Keeping an eye on Tropical Weather 2024

[JulieBeeRN]

We leave tomorrow afternoon, so I feel fairly-ish confident that we will be ok and not planning on changing our flight.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

We are going to Disney Vero beach Friday -Sunday….looks like it’s gonna be a rainy weekend

 

[disneylover0415]

Finally switched our flights and going to MCO tomorrow. I feel like there is a good chance the flights will get in and out of MCO on Thursday however the event we are going for at disney is Thurs pm - sun AM and I was so worried that if our flight got cancelled on Thurs am that we wouldn't get to go at all bc it's not like our family of 4 could get rebooked so easily. Realize those things happen and perspectives but it also would have been super disappointing.

SW was able to move our flight, and we will have some extra expenses for the night but at least we will get to go!

 

[lovethattink]

5am track wobbled a bit west.

 

[lovethattink]

Disney’s link to monitoring the storm

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/experience-updates/weather-updates/

Weather Updates & Information​

To ensure you have a magical visit to Walt Disney World Resort, we encourage you to prepare for the local climate and check the weather forecast for Central Florida.​

Monitoring Tropical Storm Helene
Walt Disney World Resort is currently operating under normal conditions. We are closely monitoring the path of the storm as we continue to prioritize the safety of our Guests and Cast Members.

 

[tinkerjo]

We are schedule to fly out early Friday morning. What happens if our flight is cancelled and we get stuck? I don’t want to be stranded with no place to stay. Staying on property now but worried maybe they will be booked

 

[hertamaniac]

I think ATL will see some/many flight cancellations. That is such a massive hub that I suspect many flights to/from MCO will be affected as well.

 

[gottalovepluto]

What happens if our flight is cancelled and we get stuck?

Airline would rebook you on their next available flight at no cost. You would need to house and feed you and your crew at your cost.

 

[fla4fun]

We are schedule to fly out early Friday morning. What happens if our flight is cancelled and we get stuck? I don’t want to be stranded with no place to stay. Staying on property now but worried maybe they will be booked

First where is the plane you are departing on coming in from, and when? If it is coming in on Friday morning from an airport that is not affected by Helene, then it has a better chance of it making it to MCO than if it’s supposed to come in Thursday night, or from Atlanta on Friday morning. From the forecasts I am seeing, there shouldn’t be any long term closures at MCO on Friday, so as long as your plane can get here, you should be able to get out.

Second, be proactive. Go to the front desk of your resort sometime today and ask about the possibility of extending your stay a night or two if your flight is cancelled. Don’t call, go in person. If you can’t get out, new guests can’t get here either. Don’t wait until the last minute to have this conversation. If they say that there is no possibility of extending your stay, at least you will know and you can look for a backup hotel close to the airport you can book if needed. So long as they don’t start mass evacuations in the greater Tampa Bay Area there should be rooms available in Orlando.

 

[fla4fun]

5am track wobbled a bit west.

View attachment 897922View attachment 897924

That is probably my fault. I was debating whether to evacuate, and I decided the determining factor would be if the track moved west enough to get me out of hurricane force wind gusts. It did, so I am staying put (unless it should change catastrophically somehow).

 

[lovethattink]

Helene is now a hurricane

 

[lovethattink]

First where is the plane you are departing on coming in from, and when? If it is coming in on Friday morning from an airport that is not affected by Helene, then it has a better chance of it making it to MCO than if it’s supposed to come in Thursday night, or from Atlanta on Friday morning. From the forecasts I am seeing, there shouldn’t be any long term closures at MCO on Friday, so as long as your plane can get here, you should be able to get out.

Second, be proactive. Go to the front desk of your resort sometime today and ask about the possibility of extending your stay a night or two if your flight is cancelled. Don’t call, go in person. If you can’t get out, new guests can’t get here either. Don’t wait until the last minute to have this conversation. If they say that there is no possibility of extending your stay, at least you will know and you can look for a backup hotel close to the airport you can book if needed. So long as they don’t start mass evacuations in the greater Tampa Bay Area there should be rooms available in Orlando.

I was watching Tampa news this morning and evacuations from some flood zones have started.

As for hotels, MCO has a very nice Hyatt Regency at the airport. I don’t know what their cancellation policy is, but that could be a backup plan if Disney doesn’t have a room.

 

[fla4fun]

I was trying to watch Tampa early this morning (I am halfway in between Tampa and Orlando) but the station kept cutting out. At the time they were only evacuating nursing homes and long term care facilities, but I would not be surprised to see zone A evacuations happening soon, and perhaps even zone B. I used to live in Pinellas County, but I was not in an evacuation zone.

The Rosen hotels are offering their Friends and Family rate to the general public to help people who are evacuating. That is the first hurricane discount I have heard, but I am sure there will be more. There are a few Rosen properties on I-Drive, which wouldn’t be too far from the airport as another option. The Hyatt would be the ideal location but I fear it will fill up fast as flights cancel tomorrow.

 

[lovethattink]

I was trying to watch Tampa early this morning (I am halfway in between Tampa and Orlando) but the station kept cutting out. At the time they were only evacuating nursing homes and long term care facilities, but I would not be surprised to see zone A evacuations happening soon, and perhaps even zone B. I used to live in Pinellas County, but I was not in an evacuation zone.

The Rosen hotels are offering their Friends and Family rate to the general public to help people who are evacuating. That is the first hurricane discount I have heard, but I am sure there will be more. There are a few Rosen properties on I-Drive, which wouldn’t be too far from the airport as another option. The Hyatt would be the ideal location but I fear it will fill up fast as flights cancel tomorrow.

I’ve stayed at both the Rosen Centre and Rosen Plaza. Both were nice.

 

[beccasmom]

Second, be proactive. Go to the front desk of your resort sometime today and ask about the possibility of extending your stay a night or two if your flight is cancelled. Don’t call, go in person. If you can’t get out, new guests can’t get here either. Don’t wait until the last minute to have this conversation. If they say that there is no possibility of extending your stay, at least you will know and you can look for a backup hotel close to the airport you can book if needed. So long as they don’t start mass evacuations in the greater Tampa Bay Area there should be rooms available in Orlando.

I agree with this advice. Having a plan B is a good idea. We did this last August when a storm was forecast to hit around the time our flight was scheduled to depart. Fortunately, the storm wasn’t as bad as anticipated in the WDW area. We were at BRV and were able to stay an extra night using our points.

 

[msmayor]

This is the time of year when abundant patience and the realization that plans may need to change at a moment's notice is required for the southeast quadrant of the US.

Anyone planning on flying from Thu through the weekend has to remember that just because the weather clears up in FL doesn't mean your flight will be OK. Having good weather where you are leaving from and flying to doesn't mean your flight will be fine. Airlines defensively move their metal away from the area of the storm early on to make it easier to recover...but that doesn't mean the recovery is quick when the sun comes out. Crews are often not positioned in the right cities to move all those planes where they need to be, and it can take 24-48 hours to get things back on track.

 

[JBRB828]

We are schedule to fly out early Friday morning. What happens if our flight is cancelled and we get stuck? I don’t want to be stranded with no place to stay. Staying on property now but worried maybe they will be booked

We were at CR back in early August when a tropical storm came through on Sunday afternoon and early Monday morning. We were leaving on Tuesday afternoon, we headed to the airport, went to United Club, two hours later our flight was canceled because the there were serve storms in NJ. Luckily, my DS & DIL went to the desk and CS got us the 6AM flight the next morning, since no flights were leaving for NJ that night. We quickly found a hotel and got an Uber.
It was very stressful because so many hotels were booked.
Good luck!

 

[Rory607]

We are schedule to fly out early Friday morning. What happens if our flight is cancelled and we get stuck? I don’t want to be stranded with no place to stay. Staying on property now but worried maybe they will be booked

I would go ahead and look into hotels near the airport. I don’t know what their cancellation policy would be, but if possible I’d book a room for Friday.

Different situation, but we got stuck in Orlando during the great Southwest meltdown a couple Christmases ago. We were able to extend our stay on property for a night, then we moved to an airport hotel. I agree with physically going to the front desk and talking to them. Good luck!

 

[dagored]

Is the party Thursday canceled???

 

[lovethattink]

Is the party Thursday canceled???

Keep checking this link for official Disney updates https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/experience-updates/weather-updates/