Hurricane Matthew Closes WDW - Reopens Saturday, October 8th

[Carolrita]

I think the people complaining about the long lines for food should understand that they were designed to handle a small portion of people with the knowledge that most people would be at the parks.
With everyone being at the resort, their normal set up just doesn't handle the obvious crush.
Hopefully Disney pays attention and alters their emergency preparedness plan to cover this for future events.
Stay safe folks.

I think people have the right to complain. Remember, they are tourists. Many are experiencing a hurricane for the first time. I'm sure they are feeling anxiety. I also think Disney can do better than having guests wait in lines for 5 hours for a boxed sandwhich.
I, too, love Disney, but it's disappointing to hear they don't have a better plan at this point. It isn't like they have no experience with hurricanes in the past.

 

[HopperFan]

If you were at Fort Wilderness, in the pet section, there must be some place that would allow the guest and their pet. No way would I leave my pet alone ina motor home under these conditions! These are unusual circumstances. Rules are made to be broken. Put papers down in the bathroom!

Pets were taken to the Best Friends Pet Care.

I would say that most likely the pets would be boarded at the kennel by the TTC...or in case of overflow perhaps they have facilities that could be used in the AK???

Not sure where seen but this is a detailed account of what I read (take it for what it's worth):
- There was enough space at Best Friends for every dog at Ft. Wilderness
- Guests who were not checking out were told to take their pet there
- All RVs were to go to MK parking lot, NOTHING left in campground
- Guests would be given resort room
- Guests would be reimbursed for cost of the kennel

Oh no... "HURRICANE" Grill & Wings!

We thought it was completely appropriate! Our team name was "Florida is Closed". We didn't feel it was in bad taste since we have a house that may be under water by the weekend.

I LOVE HURRICANE GRILL! Its headquarters are actually in my hometown. Delicious wings and burgers!

Anyways, honestly, I'm kind of disappointed in the people sitting at home criticizing those at WDW who are annoyed about the $14 snack box. I'm sure there's a happy medium between offering these sandwiches for free and for $14. If you're there and got some food beforehand, great. Good for you, but there's a lot of people at WDW who have never even thought about being involved in a hurricane, especially on vacation. Let's show some sympathy for those folks who are obviously really stressed right now and $14 for a sandwich I could've made (which isn't saying much 'cause I'm no cook) doesn't make that situation much better.

I am not a wing person. I don't like to work hard for little meat ... wings, ribs etc. I do love their burgers but tonight tried one of their new items, finally real chicken fingers. Good.

- Should the boxes be free - no.
- These guests have no choice at the moment, not in cost, not in what is in the box so let's no also overprice it.
- Now that I have seen more photos it looks like some are getting a really nice sandwich and some are getting two pieces of white bread with paper thin turkey - yet both paying the same price. Not cool!
- Guests are paying for overpriced hotel rooms that they can't even use the hotel amenities, not getting housekeeping, etc.
- We all get that this is mother nature and not Disney's fault, but this is not the time to line your pockets simply because these folks have no alternative.
- I think a fair price would have been $7-8 for the box.

Based on what guests are experiencing, what Disney didn't do communication wise and from what I've heard of their communicating to CMs .... I'm not so sure Disney is working as a well oiled machine when things go off course. The most important thing you can do is communicate, especially in emergency.



[TOO MANY TO QUOTE]

I think there has been some confusion regarding the "ride out" CMs at the parks. I don't think that any of us meant that the parks were completely empty and void of humans. I think we all knew there would be some crew there and they could make the morning walk through.

I think what some of us were saying is that if the curfew is not lifted and still in place Saturday morning, there would not be the full team there with all those necessary to open, test and go through check list of every attraction at every park. Let alone the transportation folks. With AK and MK both set to open at 8 am - it may be hard pressed to meet that. I know there can be work permits but this is not a common thing and a curfew is rarely engaged so there may be no protocol at the moment. Big unknown.

I think some of us are being realistic that even if bulk of storm is passed, the parks could possibly face delayed opening depending on the curfew in place. It is an unknown right now and I'd rather be prepared. Like I would switch FP+ to the afternoon if it were me.



AND FINALLY, took around 80 pages but I see "pot stirrers" have arrived. Don't feed in to it, ignore it. We need to stay focused on sharing info on parks, hotels, food, transportation etc that helps all through the process. It doesn't help respond to these posts.

 

[NanaDisney]

Latest news is that the storm has weakened some

I'm watching the local news now.... it's still a category 4

 

[gja360]

Our local Orlando news has mentioned it several times. So has the Weather Channel, ABC news, our FL Governor, etc. etc. Today the winds of Matthews were just a few mph away from a cat 5

NHC is calling for Matthew to weaken

During the next 12-24 hours, Matthew will likely weaken a little as
it undergoes an eyewall replacement cycle. After that time, it is
expected to encounter strong southwesterly vertical shear, and later
in the forecast period dry air is likely to entrain into the
cyclone.

 

[Ametista]

WFTV says Matthew has shifted to the east, no landfall

 

[PirateD]

I love this saying!!

I have been following this thread for the news updates since I have family about an hour northeast of Disney off I-4, including my 90 year old grandmother. Yesterday she was planning to ride the storm out in her house, but today she decided to leave to another family member's house- or possibly a shelter, they haven't decided. She is very worried for her house (afraid the roof will blow off as it looks like she'll get a direct hit). This thread has actually been pretty comforting to read.

I'm right there with you. My brother and SIL and kids and SIL's family are also slightly NE of WDW. They are all prepped and as ready as they can be. They are worried but more worried for people on the coast. I can't help but to be worried about them and my heart goes out to everyone in Florida including our Dis family and their families and friends. Crazy, but our Thanksgiving WDW trip will be altered by Hurricane Matthew because storm make-up days for their schools will be the Monday and Tuesday of that week so SIL (teacher) now has to work. No biggie, we can adjust after we get everyone through this storm and the aftermath. I just want them and others to be safe!

It's definitely comforting to get these continual updates so thank you!! My thoughts and prayers have been and will continue to be with you all! Take care and stay safe! And a special thank you to CMs and support staff and first responders at WDW and in the communities!

 

[gja360]

I'm watching the local news now.... it's still a category 4

True but it is looking like it will remain offshore and according to the NHC start to weaken

 

[disneykelly]

But why should they spend the money and resources for a rare event? That's not a smart use of resources just because a lot of people at the resorts didn't like waiting in lines for food and other supplies. They should make the resort kitchens and food courts bigger for an event that happens once in 10 plus years?

I heard a lot of talk this afternoon about how Disney should be prepared for anything and that's ridiculous. They do not control the weather and I for one have felt that in the area that really matters (safety) they have been on top of it.

Not sure where your ire came from, but please, keep it to yourself.
The fact of the matter is, Disney World IS responsible for a much greater care of its patrons, if nothing else because it is a 100 percent destination resort. Most people get there, stay there and don't leave for the duration of their stay. A great deal of their patrons flew in and are effectively trapped at the resort.
Nobody is suggesting that they create larger resort kitchens, but here's a nugget for you. They have extremely large catering kitchens elsewhere on property that can be used to create food packages at much greater quantity than each individual hotel can.
1. Have sufficient quantities to cover every single guest at each hotel for a predetermined amount of time.
2. Streamline the process. Separate the box food patrons from those who want to eat and pay normally. Box food people should be a room charge only, in the line, get the box, scan the band and go. A lot more can be processed in a shorter amount of time. The other hot food patrons can deal with the lines.
3. Rare event? Yes, Disney has been extremely fortunate with hurricanes in the past, but they cannot rely on that to be the case every time, and they can and should expect to be impacted 5 times or more per year. Their geography dictates it.
My post had little to do with inconvenience and more about better positioning for stranded hotel guests. It does little good to have throngs of people in unending lines for food, when they would be better off as a hotel to have the guests either in their rooms or in entertainment areas.
Guest and CM safety is paramount. Part of the safety factor is ease of mind. Standing in what equates to be a bread line adds a negative effect to a persons mood, which can lead to other issues.

 

[andyman8]

See this is how you survive a hurricane at Disney and it not be a major inconvenience. Regardless of where one is from at some point common sense has to take over. The problem is people stayed at the parks until they closed them and then worried about food. Sorry too late then.

The poster you quoted is also from coastal South Carolina, so I can almost guarantee you that they're familiar with the intricacies of a hurricane. Someone from Nebraska might have a little less experience. Some (many in fact) people think it's just an elongated thunderstorm. This kind of reminds me of the gator incident where everyone was arguing about "commonsense," yet the definition of "commonsense" changes based on an individual's experiences.

I rode out five hurricanes in my life, but now that I'm in Chicago, I've talked with a number of people who weren't aware of the intricacies of it (i.e. the difference between a hurricane and a TS, the whole category system, storm surge, the fact that widespread power outages are expected, etc...), much like I wasn't really aware of all the intricacies of a snowstorm, growing up in Florida my whole life. Certainly, if you watch lots of news coverage of this, you'll have a better idea, but these people are just visitors and they're there on vacation. Could they have prepared better? Possibly, but I don't think this is the time to try to churn a profit. I think some compassion can go a long way. You combine the price of the snack boxes with the PTO situation with the CMs, and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[Shutterbug]

11pm NHC update...still a cat 4...but...the cone track has shifted to the east! Looks like a "possibility" that the core with the strongest winds will remain off the coast. Still, the smallest of wiggle could bring that core on shore. Like having a giant bear walking down your sidewalk. yeah it looks like it going on down the sidewalk but a few steps to the left brings it to your front door.

 

[Disneymom1126]

I'm watching the news now, they have Matthew staying off the coast and still a cat 4, but weakening to a cat 3 over next hours. Still could change, but that seems somewhat more positive. Still huge amount of land up the coast being affected!

 

[yeheyprincex2]

just reported Matthew is weakening, still a cat 4, I'm glued to my tv watching this concerned for all of Florida.
Stay safe. I hope for the best for everyone.

 

[DLM1980]

We are at CBR and we saw wrapped light fixtures in our area last night.

Hmm I haven't seen any here but maybe my short walk from Martinique to OPR hasn't given me the same views

 

[gja360]

I'm watching the news now, they have Matthew staying off the coast and still a cat 4, but weakening to a cat 3 over next hours. Still could change, but that seems somewhat more positive. Still huge amount of land up the coast being affected!

That should hopefully keep the stronger winds away from WDW

 

[disneykelly]

I think people have the right to complain. Remember, they are tourists. Many are experiencing a hurricane for the first time. I'm sure they are feeling anxiety. I also think Disney can do better than having guests wait in lines for 5 hours for a boxed sandwhich.
I, too, love Disney, but it's disappointing to hear they don't have a better plan at this point. It isn't like they have no experience with hurricanes in the past.

Dodging as many hurricanes as they have with little impact might have made them complacent. I responded to another person, but I think that they could and should make better use of their catering facilities to set up more boxed food quicker, and separate them from the normal food line so that people can get them quicker and go find places to try to relax and enjoy things as best as one can under the circumstances.

 

[gja360]

11 pm update: pressure dropped all day, but just bumped up a bit, indicating weakening - was down to 934 mbar and is now 939 mbar; winds still listed as 130 mph (Norcross on TWC, who is superb, thought they'd come down a little). He said the energy of the storm has spread out some, with a bit weaker winds, but over a larger area (so the same sum of total kinetic energy).

However, the storm's center is looking to be staying a bit further off the coast right now than originally thought - and I just saw the cone and the center is now expected to stay off the coast perhaps for the entire ride up the coast, i.e., maybe no landfall. That would be huge in reducing the winds and rain and storm surge at least somewhat. NHC site is down - I'm getting the info from TWC, who does have it directly from the NHC. It might cause people to not heed the next warning, though, but it's still great news for public safety.

 

[CAS239]

I'm watching the local news now.... it's still a category 4

Yea still a category 4 but winds are weakening which is good

 

[gja360]

Yea still a category 4 but winds are weakening which is good

Def not going to be a Cat 5 anymore

 

[dburg30]

The poster you quoted is also from coastal South Carolina, so I can almost guarantee you that they're familiar with the intricacies of a hurricane. Someone from Nebraska might have a little less experience. Some (many in fact) people think it's just an elongated thunderstorm. This kind of reminds me of the gator incident where everyone was arguing about "commonsense," yet the definition of "commonsense" changes based on an individual's experiences.

I rode out five hurricanes in my life, but now that I'm in Chicago, I've talked with a number of people who weren't aware of the intricacies of it (i.e. the difference between a hurricane and a TS, the whole category system, storm surge, the fact that widespread power outages are expected, etc...), much like I wasn't really aware of all the intricacies of a snowstorm, growing up in Florida my whole life. Certainly, if you watch lots of news coverage of this, you'll have a better idea, but these people are just visitors and they're there on vacation. Could they have prepared better? Possibly, but I don't think this is the time to try to churn a profit. I think some compassion can go a long way. You combine the price of the snack boxes with the PTO situation with the CMs, and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I'm from Ohio and pretty much would have done anything I could have to get supplies a couple / few days ago once they started shifting the path towards the coast.. And funny you mention snowstorm, that's exactly the reason I would have started reacting a few days ago, because I know what snowstorms can do.. So unless you are from some part of the country that just doesnt have natural disasters, you should have carefully considered if you should take some action a few days ago. Even if it was buying WDW priced chips, water, bread, peanut butter etc etc..

 

[Viu Manent]

Yes but by 4pm, plenty of local places were closed. Our local grocery stores, restaurants, etc were all closed. Thousands of people were trying to drive west towards Tampa, it would not have been an hour long drive.

It's all well and good to say what you would have done had you been here, but you're not here. So maybe have a little compassion for those who are here who are trying their best.

My big mistake was not ordering ahead from garden grocer. I saw their van tonight at the contemporary tonight.