Hurricane

[Merilyn]

Has anyone been at WDW when a hurricane was coming? As you can see we will be there in 6 days. I just saw on the weather channel the hurricane is suppose to hit in 5 days. They don't know exactly where yet. Is WDW safe if one hits the FL coast? We don't know anything about hurricanes here in Memphis. If it is bad weather do the airports close, does DVC give back points? We are praying no bad weather while we are there. I hear it has been very rainy this summer. I am wishing all people there a safe trip and hoping for us to have one too.

 

[BobH]

A friend of mine was given the choice to restore his points when Vero closed a couple years ago due to hurricane or he could relocate to OKW. Bad news is hurricanes do what they want where they want. WDW is not immune but obviously coastal areas are worse. Isabel is projected to turn north towards the Carolinas and not come ashore in Florida - for now. Keep checking the weather channel. Best wishes. I'll be going down in Oct.

 

[dcfromva]

Originally posted by Merilyn
Has anyone been at WDW when a hurricane was coming? As you can see we will be there in 6 days. I just saw on the weather channel the hurricane is suppose to hit in 5 days. They don't know exactly where yet. Is WDW safe if one hits the FL coast? We don't know anything about hurricanes here in Memphis. If it is bad weather do the airports close, does DVC give back points? We are praying no bad weather while we are there. I hear it has been very rainy this summer. I am wishing all people there a safe trip and hoping for us to have one too.

Merilyn,
I have had a couple of occassions where we had a trip planned to WDW with a hurricane coming. We lucked out both times. One time, it just grazed FL and we felt the rain effects (the eye hit somewhere in the gulf). The other time, the hurricane moved off the east coast of FL into the Atlantic and sucked all the moisture away from us (we didn't have any afternoon thundershowers--in Aug/Sept--how cool was that?)
It is so hard to tell with a hurricane as to what it is going to do. Some folks cancel their trip and then Orlando ends up having beautiful weather.
If a hurricane decides to come inland, the worst of a hurricane is going to be felt on the coastal areas where they experience the storm surge associated with the eye going over. DisneyWorld has only been shut once due to a hurricane (a few years back). The good thing about Orlando is that it is inland--hurricanes weaken as they go overland as they are shut off from a water source to feed them and strengthen them.
If the hurricane decides to go over Orlando--you can expect widespread torrential rain, high winds and thunderstorms (and all the stuff associated with thunderstorms--ie tornados,et'c). Not weather you would want to go out in... even if they didn't shut the park down. The good news is--hurricanes generally don't stay in one place for very long.
Hang in there, at this point it would be worthwhile just to see how things are going to play out. Try not to worry.
-DC

 

[PamOKW]

Orlando is the place in Florida where Floridians head when a storm is coming. DVC handles major disruptions such as massive storms on a case by case basis. The history is that they have been more than fair.

That said, I wouldn't worry about this one too much. Things can always change, but right now the prediction is for the storm to hit somewhere between North Carolina and New Jersey. Forecasting allows the airlines to plan ahead so there is generally no danger in flying (they just don't go up or fly around). However, if the storm does hit along the East Coast you can probably expect airline delays for several days that domino around the country.

 

[Canadian Tom]

We were there, staying at the Beach Club when Andrew hit south Florida. Other than the increase in number of spanish speaking people, there wasn't much else. I do remember they slid a note under our door and said in case of emergency go to the convention centre. They moved all the beach furniture into the conference centre. The weather was great, sunny and warm each day. I do remember the local news talking about how bad the traffic was on the local highways. Another great reason why you want to stay on site, right. Good luck, we'll be watching.

 

[JVL1018]

Originally posted by PamOKW
Forecasting allows the airlines to plan ahead so there is generally no danger in flying (they just don't go up or fly around). However, if the storm does hit along the East Coast you can probably expect airline delays for several days that domino around the country.

Greeeaaaaatttttt.
I am so stressed about this, all my pre trip excitement has been sucked out of me. I haven't even started packing yet.
Whine grumble complain....

Hoping that since we are flying JetBlue which is a relatively small airline in this part fo the country, that they won't get too backed up..

 

[RobDoc]

We were at OKW when Floyd went thru (a non-event, as it turned out). The onsite preparations were impressive.

At that time they did close parks (only AK was open and available for onsite guests- and they even honored our free DVC passes). At OKW they issued flashlights and storm preparation suggestions to all guests (fill the tub with water, etc.)

Few restaurants were open, but each resort had some level of food service. TV coverage was 100% devoted to storm coverage- which did get a bit old after awhile.

With this type of storm, the immediate effects are fairly short lived since it passes thru so quickly. There was a short while that the airport was closed (so some guests were stranded and some couldn't arrive), but it opened back to full capacity very quickly.

Everything in the parks that could move was tied/strapped down. Any hanging signage was secured, umbrellas were stored inside CoP, food carts were strapped to the ground, a small army of CM's scurried very efficiently about as these preparations were made.

Parks closed early the day prior to prepare and remained closed the day of, but they did open AK when it was apparent that the storm missed WDW. Many CMs who lived on the outskirts were affected however, thus the reason for 3 parks remaining closed and cut-back of many services.

We never felt in any danger and were duly impressed with the efficiency displayed by the Disney CMs.

 

[LindaDVC]

One trip to HH we arrived right after the storm-- It had hit Charleston--we were worried the week before -- and figured all we could do was call and make sure it was safe to vacation.

The island had been evacuated and we were one of the first back on HHI. Needless to say our room was ready and we headed to the beach house for one of the most awesome days of beautiful waves and lovely weather.

Nothing you can do about weather except pray for safety and make wise decisions.

Linda

 

[Merilyn]

Vicki, go on and pack. We have, even with the possible hurricane. We won't let that stop us unless the airport isn't open. It seems we will be there the same time. We are at OKW. Have a great trip and let's pray for perfect weather.

 

[JVL1018]

Originally posted by Merilyn
Vicki, go on and pack. We have, even with the possible hurricane. We won't let that stop us unless the airport isn't open. It seems we will be there the same time. We are at OKW. Have a great trip and let's pray for perfect weather.

Thanks, I am trying not to be a baby about this, but it's hard.LOL
The new track has it well into NY, almost into Canada by Friday afternoon, so I guess all I have to do is batten down the hatches and ride it out here in NJ Thursday, and get ready to fly out Saturday..which means, you're right..I better get packing!

 

[Kick it up a notch!]

We were leaving Massachusetts for Orlando when a hurricane was coming and I got nervous and scheduled my flight for the next day. The airline (Delta) was awesome and let me reschedule twice with no charge. We found out the day before that the hurricane was going to hit but not where or when they thought and I rescheduled my flight again at no charge. We flew into Tampa and drove to Orlando (only an hour) and it was raining pretty hard but really no problems other than that. I created a lot of stress and undue changing of plans because I listened too much to the weather reports.

I am not saying ignore them but the people in Florida live though this all of the time and know what to do. Don't worry about it unless it is going to hit the day you will be landing. If you are flying out they won't let the plane take off. If you are landing they might divert you to another airport and you could be stuck there until it blows over.

Oh and one more thing, the weather the day after a hurricane is stunning. It is beautiful and sunny and was the best day of our vacation. Bring two pairs of shoes, incase one gets wet. I learned that too!

 

[mbhoxsie]

Back in '99, my DW and I were in WDW when Hurricane Erin Florida's East Coast...

The weather was medicore for one day in Orlando.. Rainy... Slightly windy... We made the best of a somewhat bad situation and went to some Open House we had heard of for some new Timeshare that Disney had..

Voila!

As a side note, my BIL and SIL had just gotten married at the Poly the day before and were on DCL for their honeymoon when the boat went right through the edge of the storm...

Being from Michigan, I'm not too familar with Hurricane damage, but I remember that Erin was bad enough to take out one of the bridges into Port Canaveral..

 

[Merilyn]

Vicki, you sure didn't have to tell me the storm is headed for NY. My son lives in NYC and he is suppose to leave for WDW on Sat morning. I haven't heard the weather since this morning. I guess I better call him. Now I have to worry about something else. Oh well, pixie dust to me!

 

[JVL1018]

Originally posted by Merilyn
Vicki, you sure didn't have to tell me the storm is headed for NY. My son lives in NYC and he is suppose to leave for WDW on Sat morning. I haven't heard the weather since this morning. I guess I better call him. Now I have to worry about something else. Oh well, pixie dust to me!

Sorry, I meant NY State, not City. By Saturday the track has it well into upstate NY, where I assume after being over land for so long it will no longer be a hurricane, but a tropical storm.
So pixie dust to your son and me for a safe flight out on Saturday from NYC!
AND pixie dust that my home doesn't sustain damage on Thursday or Friday. Looks like we're in the path on some projected tracks.

 

[Nink]

I live in Houston on the Texas Gulf Coast. One thing everyone is forgetting is the strength of Isabel. With winds at 150 mph, that is a pretty terrific storm!

As of this morning, the projected path shows the storm coming in possibly at North Carolina and moving towards Virginia and New York. Look out dcfromva!

Even interior winds can destroy a town. When Alicia came through Houston in 1983, with only 50 mph winds, we were without electricity for 5 days! That means no water and no gasoline either. That is why you fill up the bathtubs with water.

Florida could, or could not, have residue winds from this storm. Fortunately, Florida is on the "good" side of the storm. That is, the side that usually has less wind and rain. Again, consider the size and strength of this storm, and all "usual" knowledge about hurricanes might be out the window.

Always be cautious with hurricanes and don't try and second guess them. Watch the TV and look at weather.com and Tropical Update, to check on the storm.