Jeanne: Should I be scared at WDW?

[gracieboo]

Please forgive my ignorance, but we are driving down from SC right now and I just read Jeanne may be a category 3 when it makes landfall and a category 1 in Orlando. Should I be concerned for our safety? We are staying at AKL Sat. and BWV on Sun.

 

[LibertyBelle]

Not at all. Disney does a great job with their guests during these times. You will actually be with evacuees from the coast and CM's as a lot of people use Disney hotels as shelter (what better place to be right?). My only advice to you is to make a stop somewhere along the way, if you can, and pick up some drinks and snacks. Things that you can keep in your room. When the storm approaches they will ask you ro remain in your room for the duration and you will appreciate the food

 

[ErinInCT]

I have 2 little ones. I am worried about losing power. Did I read somewhere that WDW has it's own power source? Or can they still lose power?
Also I am worried about buying milk & water. Can I get this thru the hotel (WL) if needed?

 

[Uncleromulus]

Aware? Yes. Scared? No

 

[ruttie]

i have no idea why you would continue on today if you are driving.. I am scared to death it is a hurricane Yes I will be safe at disney world but if i had my choice i would i would be on the road to the carolinas/geargia area
I guess i was not gonna say this but whatthe heck....Why anyone would choose to continue on to florida on a day when a HURRICANE strike is gauranteed is beyond my comprehension.. MOney no money whatever.. stop where youare call it a day and come on monday when it is over!!!!!!!!! just being on the road to dayy is a STUPID STUPID thing to be doing!!!!!!

 

[SnackyStacky]

Originally posted by ErinInCT
I have 2 little ones. I am worried about losing power. Did I read somewhere that WDW has it's own power source? Or can they still lose power?
Also I am worried about buying milk & water. Can I get this thru the hotel (WL) if needed?

Disney World's infrastructure is underground. Power losses, if any, on property, should be short lived.

If you have to be anywhere in Florida during a hurricane, I think Disney World is probably the best place to be.

 

[alloyd1170]

At this point, anywhere along the SE coast from FL to SC looks like it will be affected by Jeanne. Im trying to get my dad to leave Hilton Head as Jeanne is supposed to ride up that way and dump lots of rain. Plus if youre on the east side of the storm its a lot worse (tornados, flooding, etc). So if youre close to Disney, Id keep right on going as long as the weather is ok (looks like south FL may be getting some bands now). If youre not close, and not on I-95, then either stay at home to free up your room for those needing to evacuate, or head inland and get yourself a good sturdy hotel room!

alison

 

[kilee]

I guess i was not gonna say this but whatthe heck....Why anyone would choose to continue on to florida on a day when a HURRICANE strike is gauranteed is beyond my comprehension.. MOney no money whatever.. stop where youare call it a day and come on monday when it is over!!!!!!!!! just being on the road to dayy is a STUPID STUPID thing to be doing!!!!!!

Not everyone lives with the threat of hurricanes and their destruction. We can all watch, see, and sympathize. However, it's hard for many to comprehend the full effects of storms they may not normally endure. I think this post is a bit harsh in light of the fact the OP stated she wasn't sure how to handle the hurricane. Unfortunately, this is very new ground to many people. We see the TV and the reports of devestation. Then we come to the DIS and read reports of guests who stayed during Charely (and they made it out to be not so bad for them). So, of course there's going to be confusion on what to do or not to do.

 

[gracieboo]

Thanks Kilee. You are right, the reason I was asking is because I am from upstate SC and have absolutely NO experience with hurricanes. When deciding whether to leave on Friday evening, we took into account everyones advice (friends who are former Floridians, Disney CM's, posts from this site). However, I still have no firsthand experience, hence my initial comment to "forgive my ignorance".

We actually arrived at 5:00 this morning. I am still really nervous and have even thought of driving to Tampa, but knowing my luck, Jeanne would follow us there. I have read numerous times how safe WDW is and just hope this holds true. I just watched on the local news that the storm may make landfall further south, allowing more weakening before it gets to Orlando.

Thanks for your input.

 

[teachingmykids]

Keep us posted Gracie. We're supposed to leave for WDW Monday morning. DH is balking and I am packing.

~~g.

 

[bridgettesmom]

Concerned?..Yes... but, since if you are going,your should keep focused to keep your family safe.I live in the caribbean and I've been thru my share of Hurricanes. Jeanne just went by recently, as, a tropical storm and it left behind a lot of damage. We were without power for 3 days, it knocked down a lot of trees and overall the island got a lot of flooding.So, if you are still gonna go to FL, here is a few hints... get a battery operated radio,flashlight,water,non perishable snacks to last you at least for 2-3 days.Stay away from the windows,no matter how tempted you are to look outside,there is nothing to look at, trust me.If, it were me I would place pillows,sheets inside bathtub,and all the things that I mentioned before inside the bathroom ,in case it gets bad you won't have time to gather these things.Don't forget that it is an emergency situation and treat the CM's accordingly.Many of them have lost their homes and have received not only an economical impact, but, an emotional impact as well. Look at my countdown, we are heading down in a few days,if, God forbids Lisa decided to head to Florida, I, having lived thru so many hurricanes will postpone my trip a few days until the storm has passed. I will not be cancelling,as Florida's economy must really be hurting this year with all these unexpected tourists ie. Charley,Frances,Ivan and now Jeanne.Well, if I have to pick between spending a hurricane at Disney or at home, I'd rather be at Disney...Have fun, keep safe!!!

 

[safetymom]

I-4 is backed up quite a few miles heading towards Tampa from WDW. I just was on the road near my house that overlooks I-4.

So at this point if anyone was planning on using I-4 to evacuate to Tampa they are in for a long wait on the road.

 

[Baloo]

I agree with Kilee...There are many,many of us that don't understand hurricanes.Some of the questions might seem silly but bear with us... we're learning.We appreiciate the words of wisdom from those there or who have been through these terrible diasters.

This has been one weird year.

My thoughts and prayers are with all. Hopefully Florida will become the state once again!

....STAY SAFE!!!!

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Originally posted by ruttie
i have no idea why you would continue on today if you are driving.. I am scared to death it is a hurricane Yes I will be safe at disney world but if i had my choice i would i would be on the road to the carolinas/geargia area
I guess i was not gonna say this but whatthe heck....Why anyone would choose to continue on to florida on a day when a HURRICANE strike is gauranteed is beyond my comprehension.. MOney no money whatever.. stop where youare call it a day and come on monday when it is over!!!!!!!!! just being on the road to dayy is a STUPID STUPID thing to be doing!!!!!!

Wow....a bit rude don't you think? I mean as stated before, those of us that have never tried chex cereals don't like chex cereals...i.e...........those of us who have never been through a hurricane don't have any clue on how devastating and destructive they can be. I have been through 5 hurricanes in my lifetime: HUGO, ERIN, OPAL, GEORGES, and just recently IVAN. With Georges, we were on the west side of it, so we just got a lot of wind and rain. Erin and Opal were direct hits to my area and even though OPAL was devastating, we recovered quite nicely. Hugo was my first and scared me to death as it made a U-turn and came back down through Columbia SC. We were without power for a few days. Finally there was Ivan. Just pure devastation.
With all that said, I know NOT to travel anywhere where a hurricane will be making landfall. I have never seen anything like I have with gas lines miles long and lines for a burger at McDonald's even longer. Some people just don't know, so please go easy on them. You just don't know how to deal with a natural disaster unless you've been in a natural disaster.

 

[gracieboo]

AKL CM's have been awesome! The lobby was hopping last night until around 11 with a band, characters, coloring station, etc. We then received a letter and voicemail requesting we stay in our rooms, possibly for up to 24 hrs. However, this AM we got another voice mail saying Boma and Jiko were open for breakfast as well as bag meals in the lobby. Once again, the lobby has been busy today with much of the same from last night.

The winds have been pretty noisy from our room through the night. They woke me several times and I would check the local weather station to see how things looked each time. They seemed quieter earlier, but sound like they've picked up for the last hour or so. The local weather man says the weather should start to return to normal in the next few hours.

There is a curfew in effect until 5 PM. We hope everything is calm enough to transfer to BWV sometime this evening. A CM at the front desk told me early this afternoon that we may not be going anywhere until tomorrow, depending on if the curfew is actually lifted.

Thanks for all of your advice and prayers.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

The curfew has been extended to 6am tomorrow morning. However, from my view, it appears that the rains have slowed down a bit, and the wind gusts, while still strong, are not as frequent.

 

[ruttie]

I am glad that the original poster mad eit there safe and sound and actually has a great day to enjoy the parks..
I do however stand by what i said .. I am sorry if i came across as harsh I really felt like someone needed to finally tell people that it is a STUPID thing to do.... everyone was trying to be so nice that day and there werre many posts about do you think it is safe.. etc.. and everyone was saying well if you really have to come but... you will be safe but... I did take into account that some people are not from hurricane areas and may not realize and having read posts seen footage of areas that seemed to do fine.. but I am ignorant of volcanoes but i have seen footage oiof poeple living near one standing next to lava flow and they lived .. doe sthat mean that if I knew a volcanoe was set to erupt that I would still continue on with my plans to camp at the base of the mountian?? of course not that would be STUPID!!!!
so agian i am sorry if i ruffled any feathers and i am glad that the OP made it safe... Ia m very thankful that disney provided its excellent service to us for teh 3rd time in 2months (i was there for charle and frances also) ... I for one am one who thinks ever town should take disneys lead because they have power gas food etc.. YEAH disney!!!
(on a side note i now have a couple different opinions on how each resort handles the hurricanes and will definetly choose one over the other if i have a choice)...

 

[doombuggy]

Folks, it's been a little rough here, with 3 hurricanes in 6 weeks. The previous poster has indicated that they live in Merritt Island, which has been evacuated 2x in three weeks. Ruttie may have been a little harsh, but it's to be expected, with what she/he has probably been going thru.

Stay safe everyone (and yes, Disney is the best place to be in a hurricane. I would have volunteered for a ride-out crew if I did not have a pet).

 

[gigi1313]

ruttie, just curious... which resorts handle hurricanes better than others? we found that pop century had great service, communication, and we felt very safe, but have nothing to compare it to...

glad to hear all are safe and sound down in wdw... hope the rest of the state fares well also... prayers and pixie dust to all those suffering from the devastation these hurricanes have wreaked!

 

[ruttie]

WHile i cannot complain about this last time which was at PORS I will say that when we were at Wilderness they did a much better job of keeping us informed/fed/ prepared etc... here is an example
WL provoded bullitins under the door and on teh voice mail
PORS only voice mail and you could never get the message...
WL provided flashlights
PORS nope (although we brought ours both times but...hey like i said I was happy both places but little touches do make a difference)
WL had games activities characters sign alongs trivia art etc.. to keep us occupied after the storm in the main lodge..
PORS may have had them but i did not see them and we were at the main lodge most of the afternoon after the storm...
WL provided alot more food from the gift shop before the storm to stock up on.. bread/meat donuts/pastries/muffins etc..
PORS you could buy chips milk sodas... that was about it....
WL provided as survival kit and a boxed lunch for sale during the long hours of confinement
PORS you were on your own
they were just a few more little things and like i said i would gladly go to either one I have no complaints but if i have to choose again and let me just say that i BETTER NOT have to do this agin for a LONG time!!!! but if i had to and ha dtheoption of choosing i would definetly choose WL and that is saying ALOT cause i love PORS that is where we honeymooned..
Oh the other one was the contemorary during charlie and i won't even go there... teh contempoary is just not my fav place to go unless you are in a tower room so my feelings on that one may be clouded by my shock at the difference in rooms from tower to teh wings... payed ALOT of money for a room that was on nothing better than the PORS and the "GUARDS" were not very nice to you in the hall during the storm...
sp there you have it the moral is if you have to evacuate definetly go to DISNEY they will keep you safe....