Hurricane Matthew Thread

[Tonka's Skipper]

Good Morning,

 

I see, as usual Disney tech is messing things up! Glad some folks are getting things straightened out.

 

 

 

Most of tracks are indeed doing a *HOOP DE DO* around and looking to hit southern Florida a 2nd time.:eek:

 

Nicole is just sitting there rotating...

 

 

https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane

 

 

 

 

 

AKK

[gometros]

Me too! I have clients on the Fantasy right now, my gut tells me docking at PC on Saturday isn't likely to happen! Hope i'm wrong though, they are scheduled to fly home Saturday afternoon...

 

We have good friends that are supposed to baord the Fantasy Saturday. They changed their flight to this morning. The thing that worries me is they were supposed to be staying in Port canaveral pre-cruise.

[moki'smommy]

We have good friends that are supposed to baord the Fantasy Saturday. They changed their flight to this morning. The thing that worries me is they were supposed to be staying in Port canaveral pre-cruise.

 

Wow! They are going TO Florida as the governor is ordering people to evacuate. I wouldn't go anywhere near the ocean. We weathered out one hurricane at a WDW resort--no fun, but we were told they are among the safest structures in the area because under all the "frou-frou," they are built of concrete blocks.

[ducklite]

We have good friends that are supposed to baord the Fantasy Saturday. They changed their flight to this morning. The thing that worries me is they were supposed to be staying in Port canaveral pre-cruise.

 

All of the barrier islands are under mandatory evacs and the hotels have sent everyone packing. Hotels inland are filling fast. I hope they don't end up in a shelter for lack of anywhere else to go.

 

MCO is closing at 8:00 pm tonight.

[Mindybb72]

We are in Florida on the opposite coast and are scheduled to leave on Saturday aboard the Fantasy. Ridiculous! Gas stations are already running out of gas on our side and inland counties. The east coast is evacuating to our side so how exactly are we supposed to get to Port Canaveral on Saturday?? When Charlie came through in 2004 you couldn't even travel on I4. The governor said stay away for crying out loud! Disney is screwing up big time by letting people head to PC which is going to get the biggest hit from what I understand. This is insane. Pray they do the right thing and also praying for all the people who are heading here.

[slightlysilly]

Sorry. We were on the Dream Oct 7 cruise. We received the email while waiting for a CM on the phone to try to book the Oct 10 Dream cruise with the discount. I guess we have two issues for them now! Ugh.

 

 

 

 

 

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I'm not sure you want to book that October 10th cruise until you know for sure that Matthew isn't coming back for another hit next week.

[moki'smommy]

I'm not sure you want to book that October 10th cruise until you know for sure that Matthew isn't coming back for another hit next week.

 

If you had read the entire thread, you'd realize that they have already booked the Oct. 10 cruise. This was their only choice for a vacation at this time as they had limited choice of dates, etc.

 

Bottom line, if the Oct 10 cruise doesn't go on time, there will be another "deal" from DCL as well as a full refund if they need to cancel. Just wishing them good luck at this point.

[Proud Dance Mom]

I am headed down to Orlando on Sunday to hopefully get on the Dream on Monday. My son is a crew member, spoke to him today when he called from Costa Maya. Crew is being told that the Monday cruise is expected to sail as usual. Anxiously awaiting any updates from him.

 

 

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[Host Mick]

3.5 hours on hold in total at this point. Still waiting...

 

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It could always be worse. You could be at work in a call center with thousands of angry callers calling while a hurricane trashes your city and your home.

[lorddunlow]

It could always be worse. You could be at work in a call center with thousands of angry callers calling while a hurricane trashes your city and your home.

Definitely. My wife actually spoke to the lady when they finally came on the line. She said she seemed very relieved to have someone who wasn't angry and yelling at her.

 

She told my wife that they had just upgraded to a new computer system that was already causing delays/issues before the cancellations caused even more headaches.

 

I really do feel sorry for them.

 

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[Ex techie]

New advisory for the Fantasy:

 

Disney Fantasy – UPDATED!

 

The October 8 sailing of the Disney Fantasy is being altered to a 6-night western Caribbean cruise departing on Sunday, October 9, from Port Canaveral. Guests who remain on the revised itinerary will receive a pro-rated refund equal to the amount of one-night of their cruise fare and an onboard credit. Guests who would like to rebook a future sailing at a discount OR cancel their sailing for a full refund are invited to call us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032.

 

ex techie

[belle907]

Full info from DCL's website

 

Tropical Weather Update

October 6, 2016 – 3:00 p.m.

**Please note the Disney Cruise Line Contact Center is currently closed due to the anticipated weather conditions associated with Hurricane Matthew in Central Florida. We will reopen on Saturday morning, October 8.**

 

Based on the projected path of Hurricane Matthew, as well as its expected impact on the Bahamas, Disney Cruise Line is making the following adjustments to itineraries:

 

Disney Fantasy – UPDATED!

 

The October 8 sailing of the Disney Fantasy is being altered to a 6-night western Caribbean cruise departing on Sunday, October 9, from Port Canaveral. Guests who remain on the revised itinerary will receive a pro-rated refund equal to the amount of one-night of their cruise fare and an onboard credit. Guests who would like to rebook a future sailing at a discount OR cancel their sailing for a full refund are invited to call us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032.

 

Disney Dream

 

The October 3 sailing of the Disney Dream is being extended by one day, as Port Canaveral will not be available for the ship’s scheduled arrival on Friday, October 7. We are now planning to disembark in Port Canaveral on Saturday, October 8, once the Coast Guard has determined that the port is safe for cruise ship operations. We are working with the guests onboard to assist them with their travel arrangements.

The October 7 sailing of the Disney Dream from Port Canaveral is being cancelled. Refunds will automatically be processed back to the original form of payment used for cruise bookings. Guests are invited to call us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032 beginning Monday, October 10, to book a future cruise at a discount.

 

Disney Magic

 

The October 7 sailing of the Disney Magic from New York is being changed to a Canadian itinerary, with plans to visit Sydney, Nova Scotia; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Saint John, New Brunswick. Guests who remain on this revised itinerary will receive an onboard credit. Guests who would like to rebook a future sailing at a discount OR cancel their sailing for a full refund are invited to call us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032.

While we always strive to deliver magical cruise vacations, nothing is more important to us than providing a safe experience for our guests and crew. We will continue to closely monitor Hurricane Matthew and provide updates as necessary.

Edited October 6, 2016 by belle907

[Ex techie]

So it would appear the Dream and Fantasy will not port in PC until Sunday now.

 

This really is not being handled too well IMO.

 

ex techie

[belle907]

So it would appear the Dream and Fantasy will not port in PC until Sunday now.

 

This really is not being handled too well IMO.

 

ex techie

 

That's if PC opens on Sunday. If it takes a direct hit it may not be open then.

[Leadft]

How can they just close the call center?! Shouldn't there be a call center located outside of hurricane zones?! I have a friend booked on the October 10 Dream sailing. She is in Ohio. Spirit canceled their flights, so they are leaving tonight and driving all the way down to Florida. If Disney ends up canceling the Dream on the 10th, she is going to be very upset that she drove 22 hours down, and has to drive 22 hours back! They really need to decide ASAP! If airlines are canceling, I would think they have to cancel too!

[Ex techie]

That's if PC opens on Sunday. If it takes a direct hit it may not be open then.

 

Very true.

 

ex techie

[slightlysilly]

If you had read the entire thread' date=' you'd realize that they have already booked the Oct. 10 cruise. This was their only choice for a vacation at this time as they had limited choice of dates, etc.

 

Bottom line, if the Oct 10 cruise doesn't go on time, there will be another "deal" from DCL as well as a full refund if they need to cancel. Just wishing them good luck at this point.[/quote']

 

My bad. I thought I was at the end of the thread, but still had a few pages to go. I try so hard not to get reprimanded when I post here, and it hasn't happened in a long time, but it finally happened again. I failed. :(

[moki'smommy]

I may be just stupid, but why are people heading TO Florida with this mess about to hit? People in Orlando are currently saying that everything is OK there, but that could change quickly. For the people heading that way...will they be able to find gas for their vehicle? Will they even find a hotel with space available?

 

This is why you have travel insurance. If the airline cancels your flight, the travel insurance will refund anything that DCL doesn't. That means that if the ship sails on the 10th (so DCL doesn't refund anything), I realize they have a "ruined" fall break or other vacation. But that might be safer than driving into an area that is expecting a hurricane. If the weather is not good for the Oct.. 10 cruise, DCL will make arrangements as well--either a refund or a future booking discount or both.

 

If you didn't buy travel insurance, check your credit card provisions--mine has a built in travel insurance but it must be reported within 2 weeks of the "event."

Edited October 6, 2016 by moki'smommy

[Ex techie]

How can they just close the call center?! Shouldn't there be a call center located outside of hurricane zones?! I have a friend booked on the October 10 Dream sailing. She is in Ohio. Spirit canceled their flights, so they are leaving tonight and driving all the way down to Florida. If Disney ends up canceling the Dream on the 10th, she is going to be very upset that she drove 22 hours down, and has to drive 22 hours back! They really need to decide ASAP! If airlines are canceling, I would think they have to cancel too!

 

I sympathise with your friends situation, but it is not realistic to have a back up redundant call center with enough staff handle the volume of calls they will be getting.

Your friends best bet is to arrive as planned and wait out the storm and keep checking for updates on the website and via email.

 

It could be that the Oct 10 sailing is moved to a different port if PC is damaged and cannot reopen.

 

ex techie

[ArthurUSCG]

Disney World is closing for the Hurricane. https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/10/walt-disney-world-theme-parks-disney-springs-closing-thursday-at-5-p-m-closed-Friday/

[Ex techie]

OK, someone is not doing their job very well.

There is an update to the update....

 

Disney Fantasy – UPDATED!

 

The October 8 sailing of the Disney Fantasy is being altered to a 6-night western Caribbean cruise departing on Sunday, October 9, from Port Canaveral. This sailing will include stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Castaway Cay. Guests who remain on the revised itinerary will receive a pro-rated refund equal to the amount of one-night of their cruise fare and an onboard credit. Guests who would like to rebook a future sailing at a discount OR cancel their sailing for a full refund are invited to call us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032 on Saturday, October 8.

 

Castaway Cay huh? I wouldn't put money on that DCL.

 

ex techie

Edited October 6, 2016 by Ex techie

[Leadft]

I may be just stupid' date=' but why are people heading TO Florida with this mess about to hit? People in Orlando are currently saying that everything is OK there, but that could change quickly. For the people heading that way...will they be able to find gas for their vehicle? Will they even find a hotel with space available?

 

This is why you have travel insurance. If the airline cancels your flight, the travel insurance will refund anything that DCL doesn't. That means that if the ship sails on the 10th (so DCL doesn't refund anything), I realize they have a "ruined" fall break or other vacation. But that might be safer than driving into an area that is expecting a hurricane. If the weather is not good for the Oct.. 10 cruise, DCL will make arrangements as well--either a refund or a future booking discount or both.

 

If you didn't buy travel insurance, check your credit card provisions--mine has a built in travel insurance but it must be reported within 2 weeks of the "event."[/quote']

 

She's in a bind because she didn't buy travel insurance. This is her first cruise and she didn't know better. So she has to show up, or lose $4000. Ugh. Good suggestion about the credit card - I will tell her.

[moki'smommy]

Disney World is closing for the Hurricane. https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/10/walt-disney-world-theme-parks-disney-springs-closing-thursday-at-5-p-m-closed-Friday/

 

Just to be picky (and clear), the parks and Disney Springs are closing. The hotels are among the safest places to be in a hurricane, and they will be "open" to booked guests although you may not be able to leave your room if you are not in a central/main building.

 

When we were there during a hurricane, they also moved a large number of CMs and in some cases their families into the All Star resorts. Concern for their safety was the official reason, but it also provided WDW with a crew on site to get to work as soon as it was safe (no problem with trees across roads, etc.) It was quite impressive to see how quickly the area around our hotel was cleaned up.

 

We heard about huge events in the lobby for those guests in hotels that didn't require a trek outside to get to the lobby--they sold grilled hot dogs for 25cents each, etc. and made a big party of it. Those of us who couldn't leave our rooms had non-stop movies on all the resort channels (they took off all the advertisement channels and ran films.) Can't say it was fun, but we were safe.

Edited October 6, 2016 by moki'smommy

[belle907]

How can they just close the call center?! Shouldn't there be a call center located outside of hurricane zones?! I have a friend booked on the October 10 Dream sailing. She is in Ohio. Spirit canceled their flights, so they are leaving tonight and driving all the way down to Florida. If Disney ends up canceling the Dream on the 10th, she is going to be very upset that she drove 22 hours down, and has to drive 22 hours back! They really need to decide ASAP! If airlines are canceling, I would think they have to cancel too!

 

Do they have reservations for a place to stay? Hotels in Central FL are extremely limited right now. I wouldn't be heading to a place that is about to get hit with a cat. 4 or 5 hurricane. If they still are going to drive down, I'd wait until Friday night or Sat. morning to leave once the storm has come thru the area.

Edited October 6, 2016 by belle907

[Leadft]

Do they have reservations for a place to stay? Hotels in Central FL are extremely limited right now. I wouldn't be heading to a place that is about to get hit with a cat. 4 or 5 hurricane.

 

Yes, they do have a hotel in Orlando that they booked a while back. I know, I wouldn't either. But I also wouldn't want to lose $4000. I wish Disney would just cancel through the 10th now. Nobody is going to want to go on a cruise anyway if the east coast of Florida gets devastated!