Hurricane Matthew due to impact Florida, theme parks closed

News Updates about the Port Orleans Resorts.
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The Sassagoula Sentinel
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Hurricane Matthew due to impact Florida, theme parks closed

Unread post by The Sassagoula Sentinel »

I'm sure everyone has been following the news of Hurricane Matthew, which is now hours away from reaching the Florida coastline and is then expected to push its way up the East coast over the next couple of days. Most of central Florida is now on high alert, and Disney have announced that the theme parks will all close at 5pm on Thursday and remain closed all day on Friday, with any outdoor events (such as the Halloween parties) cancelled.

The Fort Wilderness Campground has been completely evacuated, and the treehouse villas at Saratoga Springs (next to the Sassagoula River) and the lagoon-side bungalows at the Polynesian Village Resort are also being closed for the duration and guests relocated.

The resorts will be laying on extra support - food, drink, supplies, entertainment, etc - for guests who will presumably be advised to remain in their rooms during the worst periods of the impending weather system, which currently looks likely to be around the middle of the day on Friday.

I'll post more information on what Port Orleans are doing as-and-when I get updates. Obviously the situation is very fluid at the moment, as the predicted track and severity of the storm changes hour-by-hour, and multiple contingency plans are being put into operation.

My thoughts are with the cast members and guests at my favourite place right now - hunker down and stay safe everyone.

[Update on Friday morning] I've heard that in the expectation of the food courts being closed on Friday, the WDW resorts have been selling emergency snack boxes containing a very small sandwich, a piece of fruit, packet of chips, and a tiny cookie (not even a drink) for $12.99! This really smells like gouging to me - IMHO these should be provided for free to all guests who will be effectively trapped in their rooms. However I gather that if you complain, the cost is being refunded - I guess the cast members must feel guilty about charging for it too. And it probably goes without saying, but all Disney transportation will be shut down for the whole of Friday, and the airports are closed to all commercial flights too.

[Update on Friday afternoon] The resort food courts re-opened for breakfast this morning, initially with slightly limited menus to help process the heavy demand as quickly as possible. With the hurricane now past the Orlando area, the Walt Disney World theme parks are scheduled to be open tomorrow (Saturday) at 8am, with everything else following soon after. Disney Springs will be re-opening around 5pm on Friday evening, although probably not everything will be open initially.
ursulamom
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Re: Hurricane Matthew due to impact Florida, theme parks clo

Unread post by ursulamom »

Thinking of our Home Away From Home - POFQ!! Stay safe everyone - looking forward to seeing y'all next Summer!!
royhan
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Re: Hurricane Matthew due to impact Florida, theme parks clo

Unread post by royhan »

Listen to official advice and stay safe. Latest information is that it could be staying largely away from the Orlando area.
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MardiGroggy
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Re: Hurricane Matthew due to impact Florida, theme parks clo

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Sincerely hope all our cast member friends and guests stay safe through this! Thank goodness Walt didn't want to build at the beach. The Disney resort up in SC is in harms way, though.
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Re: Hurricane Matthew due to impact Florida, theme parks clo

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I've heard that in the expectation of the food courts being closed on Friday, the WDW resorts have been selling emergency snack boxes containing a very small sandwich, a piece of fruit, packet of chips, and a tiny cookie (not even a drink) for $12.99! This really smells like gouging to me - IMHO these should be provided for free to all guests who will be effectively trapped in their rooms. However I gather that if you complain, the cost is being refunded - I guess the cast members must feel guilty about charging for it too.

And it probably goes without saying, but all Disney transportation will be shut down for the whole of Friday, and the airports are closed to all commercial flights too.
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madamgil18@aol.com
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Re: Hurricane Matthew due to impact Florida, theme parks clo

Unread post by madamgil18@aol.com »

Hi Everyone, I'm not sure if this is the place to ask this, but I'm scheduled to arrive at port orleans tomorrow for vacation. Assuming I'm able to get my flight out (airports supposedly trying to open 6am tomorrow) is there any way to find out ahead of time if the resort and theme parks have power, are open, and operational? Super nervous!! Thanks for any information you can provide.
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Re: Hurricane Matthew due to impact Florida, theme parks clo

Unread post by Admin »

Just keep watching the internet. There will still be a ton of chaos with guests who were moved in from the closed resort areas, people who cannot get flights home, possible infrastructure damage, etc. Don't plan on doing anything specific on Saturday, or really even Sunday to be honest, while they try to get things back to normal. And remember that even if the airport re-opens, it may take some time to get planes back to their correct scheduled locations etc.

Keep an eye on https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hurri ... thew-info/ for official info too, but I'd expect the third-party sites will have a lot more direct reports.

Andre
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MardiGroggy
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Re: Hurricane Matthew due to impact Florida, theme parks clo

Unread post by MardiGroggy »

Tough timing, J. I've never weathered a hurricane at WDW, so I am just speculating here, but FWIW:

Disney has a page here: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hurri ... thew-info/ with some info, but seems to be focused on people who are either on-site or leaving, rather than arriving. I guess the best thing would be to try to get through on the regular WDW phone number(s). Be prepared for that to be a long wait, however.

I would think that things will be out of sync for a few days, even if they do officially reopen the closed parts of the operation. It will take a while to clear out the rooms where people had to stay longer than they planned, clean everything up, restock depleted supplies, clear any debris or damage, etc. Just because they are open, I would not expect truly normal operations for several days. Likewise for airline/airport/shuttle operations. There will be a ton of people trying to get out, as well as get in, so expect delays.

On top of all that, the weather people still haven't talked much about the big turnaround that they think this storm will be making. At least one longer term model suggests that it might circle back around and hit central Florida again, so Orlando may still be in harms way. I suggest monitoring that closely, based on how long you are planning on being in the area.

Tough decisions, I know, but I hope you are able to get some real answers and not just my guesswork! Good luck with your plans.
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MardiGroggy
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Re: Hurricane Matthew due to impact Florida, theme parks clo

Unread post by MardiGroggy »

$12.99 for what amounts to a snack? Not good karma, Disney. What is the opposite of pixie dust? :shock:
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Re: Hurricane Matthew due to impact Florida, theme parks clo

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The resort food courts re-opened for breakfast this morning, initially with slightly limited menus to help process the heavy demand as quickly as possible.

With the hurricane now past the Orlando area, the Walt Disney World theme parks are scheduled to be open tomorrow (Saturday) at 8am, with everything else following soon after. Disney Springs will be re-opening around 5pm on Friday evening, although probably not everything will be open initially.
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