News Major Hurricane Dorian impacts to Walt Disney World 2019

[monothingie]

Latest statement from MCO

 

[rocketraccoon]

Any recommendations on the "gas app"? Is there one for water lol, my kids can't find any in Windermere and going to try Costco tonight.

This is their first hurricaine and I agree the local news has them thinking they are in the apcolapse. I basically told them to plan like a blizzard up here. Am I m issing anything important to tell them?

Try going to stores like Big Lots, Staples/Office Depot/Office Max, discount food stores, and gas stations. They likely have cases of water for you to buy. I got mine at Big Lots no problem yesterday. Publix is limiting it to 2 per person so may be worth checking there.

And be sure to also check those bottle fillers that a lot of places have! A 5 gallon jug plus a cheap hand pump for it can be had on the cheap, and refills are only $1.50. If you can find the bottles it's a great option. Home improvement stores as well as Walmart and Winn-Dixies should have them.

 

[mgf]

Trying to determine our drop dead date on deciding to bail on our package reservation. Supposed to check in Sunday. I know I will sit on the phone forever regardless of when I call, but does anyone know when Disney stops being willing to reschedule? I assume calling Sunday would be the same as no-showing by policy unless the hurricane warning is declared.

 

[rickdrat]

Thanks! Any suggestions on an app?

I was underwhelmed by GE in DL, but now that I know what to expect, I think I'll have a good time.

GasBuddy is probably the most popular. It not only shows prices, but also has filters to show stations that have gas and/or power. It relies on crowd-sourced reporting for updates so I don't know how 100% reliable the info would be in an emergency. This is a screenshot of their web page in Orlando although they haven't updated recently.

Looking at the app directly, it appears to have current information, including gas availability.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Oh, my.

View attachment 403205

What do I win for my “d23 dead on” prediction 4 hours ago?

I have mixed feelings on this path. Since I own a home on the Southwest coast near Ft. Meyers the path is better for us. However, owning several DVC contracts and being a stockholder, I don't want to see this go over WDW. I hope for the best and that this is the only Hurricane to hit Florida as I will be at WDW on 9/20 for our anniversary trip.

Are you serious? My timeshares and stocks

If this storm hits Florida - 4 years in a row of major hurricanes - we get a reprieve for the next 2 decades.

Wasn’t last year near dead?

We’re supposed to fly out of mco at 2pm on Sunday. Should I try to get a flight out on Saturday or would early Sunday morning be sufficient?

I don’t believe that flight to be happening...as it stands currently

 

[JohnD]

Trying to determine our drop dead date on deciding to bail on our package reservation. Supposed to check in Sunday. I know I will sit on the phone forever regardless of when I call, but does anyone know when Disney stops being willing to reschedule? I assume calling Sunday would be the same as no-showing by policy unless the hurricane warning is declared.

I know having scheduled a WDW vacation especially for a long time is a huge pull, but you would be arriving as Dorian is about to make landfall as Cat 4. You should give serious consideration to cancelling for you and your group’s safety. I assume hurricanes are covered less than 5 days out.

 

[senor_jorge]

GasBuddy is probably the most popular. It not only shows prices, but also has filters to show stations that have gas and/or power. It relies on crowd-sourced reporting for updates so I don't know how 100% reliable the info would be in an emergency.

From friends that have used it before and after an event in Houston, it will become very accurate until a station runs out of product. Their experience was that it was better to head to the slightly more expensive option if multiple stations had power and fuel. They were less likely to run into insane lines, or a station that was out or about to be out of fuel before those in line were able to purchase fuel.

 

[VaderTron]

I find it in very bad taste to use a thread where people are trying to get useful information about a potential natural disaster to start taking shots at management. There are plenty of other threads here for those types of complaints.

Lol. This is a Disney forum, not a weather preparation site. If people are using this as their primary source of information on how to prepare for a storm that would be truly sad.

 

[durangojim]

The issue is trying to determine when MCO will close and when that announcement is made.

Make sure you keep your gas tank full - you'll be leaving FL when people will be evacuating north.

Changed my flight to noon on Saturday. Better be safe than sorry

 

[mgf]

I know having scheduled a WDW vacation especially for a long time is a huge pull, but you would be arriving as Dorian is about to make landfall as Cat 4. You should give serious consideration to cancelling for you and your group’s safety. I assume hurricanes are covered less than 5 days out.

I am only holding out for a last second major change in forecast. Trust me, not risking being stuck in a value room with two kids under 4 (or their safety of course) for multiple days for the thrill/stories - plus I don't blog. Sadness over canceling but not taking risks.

Btw, for folks reading along the inland rain threat with this thing is also crazy. Here is are forecast maps showing 20-24+ inches in the Orlando area.

 

[Disorbust]

Well right now they have one of their cars parked and filled and are car pooling to work to save gas. I am worried about their cars and flooding at their apartment complex. Does anyone know if they could park their cars at Disney Springs?

 

[dmhops]

Trying to determine our drop dead date on deciding to bail on our package reservation. Supposed to check in Sunday. I know I will sit on the phone forever regardless of when I call, but does anyone know when Disney stops being willing to reschedule? I assume calling Sunday would be the same as no-showing by policy unless the hurricane warning is declared.

I talked to a CM a couple of hours ago. We're hopefully going to arrive on Tuesday, but the CM said Disney's Hurricane policy is currently in effect until 9/5. I was told that we can call to cancel/rebook on the day we arrive if our flight is canceled due to MCO being closed.

 

[Horizons '83]

Been on the line for a hour and half trying to cancel my Halloween Party tickets. I feel like they should allow the Chat folks to do this. Such a simple transaction.

 

[LAKid53]

Any recommendations on the "gas app"? Is there one for water lol, my kids can't find any in Windermere and going to try Costco tonight.

This is their first hurricaine and I agree the local news has them thinking they are in the apcolapse. I basically told them to plan like a blizzard up here. Am I m issing anything important to tell them?

They are Costco members? You can order on line for same day delivery.

What you want..
Full gas tank
Water - gallon per person per day
Sports drinks - will be hot & humid, especially without A/C
Non perishable food & snacks - bread, peanut butter, dry cereal, protein snack bars, canned soups, etc. I also buy the small packs (individual serving size) of shelf milk and kids juice packs
Manual can opener
Charcoal - if they have a grill - they can cook & heat water on it. Buy a cheap tea kettle to boil water
Baby wipes - great for cleaning yourself if public water supply becomes an issue
First aid supplies - bandaids, gauze pads, alcohol, antibiotic & anti-itch cream, BUG SPRAY
Flashlights and batteries
Charging batteries - I keep them plugged in until you loose power
battery operated emergency radio
Several days of clean loose, lightweight clothes (do laundry now)
CASH - several hundred dollars - power means no ATMs and credit cards won't be accepted
Freeze gallon bottles of water to use to keep items in fridge, freezer cold
Turn both freezer and fridge to their coldest settings
Put important papers in zip lock bags and a place where you can access them

I also clean my tub out with bleach and fill it with water - can be used to flush toilets. I

Move anything that can become airborne inside or in protected area.

Don't tape your windows...that's useless

 

[Horizons '83]

They are Costco members? You can order on line for same day delivery.

What you want..
Full gas tank
Water - gallon per person per day
Sports drinks - will be hot & humid, especially without A/C
Non perishable food & snacks - bread, peanut butter, dry cereal, protein snack bars, canned soups, etc. I also buy the small packs (individual serving size) of shelf milk and kids juice packs
Manual can opener
Charcoal - if they have a grill - they can cook & heat water on it. Buy a cheap tea kettle to boil water
Baby wipes - great for cleaning yourself if public water supply becomes an issue
First aid supplies - bandaids, gauze pads, alcohol, antibiotic & anti-itch cream, BUG SPRAY
Flashlights and batteries
Charging batteries - I keep them plugged in until you loose power
battery operated emergency radio
Several days of clean loose, lightweight clothes (do laundry now)
CASH - several hundred dollars - power means no ATMs and credit cards won't be accepted
Freeze gallon bottles of water to use to keep items in fridge, freezer cold
Turn both freezer and fridge to their coldest settings
Put important papers in zip lock bags and a place where you can access them

I also clean my tub out with bleach and fill it with water - can be used to flush toilets. I

Move anything that can become airborne inside or in protected area.

Don't tape your windows...that's useless

Great advice

 

[got2lovedisney]

I had a room-only reservation for 1 night arriving Sunday. I went online and changed it to January. I can then choose to cancel that without penalty since it's not within the 5 day mark.

 

[Disorbust]

Great list! Didn't even think about cash or light clothing.

 

[EvilChameleon]

The Rays play at home this weekend, that's totally cancelled, right?

 

[monothingie]

I am only holding out for a last second major change in forecast. Trust me, not risking being stuck in a value room with two kids under 4 (or their safety of course) for multiple days for the thrill/stories - plus I don't blog. Sadness over canceling but not taking risks.

Btw, for folks reading along the inland rain threat with this thing is also crazy. Here is are forecast maps showing 20-24+ inches in the Orlando area.

View attachment 403214

View attachment 403215

Euro Ensemble sneak peak. Hugs the coast and a big rain maker. 1-2 feet for the coast. Expect other models to follow this trend.

 

[LAKid53]

Well right now they have one of their cars parked and filled and are car pooling to work to save gas. I am worried about their cars and flooding at their apartment complex. Does anyone know if they could park their cars at Disney Springs?

In the parking garages? That's a good idea. But they'd need to do it by Saturday, at the latest....and plan for getting back once the roads reopen.