and we missed out on dinner.other then that it was fine

 

[sniFins]

I was there when Jeanne was coming in 04. We live in South Florida and wanted to get home to batten down the hatches, as the storm warnings worsened. We were told that we could leave early with no problems and if we wanted to stay we were welcome to stay even beyond our reservation days. WDW has their own power supply and is not as affected by the storms as the rest of the world. In fact, I found out later that many people from our area will evacuate to WDW simply because of this. So stay aware and stay safe in the arms of the mouse.

 

[strmtroopr96]

We were there in September 2004 when Hurricane Jeanne hit. We were actually scheduled to fly home that Saturday when we learned that the airport was shutting down and most flights (including ours) were canceled.

I was on that trip with my then 4 1/2 year old DD and my parents. My father was caught in the crowd at the Pop Century front desk trying to figure out if we could stay in our room 2 extra nights (luckily we were able to), and my mother took my DD to Blizzard Beach (which was totally dead).

Parks were closing by 6 pm as well as food courts and restaurants. The Pop food court was a complete madhouse with guests just buying anything they could grab. LOL There was a limited hot menu and the food cases were wiped out.

From 6 pm until the next Sunday late afternoon, we were stuck in our rooms. There were occasional updates and special movies run on different channels but it was quite boring. By Sunday afternoon, the weather calmed down a bit and we went in the pool for a bit. By that evening, the food court was again opened with a limited menu and characters were brought into the lobby to entertain the kids.

By Monday morning, most parks were ready to reopen (I think they waited longer to open AK though) and we now had to make a mad dash to the airport for a new flight home. There was a lot of foliage strewn about the resort and a tree by the baby pool uprooted. One of the years icons out front was also damaged. You could see where the top had toppled over, gouging the main building.

Everyone at the resort (kids included) was given 1 adult Ultimate Park Hopper ticket good for 20 years. We still have the 4 sitting in a drawer here because we almost always go on the Free Dining Package and haven't needed to use the passes yet.

Driving to the airport, we were able to see much more of the damage from the storm. The airport was another HUGE chaotic scene!! It was just crazy with no sense of direction at all. It was a very stressful ending to an otherwise wonderful trip!

 

[Shorty82]

Disney is by all accounts one of the safest places to ride out a hurricane. Their buildings are VERY over-designed in regards to hurricane safety, especially the resorts.

WDW produces some of its own power, utilities are all underground (best place for them during a storm), and there are emergency generators for the off-chance that mains power goes out. It helps that WDW is in the middle of the state and any storm dies down a lot before hitting.

Guest safety is the number one priority of all cast members normally and especially so during a hurricane. I've never rode out a hurricane a WDW but I can't think of a better place to do so. I've rode out hurricanes before in Pensacola that were direct hits, including the Category 4 Ivan, and I'd much rather ride one out at WDW than at home if I had a choice.

 

[disneydance]

We were there in September 2004 when Hurricane Jeanne hit. We were actually scheduled to fly home that Saturday when we learned that the airport was shutting down and most flights (including ours) were canceled.

I was on that trip with my then 4 1/2 year old DD and my parents. My father was caught in the crowd at the Pop Century front desk trying to figure out if we could stay in our room 2 extra nights (luckily we were able to), and my mother took my DD to Blizzard Beach (which was totally dead).

Parks were closing by 6 pm as well as food courts and restaurants. The Pop food court was a complete madhouse with guests just buying anything they could grab. LOL There was a limited hot menu and the food cases were wiped out.

From 6 pm until the next Sunday late afternoon, we were stuck in our rooms. There were occasional updates and special movies run on different channels but it was quite boring. By Sunday afternoon, the weather calmed down a bit and we went in the pool for a bit. By that evening, the food court was again opened with a limited menu and characters were brought into the lobby to entertain the kids.

By Monday morning, most parks were ready to reopen (I think they waited longer to open AK though) and we now had to make a mad dash to the airport for a new flight home. There was a lot of foliage strewn about the resort and a tree by the baby pool uprooted. One of the years icons out front was also damaged. You could see where the top had toppled over, gouging the main building.

Everyone at the resort (kids included) was given 1 adult Ultimate Park Hopper ticket good for 20 years. We still have the 4 sitting in a drawer here because we almost always go on the Free Dining Package and haven't needed to use the passes yet.

Driving to the airport, we were able to see much more of the damage from the storm. The airport was another HUGE chaotic scene!! It was just crazy with no sense of direction at all. It was a very stressful ending to an otherwise wonderful trip!

Whats the ultimate park hopper ticket