As the latest devastating hurricane, Ian approached Florida, some people were making plans to ride it out in safety and style– at a Disney Resort. The favorite for such a purpose seems to be the Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort.
Casey Clark, writing for The Insider, had planned just such a strategy. Having always associated Disney hotels with theme park vacations and Mickey and Minnie Mouse, this is not something that I had ever heard of, but I learned something new. “Because of how safe Disney’s resorts are said to be, it’s also somewhat common for locals to check into Disney hotels during bad weather if they can afford it. The buildings have been through storms before, and I knew Disney would likely have some generators and supplies to keep guests sustained if there were outages or accidents.”
After Disney World announced on Tuesday that its parks were closing, Clark and his group headed to the hotel to ride out the hurricane.
The Wilderness Lodge lends itself particularly well for the purpose because all of the rooms and dining options are located in the main Lodge area, which means that guests (or is it refugees?) don’t have to leave the building for any reason.
There’s a huge lobby with lots of seating options and each floor has areas with chairs for guests to sit in and tables for them to use. Other hotels on the Disney property may be spread out and broken up into more buildings, and that might mean being stuck in the room the whole time that the storm rages. At the Lodge you have the flexibility to move around and explore a bit. The hotel has fireplaces and desks on each floor, so there definitely is not a shortage of spaces to sit at.
As far as food availability goes, Clark says, “I haven’t had to wait longer than five minutes to get food so far” and is hugely relieved, having feared that the food options would be slim. However, he was even able to get his Mickey Mouse waffles every morning without a problem.
Plus, he declares that the food has been pretty good. “I had a wonderful sausage-and-waffles breakfast yesterday at Whispering Canyon and a great pulled-pork dinner last night at Roaring Fork with my friends. Both eateries are located at my resort,” he adds. Although the restaurants have still been open, there’s also the option of grab-and-go meal kits that included breakfast and different types of sandwiches for $7 or less.
This is one place where you can see the stormy weather outside of the windows but from a safe distance and the many activities available, like trivia, bingo, and movie screenings, serve as a distraction from fear or worry.
It’s certainly not a vacation, but it may feel like one. “There’s something happening almost every hour of the day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.”
One of the most important perks of riding out a hurricane at a Disney Resort is that WIFI remains available throughout and that’s a big plus for people who feel that they must work throughout the emergency. “It seems like I’m not the only one because people have been planted all over the main building with their computers, monitors, and iPads.”
It’s an idea that may seem rather novel to some of us, and if turning a weather crisis into a vacation that offers safety and distractions appeals to you and you can afford it, this is the way to go.
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