What I Wish I’d Known Before Visiting Disney World During Hurricane Season

The summer is almost here, and with that comes the arrival of hurricane season in Florida. Now, hurricane season runs from June through November, so if you’re planning a trip to Disney World during that time, you may have to deal with hurricane-related weather, as well as hurricane-related closures.

So, yes, that might seem a little scary, but if you plan ahead of time, you can be prepared for whatever the weather throws your way when you’re visiting Disney World. We’re going to tell you everything you need to know before visiting Disney World during hurricane season.

Book your trip directly through Disney or a Disney travel agent

One thing you should ALWAYS do when traveling to Disney World during hurricane season is to book all aspects of your trip, including hotel and tickets, directly through Disney or a Disney-approved travel agent. This will protect you on so many fronts, especially if you need to change or cancel your dates.

If you do need to change or cancel your plans, you’ll be able to do so under Disney’s guest-friendly hurricane cancellation policy. So skip sites like Expedia and Hotels.com and book that trip through Disney or have a Disney-approved travel agent do it for you.

Choose your hotel wisely

One thing you’ll need to think about is whether you’ll be facing storms during your trip; you’ll want to stay in a hotel that has easy access indoors to everything, including easy access to lobbies and restaurants. You don’t want to stay at something like the value resorts, where you’ll be forced to go outside if you need to grab food or visit the hotel lobby.

All Disney World hotels are structurally safe, but some are better than others when it comes to convenience and having everything self-contained in one building. You’ll want to think about booking hotels like Disney’s Contemporary Resort (main tower), Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (main building), Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo House), Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs, Disney’s Riviera Resort, and the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin.

Know Disney’s hurricane cancellation policy

You’ll want to educate yourself on Disney’s hurricane cancellation policy, too. If a hurricane warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center for the Orlando area — or where you live — within seven days of your arrival date, you can reschedule or cancel your Disney hotel packages and room-only reservations without any cancellation or change fees.

Note that this only applies if your trip was booked directly through Disney by yourself or a Disney-approved travel agent. If you booked through a third party, you’ll be dealing with their cancellation policies instead. Note that if you booked a room in a hotel that is NOT owned by Disney, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with that hotel’s policy.

Be flexible with your vacation dates

If a hurricane is headed towards Orlando, it won’t only impact your Disney World trip itself, but also your transportation, like flights, which could also get canceled. You want to plan a little wiggle room in your vacation calendar so that you can fly in or out a day or two early to avoid that.

So go ahead and ask for a few days off before or after your trip, or schedule it to end several days before school starts, but plan a few extra days around your trip just in case you need them.

Don’t be afraid to cancel your trip

There’s no shame in giving up, and if you can’t rearrange your travel schedule around a hurricane, don’t be afraid to cancel your trip. Sure, it’s not fun if you’ve been planning to go to Disney World and suddenly can’t, but you can then plan for another trip later when the weather might be a lot nicer, which will certainly make for a BETTER trip.

As we said, Disney’s hurricane cancellation policy is very generous, and you shouldn’t be afraid to take advantage of it if a hurricane is headed to Orlando.

Know your airline’s cancellation policy

If you’re flying to Disney World, you’ll want to acquaint yourself with your airline’s cancellation policies, too, and make sure you have options if you have to cancel or change your trip. Note that some fares, like Basic Economy, may not give you much to work with. However, some airlines will still offer waivers if you’re traveling to or from somewhere under a hurricane warning.

More than likely, your airline will work with you to rebook your flights without any penalties, but you’ll want to double-check that before you book that airfare.

Have a reliable weather app on your phone

Visiting Disney World during hurricane season means you’ll want to stay weather-aware 24/7. You’ll want to download a reliable weather app on your phone (Weather Channel, Weather Bug, Accuweather) and make sure you stay updated on any storms that may be headed your way.

Likewise, it’s not a bad idea to turn on your TV in your Disney World hotel room every morning to watch a local forecast so you know what to expect before hitting the parks.

Pack rain gear

We’re going to stress this no matter WHEN you visit Disney World, but it’s even MORE important to pack rain gear when you’re visiting Disney World during hurricane season. Pack a good poncho, raincoat, umbrella, and anything else you might need to stay as dry as you can when you’re in the parks. Make sure you also have your rain gear in your park bag so you can pull it out when the storms begin.

Trust us, you don’t want to get to Disney World and pay a lot of money for a poncho that might not keep you dry when there’s a downpour.

Know what closes during a hurricane

In some events, hurricanes can close down Disney World theme parks, but even when theme parks are open, you’ll encounter closures during inclement weather. This includes all outdoor rides, which generally close if lightning has been reported in the area.

Other outdoor activities, including parades and fireworks, could also be canceled in the event of a drenching downpour.

Book indoor table service restaurants

If you’re visiting during hurricane season, you’ll want to be indoors as much as possible. That’s why we recommend making reservations for table service restaurants during your visit so you have some respite from bad weather. Trust us…you’ll appreciate the time out of the rain.

There’s nothing fun about trying to get and eat counter service food outside. The food gets soggy, you’re miserable, and it’s overall a bad time for all. While you might be able to get same-day reservations or wait at the host stand, it’s so much easier to know you have a table with your name on it waiting for you.

Stock up on snacks

Although Disney World hotels do their best to make sure that guests have everything they need during a hurricane (where you’re stuck in your hotel until the hurricane blows over), you’ll want to bring some snacks and water so you’ll have those readily available when you get hungry and thirsty.

You don’t want to be stuck in a hotel hangry, so make sure you have plenty to eat and drink available in your own hotel room. Remember, you can always order grocery delivery to your hotel before the storm hits, too.

We’ll keep an eye on the weather and hurricane warnings, too, this hurricane season, so check back with AllEars again soon for more.

Everything You Need to Know About Disney World Hurricane Cancelation Policies

Have you ever visited Disney World during a hurricane? Let us know what happened in the comments!

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