Hurricane Irma

[andysol]

I got back home at 12:15am this morning. Nice to be back!

I did want to say a few things that I didn't mention earlier as I didn't want it getting out so that others tried to capitalize on kindness.

I got the following from the Contemporary during this stay. For perspective, I never complained once. This was all done out of kindness and going above and beyond.
-Oliver, the manager of the Wave, gave us a bottle of wine that they had discontinued as a thank you for me taking a pic of the staff there. I was making a reservation for the buffet around 3pmish and they were all getting a pic and I asked if he wanted me to take it so he could get in. Super nice guy.
-Eric, the front desk manager, gave us 4 park hopper tickets for Tuesday because it was my kids (and wife's) birthday- they're Sept 4, 10, 15th. Then went ahead and one upped it by giving us 3 golden passes each.
-While talking about the front desk- they extended my stay for 2 days at ~$200/nt. Eric told me to hold onto my Tuesday night reservation until I was going to leave even though I was supposed to fly out tues night after I found an earlier flight. So at 4pm- I checked out and they refunded the day anyway, no questions asked.
-Lastly, Mim, the GM- left us a hand written note and a small cake and strawberries on Monday night for the birthdays as well. When speaking with her that night (prior to going back to room to see the cake)- she mentioned there were several people that complained that day. The lead complaints being not being able to leave due to curfew and the parks being closed. Neither of which she could control. She was an incredibly professional and impressive manager- so much so that I made it a point to talk to my daughter about her. It's inspiring for her to see a women in that role and kicking butt at it during what would normally be a chaotic time. She was calm and cool- like a general on the battlefield.

From servers to mousekeeping we couldn't have had better. There was an a-hole at bell services at the end of Tuesday am, but he was coming off a 72hr shift so I can look past that.

Just wanted to give them props and let everyone know how good the staff was to a family just for being nice.

 

[disneygeek90]

I don't think $15 is bad at all for a buffet. I mean you would have had to eat something anyway and most counter service meals with drink are around $10-$15 bucks. Heck Panera charges $9 for just 1 sandwich.

I don't believe @andysol was complaining about the $15, rather praising it. That's nothing at Disney. Heck, I spent $15 walking around and getting 3 food items at Epcot kiosks last night.

 

[Raineman]

-Lastly, Mim, the GM- left us a hand written note and a small cake and strawberries on Monday night for the birthdays as well. When speaking with her that night (prior to going back to room to see the cake)- she mentioned there were several people that complained that day. The lead complaints being not being able to leave and the parks being closed. Neither of which she could control. She was an incredibly professional and impressive manager- so much so that I made it a point to talk to my daughter about her. It's inspiring for her to see a women in that role and kicking butt at it during what would normally be a chaotic time. She was calm and cool- like a general on the battlefield.

From servers to mousekeeping we couldn't have had better. There was a complete a-hole at bell services at the end of Tuesday am, but he was coming off a 72hr shift so I can look past that.

Just wanted to give them props and let everyone know how good the staff was to a family just for being nice.

It just amazes me that there were people who had the audacity to complain that the parks were closed and they couldn't leave. I guess people expect Disney to be able to control the weather now? Props to the GM for handling those complaints as well as she did-there are quite a few choice words I would have wanted to say to people complaining about things that were entirely out of any human's control.

 

[jaklgreen]

I live in Houston area of Texas...keep my AC between 72-68 year round and I rarely top $200.
That just seems insane!

People were without power for 2 weeks or more in Texas after Ike. I don't think that's crazy off base. We had our back is a moderate price neighborhood while "fancy" hoods were without longer.

That is because it is a gross exaggeration. The average power bill for Florida is around $125 a month. So unless they are keeping all of the windows open and running the AC at 60 degrees, there is no way that your monthly bill is $500. That would be extreme price gouging and there would be an uproar if people paid that all the time. The power companies are working their butts off and so many more are coming in from other states. Even some from Nebraska have been sent down to help. People act as if the workers have some kind of personal grudge against them and not getting the power up. It is a spoke and hub system. They have to start at the main generators and work their way down so if you happen to be at the end of that line then you will be the last to get power. It is that simple.

 

[Raineman]

That is because it is a gross exaggeration. The average power bill for Florida is around $125 a month. So unless they are keeping all of the windows open and running the AC at 60 degrees, there is no way that your monthly bill is $500. That would be extreme price gouging and there would be an uproar if people paid that all the time. The power companies are working their butts off and so many more are coming in from other states. Even some from Nebraska have been sent down to help. People act as if the workers have some kind of personal grudge against them and not getting the power up. It is a spoke and hub system. They have to start at the main generators and work their way down so if you happen to be at the end of that line then you will be the last to get power. It is that simple.

The only real price gouging for power in North America right now is here in the province of Ontario, Canada. Since all electric utilities were privatized, power costs have skyrocketed to the point that many people, under normal electricity usage in a normal home, have bills in the neighborhood of $300-$500 per month. I live in an 1100 square foot condo, and my average power bill now is around $200. There is a definite uproar right now, but our government does nothing about it.

 

[jgj123]

Disney's official schedule has a water parks open today. Can anybody confirm?

Disney's website's update for today says:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hurricane-irma-info/
"Water Parks will remain closed and will reopen later this week."

 

[disneygeek90]

Still no power for my neighborhood. It's really not as terrible as I thought. The weather has been cooler (by Florida terms at least) than normal, so it's not extremely uncomfortable. Still running the generator to keep the fridge going, we still have running water, and I'm even able to make some coffee. Lol. Im glad I stocked up and didn't get cocky, though! Hope everyone else affected is doing okay

Not sure who you have, Duke just sent me a voicemail update saying Pascal/Pinellas area is expected to be fixed by end of day on the 15th, Central/North Florida end of day on 17th. Harder hit places may be longer. I'm very thankful I never lost power but feel for all those that are looking at several more days or even weeks.

 

[jaklgreen]

I don't believe @andysol was complaining about the $15, rather praising it. That's nothing at Disney. Heck, I spent $15 walking around and getting 3 food items at Epcot kiosks last night.

Oh good. I must have interpreted that wrong. I would not mind staying at the Contemporary during a huge storm. I also think that they do an amazing job considering that they are actually working while there is a good chance their houses are being damaged. I can't imagine what that is like to have to smile and be friendly while you are worrying about your home and family. There is no excuse for anyone to complain to cast members about anything at that time IMO.

 

[jaklgreen]

The only real price gouging for power in North America right now is here in the province of Ontario, Canada. Since all electric utilities were privatized, power costs have skyrocketed to the point that many people, under normal electricity usage in a normal home, have bills in the neighborhood of $300-$500 per month. I live in an 1100 square foot condo, and my average power bill now is around $200. There is a definite uproar right now, but our government does nothing about it.

That is horrible! When it comes to re-election time, I hope the people show those politicians how unhappy they are.

 

[Laketravis]

$500 a month?! I'd fall over and die. Do they keep it on 45 all day and night with all lights blazing in a 4,000 square foot house.

With a house, pool, and hot tub in South Florida that's not hard to do. You can use your pool year round.. and use your ac almost year round.

That is because it is a gross exaggeration. The average power bill for Florida is around $125 a month. So unless they are keeping all of the windows open and running the AC at 60 degrees, there is no way that your monthly bill is $500.

It is exactly that, a gross exaggeration. I visited a few friends in Cape Coral last month and I specifically asked about their utilities. Nobody was more than $175 a month and all were over 2500sf with pools. That was consistent with my researching FL real estate and cost of living over the last couple of years covering both coasts.

But my informal polling of friends is as meaningless as the couple of examples offered here by anyone who used to live there. The facts are readily available, price per kilowatt and the number of kilowatts used are tangible facts and available directly from the source online at Florida Municipal Electric Association, who shows the average Florida residential electric bill in July 2017 to be $127. They further break down costs by cities in the state so you can check north vs. south, east vs. west.

Some things are quite expensive in Florida (insurance, produce) but electricity is not one of them.

Unfortunately this thread has not only strayed far off topic it is also sprinkled with bad information from a few posters who do not deal in facts.

 

[21stamps]

That is because it is a gross exaggeration. The average power bill for Florida is around $125 a month. So unless they are keeping all of the windows open and running the AC at 60 degrees, there is no way that your monthly bill is $500. That would be extreme price gouging and there would be an uproar if people paid that all the time. The power companies are working their butts off and so many more are coming in from other states. Even some from Nebraska have been sent down to help. People act as if the workers have some kind of personal grudge against them and not getting the power up. It is a spoke and hub system. They have to start at the main generators and work their way down so if you happen to be at the end of that line then you will be the last to get power. It is that simple.

You can't generalize "Florida" when it comes to electric bills. The poster lives in SoFla. With a pool, and especially certain pools, and depending on the size of your house, and what's in your house, it is not uncommon to have electric bills upwards of 400. An "average" of an entire state isn't going to show you that.

Anyway, Before labeling people dealing with a storm as "grossly exaggerating", or choosing to focus on that one line, you could actually maybe just feel a little bad for families who are in that mess right now.

 

[jaklgreen]

You can't generalize "Florida" when it comes to electric bills. The poster lives in SoFla. With a pool, and especially certain pools, and depending on the size of your house, it is quite common to have electric bills upwards of 400. An "average" of an entire state isn't going to show you that.

Anyway, Before labeling people dealing with a storm as "grossly exaggerating", or choosing to focus on that one line, you could actually maybe just feel a little bad for families who are in that mess right now.

Who said that I didn't feel bad for people? Again, you are just being a jerk to me for no reason. You are making yourself look bad. I would stop if I were you.

 

[lazyboy97o]

is their food again in the stores of Orlando?

You’re not getting an answer because it is a non-issue. There is no food shortage in the area.

 

[21stamps]

Who said that I didn't feel bad for people? Again, you are just being a jerk to me for no reason. You are making yourself look bad. I would stop if I were you.

Why are you attacking someone who posted a rant on FB because they are hot and the kids are crying? Absolutely baffling.

If you want her to itemize what's in her home and on her property that cause her electric bill to be higher than most, I'm sure she'd gladly oblige.. once she has power back.

 

[bclane]

You’re not getting an answer because it is a non-issue. There is no food shortage in the area.

True, not all gas stations/stores have power but you can find some that do. Some stores might be out of some items but you can probably find what you are looking for if you drive around. Now if you want a carpet fan or a generator, you are likely gonna be on a treasure hunt. Good luck with that. Thank God my brother and neighbor had a wet dry vac and a couple fans I could borrow or I would have been in trouble.

 

[IanDLBZF]

Port Canaveral has reopened since yesterday, since US Coast Guard gave them the green light at 4:00 PM yesterday to resume operations. Disney Dream & Disney Fantasy sailings are set to resume on schedule from Canaveral starting Friday.
http://disneycruiselineblog.com/201...asy-to-resume-passenger-sailings-on-schedule/

 

[Raineman]

That is horrible! When it comes to re-election time, I hope the people show those politicians how unhappy they are.

The next provincial election is next June, and if this government was reelected there would have to be some kind of election fraud happening-they are driving this province into the ground, and they have an extremely low approval rating.

 

[jaklgreen]

Why are you attacking someone who posted a rant on FB because they are hot and the kids are crying? Absolutely baffling.

If you want her to itemize what's in her home and on her property that cause her electric bill to be higher than most, I'm sure she'd gladly oblige.. once she has power back.

There you go again being so dramatic. I was not attacking anyone and I was not the only one who said that there is no way that they are paying that much for power every month. People exaggerate in times of stress and anger, that is human nature. And many many people live without air conditioning and are in hot climates, they all survive. I grew up without air conditioning and I am just fine. You have to have a bit of patience when it comes to these situations. They are working as hard as they can to get everyone their power back. In fact it is in their best interest to do so since they are not making any money if you do not have power.

 

[invader]

Gas is starting to come in, was a little difficult to find yesterday but about 5 gas stations around us got theirs last night. Food isn't really hard to come by either, most places are reopen and beginning to serve. Places like Publix/Winn Dixie had vendors restocking on Monday, items coming through their distribution centers are taking a bit longer but should start to come in soon (Publix has used some of their distribution semis to send more water & ice to South & SW Florida).

 

[rreading]

I got back home at 12:15am this morning. Nice to be back!

I did want to say a few things that I didn't mention earlier as I didn't want it getting out so that others tried to capitalize on kindness.

I got the following from the Contemporary during this stay. For perspective, I never complained once. This was all done out of kindness and going above and beyond.
-Oliver, the manager of the Wave, gave us a bottle of wine that they had discontinued as a thank you for me taking a pic of the staff there. I was making a reservation for the buffet around 3pmish and they were all getting a pic and I asked if he wanted me to take it so he could get in. Super nice guy.
-Eric, the front desk manager, gave us 4 park hopper tickets for Tuesday because it was my kids (and wife's) birthday- they're Sept 4, 10, 15th. Then went ahead and one upped it by giving us 3 golden passes each.
-While talking about the front desk- they extended my stay for 2 days at ~$200/nt. Eric told me to hold onto my Tuesday night reservation until I was going to leave even though I was supposed to fly out tues night after I found an earlier flight. So at 4pm- I checked out and they refunded the day anyway, no questions asked.
-Lastly, Mim, the GM- left us a hand written note and a small cake and strawberries on Monday night for the birthdays as well. When speaking with her that night (prior to going back to room to see the cake)- she mentioned there were several people that complained that day. The lead complaints being not being able to leave due to curfew and the parks being closed. Neither of which she could control. She was an incredibly professional and impressive manager- so much so that I made it a point to talk to my daughter about her. It's inspiring for her to see a women in that role and kicking butt at it during what would normally be a chaotic time. She was calm and cool- like a general on the battlefield.

From servers to mousekeeping we couldn't have had better. There was an a-hole at bell services at the end of Tuesday am, but he was coming off a 72hr shift so I can look past that.

Just wanted to give them props and let everyone know how good the staff was to a family just for being nice.

It is remarkable how the staff at WDW steps up to the plate when this kind of thing happens. They were great at GF last year during Matthew as well. We were so appreciative and it turned what could have been a mess of a trip into one of our favorite visits!