Has anyone been in the SSR or OKW studio's during a huricane?

[chris1gill]

I'm wondering if anyone out there has ridden out a hurricane at SSR? We are due to arrive Thursday night & stay in a studio... Personally, I'd feel a lot better if we were at a resort with interior corridor's during a hurricane, but, can't always get what you want!

Has anyone been at SSR during a hurricane? How was your experience with the building & facilities?

I'm also wondering if MS will allow cancellations if the storm looks quite bad by Thursday morning?

 

[mrsminniemouse]

We were at SSR last September for one of the hurricanes (Jeanne?)
It was fine. We were under curfew from about 5pm the night the hurricane was expected until the evening after. We moved DDs crib from near the window and brought the patio chairs in. The hurricane arrived in the middle of the night. We were on the corner of the building and we could hear the wind howling- it set the alarms off, probably the vibrations I guess. DD 16 months then, slept through the whole thing! A SSR castmember was patrolling the corridors and came in to help us turn off the alarm- in the end it had to be pulled off the wall. We could hear the wind whistling through the door (main door on external corridor) which made it hard to sleep but we shoved park maps in the gaps and it stopped whistling. The carpet just inside the door was wet after the storm but no other damage. We felt extremely safe. We received regular updates and info on the phone during the storm and letters under the door at the safer times. We stocked up with food and snacks before hand so we were well prepared.

Movies were played on the TV which was handy, we sat in, watched films, ate and slept. The lake at DTD had enormous waves in it, it looked like the ocean. The trees were bending right in half. Once the worst was over we were able to go over to Artist Palette and there were loads of characters there, CMs playing games with the kids.

We were well looked after and never felt scared or anything. Of course, if we had been at a resort with interior corridors we may not have been room bound. It was sad to see the trees all damaged and roof tiles missing afterwards. We were disappointed to have missed part of our park time and a PS at California Grill but we were safe and well which of course was the most important thing.

Mandy

 

[chris1gill]

Thanks MrsMinnieMouse.... was this during the most serious hurricane that hit Orlando? I recall the tree's being knocked down.... Do you know where that hurricane made landfall by chance? We're really trying to make an informed decision as to whether we should continue on with our weekend, or just cancel at this point....

I'm glad you say that you felt safe, and the building withstood all the wind and rain, that definitely is encouraging...

 

[kitkatsnindylou]

I was at OKW during Jeanne she made landfall around West Palm I believe. I had a similaer exp to msminniemouse I remember them telling us to have 24hrs of food in our room and feeling a little house bound by the end the staff was great keeping us informed as to what was going on and when it was safe to move around outside.

 

[chris1gill]

Hi kitkatsnindylou, Did you feel safe in the Villa? Did the building move at all? Did you have problems with water leaking through the door? Do you recall what the winds were during the hurricane? Did the power go out at all?

They're thinking this will hit around Punta Gorda, that's North of West Palm I think? So would we receive higher wind than you experienced?

Sorry for all the dumb questions... it's hard to know what to do when you haven't been down there during one of these...

 

[jiggerj]

We were at OKW for Jeanne too. We had a 2 bedroom on the 2nd floor. I wasn't "scared" but being from NE I was a little nervous not sure what to expect. (we dont get too many hurricanes up here) We were constantly updated by messages left on the phone on what is going on. Someone came around and gave out flashlights (we never lost power). Disney had full length movies running constantly. I have some great video of my then 5 yr. old ds in the master king bed all alone watching Pirates! The windows in the living room leaked a bit but we used towels on the ledges. The golf course looked like a shallow lake and the walkways looked like canals. Very early the next morning I remember seeing people walking all over the place and maintence crews starting cleanup. We went out later to see for ourselves and there were some large trees knocked down. Im not trying to scare you and I will admit I was a little nervous but after this experience and being able to experience it in Disneys care I have to say...dont worry. Disney took wonderful care of us and was reassuring.

 

[JimMIA]

Hi kitkatsnindylou, Did you feel safe in the Villa? Did the building move at all? Did you have problems with water leaking through the door? Do you recall what the winds were during the hurricane? Did the power go out at all?

They're thinking this will hit around Punta Gorda, that's North of West Palm I think? So would we receive higher wind than you experienced?

Sorry for all the dumb questions... it's hard to know what to do when you haven't been down there during one of these...

Your Florida geography is a little off, so you're going to have to come visit us repeatedly until you get it right!

West Palm Beach is on the Atlantic coast and Punta Gorda is just north of Ft. Myers on the lower west coast of Florida -- all the way across the state.

The current track projects the storm making landfall around Naples, south of Ft. Myers, but don't pay any attention to that. We won't have a good idea where it's really going until Friday, and even then it could veer in one direction or an other around landfall. Many hurricanes do that.

If you are in a substantial building (like a DVC villa), you'll be fine as long as you don't have a stupid moment and go outside during a lull in the storm. You'll have a lot of noise, and you may not sleep well, but that will be about all you'll have to deal with.

The biggest inconvenience may be loss of power. Depending on how widespread the outage is (if you lose power), it can take a while to get power back. When Katrina hit Miami, we had almost 1.5 million people without power, and it was three days before we got ours back.

If you are driving your own car, I'd try to find a parking garage somewhere and go park the car there and cab back to the resort. Park in the interior part of the garage on the second floor or higher -- that will protect the car both from flooding and flying debris. Do that well ahead of time, because at some point the garage owners will wise up and put security there to close the garage.

 

[chris1gill]

Thanks JimMIA, I guess you are right, I will have to visit other parts of the state besides Tampa & Orlando!!!

We won't have a parking garage.. I guess we will try to park the car where there are the fewest tree's... hopefully nothing will happen to the rental car....

So you think we will fair well at Saratoga Springs?

 

[JimMIA]

Thanks JimMIA, I guess you are right, I will have to visit other parts of the state besides Tampa & Orlando!!!

We won't have a parking garage.. I guess we will try to park the car where there are the fewest tree's... hopefully nothing will happen to the rental car....

So you think we will fair well at Saratoga Springs?

I'm talking about a parking garage at an offsite hotel, mall, hospital, etc. If you have your own car, I'd sure try to find one if it looks like you're going to get strong winds.

 

[LIFERBABE]

It was just Dh and I and after pushing the sofa up against the sliders, we felt pretty safe!

We stayed in our room for 24 hours. We had a DTD view and the lake was very choppy and the whole day was gloomy and gray. The poor young trees took a beating and many were uprooted.

We never lost power, but many outside of WDW did. We were pretty comfortable and SSR left phone messages and notices to keep us updated on the storm. DVC was great about switching our ressie and refunding points.

We did have a rental car, and parked it in the lot in front of our villa. The trees did fall over onto vehichles, (not ours) but they were so young they didnt cause any damage and CM's were dragging them to a pile to be replanted.

 

[SueOKW]

yes, i agree, if i had my own car there I would be sure to find a way to protect it from flooding (and trees!). I'm trying to think of parking decks around there - and can only think of Universal! (haha)

 

[DVC-Don]

DW and I rode out hurricane Charlie in an SSR studio and the building was rock solid. Only problem we had was that some water came under our entry door, but that door was facing the brunt of the wind. It was not much water though and only dampened the carpet about a foot into carpet.

 

[kddlm]

Your Florida geography is a little off, so you're going to have to come visit us repeatedly until you get it right!

West Palm Beach is on the Atlantic coast and Punta Gorda is just north of Ft. Myers on the lower west coast of Florida -- all the way across the state.

The current track projects the storm making landfall around Naples, south of Ft. Myers, but don't pay any attention to that. We won't have a good idea where it's really going until Friday, and even then it could veer in one direction or an other around landfall. Many hurricanes do that.

If you are in a substantial building (like a DVC villa), you'll be fine as long as you don't have a stupid moment and go outside during a lull in the storm. You'll have a lot of noise, and you may not sleep well, but that will be about all you'll have to deal with.

The biggest inconvenience may be loss of power. Depending on how widespread the outage is (if you lose power), it can take a while to get power back. When Katrina hit Miami, we had almost 1.5 million people without power, and it was three days before we got ours back.

If you are driving your own car, I'd try to find a parking garage somewhere and go park the car there and cab back to the resort. Park in the interior part of the garage on the second floor or higher -- that will protect the car both from flooding and flying debris. Do that well ahead of time, because at some point the garage owners will wise up and put security there to close the garage.

We were down last Oct. right after one of the major hurricaines and were in the process of purchashing at SSR. I specifically asked our DVC guide about the conditions during the hurricane (i.e. loss of power, etc..) He told me that Disney is on their own power grid (separate from the rest of Orlando) and has its own generators. When most of Orlando had lost power, Disney area hotels did not, due to the generators. That was pretty reassuring to me! Imagine being trapped at the resort with your kids, with no power (i.e. no tv!!!) Major nightmare in the making!!!!! I'm confident that Disney has precautions against all this, but then again, we are dealing with Mother Nature!!!! You just never know!

 

[Nette]

Yep... we were at OKW last august (2004) when Charlie hit... It was just DH and I as we were not really there for a disney trip, but rather a Karate championship and we wanted to be AWAY from all our schoolmates if possible... I tell you what, that was the BEST vacation I had had in a long time... we sat in our studio and ate ham sandwiches, lays potato chips and read. That's it!!! So relaxing.

 

[CarolA]

yes, i agree, if i had my own car there I would be sure to find a way to protect it from flooding (and trees!). I'm trying to think of parking decks around there - and can only think of Universal! (haha)

Marriott Orlando World Center has one.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I think you'll be just fine at SSR.
IF a hurricane even hits, which at this they seem much more uncertain about then they were this time yesterday.

 

[castleri]

We were there for the 3rd of the hurricanes last year at OKW- actually we were offsite and due to go to OKW the day the hurricane was to hit. A call to the resort got us the extra day we needed(lots of points but worth every one- it was a Saturday) We had a corner 2 BR unit in Bldg 14 and hardly even heard the wind - watched the bamboo bend and sway and felt much more secure than
we would have off site. Do make sure you have enough food - We had the luxury of being able to cook and had hit the grocery at Walmart earlier in the day to put in supplies for spagetti and sauce and sandwiches. In a studio you are a little more limited but with the microwave etc. should be fine. I think that was the hurricane that came directly over Vero Beach or that area. There are many parking places around SSR that while in the open aren't threatened by large trees yet as they haven't had a chance to get that big.
Maybe all you will get is rain so bring some poinchos and
Have a great trip.

 

[bub]

We were in a studio on the first floor at OKW for Charlie. We had to change rooms that morning from Boardwalk, and the cast members made sure we got into a new room right away (around 10 a.m.). We barely even heard the high winds. We did have a few inches of water blow under the door to the unit. The electricity stayed on the whole time. When we went out the next morning we were surprised to see the trees that were down (some close to the unit) and all the debris. There was one cast member with a leaf blower starting to clean things up - it looked like a neverending job. I would say the Disney buildings are very well built.

 

[Sammie]

Jim had some good advice. If you can't find a parking garage, then put your car in the lot facing into the direction of the storm. You are less likely to get wind blown rain inside that way.

Also check to make sure you have parked on high ground and not near a drain. Also away from trees if possible or light poles.

And be prepared if your car is outside during the storm it will be pasted with small leaves that will adhere like they have been put on with super glue.

We were at Riverside once during a hurricane, Erin I believe it was, and we had to pack the door with towels to keep the water out and we were on an upper floor.

We have been in Disney resorts for several hurricanes, the buildings are very well built. The noise can be frightening if you have never experienced it. But I never felt in danger and we were there for Charlie last summer.

 

[Pootle]

We were there for the 3rd of the hurricanes last year at OKW- actually we were offsite and due to go to OKW the day the hurricane was to hit. A call to the resort got us the extra day we needed(lots of points but worth every one- it was a Saturday)

We had exactly this situation for hurricane Frances. We were in building 54 in a 1 BR overlooking the golf course. There were dogs with their owners, presumably locals or cast members bringing their pets, so that was different.

When we checked in I struck up a conversation with some local guy, also checking in, who later told me he wrote for tourist guides including a well-known Orlando one and he said 'believe me, in a hurricane, this is *the* place to be'. As well as the solid construction, he also mentioned generators Disney security, as well as fire service.

The speed with which everything looked near-perfect again was just amazing.