Day 1377: No Lost Time

In the face of a hurricane and the parks at Walt Disney World closed for the day, one might think there would be some lost time. Luckily, we're annual passholders, which means that it doesn't really matter what days we go to the park, and while I absolutely felt for those that missed out on a day at the most magical place on Earth, there was still plenty to see and do! 

Fortunately, we were staying at The Boardwalk for this particular trip, which was especially lucky since we were on the waiting list for months and it went through only weeks before our flight to Florida. This meant a couple of things. First, that we'd have the surrounding resorts to explore once the curfew was lifted, and second, that we had a few special extras offered at the resort while the parks were in lockdown, like Goofy and Pluto, who walked around The Boardwalk for hours keeping guests entertained! 

Plus, there's definitely something to be said about basically having forced time to spend at your resort. The resorts that make up Walt Disney World are all spectacular, unique in their own ways, and definitely worth exploring in their own, but even I must admit that they sort of get the short stick most of the time I spend in Florida. After all, there's usually so much to do in the parks that I don't spend much time at the resort, with the exception of frequently spending time around Old Key West. I spent extra time at Coronado Springs when I stayed there in July as well and between these two trips, I've really found a new enjoyment in exploring the places we stay.

So maybe next time spend a morning or afternoon looking around your resort, even if there's not a hurricane to force you to stay. Try out some of the restaurants, relax by the pool, or, if you're like me, get some work done in a little nook or cranny that most people don't recognize. It's a great way to spend an afternoon where you don't really want to mix and mingle with park goers and will open your eyes to a whole other side of Disney! I know I'm excited to explore a new resort in January - All Star Music! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1376: Hello Hurricane

In the weeks leading up to my October 2016 trip to Walt Disney World, the thought of a hurricane never really crossed my mind. In fact, I was so busy with school that I didn't even really realize that there was a hurricane heading our way until we were already on our way to Florida (my dad brought it up on the drive to the airport). Anyone who knows me knows that I hate storms too, so I'm pretty sure I lived in denial of an actual hurricane for the first couple of days of our trip. 

Once the rain really started though, it got harder to deny the seriousness of the situation. 

Hurricanes, like other natural disasters, are not something to be messed with, and everyone in Florida was blessed with Matthew's shift to the East late the night before landfall. If not for that shift, much of the state would have been dealing with a direct hit, and while it was definitely still close, things could have been a lot worse. 

I guess I didn't really know what to expect though. In Wisconsin we have snowstorms and blizzards, which are probably the closest we come to a hurricane, and Matthew didn't prove me wrong. The stores, as far as I could tell, were cleaned out and the roads were filled with people evacuating. At Disney, the announcement that the parks would be closing didn't seem all that odd, despite the fact that it's only happened a handful of times in history. The winds didn't really throw me for a loop either, and neither did the rain, because that was exactly what I expected from a hurricane based on prior knowledge. 

The most surprising part, I suppose, was the attitude toward the storm. On one hand you had government officials insisting that "this storm will kill you," and on the other hand you had the cast members at Disney keeping everyone calm and reassuring everyone that everything would be fine. After a few hours of watching the news in our wonderful room at the Boardwalk, it got sort of confusing as to what to believe, but I know for a fact that that was just a part of being a Disney Resort guest during the storm. 

When the curfew was lifted, we did venture out to various locations around Walt Disney World, specifically the nearby resorts and, in the evening, a brief trip to Disney Springs, which was crowded with resort guests wanting out of their rooms. Aside from some down branches and bark from the trees and the lingering wind and dark skies, everything seemed, once again, normal, and that was a trend that only continued over the following days. 

Overall, living through a hurricane wasn't anything what I expected it to me. I spent a good portion of the night, when the worst of the storm passed by, up terrified by the wind, but that's more due to my extreme fear of tornadoes and storms than anything else. I know for a fact that outside the limits of Walt Disney World, the story could have been and was entirely different, but I'm thankful that the damage from Hurricane Matthew, at least in Florida, was less than expected. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1375: Closing Down

You'd hardly know that a Hurricane was coming while walking through the parks. Aside from the phone notifications for the watches and warnings and cast members slowly but surely tying things down and bringing tables inside, everything was normal. Showers past by as they usually do, the afternoon sun heating things up, guests filled the parks, fireworks went off, and the day went on. 

And that's exactly how the day prior to Hurricane Matthew went this past October. Usually traveling to Florida in the winter months, a hurricane had never before been a concern. There was no reason to be concerned, after all, because hurricanes don't happen in the winter, at least most of the time. But going in October, things were a little different. We haven't been to Disney in October since I was only a couple of years old, and we definitely didn't have any weather troubles then. Even traveling in the summer for the past few years nothing specific has come up aside from once being stranded back in Wisconsin because of some thunderstorms. 

So a hurricane was a new one for us, and we had no idea what to expect. Turns out, not much changed. I'll have another post about the actual hurricane experience, but there's something specific to be said about the preparations at Disney in the 38 hours leading up to the storm. 

When we left Epcot the night before, showers unrelated to the storm had just gone through, and a beautiful sunset (which you can see in the above photo) was coloring the sky above the parks. We headed out after IllumiNations to head over to Magic Kingdom to make sure we caught the Electrical Parade one last time, and at that point everything seemed pretty ordinary. In World Showcase, some of the lights were tied down or wrapped to protect them from any potential damage, and the tables and chairs that are usually sitting out were brought indoors, but that was it. 

At Magic Kingdom, nothing seemed out of the ordinary at all, and as the next day went on and storm clouds rolled in, everything still seemed normal aside from a distinct lack of people and a haze of uncertainty in the air. Once it was announced that the parks would be closing in the afternoon, the reality of the situation began to set in, but everything still seemed fine. 

And that was probably the weirdest part about the whole thing - the sense that nothing was really wrong. The cast members were incredibly calm despite the fact that they had homes to worry about and a trek from the parks through the storm back to them, and that kept the sense of panic at bay. Honestly, I think the craziest it got was while we were at The Grand Floridian right before heading back to the Boardwalk, and made our way into the store, where a large hoard of guests were stocking up on absolutely everything (we were just looking for some butter). 

So was the preparation for a hurricane what I expected? No, absolutely not at all. But it felt right, and it definitely made me feel safe the whole storm through. 

Have a magical day!