Hurricane Milton: Disney World announces theme park closures

Due to Hurricane Milton, Walt Disney World will begin closing its theme parks on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and will likely remain closed on Thursday, Oct. 10,

Hurricane Milton, rapidly intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico, has been bouncing back between a Category 4 and Category 5 hurricane as wind speeds change. It is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane Wednesday night into Thursday.

At this point, the central part of the storm is expected to pass over Disney World at 7 a.m. on Thursday.

In response to the storm, Disney will have a staggered closing of theme parks. Here are the details of the closing:

Walt Disney World Theme Parks

• On Oct. 9, theme parks and Disney Springs will be closed in phases beginning at 1 p.m.
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom will close at 1 p.m.
  • Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Disney Springs will close at 2 p.m.
• It is likely the theme parks will remain closed on Thursday, Oct. 10. Disney will consider opening Disney Springs Thursday late afternoon with limited offerings.
  • This includes the cancellation of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom on Oct. 10. Event tickets will be refunded.

Disney Resort Hotel Closures

• Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will temporarily close beginning at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9. They are likely to remain closed until Sunday, Oct. 13.

Transportation

• Walt Disney World Transportation will stop operating Wednesday, Oct. 9 after Disney Springs and the Walt Disney World theme parks close.
• Limited Minnie Van and Mears taxi service will be available to Walt Disney World Resort Guests.

Recreation

• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, Winter Summerland Miniature Golf and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Disney’s Blizzard Beach remains closed for planned refurbishment.

Reservations for Dining and Other Experiences

• Effective immediately, Disney will not enforce cancellation policies until further notice for dining and other experiences.
• Pre-paid bookable experiences will be automatically refunded within 7 to 10 business days.

Disney Resort and Room-Only Cancellation Policy for Reservations Booked Directly with Disney Destinations, LLC or The Walt Disney Travel Company:

• Due to potential weather impacts to guest travel plans, change and cancellation fees imposed by Disney will be waived for check-in dates of Tuesday, 10/8 – Monday, 10/14.
• Most room-only and vacation packages can be modified or canceled online, including changes to travel dates, without fees. Packages, including air transportation or other services provided by third parties or those with travel protection, cannot be modified or canceled online. For Guests with these reservations, please call Disney Central for assistance.

Find out when other theme parks in Orlando will close here.