Hurricane Matthew Closes WDW - Reopens Saturday, October 8th

[Keels]

For anyone needing accommodations or knowing someone that needs rooms - there are at least a half-dozen Marriott properties within a $15 Uber range of Disney with availability tomorrow through the weekend.

Use MMF as a corporate code for a discount - most rates are incredibly reasonable. This includes the Gaylord, JW and Renaissance - most for under $150/night.

 

[TwoMisfits]

For those who are staying in resorts that aren't contained to one building (Value and Moderates, Saratoga Springs, OKW, etc), I'd suggest going and getting some some basics in the morning - including food and some bottled beverages. Even if you can't make it off property, a trip to the quick service locations on property will at least give you some items to keep you indoors through the storm.

Also, anticipate for most hotel restaurants to fill up quickly over the next 48 hours. Be mindful and respectful of all your fellow guests, and especially the cast members in place.

And to add on - get some food and drinks that won't need refrigeration or heating capabilities (even if you have a resort fridge/kitchen) - you can't count on having power. Think shelf-stable fresh fruit/vegs (apples, clementines, bananas, baby carrots should all be around), peanut butter, jelly single serve packs, bagels or bread, oatmeal packets, cereal boxes, muffins, popcorn, nuts, juice boxes, starbucks single serve beverages (if you need coffee), chips or sweets as comfort food, bottled water, etc. A 24 pack of bottled water is $16 at AoA and might be the best $16 you'll spend in Disney.

 

[nduckles]

To ANYONE who is flying (American Airlines, especially) check your flight ASAP if you don't already get automatic notifications. American has cancelled just about everything into the area through Friday night.

 

[kandb]

Well, our flight from Tennessee was just canceled. Looks like we're going to Rent-A-Car to drive down and try to get some time in the parks Saturday and Sunday and then take a returning flight back on Monday. We already have a nonrefundable Hotel, rental car and return flight so we might as well get down there and try to do what we can.

Also to mention we were flying out of a smaller airport between Nashville and Atlanta (about 3 hours drive from home) bc the airfare was about $80 less per ticket and there are 5 of us... they didn't have any other flights we could have taken earlier. Just the one. So we are going to drive down there and rent the car out of that airport and then take the flight home we originally booked. (They were separate one way flights)

Are you sure you want to be driving thru the hurricane on Friday? That sounds very dangerous. Stay safe.

 

[skuttle]

I'm trying to cancel my resort reservation (oct 6-10) but can't get through!

 

[madge]

DS received email from Disney that their event at Wide World of Sports on Saturday has been cancelled.

They already decided not to go, but it is a sign they are slowly cancelling some things.




- Disney Dream is stuck at sea. All those guests that would have gotten off and flown home will have missed their flights. Disney needs to put them up until they can get on the next flight. They are Disney's current guests and the change in the cruise plan has impacted them.

- The 7th cruise was cancelled, today. Am sure there were folks already there, in their hotels planning to take the Cruise bus. They are now having to arrange a way home. They are Disney guests and were to be their guests on the 7th.

- Disney has guests in a campground surrounded by water and full of trees. DANGEROUS. These folks must be moved to safety as well those in the water bungalows and in treehouses. I think it's safe to say all guests that are being moved have current reservations that Disney is honoring.

- INCOMING guests tomorrow that have reservations paid for absolutely should have their room held for them.

- From what it reads the poster who is upset was scheduled to check out tomorrow. They do not have a reservation. They asked to stay longer. Disney "had no rooms for them when they were asking" and they were upset. Now it may be they just couldn't stay in their room or their hotel or didn't want to stay somewhere offered or for a price of something else. I don't know, but I don't think Disney wouldn't have offered them a room somewhere if they had one .........

- If you were scheduled to check out tomorrow and made no adjustments to your reservation when they did have rooms, it would be logical that you would check out.

- We are responsible for taking care of ourselves on vacation. This storm didn't show up yesterday, we've known for days, ever since it turned north that it was potentially going to be a big impact. At that moment, I would have immediately booked a room for a couple nights. If you didn't book a room when they were available, then you need to book a room offsite which the poster did. I don't understand why someone who is not a guest on the books should get a room and a guest that is should sleep on a cot?

Here's my experience with trying to extend: we are at Pop right now, holding a reservation through Friday. Our flight is (still) scheduled to leave MCO tomorrow. If that happens, then we check out early and go home. If that does not happen, then we check at the resort (do not call) to extend through Saturday. I fully expect the situation to be different tomorrow than what I was told today .... but I'm thinking positive that my flight leaves and if it doesn't, disney won't leave me room less.

I have also been checking with S/D for cancellations.

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Just as a head's up for anyone who is currently at WDW and has a vehicle, most of the grocery stores in the area are running very low on certain things, like bottled water, ice, and bread. My DH and I live in Kissimmee and did our supply run last night, thankfully, but had to run back to the store today because we forgot to get a couple of things. The lines most of the day were apparently ridiculous, we just happened to go at just the right times and had minimal waits. So, if you decide to try and make a trip to get things, keep in mind that it's going to be crazy and it's probably going to involve long lines.

 

[DebbieB]

Looks like Southwest is cancelling all flights starting late afternoon (in or out).

 

[NGavush]

especially since every part of the trip is refundable at this point for almost everyone.

That's a rather narrow view. Hotel suite and rental car booked via Hotwire non-refundable (who kindly had added an automated "sorry, you're screwed" message to their phone system) and airfare return flight also nonrefundable. For 5 people.

I've no qualms heading down to south GA / west FL until Friday to see how this turns out. If it's a total loss, we can just turn around and go home. Better that than completely writing off what we've spent and having the thing turn out to be not so bad. Yes, it very well may be terrible, and if it is we've no intention of getting in on that.

(Moderator, Sorry for further detracting from the actually useful information on this thread but blanket statements are not ok)

 

[rteetz]

 

[Princess Jasmine]

I'm trying to cancel my resort reservation (oct 6-10) but can't get through!

Keep trying...I got through after several calls. However I am still on hold. Currently at 1 hour and 26 minutes.

 

[madge]

To ANYONE who is flying (American Airlines, especially) check your flight ASAP if you don't already get automatic notifications. American has cancelled just about everything into the area through Friday night.

I don't think anyone is flying in/out of MCO Friday. I saw a tweet from the airport that said they hope to have operations slowly retored on Saturday

 

[skuttle]

Keep trying...I got through after several calls. However I am still on hold. Currently at 1 hour and 26 minutes.

I got through and put in hold 4 times then my call was dropped!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

And to explain why .......... during the brunt of the storm you will be instructed to stay in your room. You will not be permitted to walk around the resort, go to the food court ... nothing but stay in your room and wait instructions. So this post is very important to listen to.

We were there during the hurricane "miss" about 15 years ago that resulted in all WDW parks closed for one day of our stay. We were warned to stay in our rooms that night, and we did, but many did not. I understand that they were giving away food at the food court (we were at ASMo). Because of canceled flights, they let us stay an extra night for free. Yeah - free. Disney really helped everyone during that storm.

 

[HopperFan]

SORRY that is so big ...........

 

[TwoMisfits]

That's a rather narrow view. Hotel suite and rental car booked via Hotwire non-refundable (who kindly had added an automated "sorry, you're screwed" message to their phone system) and airfare return flight also nonrefundable. For 5 people.

I've no qualms heading down to south GA / west FL until Friday to see how this turns out. If it's a total loss, we can just turn around and go home. Better that than completely writing off what we've spent and having the thing turn out to be not so bad. Yes, it very well may be terrible, and if it is we've no intention of getting in on that.

(Moderator, Sorry for further detracting from the actually useful information on this thread but blanket statements are not ok)

Thus, the "almost everyone"...it is unfortunate Hotwire is not refunding anyone...that may not serve them well for future business...

 

[Timmy Boy]

blah

 

[Sorrel]

We are at SSR right now. Does anyone know if Disney will bring supplies to the separate buildings? If we cannot leave for 24 hours or so, what do we do to eat? There are no instructions so far, and I am a bit concerned about eating. We usually stay in a single building hotel, and I can see how that would be ok, but somewhere like this where the restaurant and CS is more than a 5 minute walk from our room is concerning me.

 

[Leia's Mom]

I am rebooked for next weekend. Mostly ok (getting a hotel for next week was rather hard). Only really annoying thing is that Orbitz let me book two one way tickets. One is cancelled. The first leg. As of today, they won't do a think about the second leg -- "which is fine". Yeah, fine except that we can't get to the city it is departing from. I won't be using them again . . .

Disney was lovely. Southwest was great. I will be thinking safe thoughts for all those in the path.

 

[TwoMisfits]

We are at SSR right now. Does anyone know if Disney will bring supplies to the separate buildings? If we cannot leave for 24 hours or so, what do we do to eat? There are no instructions so far, and I am a bit concerned about eating. We usually stay in a single building hotel, and I can see how that would be ok, but somewhere like this where the restaurant and CS is more than a 5 minute walk from our room is concerning me.

See the posts above about grabbing food in the morning - don't count on anyone being able to get out Thursday night through Friday night to your hotel...