Hurricane Irma?

[flatlandcycle]

I couldn't get anyone to honor the free dining and had to downgrade to a mod resort to cover cost difference!

This is exactly how I reward companies for less than generous refund policies during (potential) natural disasters. This and travel insurance not performing like it ought to. Companies keeping a cancellation fee just doesn't smell right. Do you think I can get new house insurance now with a named storm coming? The consumer should have similar rights. If the _event_ is a named storm, that should be the date that I can call off reservations without penalties.

 

[HopperFan]

So I am already here, and not scheduled to fly out till the 13th. We looked into leaving early and it seems impossible, so we're planning to hunker down and try to make the best of it.

I placed an overnight order on Amazon for lanterns, batteries for them, an extra power bank, some gallon jugs to fill with water, and books to read. They all have guaranteed delivery by tomorrow or the 8th. I'm staying at Port Orleans Riverside. Since the worst of the weather won't have started by then do you think I'll have any issues getting those orders? I have no experience with hurricanes, any other advice to prepare since I'm stuck here? We will also buy a loaf of bread, PB and jelly. Any advice would be much appreciated.

I'm at Pop right now and not scheduled to fly out until the 12th. Have already stocked up on water and cans of soda and cereal and cereal bars. Looking on Amazon right now to try to get a high capacity power bank (I have a couple of them but they don't hold much charge)... Fingers crossed for Friday delivery!

If I were there now, I would head to pool or housekeeping and stock up on extra towels. I normally do that anyway since we shower am and pm ... but it may be housekeeping staff may be unavailable during height of this.

Local here again...I am liking our situation as the days go by.
And just in case anyone is interested, I follow Brian Shields on Facebook (Channel 9 WFTV local station) I like him because he gives out the facts and doesn't panic or instill panic in any way.
I do not go anywhere near the Weather channel, sorry Jim Cantore

Don't be dissing my BF (it's okay DH knows).

#IrmaGod! People are so tense here...

#WINNER

No one said it was in abundance. But by all means, keep stirring the pot

Again, straw man. I never said water is in abundance. I know you like to post inaccurate info, so I'm calling you on it.

Just ignore and don't respond.

Category 3 is still very dangerous and not to be taken lightly.

Yes, true, but it really depends on your location in relation to storm as to the impact. Orlando as central won't have anywhere near the impact to it from the East, particularly if it is moving northern and not direct. There's a big difference on how storms hit FL vs Gulf locations like Texas-LA-AL. I think most the thread is to assist those stuck in Orlando, so Yulilin is sharing from many years on the ground experience.

 

[AngiTN]

Not abundant, no, but the stores are restocking as fast as the trucks can get there. So it's not hopeless, just a lot more inconvenient that it was a couple days ago. It won't be hopeless until the day before the storm hits when the trucking companies stop delivering so their drivers will be out of harms way and the stores close so their employees can do likewise. Even the governor was encouraging people who couldn't get supplies yesterday to go back to the stores today, because more supplies were on the way. Of course, the first thing I thought of was how much fuel they would use driving from store to store looking.

Now, if you are looking for a generator or portable stove . . it's probably way too late for that.

And I worked for a company (Tractor Supply for those that know who they are) in their store support center. When things like this, or Harvey, happened we got proactive and sent as many items that we thought we be needed to the area as possible. We get in the stock lists for our distribution centers and order any and every generator to be sent to an area where a tornado or hurricane came or water pump to where a flood was going. So while stock may have depleted today there are people working to replenish stock faster than typical.

 

[AngiTN]

Just ignore and don't respond.

Ignore may be one of the best features on this board

 

[aroundtheriverbend]

I don't think many people understand what happens with prolonged winds. For the majority of the country, a bad storm equals a tornado - can be extremely destructive, but moves through very quickly. Sustained winds aren't something a lot of places experience, it's a whole different animal.

 

[SL6827]

I have had that happen and told the CM on the phone that exact thing, that I can see availability online, giving them resorts, dates, room categories, etc, that I see. And the promo. Once I tell them what I see, they find it. It's like magic. Personally, I have my own opinions on why, and they are just that, my opinions, no facts to go with them at all. But I think they don't look for the promos until asked.

Good point on thinking they may not look for promos until asked. Hmmmmm.

 

[sunshine1]

Ignore may be one of the best features on this board

Slightly off topic AngiTN.

Do you know if i can get a refund on my MNSSHP next Tuesday?

 

[AngiTN]

Matthew had rooms filled all the way up to Chattanooga.

Not going to be possible this time. We have Iron Man half World Championships this weekend. We are full to the brim already. Probably stretching back towards Atlanta a bit too, since many would be flying in there

 

[amylevan]

Hurricane force winds (185 mph) currently extend 50 plus miles out from the eye. Tropical storm force winds (39mph to 73mph) currently extend 175 miles out from the eye. This storm is the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic basin.

Knowledge is a good thing in situations such as these.

Yep. The storm is 400 miles wide. Florida is a little more than 100 miles from coast to coast.

But as you yourself pointed out, hurricane force winds are 100 miles wide (and mile 50 from the eye is nowhere near as intense as at the eye). It's a big storm, yes, but that cone is the cone of possible paths, not the cone of affects. If it hugs the florida coast (which is a possibility), Florida remains on the clean side of the storm. Storm surge remains an issue (but not in Orlando). Winds would be greatly diminished inland (still a very windy day, but not deadly).

If the storm comes right up the center of the state like you seem determined it will do, it still has a lot of land to cover before hitting Orlando. Land is death to a hurricane.

 

[AngiTN]

Slightly off topic AngiTN.

Do you know if i can get a refund on my MNSSHP next Tuesday?

If they cancel it or if you have to cancel for the weather, I'm thinking yes. I like 99.9% sure that is what they did for Matthew last year.

 

[PuppyLeo]

Actually Orlando was added to the list. So they will refund it. I am waiting for the customer service rep to call back because when I talked to her this page wasn't updated yet. She was going to call AA and then call me back, so when she does I expect the $610 from AA will be able to be refunded.

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/travel-alerts.jsp

Did you book nonrefundable airfare? Because the travel agent told me that my Disney package airfare was "nonrefundable" and unless the flight was cancelled no money would be received... even though Orlando was added to the list.

 

[sunshine1]

If they cancel it or if you have to cancel for the weather, I'm thinking yes. I like 99.9% sure that is what they did for Matthew last year.

Thanks for your help.

Do you know how i go about cancelling that ticket - was due to come out to Florida from UK but have rescheduled the trip.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

But this thing is what I thought saw is 400 miles wide and how many miles coast to coast is Florida?

That is correct as well. However the eye of a hurricane is only 20-40 miles wide and that is where the most intense winds are located, after that the winds to the north west of the storm are the next most intense. The winds to the north east and south east are less so. And as another poster has pointed out, the winds 50 miles away from the eye are less intense than those at the eye. If this is a category 3 storm and if it passes by Orlando that will still be cause for very intense winds. However, in 2004 Hurricane Charley's eye passed directly over Orlando International Airport and if I'm not mistaken it was still at Category 3 Strength at that time. While far from ideal, Orlando has weathered significant storms in the past.

 

[HarperLeigh]

But as you yourself pointed out, hurricane force winds are 100 miles wide (and mile 50 from the eye is nowhere near as intense as at the eye). It's a big storm, yes, but that cone is the cone of possible paths, not the cone of affects. If it hugs the florida coast (which is a possibility), Florida remains on the clean side of the storm. Storm surge remains an issue (but not in Orlando). Winds would be greatly diminished inland (still a very windy day, but not deadly).

If the storm comes right up the center of the state like you seem determined it will do, it still has a lot of land to cover before hitting Orlando. Land is death to a hurricane.

I know what the cone means. It also says right at the top of the graphic "Note The cone contains the probable path of the storm center but does not show the size of the storm. Hazardous conditions can occur outside of the cone."

I don't think the storm will come right up the middle of the state. I am just not discounting the possibility like some.

 

[AngiTN]

Thanks for your help.

Do you know how i go about cancelling that ticket - was due to come out to Florida from UK but have rescheduled the trip.

I believe you are going to have to call Guest Services to get the refund. I can't think of any feature online that lets you refund a ticket.

 

[ErinsMommy]

Curious - if you were in the NJ/NYC area, would you think Irma would affect travel if we're supposed to flying into Orlando the evening of 9/15??

 

[sunshine1]

I believe you are going to have to call Guest Services to get the refund. I can't think of any feature online that lets you refund a ticket.

dang.

i am in the uk - wonder if there is a uk number that i can call.

Thanks ever so much for your help.

 

[DLM1980]

I believe you are going to have to call Guest Services to get the refund. I can't think of any feature online that lets you refund a ticket.

Last year after the party was cancelled we had received an email giving us our options and said to call or email guest relations. I remember having to take a picture of the back of the ticket. I opted to email. It was easier than waiting on hold forever

 

[wonder whisper]

Can you wait and see if Disney officially activates their hurricane policy tomorrow? There should be at least some clearer indication of where it is headed by then (no assurances unfortunately).

It's not clear how it started, but yesterday in this forum a notion started up that today there would "clarification" of Irma's track and Disney activating their hurricane policy.

Well, it's tomorrow and neither of those things has happened.

All the supposed hurricane experts are saying the same thing now they've been saying for days: "Irma will turn more northerly at some point, but we don't know when or where."

And since Orlando is not yet under a Hurricane warning, Disney has not activated their hurricane policy (which they only do once a warning for Orlando is issued).

Bottom line: understandably, people want certainty now. But they're not going to get it until Friday at the earliest, more likely on Saturday or Sunday.

 

[SL6827]

Not going to be possible this time. We have Iron Man half World Championships this weekend. We are full to the brim already. Probably stretching back towards Atlanta a bit too, since many would be flying in there

That's right. Iron Man is this weekend.