Tropical Storms Bonnie and Charley

[brownie]

Originally posted by JohnY:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by TheRustyScupper:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by JohnY:
... don't they normally take down the castle in situations like this -- or is that an urban legend ...

1) Yes.
2) No.
3) Depends on your point of view & definition
4) Actually ...
... the 18 towers can be removed
... it requires a crane to pull the towers
... time required is approx 6-8 hours
... there are plans for bad weather removal
... they have yet to be pulled for weather
... most believe they will NEVER be pulled </font>[/QUOTE]From the unofficial guide to wdw...

"Contrary to myth, the castle cannot be, nor has it ever been, dismantled in the event of a hurricane." </font>[/QUOTE]The WDW Trivia Book also refutes this. I believe it was also on one of the Travel Channel shows. The castle was designed and built to withstand hurricane force winds, so I don't think it would be necessary to remove the spires.

[Jeremy Wilcox]

Originally posted by Pixie Power:
Stay safe Jim, Lisa, Jeremy, Ron, Jeanne, Clamity Jane and all the other WDW CM's on I-Cot. You truly are what makes Disney so Magical! And steppin' up to the plate to help out at a time like this, makes you even more special to all of us here at I-Cot. I hope WDW doesn't get hit too hard, as living in the Houston area, I know all too well what a Cat. 4 Hurricane can do!:eekeek:

Angela (Calamity Jane) is doing fine....

.... in Texas.

You picked a good week to go.

I just got back from preparing the ride for the storm - and I'm going back at 4:30 tomorrow morning to clean up. [img]graemlins/ack.gif[/img]

Goodnight all (It's 3:45 in the afternoon, isn't that sad?)

Jeremy

[ROEJunkie]

Now for an odd question, do they cover the openings on the Contemporary during storms like this? I was imagining 50 MPH winds whipping through the monorail openings. Never thought about it before.

Actually, a monorail driver who posts on Usenet has previously reported that they "plug" the holes in the Contemporary with multi-million dollar corks, that also double as passenger transport trains during better weather.

That's right, they pull four monorails half into the Contemporary and park them about 18" apart. It must be quite a feat, and I'm guessing they only let the best drivers do the parking at that distance, and with all the collision-avoidance systems disabled.

Sadly, I was there last January when temps were below freezin, and I apparently missed the opportunity to see this peformed.

-Eric

[ August 13, 2004, 03:52 PM: Message edited by: ROEJunkie ]

[TheRedHead]

I'm leaving tomorrow morning! What a shame! We'll be delayed in chicago for hours! [img]graemlins/crying.gif[/img]

[ROEJunkie]

I'm leaving tomorrow morning! What a shame! We'll be delayed in chicago for hours!

You hope it will be measured in hours!

[Ed]

As of right now, it's not too bad in this area. All the parks have closed. Ft. Wilderness guests have been evacuated to resort rooms.

Flights into and out of MCO have virtually stopped. Most airlines shut down operations around 2 pm, in some cases flying empty planes out to safer areas.

Worst is expected to hit around 7:30 pm.
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[Burrito, the Flying Donkey]

I think I read somewhere that the castle is actually constructed to be able to handle winds in excess of 150 MPH. It's constructed partially of fiberglass and not stone as it appears and the towers have some 'wobble' built into them so they flex a bit in high winds.

With a storm of this magnitude though, things could still get a bit messy. I think a bigger concern would be water damage and to some extent flying debris or falling trees. I'm certain the CM's and staff have tied down or taken in what they can by now.

My hopes and prayers go out to everyone in the path of the storm... Good luck, stay safe, be well.

[disneymomw_3boys]

What a great question [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] , I have never thought of those tunnels through the contemporary hotel. Now I wonder how the wind will whip through the hotel, or what the imagineers have come up with to stop that from happening.

There is got to be more things we can wonder about with these high winds hitting the park, I think we have the answer on the Castle, I wonder about Spaceship earth or other high up objects at the world.

[FROG0823]

Originally posted by TheRedHead:
I'm leaving tomorrow morning! What a shame! We'll be delayed in chicago for hours! [img]graemlins/crying.gif[/img]

I would advise anyone traveling to/from MCO tomorrow to arrive early for your flights. I work for an airline and was just looking at our loads tomorrow and the flights INTO MCO are going as planned (as of now - that will probably change overnight) but are extremely overbooked with people who were originally scheduled to go today. We have canceled the first flew flights OUT of MCO tomorrow as we had to move some aircraft out of harms way today and tomorrow morning we'll need to reposition them.

Bottom line is the gate area for every flight to Florida tomorrow will probably be nuts tomorrow so just keep those happy thoughts of being in The World flowing!

Regardless - at least you are off to WDW - have a great trip!!

[img]graemlins/mickey.gif[/img]

[ August 13, 2004, 04:09 PM: Message edited by: FROG0823 ]

[GrumpyFan]

Originally posted by ROEJunkie:
Actually, a monorail driver who posts on Usenet has previously reported that they "plug" the holes in the Contemporary with multi-million dollar corks, that also double as passenger transport trains during better weather.

That's right, they pull four monorails half into the Contemporary and park them about 18" apart. It must be quite a feat, and I'm guessing they only let the best drivers do the parking at that distance, and with all the collision-avoidance systems disabled.

-Eric

That sounds like an expensive and risky move to me. What if the track collapsed or the building collapsed partially, couldn't it cause even more damage? I would think some heavy gauge steel doors might do the trick better. But then what do I know, I'm not exactly an imagineer.

Lots of prayers going out to those who are there, both cast and guests. For those guests who are there, this will surely be a memorable vacation, and hopefully not terribly unpleasant. Be safe and make the best of the situation.

[CarolS]

I would advise anyone traveling to/from MCO tomorrow to arrive early for your flights. I work for an airline

Any thoughts on Monday?

[Patricia]

Sending good vibes to all of you in the storms path. I've been glued to the news and have all my fingers and toes crossed.


On the castle topic:
During a backstage tour we were informed that the Castle was built to withstand 90 Mph winds and that removing the spires was never in a hurricane plan. It could never even happen quick enough. Once when the spires were taken down for repairs it took cranes hours to remove them. Not to mention the time it would take to get the crane in there. When you think about it, there really is no safty reason to take them out of an already empty park, which would always be the case with an impending hurricane having winds exceeding 90 MPH.

[FROG0823]

Originally posted by CarolS:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />I would advise anyone traveling to/from MCO tomorrow to arrive early for your flights. I work for an airline

Any thoughts on Monday? </font>[/QUOTE]Monday should be just fine. In fact I would think we should be back to normal sometime on Sunday. I work for American so we have a lot of planes to jostle around. I would bet some of the smaller airlines would be back on track even sooner.

Monday...no worries!

[img]graemlins/mickey.gif[/img]

[Lawnmower.Tree]

On a lighter note...

Maybe this time they shouldn't "Cork" the monorail openings in the Contemporary..Leave them open and use the winds to dry up all the water from the Hot Water pipe that burst the other night...

Just trying to lighten the mood.. Hope everyone is safe and sound and that no one gets seriously hurt (including my namesake)

[TheRedHead]

I hope you all stay safe if you are in its path. Our flight out of chicago leaves EARLY tomorrow...6:00 AM. Probably major delays, but if all goes as planned, the storm will hit tonight, have some servere weather tomorrow and then it should go back to semi-normal...right? Or was that just wishful thinking?? [img]graemlins/shakehead.gif[/img]

[Jeff T]

We are scheduled to drive from PA to FL a week from today. If the storm significantly damages the Orlando area and Disney, we will probably reschedule our trip. I'm hoping for the best.

[WDWdriver]

Charley has come ashore and is now headed this way. Orlando is directly in the center of the forecasted track. They expect 100+ mph winds here.

Oddly, it is very calm outside right now. No wind and no rain.

Thank you, everyone, for your concerns and wishes. It is a rather creepy feeling to be sitting here waiting.

[ August 13, 2004, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: WDWdriver ]

[Honey-4-Pooh]

I know that the powers at be might erase this ... but it's worth a shot. If anyone wants a 10 minute delay snapshot of EPCOT/BEACH CLUB area then go here:

http://www.aws.com/wxcomm/commercial...id=LKBNV&siz=l

This is the link to Swan & Dolphins Webcam atop their roof. Watching it all day ... it's pretty scary. Best wishes and hopes for everyone down in Orlando and surrounding areas right now.

[ August 13, 2004, 04:51 PM: Message edited by: Honey-4-Pooh ]

[WDWFRK]

I have relatives in the St. Pete area, so my thoughts are with them during this scary time. Pixie dust prayers to all of you in Florida and in the World right now.

[disneymomw_3boys]

Just recieved some news from my mother in law who lives about 15 miles south of Disney. My Sister-in-law, Brother-in-law and two young children were headed to Disney this afternoon for a weekend stay that had been planned for some time. About 1:00 pm they got in a wreck on highway 4 and totaled their vehical. Just a few bumps and scratches nothing serious. My mother-in-Law offered to go pick them up but Highway patrol wanted no more cars on the highway and said he would be taking them to the nearest hotel till the storm passes.

Its good to know they are ok, but to have had a serous accedent and then not able to be with family, will be hard. I'm sure this ruined their trip, but we need to be thankful they are O.K.