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TiggeRia
10-26-2012, 11:01 PM
Is anyone down in WDW now going to change travel plans due to Sandy? We are supposed to fly home to Newark, NJ Monay night, but I am debating on changing my flight to earlier in the day. Not sure if knocking it back to the morning or early afternoon will make much of a difference as the weather website says tropical storm conditions are likely all day. I would really hate to cut my vacation short a day and leave on Sunday :(

SBETigg
10-26-2012, 11:35 PM
I'm flying out Monday night, too. I haven't changed my plans yet. My husband has been watching the forecast back home and says Tuesday is supposed to be the really bad day. But Monday night is risky, I think.

Strmchsr
10-27-2012, 08:14 AM
The storm hits Monday night but the wind field is so large that travel conditions will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, all day Monday and Tuesday. Monday morning might be possible to get in, but once the afternoon gets here expect cancellations.

goofiecrazy
10-27-2012, 09:26 AM
i am in wilmington de and they r saying winds from up 80 here last i heard n over 80 in the beach sections of jersey..

Katzateer
10-27-2012, 10:54 AM
Yes, we were supposed to go home Tuesday morning but the only flight I could get out on leaves today at 5:30. Going home 3 days early:(

SBETigg
10-27-2012, 11:16 AM
Yes, we were supposed to go home Tuesday morning but the only flight I could get out on leaves today at 5:30. Going home 3 days early:(

Bummer! But the wiser course.

TiggeRia
10-27-2012, 01:12 PM
We rebooked to a 9 am flight Monday morning. Fingers crossed.

BrerGnat
10-27-2012, 02:15 PM
Yep, I was supposed to leave Monday morning and I changed to a 7pm flight tomorrow. I'm not willing to gamble. The DC area comes to a screeching halt when bad weather hits. It is a bummer but at least the airlines and Disney have been very generous with waiving fees and refunding unused room nights.

Strmchsr
10-27-2012, 03:49 PM
Sunday night is slightly iffy, but I think it will be okay. Any time Monday will be much more of a gamble.

Tink1
10-27-2012, 07:04 PM
Was scheduled to fly into SWF (Newburgh,NY) on Tuesday, switched flight to Wednesday instead.

Nanc

Katzateer
10-27-2012, 09:26 PM
We have made it to Philadelphia. Ride a little bumpy and very interesting clouds along the way.

One more train ride on Amtrak and we will be back in lovely Parkesburg around 11pm.

Safe travels home everyone!!

BrerGnat
10-28-2012, 04:31 AM
Ugh, my flight got canceled. Booked through Jet Blue to Richmond at 8am this morning. Luckily Richmond is not too far from home. Hope DH doesn't mind the little surprise road trip I have waiting for him.

Stupid Sandy...

PirateLover
10-28-2012, 06:55 AM
Our 7pm departure is still a-go right now. Hoping we get in, prepared for a bumpy ride (which should be fun as DH is an awful flier and goes white when we hit turbulence). While being stuck for a few extra days at WDW is not the worst thing that could happen, we really want to get home with our dog and our family to weather the Frankenstorm together. The whole family was in FL for Hurricane Irene some of our extended family had to go over and pump tons of water out of MIL's basement.

Carol
10-28-2012, 07:22 AM
Stupid Sandy ................

TiggeRia
10-28-2012, 08:44 AM
Well..I am canceled too. Tried calling United to no avail as they keep kicking me off the phone saying to call again later. Not sure if we should rent a car and attempt driving to Jersey, or sitting it out and try a flight on Wednesday, which ould be a nightmare. Stupid weather...

Strmchsr
10-28-2012, 09:01 AM
With the strength of this storm, Wednesday may not be much better. This thing could snarl traffic for a few days, but pretty much everything will shut down tomorrow and Tuesday. Tonight should be okay. Possibly some flights will be able to get in and out tomorrow morning.

For those of you who do not deal well with turbulence be sure to check out the links in the "travel" section of the weather thread.

VWL Mom
10-28-2012, 10:33 AM
This is for those that are still down there trying to get to the tri state area

From Newark Airport Flight Aware

Good morning from FlightAware,

Over 3,000 flight cancellations so far as a result of Hurricane Sandy -- details below:
707 flights cancelled to/from/within the US today. Most affected is Newark (EWR), a United hub, with over 265 cancellations today.

2,499 flights cancelled to/from/within the US tomorrow (Monday). Most affected is Newark (EWR), with 774 cancellations, second is Dulles with 428 cancellations, third is Philadelphia with 355 cancellations.

Although most air traffic control towers will close when the wind reaches 60-70kts, the big factor that will result in early flight disruptions is mass transit shutdowns and the availability of airline and airport staff due to their need to prepare for the storm. For example, NYC MTA is planning a 7pm train shutdown this evening. Another big factor potentially affecting coastal airports is high tide; LGA is the most likely big airport to close (only 4ft above high tide), followed by JFK.

United Airlines is expected to be most affected; they have hubs near NYC (EWR) and DC (IAD). United will be shutting down DC operations around 7-8pm tonight with a plan to resume flights sometime on Tuesday after 12p. United will be shutting down PHL and JFK/EWR/LGA operations tonight between 6-7pm with a plan to resume operations sometime after 6pm on Tuesday.

US Airways will announce their cancellation schedule at noon today although their regional carrier, Air Wisconsin, has already cancelled flights on Monday at PHL and DCA. JetBlue is also deciding later pending determination of staffing availability.

Every airline is allowing fee-free changes (and refunds in some cases) for itineraries potentially impacted by the storm. The best way to make flight changes is on airline websites; call centers are typically overwhelmed during major events.

We expect the number of flight cancellations for tomorrow and Tuesday to rise considerably throughout the day and will send another update this evening.

I'll update when they post a change.

PirateLover
10-28-2012, 01:20 PM
Our flight just got delayed until 8:30 pm. That places us landing in Philly around 11pm. Hoping we get in. Not looking forward to the prospect of being without power for a week but I want to be home.

Katzateer
10-28-2012, 01:33 PM
Gosh, we will never forget this meet. Stupid, stupid weather. :(:(. Can we have the 20th Intercot meet maybe during the Flower show in spring so we don't have to worry about hurricanes or tropical storms.

Today would have been my day at the studios and I am really sad I had to miss it.

Lindsey310
10-28-2012, 01:57 PM
So sad that a lot of you had to cut your vacations short :(

I was thinking If it was me, I would rather be stuck in WDW but I would be thinking of my parents and dog the whole time. Guess its better to head home early. :(

TiggeRia
10-28-2012, 02:18 PM
We decided to extend by one day. Rented a car and will start driving home Tuesday morning spending the night at my brother's in SC and continuing the rest of the way Wednesday. To rebook a flight, we'd probably be looking at Thursday or Friday. I'll take the refund (hopefully) and make the drive before work gets too angry.

PirateLover
10-28-2012, 08:01 PM
We got cancelled. Of course airtran waited until after check out. We had a package with free dining and disney told us we couldn't extend the offer nor continue our passes starting at day 5 so we left for Ft. Lauderdale with my BIL. We are on hold to find out what our change fees will be to switch to this airport. Ria, we are thinking of doing the same... Just cancel and start driving back tues AM. Had a great time at the meet but so bummed with this ending.

Ian
10-28-2012, 08:30 PM
If you guys do that let me know. If you want someone else to help share rental, gas, and driving I'm your man!

Imalismom
10-28-2012, 09:18 PM
I am home, but it was not pretty at MCO for a lot of people. Flights cancelled over and over, and people being told ay least 48 hours before they could get out of MCO.

SBETigg
10-28-2012, 10:02 PM
If you guys do that let me know. If you want someone else to help share rental, gas, and driving I'm your man!

Oh, this could be a spectacular adventure! Road Trip with Ian. Do it! And then, tell us all about it.

SBETigg
10-28-2012, 10:04 PM
I am home, but it was not pretty at MCO for a lot of people. Flights cancelled over and over, and people being told ay least 48 hours before they could get out of MCO.

So glad you got home. I know TikiGoddess got home, too. I wish I'd been on her flight, but it was booked solid. So now I'm here and grateful not to be stuck in an airport, at least.

TiggeRia
10-28-2012, 10:23 PM
Actually talked to United tonight, who booked me on a flight Tuesday night out of MCO with a layover in Washington and getting into Allentown around midnight. I took it for now, but am a little leary that if the storm lingers it will still be canceled or there will be a big delay. The agent assured me I could still cancel. They even waived all the baggage fees. I think I am going to wait 24 hours to see the amount of damage and if the storm is lingering or if it even looks like it may be canceled, I will go ahead and drive Tuesday morning like I planned.

PirateLover
10-28-2012, 10:25 PM
Anyone else on the I-95 Corridor? We can get an Intercot Bus, lol!

PirateLover
10-28-2012, 10:27 PM
We got a Weds flight. Tried to give us Tuesday and we said uh-uh. It routes through ATL with a 4 hr layover. I feel like a lot could go wrong. Like Ria, we will monitor events and still may drive.

hoop de do
10-29-2012, 09:20 AM
We made it home without incident. AirTran had overbooked our flight by three seats at MCO. Asking for volunteers to go next day.
GOOD LUCK with that one.
We had no problem getting into western PA. I sure looked funny in the airport (Pittsburgh) in my shorts and INTERCOT t-shirt though. I did get some stares. All I needed was a camera around my neck. Raining and cold with a sloppy drive home.
Pixie Dust for everyone on there way home.
:tink::pixie:

BrerGnat
10-29-2012, 02:30 PM
Hey, anyone contemplating driving...be careful. Wait until the storm winds are long gone.

I had to drive from Richmond, VA to Dulles Airport to pick up my car yesterday (could only get a flight into Richmond yesterday morning, so I took it) and the drive was treacherous. There are a LOT of very tall trees along 95 and it was so windy that limbs were breaking off and falling into the road. At this time, that part of VA is getting some of the worst of this storm in terms of rain/wind, and there are lots of waterways down there with bridges to cross. Taking a western route is also not really an option, due to the blizzard conditions there.

If you can, fly into an airport further northwest, like Pittsburgh or Allentown and drive down to the PHL area from there.

PirateLover
10-29-2012, 03:42 PM
Thanks for the update Nat. Glad you got home safely through that mess. I do think at this point we are gonna drive, and wait to leave until tomorrow morning. We wouldn't be in the VA area until sometime tomorrow evening, at which point the winds should have passed that area and hopefully roads cleared. The storm is heading west and has sped up, so I think it's too late to fly into another PA city, we would likely hit more bad weather coming that way. Our flight for weds already has a 4 hr layover in ATL and with so many flights still being cancelled, it's definitely plausible that even if that flight gets out we could be delayed even further. Like I said, DH hates flying as it is, and he just wants to get home. We would rather spend a day driving than another day sitting around here and then a day sitting around at airports. Right now it seems like 95 is still a mess with road closures, accidents etc but we are banking on smooth sailing through the southern states. We do have relatives in MD so if we can get there, we can stop off if need be.

SBETigg
10-29-2012, 04:17 PM
I have a direct flight on Wednesday night, but I moved to the airport Marriott to be out of the Disney temptation zone, because I really have to work. Wow. Looks pretty dumpy on the outside, but my room is gorgeous with a writing desk and a big cushy king bed. I'm going to write like a fiend for two whole days! In my zebra pants. Naturally.

But I am worried about my family back home and I won't be able to see my daughter before she heads back to school, so, bummer. On the other hand, I have power and comfort, so yay.

P.S. I really wanted to meet Nat and I didn't get to do so.

figgie
10-29-2012, 04:25 PM
Good luck to everyone trying to get home! Hope nobody invites Sandy to ICOT 20!:rain:

TiggeRia
10-29-2012, 07:48 PM
We're still debating what to do. The flight they had us on had an hour layover in Dulles tomorrow night before departing for Allentown. Now the layover has turned into 12 hours. And if the MCO segment to Dulles gets cancelled, I have big problems. Hate to make the long drive, but sitting in an airport for that long doesn't sound appealing either :(

JMTStone
10-29-2012, 08:51 PM
I came home yesterday evening into Pittsburgh.

My job is call center support for a large company with call centers in Portsmouth, NH, Waltham, MA, Wilmington, DE, Chelmsford, MD, and Swedesboro, NJ... in addition to others.

So all day..... I shut down these sites, re-routed their calls, helped them log in from home, pretty much dealt with madness.

From :cloud9: to :thedolls:

At 11:30 AM, I looked at my 20th EMERGENCY request and said in my head "Yesterday at this time, I was at the Drop Off at Art of Animation"

I hope everyone is safe. We are expecting it tonight 4 to 6 inches over the next 24 hours.

JMTStone
10-29-2012, 08:54 PM
If you can, fly into an airport further northwest, like Pittsburgh or Allentown and drive down to the PHL area from there.

If you make it in Pittsburgh... and get stuck I will be there to take you to dinner at Primanti's.

PirateLover
10-29-2012, 10:54 PM
We are risking the drive. Leaving Ft. Lauderdale at 7am. We've done it before, and it stinks, but DH especially can't afford to miss work and we also want to be around to help with any clean up. We will be safe, DH's aunt in MD will be keeping us updated and if conditions are still bad we will get a hotel if we have to. Good luck to all.

BrerGnat
10-30-2012, 09:08 AM
Good luck to everyone trying to get home! Hope nobody invites Sandy to ICOT 20!:rain:

My vote is ICOT20 @ the DIsneyland Resort.

Bad weather isn't allowed in So. Cal. ;)

Melanie
10-30-2012, 10:12 PM
Finally getting out of here tomorrow, flying into Reagan National. It's been quite the adventure for some of us to get flights rearranged, etc. I will never forget this trip!!!