Hurricane watch 2018

[Araminta18]

Oh gosh...just sitting here obsessively refreshing the SW travel advisory page hoping they expand it to the DC airports...

 

[Sandiz08]

I feel for everyone in the path of this Hurricane. We were on the bad side of Hurricane Harvey last year and will never forget the experience. Get your home stocked up. We did, but the amount of food we had was almost not enough. We never thought something like that would happen to us. It was like a scene out of a movie. Be safe everyone.

 

[areno79]

Oh gosh...just sitting here obsessively refreshing the SW travel advisory page hoping they expand it to the DC airports...

I just read that the governor of Maryland declared a state of emergency. I'd be really surprised if DC isn't included very soon.

 

[areno79]

Also, not sure if anyone else noticed, but Southwest expanded the dates of their travel advisory to Tuesday September 11-Monday September 17. As of now, only the following airports are included in the advisory.

• Charleston (CHS)
• Charlotte (CLT)
• Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP)
• Norfolk/Virginia Beach (ORF)
• Raleigh/Durham (RDU)
• Richmond (RIC)

 

[Araminta18]

I just read that the governor of Maryland declared a state of emergency. I'd be really surprised if DC isn't included very soon.

From your mouth to the ears of SW’s operations center

 

[Melanie230]

What is their policy if the hurricane is not directly impacting WDW? Is it normal for them to adjust things if is is not coming towards WDW? I just remember what they did last year when it was heading towards WDW as I was slated to be there.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/hurricane-policy/cancellation-or-change-fees/

 

[Melanie230]

Have they actually issued the official Hurricane Warnings yet? Maybe that is the issue with Disney changing things at this point?

I totally understand you wanting to make a decision now and take care of things. I would be doing exactly the same thing.

I am just trying to understand Disney's stance for future storms and vacations and for others that will be affected by Florence.

Yes NC is under a Hurricane Warning. Disney's policy is:



If a hurricane warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center for the Orlando area—or for your place of residence—within 7 days of your scheduled arrival date, you may call in advance to reschedule or cancel your Walt Disney Travel Company Magic Your Way vacation package and most room only reservations (booked directly with Disney) without any cancellation or change fees imposed by Disney.

After reading this to the lady at guest services I still got the, well its too early to discount packages and when we don't have availability that's just it, BUT I made an exception for you. SMH...It didn't make sense but it's done.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

If you live in the Carolina's don't mess around with this.

Get you hurricane stuff together NOW, fill your propane tanks, your fuel tank, get batteries, water, etc NOW before every one loses their minds and raids home depot and the grocery store and gas becomes impossible to find.

One of the biggest issues to deal with when hurricanes hit is the insanity that comes before it. Bottled water, plywood, gas, propane batteries, etc disappear off the shelves in a matter of hours.

This^. Though we are rarely affected by hurricanes (Irma did a lot of damage to our property last year) we do get ice and lose power a lot so every winter I drain the generator and refill it plus get an extra 10 gallons of fuel “just in case”. My old neighbor thought I was nuts till I was the only one enjoying directv and heat for 3 days a few years ago.

 

[CarolynFH]

Yes NC is under a Hurricane Warning. Disney's policy is:



If a hurricane warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center for the Orlando area—or for your place of residence—within 7 days of your scheduled arrival date, you may call in advance to reschedule or cancel your Walt Disney Travel Company Magic Your Way vacation package and most room only reservations (booked directly with Disney) without any cancellation or change fees imposed by Disney.

After reading this to the lady at guest services I still got the, well its too early to discount packages and when we don't have availability that's just it, BUT I made an exception for you. SMH...It didn't make sense but it's done.

Sorry, but the National Hurricane Center has not issued any hurricane Florence watches or warnings yet, although they may do so by tomorrow morning. The NC governor and emergency management system may have issued evacuation notices and other warnings for NC (very appropriate given how much time it takes to implement precautions and evacuations) but the NHC itself has not.

 

[North of Mouse]

Prayers to you and your family. Stay safe.

Thank you!!

 

[fla4fun]

Just heard that family in VA including my aunt who is in her 90’s just got their evacuation order for tomorrow. Sending prayers to everyone in the path of this storm.

For those of you planning to drive to Orlando this week, stay as far west of the storm as possible and make any overnight hotel reservations in advance. With so many people evacuating, not only coastal areas but areas prone to flooding, hotels could start to become scarce in areas. Be careful in regards to standing water and if driving through the mountains be aware there could be landslides in areas of excessive rain.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

This is one of the reasons I really didn't like living in FL. It would be "the sky is falling" for weeks on end and then suddenly, "Um... nevermind." Which is better than being right about those kinds of predictions. But you can't just up and leave every time. It costs a ridiculous amount of money. People have jobs. Some people CAN'T leave, etc. It was just too much for my nerves.

I'm about to become a basketcase just trying to figure out if my Mom's flights are going to be able to get here in time for us to leave the following day. I doubt our flights will be affected since we're coming in to MCO from further west, but she has to connect through ATL on Friday, and one of her flights is inbound from LaGuardia.

I know it's all petty considering what could actually take place and the people who live there could suffer severe damage and have their entire lives changed. But that still doesn't keep me from being worried about a trip that has literally been 20 years in the making. We'll be fine - we'll have plans B, C, D, and so on. But the stress! Ugh. I'm not typically a worrier, but this stuff drives me nuts. I just keep praying the high-pressure ridge that's keeping her from shifting back out to sea will change and she'll just skirt the edge of the coast. The east coast does not need a visit from Flo.

The other thing to keep in mind. Just because your aircraft is coming from one direction your flight crew may be coming from a place totally different. The crew who just flew in on your aircraft more than likely is not the same crew flying the next flight on that same plane. So you have two things to factor in as to if your flight will take off.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Please be mindful of evacuation routes and contra flow routes on interstates! Normal driving routes may be impacted if evacuation orders are given.

 

[snowwhitesmom]

**IAD, BWI and DCA have been added to SW travel advisory list **

 

[areno79]

**IAD, BWI and DCA have been added to SW travel advisory list **

Just coming here to tag @Araminta18

 

[jerseygal]

BE SAFE everyone!

 

[Araminta18]

@areno79 THANK YOU! Just switched to Wed afternoon: 4:40 pm out of DC, landing at 7 in Orlando. *should* squeak in just under the wire.

 

[snowwhitesmom]

Just coming here to tag @Araminta18

Thank you!

 

[kat_lh]

Hey friends, if you're staying because you aren't in a mandatory evacuation - here are a few pieces of advice I have from going through Harvey. If this thing stalls out like they say it will, you're going to think you're going crazy by the end of it. I am an introverted homebody and have never in my life been so stir crazy. Go to the library, get all the books you can handle. Pick up some puzzles (our Target was sold out of puzzles 24 hours before it hit.) Get more food than you ever plan on needing - get boxed milk if you drink coffee. When almost everything else was almost back to normal, our stores still didn't have milk. If you have kiddos, try to keep them as normal as possible on a schedule, especially before the storm hits. If you have pets that you need to walk, be prepared for them to just be permanently damp. I was taken by surprise by how hard it was to take care of our dogs during Harvey because it lasted for so long. We had a four month old puppy and it was just a lot of effort - lots of umbrellas and rain jackets and dirty, damp towels. It's especially challenging if you have a dog that doesn't like to get their feet wet or is scared of thunder.

Also, gather your core group of friends around you. I have three that make up my group and we just texted each other at 2 a.m. when tornados were around, we checked in with each other every morning, sent funny videos to each other. They were literally a life line to me.

So, if it continues to look like it's going to stall, prepare for a solid week after it's hit to still be in hunker down mode. It's a very different type of preparation for this sort of event.

 

[mckennarose]

Stay safe everyone! My cousin who lives in Pawleys Island is under mandatory evacuation by noon tomorrow. He's leaving early tomorrow morning to go to his son's house further inland. We are still driving down to Florida and leaving Wednesday morning and staying away from the coast. We have our hotel in GA on Wednesday night and should be in Florida by Thursday afternoon.