I don't recall the names of all of Disney's (NYSE:DIS) Mouseketeers, but I'm guessing that Charley and Frances won't be earning their ears after the way that the hurricanes that bear their names have been tormenting Florida over the past few weeks.
While hurricane coverage by the financial press usually falls into the obvious -- buy Home Depot (NYSE:HD) and Lowe's (NYSE:LOW), sell insurers such as Allstate (NYSE:ALL) -- the country's popular tourist draw rests smack-dab in the middle of the Sunshine State, and while area residents tend to their hurricane shutters, Disney's got a case of the hurricane shudders.
Two weeks ago, Charley forced Disney into rare park closures. Now with Hurricane Frances barreling toward the East Coast, Disney has broken from its strict hotel cancellation policy. Booked guests can call off their resort reservations without penalty, and Disney has even ceased taking in any new reservations for arrivals between now and when the storm is likely to be out of harm's way by Sunday.
I was in that boat. I had reservations booked for Labor Day weekend but finally gave in and canceled them yesterday. It's something that I hated to do because I'm the type of guy who will pass out the galoshes for my kids to attend a friend's birthday party in a torrential downpour -- those are the times where you prove, literally and figuratively, that you are no fair-weather friend -- but fearing that my own Miami homestead needed to be secured I reconfigured my priorities. Sorry, Disney. I'll get you next time.
I'm guessing you might need me. Last month Disney had conceded that it was having attendance problems at its California theme parks. These two Florida storms will almost assure that the current quarter will offer coastal bookends of disappointment in the company's flagship park business.
Will Disney blame the weather if this quarter falls short? Have you been to any of the Disney parks lately? What did you think? All this and more -- in the Disney discussion board. Only on Fool.com.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz was never a Mouseketeer but, hey, there was a Charley after all: Charley Laney during the Mickey Mouse Club's second season. As far as Rick, he does own shares in Disney.
