Hurricane Ian: Vacationing at Disney's Pop Century Resort amid storm
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Disney announced on Tuesday that its four theme parks and water parks in Florida are closed Wednesday and Thursday due to Hurricane Ian.
Mike Mason and Denise Kosis, who both work at KDKA-TV, are at Disney's Pop Century Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. They are riding out the storm inside their hotel room.
"We are on the ground floor in our room," Mason said Wednesday. "Hopefully we can sleep with those 80-mile-an-hour winds, but it could be worse."
Mason and Kosis, crew members at KDKA-TV, arrived in Disney on Sunday for vacation. But everything changed after they got an alert on Tuesday, saying Disney's theme parks and water parks are closing because of the weather.
Right now, it's about keeping everyone safe.
"They want us to shelter in place earlier today," Mason said. "They brought around flashlights for us in the rooms in case we lose power."
Disney has closed for hurricanes before, most recently for Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
"I've never been through a hurricane," Mason said. "But this is not Disney's first rodeo, I'm sure this place is pretty hurricane-proof."
Mason and Kosis are making the best of things amid the long lines inside the hotel lobby and food court area.
"The food court here, there were hundreds of people in line," Mason said. "Some people told us they were waiting an hour just to get a pizza."
Now all they can do is wait.
"We are going to stay in our room," Mason said. "I've got my fire stick, got my television."
Disney hopes to reopen Friday.
