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Hurricane Irma

Feb 15, 2012
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Use this thread to discuss the impact of Hurricane Irma on Florida attractions. This includes but is not limited to impacts at WDW (including Food & Wine, Mickeys Not So Scary), UOR (including HHN27, RTU), SeaWorld, Kennedy Space Center, and Busch Gardens Tampa (including Howl-o-Scream 2017).

Hurricane Preparedness - Be Ready

Hurricane Warning Issued | FAQ | Walt Disney World Resort

Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations - Severe Weather Policy

If you are traveling to the area over the next week or so please research the cancellation and rebooking policies of who you are using.
 
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Just an update... Now a category 5 with gusts up to 200mph.
Looks like it's gonna miss the mountains of the DR and Haiti which usually do a pretty good job of breaking up storms
 
I'm leaving tomorrow for the DVC event- then Universal Thursday-Sunday- flying out Sunday.
Volcano Bay on Friday w/ a Cabana :(
So it looks like the worst I'll get is a bunch of rain Saturday and Sunday. Sucks- but it's nothing compared to the potential devastation of others.
 
Anyone booked on cruises might want to keep an eye on this one too, although I do believe (please correct me if wrong) that cruises cancelled due to hurricanes are pretty rare, more likely to re route.
 
Anyone booked on cruises might want to keep an eye on this one too, although I do believe (please correct me if wrong) that cruises cancelled due to hurricanes are pretty rare, more likely to re route.

Correct. Cruises will cancel if the homeport is affected by a storm during embarking day. If the ship is out at sea, they will steer around it, readjust ports if need be.
 
Correct. Cruises will cancel if the homeport is affected by a storm during embarking day. If the ship is out at sea, they will steer around it, readjust ports if need be.

Thanks for the clarification, doesn't effect me but it may be helpful for others :thumbsup:
 
Yeah, Royal Caribbean has already closed down their private Labadee port, and has changed Allure's sailing from an Eastern to a Western sailing. What will be interesting will be how they handle the arrival/departure ports as this thing seems to be heading straight for(or worse, just SW) the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale ports and will be arriving just in time for the busy weekend cruise swaps. I think between the two ports they have around 10 cruises changeover each day Saturday and Sunday. I can't imagine they will bring the boats in with the swells and winds they'll be seeing by then. I could definitely see the cruises that are arriving that day extended a couple days and the ones leaving then cancelled. The timing and apparent location of this one is about as bad as it gets for the cruise lines.
 
We're still a minimum of 24 hours away from getting a better understanding on how this storm could/will affect Central FL. As of this morning, the eye was forecast to possibly get from about 200 miles West or Orlando to about 150 miles East of Orlando (including all possible points in-between.) That's still a very significant area of uncertainty.

All of the above is obviously subject to change.

The forecast is for the storm's forward progress to slow down at some point and to also make a northward turn at some point. The time-frame for when these two factors take place are still very much up in the air and will have a large impact on the forecast going forward. I'm not saying that those in Central Florida shouldn't be prepared for the worst - just that there is still a lot of uncertainty. We should have a much better idea in the next 24-36 hours.
 
Without trying to sound selfish or rude - how long does something like this last? I'm looking at a 19-26 trip but wonder if I should consider rescheduling. I know there are far greater concerns than my vacation but wanted to ask.
 
Without trying to sound selfish or rude - how long does something like this last? I'm looking at a 19-26 trip but wonder if I should consider rescheduling. I know there are far greater concerns than my vacation but wanted to ask.

Weather wise, you'll be fine. It's normally a one-day event. Harvey was a freak of nature with the week long stay over Texas. If it does hit and impact Central FL though, the damage and aftermath will be your only concern. Hopefully none of that is an issue.
 
Without trying to sound selfish or rude - how long does something like this last? I'm looking at a 19-26 trip but wonder if I should consider rescheduling. I know there are far greater concerns than my vacation but wanted to ask.

I'm no expert, but by then all signs of the storm should be long gone in Orlando. It looks like it will be the worst in Orlando on the 10th/11th? Hopefully any damage to Orlando should be cleaned up by then... Barring something truly catastrophic there shouldn't be as much damage in Orlando as there will be in the coastal regions.
 
One of the major issues with these storms is that if you've traveled from the north by car, your ability to navigate closed major roads is problematic for a pretty long time. During the storm that parked off the Carolina/ Georgia coast in 2015 the major roads were impassable for over a week. Then with the 2016 hurricane the same stuff happened. I'm seriously considering whether to travel to Orlando in the Fall anymore. Both of our vacations were negatively impacted by those travel difficulties. Seems like one of those bad weather cycles has started.
 
So far Rock the Universe is going on as expected, if they have to cancel it I have no idea what they would do (postpone it to november?) If they move it until after HHN I bet that would become permanent.
 
Rock the Universe and Night of Joy should still go on because we're not expected to get heavy winds until Sunday. I'm curious if the parks will be closed on Sunday and/or Monday, because this is looking to be much worse than Matthew last year.
 
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