As Hurricane Ian makes its way towards Florida, residents are stocking up on essentials like food, water and fuel. Travelers headed to Florida for a visit to Disney World may have a different set of decisions to make, like if they should cancel their upcoming vacation or what will happen if they are stuck at Disney.
As Hurricane Ian barrels towards Florida, cruise ship itineraries are being disrupted.
A tropical storm watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for Hurricane Ian, which will affect all of Disney World. Ian is a Category 2 storm and is expected to strengthen as it moves towards Florida. According to Fox 35, there is a chance of extreme winds, heavy rain, flooding and power failures.
Walt Disney World is open for business at the moment.
When a storm is about to hit Disney World, here's what happens.
During a storm, Disney can still be amazing.
If you're stuck in the most magical place on Earth during a storm, it can still be quite magical. In the event of a storm, the parks may shut down, roads may be closed, and you may be stuck at your hotel.
Disney's top priority is the safety of guests and cast members, but the experience is not without a touch of Disney magic. Disney has arranged indoor activities at the resort hotels like movie marathons, character meet-and-greets and games for guests staying on-site. The characters might wear their rain jackets.
Disney wants to make your vacation as magical as possible by keeping spirits high, providing fun activities to combat boredom, and bringing Mickey and his friends directly to you.
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Disney World is the best place to shelter in place if you have to. Central Florida has a lot of experience with hurricanes and tropical storms. Disney has a plan in place for bad weather and the castle is built to the highest standards.
If necessary, they will close outdoor rides for guest safety or if the situation gets worse, they may close mid- day as a precautionary measure. You will be asked to shelter in place at your resort if the parks close.
The campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort, the overwater bungalows at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, and the Treehouse Villas at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa are all well-equipped to weather a storm. They provide frequent safety and operational updates via your in-room TV and phone, prepare boxed meals for guests at a fixed cost, have backup power generators, and observe local curfews.
You can get necessities at the hotel gift shop, Disney Springs or a grocery store if you know the weather is going to be bad. It's a good idea as some hotel rooms at Disney require a walk outside to get to the lobby during the worst of the storm.
Many guests will cancel their trips when a storm is in the forecast. You could still be dealing with a few rainy days at Disney even if the weather improves.
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The large crowds of people that are common on a Disney vacation are likely not going to be a problem for you. If the parks remain open, you'll be able to experience something most Disney visitors never get to: short lines, wide open spaces and minimal crowds.
Disney has only shut down eight times due to hurricanes. It can take anywhere from a few hours to several days for a Disney park to be closed due to weather.
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Disney closes the parks in advance of storms to give guests and cast members enough time to leave the park and get to safety. As you enter the park or in the morning at your resort, you will usually be informed of the closing time. Disney will give updates on their website and social media channels.
If the parks close early because of bad weather, Disney will give refunds.
If after reading this, you still want to wait for sunny skies to return before visiting Disney World, Disney has a policy in place to accommodate you. You can change your Disney vacation package or hotel reservation without having to pay change fees if a Hurricane warning is issued within seven days of your planned arrival date.
If you cancel between two and 29 days prior to arrival, you won't be charged Disney's standard cancellation fee, which is $200 per package. There is a $50 package fee for changes made 30 days or less before arrival.
Only tickets and hotels booked directly through Disney are subject to this. If you purchase tickets through a third-party vendor, you need to contact that company directly.
Regardless of what the parks do, the airports and roads can be impacted by storms. Take that into account when making your decision.
Disney's hotel availability for new reservations this week seems to have been zeroed out, meaning that if you're looking for a place in Florida to ride out the storm that has better infrastructure than the average home, you're out of luck. It is1-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-6556
At this time of the year, there are still rooms available at some of the resorts for prices ranging from $100 to $200 a night.
It's not known when or how Hurricane Ian will affect Central Florida. It's not easy to decide whether or not to go to Disney World. It can be difficult to untangle something that took months or years to put together when a storm's path is uncertain.
While the decision is yours, the most important thing you can do is stay informed by closely following local news and weather.
It's great to know that Disney has safety precautions in place and that they never run out of dust during a storm. It's hard to think of a better place to hunker down during a storm than at Disney World.
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