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So, people are pretty much stuck at their resorts, I assume? Does Disney do anything at all (I was thinking maybe providing some entertainment at the resorts) to keep people busy? Or are they sitting in their rooms watching tv? Just wondering what the experience is like, aside from terrifying...:mickey:
Well, they generally want you to stay in your rooms. Such as today, the food court was closed and they had boxed lunches yesterday, you could purchase. There are some interesting youtube videos from people there right now.
Last night all parks and Disney Springs closed early But the resorts (Saratoga Springs is where we are) did have entertainment and games going on until 11pm, the resort restaurants closed at 9pm.
To my surprise the pools were open today in the rain until early afternoon, I can't believe how many people were actually swimming. Artist Pallet restaurant was open today but had a limited menu. The restaurant and the gift shop was supposed to close at 3pm but that was extended until 7:30pm. The Turf Club Bar and Grill was open for cocktails only. People (like us) were getting cocktails, hanging out and playing cards and board games. There were also "Ride out packs" that you could purchase to bring back to your room, it is enough cold food for 4 meals, cold cuts, rolls, cheese, 4 waters, 4 Hershey Bars, 4 Peanut M&M packs, it was a great deal so we grabbed one just in case. Curfew Tonight (Sat) was supposed to be 7pm (meaning you must stay in your room) but that was extended until 9pm tonight. They have not given an exact time but they expect curfew to be lifted sometime tomorrow. So yes, today and tomorrow we are confined to the resort but we have not been confined to our rooms the whole time as weather permitted.
They updated you and adjusted all the times as the conditions changed, you get all updated information on channel 3.
The cast members have been awesome, friendly, and fun. We have been having a great time regardless of the storm and restrictions, and have also met some great people from all over as well as many locals that we have been hunkered down with.
As far as TV entertainment in your room there is a Classic Disney Movie Marathon Running so got to relax and catch some old Disney movies.
There has been a lot to do in the various resorts. Lots of character meet in greets, sing a longs, crafts, games and movies. I watched last night as baloo was doing the limbo. It was very funny. Characters that are not out often have been in the resorts. Bolt and Max to name a few. Everyone has been in good spirits
At Old Key West, the main building was open yesterday, and Olivia's was serving hot to-go food, or you could buy stuff to heat up in your room later. While we were there, Mickey and Pluto came in for meet-n-greets. The pool was open until the afternoon. The Community Hall was also open, but a lot of people had checked-out the movies and board games. They closed everything down around the time the curfew was implemented in the Orlando area, about 6-7pm. We basically hung out, played Tower of Terror Clue, built LEGO's, watched movies, etc.
Today, they opened the main building around noon, so we ventured out and walked up, and it was bustling. Same operations as Sunday, but the pool was closed. They opened the pool by 3:30pm, and we took advantage. We also were hanging out in the main lobby, waiting for a printout, and Chip N' Dale came by. Dale did my daughter's homework. Go to YouTube and search for "Dale Does Algebra".
We did more of the same today, but took some walks. The winds had pretty much died down by 2pm, and we wanted to see what the damage was, which was minimal.
All-in-all, the resort staff has been wonderful, and little extras were nice. Our A/C went out on Saturday night, and on Sunday, during the storm prep, they came and fixed it. Today, they were giving out free cupcakes at Olivia's Cafe. They had a little dance party and other games going on by the pool. I mean, if you have to be holed up somewhere during a storm, this was the place to be.
The last thing, we were supposed to check out Thursday and head to Jacksonville for a conference, but it's all under water, and so the conference was canceled. Since we have annual passes, we can stay until Saturday now. We asked about staying here, but we're out of points. They said it was 50% off the cash price, which made our studio $160/night. Sold! It's more than the value resorts, or off-site, but i'll pay the extra for the larger room and not having to pack/unpack again.
We were also refunded 50% for our first 2 nights on Friday and Sat, we had paid Out of pocket for those nights and we stayed on points the rest of the time. Very nice surprise!!
At Beach Club they had activities every hour all day long, were handing out cookies in the lobby, had characters throughout the day in the lobby, ran free movies on one of the channels in your room.
It was impressive even for Disney