Ask It Results: So How ‘Bout Those Hurricanes?

Fun fact: Yogi Berra was referring to hurricane season, not baseball season, when he quipped “It’ ain’t over till it’s over”. (You’ve now read that on the Internet, so it must be true, right?)

For many years, Florida got pretty lucky when it came to hurricane seasons, generally being missed by storms of significance, but hurricanes can and do hit the heart of the Sunshine State. Last year, Walt Disney World closed for Hurricane Matthew. This year, it was Hurricane Irma creating problems for Walt Disney World. And even though ships can move in case of storms, cruise itineraries and ports of call have been changed or cancelled for Disney Cruise Line over the years. When you spend so much time and money planning the perfect Disney vacation, on land or sea, having a hurricane roll through and create chaos for a vacation plan or extra expense when you have to change plans. It can make you wonder if it is really worth it to take the risk of scheduling a vacation to the hurricane zone during hurricane season.

Last week we asked you:

Are you rethinking your plans to schedule your vacation during hurricane season?

Here’s your results.

No (1,083 votes, 76%)

Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30–a whopping 6 months. It covers all summer breaks for schools, and the popular Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. For some people, avoiding summer month vacation isn’t an option due to work and school schedules. With the love for Food and Wine, many people wouldn’t consider striking them from vacation plans. Summer months are glorious times to go on a cruise for people who love relaxing on the beach. Fall weather in Florida is beautiful. There’s so many reasons why avoiding hurricane season altogether would be a challenge for many vacationers.

Historically, there are very, very, VERY few days that Walt Disney World is closed for inclement weather, and there are few Disney cruises that are cancelled outright for hurricanes. For many people, it’s worth taking the risk of scheduling a vacation during hurricane season because the odds are better than not that everything will work out just fine. (But many people did mention that, especially for cruises, trip insurance during this time of year is a must!)

Yes (338 votes, 24%)

Even among those who voted yes, a yes vote didn’t automatically mean “I will never ever go to Walt Disney World or on a Disney Cruise during hurricane season.” Some said that they would avoid the peak of hurricane season or buy trip insurance. But there were a few people watching this year’s hurricane season and thinking that other times of year might be a better choice. Having to cut a trip short or being stuck for extra days can be difficult and provide extra costs out of pocket without trip insurance. Being at Walt Disney World during a hurricane is no fun–sheltering in place in a resort bathroom isn’t anyone’s idea of a vacation dream come true. This time, Central Florida got very lucky with the size of this hurricane when it arrive here. Even with this hurricane lacking much of its punch, more than a week later, there are still roads flooded around the Walt Disney World area, power outages in the area, and shortages of food and fuel. A worse storm would have created more extreme impacts, even at Walt Disney World. For some people, it isn’t worth the stress of worrying, and so for right now with active hurricane season cycles, going at another time of year brings peace of mind.

And that’s it for this week’s results. Do you agree with the results? Have you experienced weather-related issues on a Walt Disney World or Disney Cruise Line vacation? Let us know in the comments. Next week’s Ask It is live on Twitter and here. We’ll be back with your results next week.