Hurricane Ian battered the state of Florida overnight from September 28-29, 2022, including Walt Disney World Resort. While the rain continues to come down during the day on September 29, 2022, cast members at Walt Disney World Resort are actively back at work cleaning up the mess that was caused by Ian. The storm passed over Walt Disney World Resort as a category 1 hurricane. In anticipation of its arrival, Walt Disney World Resort closed all of its parks and also Disney Springs. Other locations were closed or had operations modified as well for the hurricane.
In the morning after the hurricane, cast members could be seen evaluating Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort and then cleaning up the debris that was strewn about. For the most part, the debris was comprised of small branches, palm fronds, and other small plant materials. There were also some puddles that had formed, but no major flooding. There were a few garbage cans that had blown over through the night as well. When they blew over, they made a very loud crash/bang that could be heard over the wind, rain, and frogs. Below is a tour of Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort that was taken at about 10:30 AM on Thursday, September 29, 2022. The decision to go outside was made after seeing regular cast members walking around without hard hats, umbrellas, or ponchos in a relaxed matter. There were also dozens of guests making their way to the lobby by this point as well. Thirdly, both wind gusts and rain had subsided massively and there were no active floods that could be seen anywhere nearby. With that in mind, a tour was taken of the resort to see what Hurricane Ian had done. In short, it wasn’t as much as expected with the amount of wind and rain that came down overnight.
As can be seen in the video and photo tour, work was being done to clean up the resort. Cast members were entertaining guests with activities in the lobby. The lobby and food court were both open. Shortly after filming this tour, the store at the resort reopened as well. Within a couple of hours, the resort looked cleaner than it did ahead of the shelter-in-place order at 9:00 PM last night. The aftermath of Hurricane Ian at this resort is not in line with what is being seen on the news from the surrounding areas. Throughout the state, there is massive damage, flooding, and even fires. Flooding continues to be a concern for local officials at this time.
If you would like to assist those in need, please consider donating to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida here. A donation here will help provide healthy, nutritious meals for children and families facing hunger during this especially difficult time for many people.
Through the night, an occasional cast member could be seen walking around the resort wearing rain gear and hard hats. Other than that, for the most part, once the curfew was called most guests stayed inside their rooms and did not go out to explore or experience the hurricane (including Mr. Daps). People could be seen through windows and in doorways watching the wind and the rain. Occasionally a flash of lightning or a transformer exploding could be seen lighting up the night. The following video was taken through the window of Mr. Daps’ room at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort during the height of the storm.
Before, during, and after Hurricane Ian, the Disney cast members at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort have been absolutely amazing. There have been smiles, laughter, magic has been made, and perhaps most importantly, calm has been maintained. The entire team here has gone so far above and beyond to make sure that the guests felt safe and comfortable in a less-than-ideal situation. Though this storm was massive, the Disney cast members never missed a beat in showing the Disney difference. The team went the extra mile repeatedly and turned a bad situation into as good as it could have been imagined. Hats off to the team at Walt Disney World Resort and specifically Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort.
More stories, videos, photos, and updates about Hurricane Ian hitting Walt Disney World Resort can be found at DapsMagic.com/Hurricane-Ian. Walt Disney World Resort continues to provide updates on operations at DisneyWorld.com/Weather.
