Hurricane?

[lorapinky]

Hello,

We are going to WDW in September, we went last time in Septemner and we really enjoyed it though we went just after Hurricane Katrina and I know this is a concern going at this time of year.

Has anyone been at WDW during a hurricane?

If so what happened? How did WDW handle it?

Any info on this would be great!!!

 

[MikeyF]

Hi,
We were there late August/early September in 2004 when a hurricane hit. There was a curfew for Orlando the night the hurricane was coming. Disney closed the parks early and had left letters in the room detailing closures and giving advice on what to do, what to expect and what to have in the room. I think they also left us a flashlight and a couple of other essentials. Everything was closed the next day as the hurricane was still there so we just had to wait in the room. Disney kept us updated through phone messages i think and by 5 o'clock the food court was open for a short time (we were in Port Orleans Riverside). The next day everything was back to normal.

 

[Red-Snapper]

Was there during Frances - all parks closed during the storm (obviously) then opened as soon as possible afterwards.

It isnt really the parks you have to worry about as much as yourselves We got an extended holiday whilst the airports reopened and the flights got back to normal.

There was a curfew in effect for a while afterwards to stop looters etc but it didnt really interfere with things during the day. I can remeber going to the Mall at Millenia the day after and it was very nearly empty of people.

 

[angel659]

Hi

We were there when Hurricane Wilma hit. The parks did not close early as it was expected to hit early hours of the morning. However, the weather was awful. We were in Epcot and was soaked when we got to the bus stop. People were still waiting at the lake for Illuminations The wind was coming up as well.

Throughout the night we slept well, but could hear the wind every so often. We woke up at 7:00am and the rain and the wind was awful. They closed the parks till further notice and they added extra films on the Disney channel for free. Apparently there were some characters that visited the lobby, but we didnt want to take the kids out in the rain, just to meet some characters. I went and got breakfast and that was fun. The wind was blowing up my poncho and it was fight the fight.

We watched the news in the room and the kids played and watched some TV. The weather had calmed down a lot, as it hit Miami around mid night and was going through quite fast. There were a couple of tornados around the area, but it was fine. At 13:00 they opened MK and Epcot. We jumped straight on the bus to Epcot, thinking MK will be packed. It felt like our gale force winds when walking around Epcot and it was windy for the next two days and cold.

I would never let hurricanes stop us from going. Its not like your on a tropical island. I felt safe at all times. We went in October and this is our favourite time of year to go.

 

[Groovee]

We were at Disney When Hurrican Mitch hit. Luckily it was just really dreadful rain for 2 days but otherwise things went ok for us. Just had to buy some poncho's and no time to finish lazing in the sun before we went home but at least we got home.

 

[florry]

We were there for Hurricane Frances staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We were a bit concerned as to what would happen.
We had travelled with Travel City Direct and they were excellent in keeping us informed. We were given a number and a time to ring. When we rang them they advised us to stay put in AKL. They had cancelled all flights into USA which meant that there were no flights out. We were well looked after by AKL who put on extra entertainment for the kids. We were able to eat at the restaurants for half the standard price. Breakfast was free.We were not allowed out of the hotel for the duration of the storm. We watch it from our room - quite something. Our son was staying at a Travelodge on the 192 at Kissimmee. I was very concerned for him and his fiance as their travel company - Direct Holidays - were not so good at keeping them informed. They did not seam concerned for their holiday makers safety where as TCD were excellent. We were delayed one week in coming home. TCD picked up all the extra charges including the extra days car hire.
The parks were obviously closed but the day after the hurricane we went to Magic Kingdom and were amazed at how quickly they 'tidy' up - no sign of damage at all. However, it bought home to us how lucky we were, when we were on our way back to Sanford and saw the devistation caused to peoples homes.

 

[Laurafoster]

We were there when Hurricane Jeanne hit we were staying at the dolphin and they handled it really well. We were confined to the hotel but they had put on entertainment in the ballrooms etc. You were kept well informed - the only downside was it was boring!

 

[fluffy bunny]

We have been hit by one tropical storm and two hurricanes during our four trips. Both hurricanes came through Orlando at night, so the parks closed early, we got back to the hotel and watched the winds blow the signs and trees around. Next day was a tidy up day and the parks were closed, but the shops did open in the afternoon, so the day was not a complete right off. All the parks opened the next day and you would hardly know there had been a storm, apart from the trees down on the entrance roads.

Both times we were in a hotel, so there generators kicked in when the power was off. Friends of ours staying in a villa lost power for a few days after the storm, which they said was not pleasent.

I think the tropical storm was worst, as it was slow moving and meant we had lots of rain for almost a week.

We going again this year, so judging from our past luck, avoid August!!!