Latest updates on Hurricane Dorian indicate that it is moving further east and off the Florida coast. In light of this, it appears Walt Disney World has since adjusted their statement on the upcoming storm:
This statement is much more concise than their earlier one where they mentioned contacting guests staying at specific resorts, like Fort Wilderness, for alternate arrangements. Currently, Walt Disney World Resort is currently operating under normal conditions, with Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park closed on Sunday. Crowds have recently even picked up at Epcot:
Crowds are picking up a bit at Epcot pic.twitter.com/rqHOcQ0YwS
— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) August 31, 2019
The forecasted track for Hurricane Dorian has been updated to miss Florida, with Dorian now expected to make landfall between Georgia and the Carolinas. Florida is not entirely safe however, as the state remains in the “Cone of Uncertainty” which means a shift in Dorian could put Florida directly in the path of the storm.
Per the Orlando Sentinel,
The path has shifted several times since Thursday with projected landfalls suggesting it would slam into Florida as far south as West Palm Beach and as far north as Flagler Beach. Its path all day Friday had it targeting Orlando, but the various computer models kept shifting the path farther east.
As of 2 p.m., Hurricane Dorian is located 205 miles east of the northwestern Bahamas and 385 miles east of West Palm Beach and headed west at 8 mph. It looks to hit the Bahamas by 2 p.m. Sunday. A hurricane warning remains in effect for much of the northwestern Bahamas.
The hurricane center said a hurricane watch may be issued for parts of Florida later today.
The National Hurricane Center continues to urge Florida visitors and residents to make preparations ahead of Hurricane Dorian as trajectories can still shift at the last minute, not to mention the effects of flooding and other impacts from being inside the cone.
While Walt Disney World’s Hurricane Policy states that a Hurricane Watch or Warning must be issued for cancellation or change fees to be waived, it appears that Disney Vacation Club is already extending that courtesy to guests with upcoming reservations this weekend, and some of our readers have reported getting it waived for regular Walt Disney World resort reservations and vacation packages. Just be prepared for long hold times when you call in. Wait times as long as two hours or more have been reported, so do be patient.
You can also check for any further updates for Hurricane Dorian from the National Hurricane Center here, and read up on Walt Disney World’s hurricane policy here.
We checked out this morning (a day earlier) because of the storm. we booked through WDW and were told we would get refund for our last night.