Walt Disney World Ready for Hurricanes

No, not the Carolina Hurricanes - though I would certainly be tickled should the Canes win the Stanley Cup and head off to the Happiest Place on Earth.

No, I mean a real hurricane. NOAA has added Walt Disney World to its list of StormReady communitys.

This is really something people have known for years, and something I found out first-hand last year during Hurricane Wilma. Many people in Florida head to Orlando - and Walt Disney World - when a storm threatens their areas near the coast.

Walt Disney World is a great place to wait out such a storm. They have their own power plants and infrastructure. They have plenty of hotel rooms, and their Storm teams are great with any contingencies. We were stuck at Port Orleans - Riverside during Wilma, and while we had to vacate our room at check-out (it was our departure date), they did a great job of having things for kids to do in the lobby. Mickey and Goofy, Minny and Pluto even took turns greeting guests and signing autographs. They had the cartoons running, and coloring tables set up. Food service was top-notch, with everything open. The experience was great - as magical as Disney can make a hurricane experience, they did.

Now, the night before we had Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets, and that wasn't quite as magical an experience. I hope for this year they have Hurricane Contingency plans. It was very disappointing to take your child trick-or-treating in the rain, only to find that the trick or treat stations have vanished or moved (without the balloons marking them moving). The parades and fireworks were delayed long enough that we left before they apparently ran.

They knew there was going to be bad weather - we had seen Tommorowland Noodle Terrace employees moving all the chairs backstage during the 3pm parade, and when asked why, they stated it was for the hurricane. So why didn't they have contingency plans for trick-or-treating or other things for the party? My suggestion - have secondary stations for treats in places like the Noodle Terrace, El Pirate y El Perrico, and other covered locations that are not open during the party. Mark them boldly, or list them on the map somewhere. Make sure people understand what's going on with the parades and fireworks. Put more characters out in covered areas if necessary.

Ultimately, my husband sent a letter to WDW and we received some compensation for our disappointing adventure. It's the first time we've had a complaint, and mostly the problem was poor planning. If they knew a hurricane was coming, they should have been able to do *something* differently if they weren't going to cancel the party!

Anyway. Off my rant and onto cudos for NOAA and the Disney Resorts! If a hurricane ever threatens my area of North Carolina, I'll pack everyone up and head to Walt Disney World! If nothing else, it's a good excuse.

Mur!