Hurricane Irma?

[jkh36619]

I am surprised they made the call right now to close on Monday too.

I would assume as a deterrence. I think its the right call though.

 

[randumb0]

Disney and Universal always play this game...let's see who announces first...Now wait and see when Disney will announce.
There have been some unofficial reports that mandatory curfew will begin tomorrow at 8pm so maybe that's why they are starting to announce

That's funny I've heard that curfew will start at 5 but either way it's the right call

 

[Mr. Drauer]

I am surprised they made the call right now to close on Monday too.

Locally they have been forecasting that the heaviest part will be in the overnight and early hours into Monday, and all of the schools were originally cancelled for Monday first, so that is the obvious point to be closed - it seemed like more of a how long can they stay open Saturday. All of the local info is to be in your safe place by 5:00 Saturday and be prepared for things to go downhill starting Sunday morning.

 

[focusondisney]

Again, I think it was well stated a few posts back. If you work in hospitals, police departments, fire departments, and yes, hotels, then this comes with the territory. The hotels at Disney become far more than places tourists inhabit at a time like this. They become refuges for residents as well. You can't expect to get time off in the hotel industry during a time when people most certainly need hotel rooms.

I am a hospital RN, so I do know about essential personnel. But that doesn't mean essential personnel wouldn't rather be at home & aren't worried about their families while at work. And I know some people do volunteer to work during emergencies out of altruism & as an opportunity to make extra money. I have worked with those people in my hospital too. But not every employee who shows up for work during an emergency really wants to be there. Some are there because luck of the draw they happened to be scheduled & they need the money/ job. I understand there are cast members who volunteered to be there & I applaud their dedication to the guests safety & comfort. No one is arguing that point. We are just empathizing with those cast members who will be at work while worrying about their own homes & families.

ah you must be from Buffalo, the 7ft in 1 day is hard to forget well, technically we got lucky with "only" 4 feet

Yep! Didn't make it to work for 4 days. Wouldn't have mattered if I wanted to go to work or not. Essential personnel or not. Street didn't get cleared til then.

 

[ITALIANNYC]

Universal Orlando:
Hurricane Irma Update: Resort to Close at 7pm on Saturday, September 9 – More Details Below (updated 9/8/2017 at 12:30pm)
Hurricane Irma Update: Resort to Close at 7pm on Saturday, September 9 – More Details Below (updated 9/8/2017 at 12:30pm)
Out of concern for the safety of our Team Members and our guests, Universal Orlando has made the following operational changes due to Hurricane Irma:

• 
  
  
  • The theme parks and CityWalk will close at 7:00pm tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 9). We will be fully closed on Sunday and Monday. As such, Team Members scheduled to report after 7pm on Saturday night should not report to work on Saturday night. We anticipate normal operating hours on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
  • Our on-site hotels are currently at full capacity and will remain operational as they focus on taking care of our on-site guests.
  • As previously announced, we will hold our Rock the Universe event at Universal Studios Florida tonight, Friday Sept. 8 and will welcome Saturday ticket-holders tonight as well. The event will be cancelled on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Glad they announced today. Thumbs up Universal

 

[CAS239]

You can't compare LEO, doctors, nurses, firefighters, etc, to theme park employees. One is essential to safety/life. One is definitely not.

It's a job where people will be working. It's not a job where everyone can just go home.

There's no comparison to safety, it's about they'll be there working

 

[yulilin3]

That's funny I've heard that curfew will start at 5 but either way it's the right call

this is where the unofficial 8pm time frame is coming from. Other churches have announced the same thing. Still waiting for official news though

 

[DisneyMom93]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that. The CMs are there to maintain hotel/resort operations and customer service. It's the job of first responders, law enforcement, and medical personnel to "safekeep and protect life".

Well, not really. If there's a hurricane at a Disney hotel the employees will be responsible to prevent loss of life. There will be employees keeping guests indoors, fed, etc, if there is indeed a dangerous hurricane raging outdoors.

 

[ms mouse]

I am surprised they made the call right now to close on Monday too.

They may want to let their employees evacuated, may take them that long to get back.

 

[AngiTN]

Locally they have been forecasting that the heaviest part will be in the overnight and early hours into Monday, and all of the schools were originally cancelled for Monday first, so that is the obvious point to be closed - it seemed like more of a how long can they stay open Saturday. All of the local info is to be in your safe place by 5:00 Saturday and be prepared for things to go downhill starting Sunday morning.

curious. I hadn't picked up on that. They are calling for it to start here on Monday so I had assumed it was due there earlier than that

 

[FastPasser.]

This is just what she has reported to me as to why they are staying. I'm not there, so I can't make judgements to their situation.

I realize that, but I wanted to give a first person account of what's going on here.

 

[erinch]

I am at a loss as to what to do. I have bounced back and forth and keep bouncing. We are scheduled to leave early Sept 12 with a lay-over in St. Louis, MO and then on to Orlando. We can push back our dates now (to the 15th) but flights are filling up fast and I would have to reschedule and rework everything. Or, we can just wait....see what happens and then cancel (probably not able to snag flights for the 15th) but maybe move plans to the 29th. I keep thinking that things might be just fine, but if they aren't, will 3 days later be much better? In that case, it would make sense just to wait and see and then if there is a lot of damage we will want to wait several days anyway before coming. I'm so sorry for everyone involved in this! I hope everyone stays safe!

I can't begin to figure out what anyone should do. Ugh. What I would do probably is hang tight. And see how things are. IF it isn't clear by the evening of the 11th that things will be back to normal with opening on the 12th (meaning that Irma rapidly diminishes amd it is a big storm) I would push to the 29th if the 15th flights are filled.

Amd I would expect the 29th.

 

[Mr. Drauer]

curious. I hadn't picked up on that. They are calling for it to start here on Monday so I had assumed it was due there earlier than that

coming on shore Sunday morning 8:00 ish and still just north of Orlando Monday 8:00 AM ish.

 

[Shaun Davis]

I am scheduled to fly in on the 12th hopefully.

 

[stitchrulz]

I'm sure this has been mentioned, but even though Disney and the parks might ride out the storm fairly well, keep in mind that might not be the case for the cast members' homes and families. Disney was closed Sept. 4th and 5th, 2004, for hurricane Frances which made landfall at a Cat 2. Not everything reopened on the 6th, 2004, per this Disney release at the time:

We will open the following theme parks and other locations on Monday, September 6:

Magic Kingdom 10 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Epcot 10 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Typhoon Lagoon 10 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Downtown Disney 10 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex Open for Events

Disney's Animal Kingdom Closed
Disney-MGM Studios Closed
Blizzard Beach Closed
Pleasure Island Closed

Walt Disney World Resort will return to normal operations in all areas Tuesday, September 7.
Guests who have questions should call 407-WDW-INFO or 407-939-4636.

Speaking to cast members at the time, the main reason for those closures was due to staffing shortages, not damage to the parks. So, keep in mind that depending on the intensity of the storm (and Irma at present is forecast to be quite a bit stronger than Frances at landfall), things might continue to be curtailed, even if the parks (or some) are open.

I'm sure everyone will be safe at Disney, so long as safety instructions are followed. Wishing the best for everyone!

 

[SamanthaH]

Has anyone arriving after the 13th tried calling Disney to cancel? I wonder for later dates if they are making people wait until after the official hurricane warning is issued. We are scheduled to arrive late Sept 14. Southwest is allowing rebooking at the same fare rates for flights through the 17th. I have booked a back up trip online for late October instead, so I am hoping Disney will apply the amount to the new trip. I grew up in Louisiana and lived in Houston for 15 years, and I can tell you that I am not at all interested in being there in the days following a hurricane. Been there. Done that. Praying for the local Florida residents.

 

[minniegirl19]

There is absolutely no one in the parks right now lol just checked mde and all the wait times are basically nothing and watching the snap stories down there parking lots are empty and so many rides are walk on. Hope everyone who is there enjoys today!

 

[KimBean]

I think it will be fine flight wise for Tuesday in Nashville. Yes, our area is probably going to have rain and wind but, as you know, we are have some wonderfully, unseasonably cool weather. This is also going to suck a lot of energy out of this system as it moves in so we'll get rain and wind but, thankfully, a significantly reduced chance of tornadoes. Had we been having our usual temps and humidity this would be different. So it won't be pleasant weather to be outdoors and there could be some wind damage but flights should still be able to take off/land, though schedules may be disrupted. (I just listened to an interview with our weather man about 20 min ago)

Now, what will it be like in Orlando? That is a bit different of a question but one you will know the answer to well before Tuesday.

Maybe that will help us too. It is so nice outside.

 

[HarperLeigh]

Universal Orlando:
Hurricane Irma Update: Resort to Close at 7pm on Saturday, September 9 – More Details Below (updated 9/8/2017 at 12:30pm)
Hurricane Irma Update: Resort to Close at 7pm on Saturday, September 9 – More Details Below (updated 9/8/2017 at 12:30pm)
Out of concern for the safety of our Team Members and our guests, Universal Orlando has made the following operational changes due to Hurricane Irma:

• 
  
  
  • The theme parks and CityWalk will close at 7:00pm tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 9). We will be fully closed on Sunday and Monday. As such, Team Members scheduled to report after 7pm on Saturday night should not report to work on Saturday night. We anticipate normal operating hours on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
  • Our on-site hotels are currently at full capacity and will remain operational as they focus on taking care of our on-site guests.
  • As previously announced, we will hold our Rock the Universe event at Universal Studios Florida tonight, Friday Sept. 8 and will welcome Saturday ticket-holders tonight as well. The event will be cancelled on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Good for Universal for making the call early so people are aware and can plan accordingly.

 

[Grmnshplvr]

Why are people picturing the guests who stay at Disney World this weekend as riding Dumbo during a hurricane? Taking shelter in a well-built hotel that takes the safety of their guests very seriously could be considered a reasonable choice.

Maybe not so much if you live thousands of miles away from where the Hurricane will hit and purposely heading towards it, however, I completely understand why any

There is absolutely no one in the parks right now lol just checked mde and all the wait times are basically nothing and watching the snap stories down there parking lots are empty and so many rides are walk on. Hope everyone who is there enjoys today!

I checked too lol looks amazing