Animal Kingdom Lodge during Hurricane Irma. Amazing experience!
- The parks closed early Saturday night and stayed closed the next two days. Sunday morning we were giving information on what to expect for the new two days. There would be a channel that played nothing but Disney movies if you didn’t want to leave your room. There would be activities every hour in the lobby, concluding with a screening of Aladdin at 8:30 that night. The gift shop would be open. The Mara would be open. Boma would be open… and only 20 bucks! Housekeeping would not be available, but we were given extra towels, toilet paper, coffee and a flashlight.
- The whole day there were good vibes throughout the place. Safari Goofy and Rafiki led dance parties. There was face painting and drum circles, trivia and games.
- With the storm starting to pick up around 8:00 PM, kids were still in the lobby singing Let It Go. It could have been a very scary experience for these kids, but the cast members turned it into a party. I went to shop at the gift shop and management was sitting on sandbags making sure the water was getting into the store. They were laughing and joking around, and asked me to join them so of course I did!
- The morning after it hits, it was basically business as usual for the resort. I went down to The Mara at about 8 in the morning and kids were already in the lobby playing games with the cast members. The pathway to The Mara was currently being cleaned so we were taken through the backway that the cast members use. A couple hours later everything was cleaned up and you were free to go outside to The Mara or walk the pathways in the savannah. Safari Mickey made an appearance in the lobby and led another dance party. Later that day Minnie made an appearance too. Boma was open and delicious as ever. And at 20 bucks it felt like stealing.
Nothing but good things to say about doing Disney during a hurricane!