Hurricane Matthew

[SorcererMC]

Yet will those charges be refunded?... I think not as some beancounter figured out that they could CHARGE for those 'hurricane boxes' and profit instead of taking a write down. Every time I think Disney has hit bottom on grubbing for bucks they demonstrate that is not the case.

And it's really hard to see how they got to a 12.99 value for the writedown as there is perhaps 2 dollars MAX food cost in that package perhaps $1.25 in labor and distribution

Charges were refunded on-site to those who balked/ complained. Some have suggested that the '$12.99' number is comparable to the amount charged for conference box lunches. (I'm not defending the practice of them charging that for the box, just providing some more info on it). As I understand it, the box was provided at no charge during 1999 Floyd and 2004 Charley (or Wilma?), so it seems like someone dropped the ball/ made a terrible mistake (and I'm assuming will probably lose their job for it).

My view is that it is one more reason for them to revisit their emergency mgmt. protocol and response, maybe conduct a survey of guests who were on-property during Hurricane Matthew (as social media reports aren't necessarily reliable or are skewed).

 

[JohnD]

Charges were refunded on-site to those who balked/ complained. Some have suggested that the '$12.99' number is comparable to the amount charged for conference box lunches. (I'm not defending the practice of them charging that for the box, just providing some more info on it). As I understand it, the box was provided at no charge during 1999 Floyd and 2004 Charley (or Wilma?), so it seems like someone dropped the ball/ made a terrible mistake (and I'm assuming will probably lose their job for it).

My view is that it is one more reason for them to revisit their emergency mgmt. protocol and response, maybe conduct a survey of guests who were on-property during Hurricane Matthew (as social media reports aren't necessarily reliable or are skewed).

In Florida state government every agency is supposed to have a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP). During Hermine, we implemented our COOP as written and of course found areas that needed improvement after the hurricane. We are already revising our COOP document with these improvements in mind. One would hope and expect that Disney has their own emergency preparedness procedures, including for hurricanes, noted the areas for improvement after Matthew, and are revising those procedures right now.

 

[Bacon]

Hurricane Matthew is done it didn't affect alot of people i heard! WDW is safe! Now lets let this thread die a nice death shall we?

 

[Master Yoda]

Hurricane Matthew is done it didn't affect alot of people i heard! WDW is safe! Now lets let this thread die a nice death shall we?

I can think of quite a few people that would disagree with that.

Jacksonville alone had nearly 100,000 without power and nearly half of that remained without power for several days. There are still small pockets of the city that do not have power.

St Augustine was for all intents and purposes, underwater, as were a number of towns in Georgia and South Carolina.

The current forecast for losses are just south of 9 billion.

 

[Bacon]

I can think of quite a few people that would disagree with that.

Jacksonville alone had nearly 100,000 without power and nearly half of that remained without power for several days. There are still small pockets of the city that do not have power.

St Augustine was for all intents and purposes, underwater, as were a number of towns in Georgia and South Carolina.

The current forecast for losses are just south of 9 billion.

When i mean "affected" i mean killed...

 

[Master Yoda]

When i mean "affected" i mean killed...

 

[SorcererMC]

When i mean "affected" i mean killed...

Impact from natural disasters goes beyond loss of life.
I revived this thread to acknowledge that Disney is supporting relief efforts by making a donation to the Red Cross and Save the Children in the amount of $1 million. Seems worth noting, don't you think?

ETA: Not to mention for those driving to WDW whose travel plans may continue to be affected.

 

[Bacon]

embarssed?

 

[Bacon]

Why is this thread going on weeks after? there are much more dangerous things happening in our world such as clowns...

 

[JohnD]

There is value in discussing WDW's procedures before, during, and after a hurricane, and where they can improve. There has already been warranted criticism of the $12.99 box debacle. What else could be learned from after having just gone through a hurricane and what can be done better?

 

[SorcererMC]

There is value in discussing WDW's procedures before, during, and after a hurricane, and where they can improve. There has already been warranted criticism of the $12.99 box debacle. What else could be learned from after having just gone through a hurricane and what can be done better?

Yes, they should be assessing their response and resilience and how they can mitigate any future risk (could be next hurricane season, could be 5 or 10 more years).

I did some 'back of the envelope' math. There are 28,960 rooms on property (excluding Swan&Dolphin's 1500 since they have different management). Suppose: 1. 2-3 persons/rm. 2. A hotel occupancy rate of 75%. 3. 10-20% of hotel guests will NOT prepare adequately for a severe weather event (a low estimate) means that (roughly) 4,300-13,000 people would need some kind of help in a similar circumstance.

ETA: In addition, they also need to take into consideration Disney Cruise Line passengers who may be affected.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Yet will those charges be refunded?... I think not as some beancounter figured out that they could CHARGE for those 'hurricane boxes' and profit instead of taking a write down. Every time I think Disney has hit bottom on grubbing for bucks they demonstrate that is not the case.

And it's really hard to see how they got to a 12.99 value for the writedown as there is perhaps 2 dollars MAX food cost in that package perhaps $1.25 in labor and distribution

I didnt ask. My guess is someone really screwed up.

 

[PhotoDave219]

There is value in discussing WDW's procedures before, during, and after a hurricane, and where they can improve. There has already been warranted criticism of the $12.99 box debacle. What else could be learned from after having just gone through a hurricane and what can be done better?

I think the boxed lunch faux pax has been cleared up, some manager screwed up.

Beyond that? The only improvement I can see if improving guest communication. Yes, you have to beat guests over the head to take this seriously. The guests need to told in advance what services Disney can/will provide at the resort in the event of an emergency and what the guests need to do on their own. Like maid service, if that storm goes a little inland and we get hurricane force winds in Lake Buena Vista, you're probably not going to get maid service. Gotta tell the sheeple what to expect.

Everything else seemed to work flawlessly.

 

[Polydweller]

I think the boxed lunch faux pax has been cleared up, some manager screwed up.

Beyond that? The only improvement I can see if improving guest communication. Yes, you have to beat guests over the head to take this seriously. The guests need to told in advance what services Disney can/will provide at the resort in the event of an emergency and what the guests need to do on their own. Like maid service, if that storm goes a little inland and we get hurricane force winds in Lake Buena Vista, you're probably not going to get maid service. Gotta tell the sheeple what to expect.

Everything else seemed to work flawlessly.

And you know, gee they did. At the Poly they left phone messages constantly about what was going on and what to expect. I lost track of how many. And there was a letter put under everyone's door telling you to check those messages. I never once felt that I wasn't informed. They started Wednesday night and continued through Friday afternoon.

Among the info was that we would have limited housekeeping and would be given extra towels and may not have housekeeping through Saturday. We were told that we may have to stay in our rooms and food service would be limited and possibly not available. We were told about the Orange County curfew being put in place and when it was lifted. We were told about the lack of transportation and when limited service to DS became available. and much more.

If you paid attention to the under door letter and listened to the messages you were very well informed and Disney did a great job and you knew what to expect.

 

[JoeCamel]

Why is this thread going on weeks after? there are much more dangerous things happening in our world such as clowns...

Please, 43 dead in this country and 900 in Hati with no count out of Cuba?

Take your head out of the bubble and show some compassion for those that perished.

 

[danlb_2000]

Hurricane Matthew is done it didn't affect alot of people i heard! WDW is safe! Now lets let this thread die a nice death shall we?

Unless you are one of the 1000's that lost their homes in North Carolina, or even worse lost their lives. Two more bodies found today bringing the total to 26 so far. Not as bad as it could have been, but it did affect a lot of people.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-carolina-discovery-raises-hurricane-matthew-us-death-toll/

 

[Bacon]

Unless you are one of the 1000's that lost their homes in North Carolina, or even worse lost their lives. Two more bodies found today bringing the total to 26 so far. Not as bad as it could have been, but it did affect a lot of people.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-carolina-discovery-raises-hurricane-matthew-us-death-toll/

why i said alot and i was comparing it to new orleans one that blew away the whole state

 

[JohnD]

why i said alot and i was comparing it to new orleans one that blew away the whole state

Oh, so if it doesn't compare to Katrina, it doesn't count. I see. I'm sure there are families in Haiti, Cuba, and the Carolinas who would disagree.

 

[PhotoDave219]

And you know, gee they did. At the Poly they left phone messages constantly about what was going on and what to expect. I lost track of how many. And there was a letter put under everyone's door telling you to check those messages. I never once felt that I wasn't informed. They started Wednesday night and continued through Friday afternoon.

Among the info was that we would have limited housekeeping and would be given extra towels and may not have housekeeping through Saturday. We were told that we may have to stay in our rooms and food service would be limited and possibly not available. We were told about the Orange County curfew being put in place and when it was lifted. We were told about the lack of transportation and when limited service to DS became available. and much more.

If you paid attention to the under door letter and listened to the messages you were very well informed and Disney did a great job and you knew what to expect.

Good to know! Not sure what some of these guests expected....

 

[Goofyernmost]

From friends who live in FL 'The further North you go, The further South you get'.

True, parts of I-95 around Lumberton, N.C. is still closed with water over the road, a week later. Lumberton is a easy 50 miles from the coast.