Hurricane Season.....

[umaangel00]

Do I have anything to worry about w/ hurricane season. I am going at the end of september and I have major worries about the weather that time of year.

 

[BostonTink85]

We went last year during the last week in August. We ended up being down there when Katrina was hitting New Orleans, etc. Disney wasn't really affected, one day it seemed to rain more than the others, but you just have to hope for the best. But I read recently somewhere that Disney was certified by some Weather Service as being able to withstand hurricanes, or some sort of certification like that. So I'll throw some pixie dust your way and hope that nothing happens while you're down there

 

[skater]

We go every year in September. The crowds are low and we like it hot enough to swim. We have had a few near misses with hurricanes but have decided that the benefits of low crowds outweighs the risk. I have family in the St. Cloud area and it is is rare for a hurricane to seriously affect central Florida. (I think Charlie was the worst recent one?) Ultimately you have to decide your comfort level ahead of time and realize that a hurricane is a possibility, and decide what decisions you will make. Two years ago we started to cancel a trip, and then decided it was too complicated. Disney was very helpful and our airline was willing to let us reschedule. What made it complicated was our ADR's and other plans! It sounds stupid now but I didn't want to give up our castle breakfast and Hoop De Doo. So, we went anyway and lucky for us the hurricane veered away. Again, it will depend on your comfort level.

 

[Sonno]

We're going the last week of Sept as well. And as a lifelong FL resident, I'll say this: "Hurricanes Happen!". Come hurricane or not, I'll still be there!

 

[magicaldisney]

We were there last year when Hurricane Wilma came through. The parks and tranportation were closed in the morning while it was coming through WDW. It was very very windy and very wet but by the afternoon everything cleared and things started opening up again. It was cold for the rest of our stay so we opted not to do the water parks like we normally do.

The biggest thing it might effect would be your flight in or out.

I personally don't think there are any major worries. There might be some inconveniences but no major worries.

 

[Bev J]

We have been at WDW during a Hurricane, several in fact..For the most part they have NOT impacted our trip at all. WDW is 60 miles from the ocean so the most we got was lots of rain and some wind.
They did not close the parks, but did open them a bit later. The CM's were very good at the hotels keeping people informed and we did keep an eye on the weather.
We did go to the parks, we chose Epcot since it has alot of indoor areas. Put on our ponchos, water shoes and a positive attidude. Had a fun time, we kinda felt like drowned rats sometimes...LOL. The parks were empty and no lines.
We are going again at the end of September into October and we are just not going to worry about it, if we have a hurricane then we will deal with it as it comes.
We do pack flashlites, batteries, a compact weather radio and make sure we have bottle water and some food in our room, it never hurts to be prepared.

Bev

 

[Indianadisneyfan]

I will be there Oct. 8-13. I'm hoping for the best. I figured since last year was so bad, maybe it will give us a break this year.

 

[umaangel00]

Thank you everyone for the good tips. I am still very worried about it. I live in michigan we will be driving down. I do not handle thunderstorms well at all. I flee to my basement when we have one. LOL.

 

[mking624]

I'm actually one of the weird ones where I'll be super excited if a hurricane comes through. LOL I don't mean that in some demented way where I'm happy that people experience tragedies out of it but in a way where I love to go through those things and do my own personal research on it. I've always been fascinated with severe weather and contemplated becoming a storm chaser when I was younger.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We went from around 9/25-10/3 (give or take a couple days, it's been too long now) and were there for Hurricane Jeanne. Don't panic, get trip insurance and just be aware of it. It wasn't really a problem for us, we stayed at ASMo and didn't have any problem. The parks were closed the day it came through, and they closed early (around 7 I think) the night before, as it was already raining fairly hard and windy.

The devastation we saw on the way back to the airport made us thankful for what we did have though, I felt so bad for the people who had their homes and lives ripped apart.

 

[aubriee]

Do I have anything to worry about w/ hurricane season. I am going at the end of september and I have major worries about the weather that time of year.

Hope not! We'll be there with you Sept 22nd-30th. Last year we were there Sept 17th-24th and while we were gone, a hurricane hit here in Texas. My adult son called the morning before we left and asked if we had been watching the weather. When I said no, he yelled 'well a hurricane is fixing to hit! Get home!'. Leave nice sunny Florida to fly into a hurricane? I don't think so!

You can't control the weather. Disney is built to withstand strong hurricanes and usually if one does hit the parks are just closed for a day, so relax and enjoy your trip. Last Sept the table service places were packed due to the free dining, but the parks were almost empty. It was great to just walk onto most rides.

 

[safetymom]

If you are driving and there is a hurricane be prepared for gas shortages or long lines at the pump.

At the resort you will be well taken care of if there is a hurricane.

 

[Cookie Princess]

I am a tad worried about this too for our end of August trip. I have never experienced a real hurricane and would prefer to keep it that way!

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

Another worried one here. We did purchase trip insurance just in case.

 

[Johnfish]

We were there during hurricane charlie. We only lost half a day in the parks and they gave us a free day on our tickets. Disney did a great job of taking care of everyone. My biggest worry is getting there. Once we are there Hakuna Matata (no worries)

John

 

[AJKMOM]

I believe that hurricane season is officially from June 1 to October 31. Any time in those 5 months is "fair game" for hurricanes.

 

[Rozzie]

I believe that hurricane season is officially from June 1 to October 31. Any time in those 5 months is "fair game" for hurricanes.

Hurricane season does not end until end of November.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I was at Disney during Hurricane Wilma. It wasn't one of my better trips, that's for sure! Like SafetyMom said, the thing I worried more about is effects to the infrastructure, mainly gas shortages and runs on food and things like that. We all saw what happened last summer - every storm produced panic and shortages all over the country, and this summer will probably be similar.

I would say just plan your trip, and don't worry about hurricanes! I purposely planned the end of October last year to try to avoid hurricanes, and instead got smack hit by one. So you never know!

 

[zuzu310]

I feel better reading all this encouragement as we are going Sep 9-16. I always worry about this but we have trip insurance. Here is some pixie dust for all of us sun lovers!!!

 

[ryley26]

We arrived one day after charlie parks had some problems but still open. Residents said that they usally don't take direct hits like Charlie. Just keep your fingers crossed and don't worry.