Obsessively watching The Weather Channel for updates while worrying about friends, family and residents of Florida.
Tl;Dr: As of 3:00pm EST on Thursday, August 29th, Hurricane Dorian is forecast to hit Florida as a Category 4 Hurricane Sunday-Monday. Airlines are already waiving fees to change flights. We were originally bummed that we won’t make it to Orlando if the storm hits, now we are worried about the danger of the storm for residents.
On my last blog post, I was super excited about making last minute reservations in time for the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I was able to book everything we wanted while also saving money using rewards. I was so excited I even packed our bag early; everything was done and all we had to do was wait.
Imagine our surprise when talk of a tropical storm was brewing in the Atlantic. As the week went on, the situation was becoming serious. Puerto Rico was in the path of the storm which, after Hurricane Maria, couldn’t take anymore. I was so happy when Dorian, at that point upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane, only clipped the little island of my father’s birth. This, however, made for what is becoming an extremely dangerous storm that’s heading straight for the US mainland.
What we know so far…
Current as of Thursday, August 29th, is the storm will make landfall on the Florida peninsula somewhere between Sunday and Monday. The longer Dorian remains over open water, it will be made stronger by the warm ocean temps. In the last 24 hours its gone from a predicted Category 2 to Category 4 when it eventually reaches land. This couldn’t have come at the worst time for the state, as the storm is making its entrance on Labor Day Weekend.
For the hubby and I, we’ve gone from silly self-pity (declaring fate hates us) to realizing “holy crap a devastating storm is about to hit Florida!”
It’s been stressful watching the uncertainty of the news as we try to decide what to do about our trip. On one hand, do we wait it out or do we start moving reservations? On the other, for the hubby and I, we’ve gone from silly self-pity (declaring fate hates us) to realizing “holy crap a devastating storm is about to hit Florida!” We both have family and friends throughout the state which changes our inconvenience to real concern about the residents of the Sunshine State.
What to do now…
Currently, our airline, JetBlue , is offering waivers (online changes are currently down.) We have been debating on what to do next. Do we change now or do we wait as close to departure as possible? JetBlue is only offering a change for a week in advance which doesn’t work for us. It’s unclear if we can get a refund (in our case it would be for points) unless the flight is cancelled, which at this point it isn’t. Our game plan for today is to wait until tomorrow (Friday) to see if things change. If not, we’ll see about getting a refund. I contacted Disney and their hurricane policy states if there’s a storm within seven days of your arrival you can cancel or re-book without fees as long as you booked through them. We’re bummed but now we’re praying that the storm isn’t as dangerous as it’s predicted to be.
Magical thinking
At therapy yesterday, I joked about the theory of magical thinking: the idea that one’s thoughts affect the outside world. I told my therapist about my packed bag and how, by doing so, brought on the hurricane. Her response? “So what you’re saying is, the act of packing early caused a storm that will affect millions?” “And you can’t tell me any different!” We laughed about it which at this point is all I can do. I was kidding about the packed bag (well, only half kidding) but now my main concern is for the safety of the people in the storm’s path. Let’s all be ready to help where needed and be relieved if its not as bad. There will always be that next vacation.
Your Experience May Differ 