That Time We Went to Disney World During a Hurricane

From the first time our daughter did the Hot Dog Dance with Mickey & Friends while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, I’ve been dreaming of taking her to the Happiest Place on Earth. When she turned two, I started planning to make it a reality. Cut to a global pandemic derailing our plans for two years. After rescheduling the entire vacation twice, we were finally ready for our Disney World vacation. Bags packed, Mickey ears on, we flew to Orlando and enjoyed the parks for one full day before news of Hurricane Ian’s path to Orlando took us by storm (excuse the pun).

I knew we likely had one more day of magic before the storm hit us. Like a typical midwesterner, I had no understanding of a Hurricane’s effects in the center of the state. I knew rain was coming, but I just thought it might make our trip a little wetter. I stayed up all night (like moms do) rearranging our plans to ensure our top priority attractions were checked off before the rain started. With a new itinerary in hand, we headed to the parks – but as the day progressed, the news kept getting worse.

Disney World During a Hurricane

We spent the morning at Magic Kingdom and the afternoon at Hollywood Studios. As we waited in line that afternoon for Slinky Dog Dash (an 85-minute-wait for us, on a light crowd day), we heard people in line around us discussing the impending park closures. Disney World had not yet notified park guests, but the news outlets were reporting that the parks would be closed for the following two days. As I started to type into google on my phone “Disney World Closure” a Delta notification popped up on my phone – “Your flight has been canceled.” Queue panic.

Everyone around us was on their phones trying to reschedule flights, extend hotel stays, rent cars. We were discussing our own options – Should we drive our rental car home? Should we find a flight out of an airport further north? – We finally got to the front of the Slinky Dog line when a Disney Cast Member announced, “Bad weather is approaching, we will keep the ride running as long as it is safe to do so, but will likely be closing shortly.” We rode the ride, and used our last Lightning Lane to ride again with no wait (priorities, right?). Then we rushed back to our hotel.

Shelter in Place

After much deliberation and guidance from authorities and cast members, we decided to shelter in place. It was unsafe to be on the roads, and Disney World is the safest place we could have been. (In hindsight, I totally agree with our decision and would recommend this course of action to anyone in a similar situation!)

The line for the front desk at our resort was as long as the line for Slinky Dog Dash. We finally got through to someone on the phone and were able to extend our stay at the hotel at the hurricane rate of 30% off. Phew, we wouldn’t be homeless in a hurricane!

Dining

Initially the news was pretty grim on what we could expect food-wise while we sheltered in place. We started to worry.

We were staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and luckily we had dining options. There was one restaurant, Boma – Flavors of Africa, and one fast-casual option, The Mara (which did close temporarily). The hotel also had one souvenir shop with some snacks. At first, guests were panic-buying everything in sight. It was easy to get caught up in stress-shopping!

Relatively quickly things settled down and the Animal Kingdom Lodge got things sorted out. Meal kits (or boxed lunches) were offered. The outdoor walking path to The Mara was unsafe, so they opened up a trail through back-of-house instead so it could reopen. Boma extended its dining capacity. A hurricane discount was applied to all meals. For two days we got into a rhythm of to-go Mara lunches and Boma buffet dinners.

Resort Activities

While the parks were closed, Animal Kingdom Lodge had constant activities in the lobbies. Our daughter had the time of her life – movies playing, coloring pages, scavenger hunts, bingo, even character visits. While I did a load of laundry (our trip was extended and we ran out of clothes!) and fretted, she met new friends and had a blast!

Park Reopening

We had missed out on the last day of our 3-day park pass because of the park closures. While we could not get a refund for our unused ticket, Disney extend the date so we could use it anytime in the next year. We met some people from Europe who were offered, and accepted, a Disney gift card instead, since they would not be able to make the trip back.

There started to be rumors of a ‘phased reopening’ of the parks. Rumor had it that resort guests would have priority. Our rescheduled flight out of Orlando was for 8pm on Friday, reopening day, so there was time for us to get most of a day in at the parks. I acted fast, before all the information was available. Thankfully I did. I made a park reservation for Epcot (it was the only park available, and was not available for long!) and an afternoon dining reservation at the Crystal Palace. By the time the rumors were confirmed, I was ready.

The parks opened later than usual on Friday, and it was recommended that we drive our own vehicles. The parking fee was waived. We headed to Epcot in our rental car and got an amazing parking spot. We entered the park and headed straight for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and had the most delicious crepes at La Crêperie de Paris. When we first arrived, the Seas Pavilion was closed (‘the only attraction closed at Epcot’ they told us), but by the time we left, it was open. We didn’t wait for any ride that morning and after lunch we took the monorail to Magic Kingdom (park hoppers can get into their afternoon park at 1:47pm) and enjoyed more rides before our early Crystal Palace dinner.

Takeaways

If you have to be stuck in a hurricane, you should probably do it at Disney World. Many Florida residents evacuate their homes and stay at Disney World Resorts because of their reputation. We never lost power (Disney is on their own power grid) and never felt unsafe. Our daughter was barely aware that there was anything unusual going on.

• Walt Disney World News Today was great for up-to-date news
• Cast members were fantastic resources for news that wasn’t available to the public
• Disney World Resorts offered reservation extensions at a ‘hurricane rate’ of 30% off
• Disney World Resorts kept as many dining options as possible open, also at a discount
• Disney World Resorts had ongoing activities in their lobbies for kids and families
• Once the parks started their phased reopening, resort guests were among the first to be able to enter the park – a park reservation was still required to enter (and difficult to get!) and driving was encouraged (parking fees were waived)

Despite some frustration over communication, wait times, and cost, Disney World really did an exceptional job of taking care of park guests and their own staff. Being stuck at Disney World during a hurricane ended up being a best-case scenario.

By the way, if you are traveling to Disney World, I’d love to help you! (And I hope you don’t get stuck in a hurricane!)