All 4 theme parks and more are closing at Walt Disney World due to Hurricane Milton. Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom won’t reopen until after the storm passes Orlando. Additionally, there are other closures, changes, and cancellations through at least Friday, October 10, 2024. This post provides a rundown of all operational updates to Central Florida attractions.
With regard to the storm system itself, Hurricane Milton hit Category 5 storm system with 180 mph winds on Monday, but weakened overnight to Category 4 overnight. The center of the storm is forecast to make landfall along the west-central coast of Florida on Wednesday night, and move across central Florida through Thursday. The system has slowed down since yesterday, resulting in the delayed-arrival as contrasted with previous forecasts–which also explains why Central Florida theme parks have dragged their feet on announcing closures.
As of 2 p.m. on October 8, the National Hurricane Center stated that Milton is once again increasing in strength and size, and is close to Category 5 strength with maximum-sustained winds at 155 mph located 520 miles southwest of Tampa moving east-northeast at 8 mph. The National Hurricane Center warns that Milton is a potentially catastrophic hurricane at the top of its wind scale, and one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.
Additionally, all of Walt Disney World is now under a hurricane warning, as both Osceola and Orange Counties have been upgraded from watch status to fully-fledged hurricane warnings.
Here’s our latest look at all of the closures at Walt Disney World, Orlando Airports, and other theme parks in Central Florida…
Walt Disney World Closures & Cancellations for Hurricane Milton
Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom theme parks will close early due to Hurricane Milton on Wednesday, October 9:
- Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will close at 1 p.m.
- Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney Springs will close at 2 p.m.
It is likely that all 4 Walt Disney World theme parks will remain closed on Thursday, October 10, 2024.
Walt Disney World will consider opening Disney Springs on Thursday in the late afternoon, with limited offerings.
Although not officially announced, don’t be surprised if some third party businesses at Disney Springs close earlier on Wednesday and don’t reopen until later on Friday (or at all), even if the rest of Disney Springs does resume operations.
Currently, all 4 theme parks are scheduled to reopen on Friday, October 11, 2024, but the schedule is subject to change.
There’s also past precedent for Walt Disney World reopening areas only to on-site resort guests, so that could happen on October 10 if Hurricane Milton passes quickly and Central Florida emerges relatively unscathed.
If the best case scenario (hopefully!) plays out, it wouldn’t surprise us if EPCOT reopens on Thursday night for resort guests, followed by the other parks later in the day or on Saturday and Sunday. Having Disney Springs up and running on Thursday evening would be a good consolation prize, too.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom and Halloween Horror Nights on Friday. This are big-money events for Disney and Universal that they won’t want to cancel, but it might be tough to get everything back up and running–and properly staffed–by then. (No actual insight here–just a potential non-best case scenario.)
Whenever the parks do reopen, don’t be surprised if certain attractions don’t reopen right away. Anything with a lot of trees is an obvious candidate for a prolonged closure. If I recall correctly, it took Jungle Cruise a couple of days after Hurricane Irma to reopen.
It might be a similar story with trails and attractions in Animal Kingdom, or the park as a whole, if there are staggered reopenings. Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom is another such area, and there won’t be a huge sense of urgency to get that area reopened since it’s less popular.
Outside the parks, there might be resorts that are out of commission entirely or have areas closed off due to downed trees. Fort Wilderness is the most obvious example, but not the only one–many resorts have a lot of trees. It’s a similar story with the Port Orleans Resorts, Wilderness Lodge, etc.
Along with this, the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party scheduled for Thursday, October 10 is cancelled. Guests with pre-purchased party tickets for this party will automatically receive a full refund for the event tickets.
Note: Reports we’ve heard about moving Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets to a different sold out date were very mixed when it came to the Hurricane Helene cancellations a couple weeks ago.
The best chances of success are when switching to the October 11 event, which makes sense both for guests and for Disney, as they’re likely to have a ton of cancellations for that MNSSHP. As there’s no officially published policy, your mileage may vary.
Transportation – Walt Disney World Transportation will stop operating on Wednesday, October 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.
Reservations for Dining and Other Experiences – Effective immediately, Walt Disney World will not enforce cancellation policies until further notice for dining and other experiences.
Prepaid bookable experiences will be automatically refunded within 7 to 10 business days.
Recreation – Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, Winter Summerland Miniature Golf and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will be closed on Wednesday, October 9. Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park remains closed for planned refurbishment.
There are no events planned for ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex until the weekend.
The following ‘rustic resorts’ will temporarily close beginning at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 9, 2024:
- Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
- Cascade Cabins at Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa are likely to remain closed until Sunday, October 13, 2024. The Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge will likely reopen on Friday, October 11, 2024.
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue performances have been canceled October 9-10 in light of the temporary closure of Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Guests with pre-paid reservations will be automatically canceled and refunded.
Restaurants in resorts will continue to operate in select locations with availability subject to change.
Additionally, Walt Disney World is allowing changes and cancellations with no penalties for guests arriving between now and Monday, October 14, 2024. This applies to reservations booked by the Walt Disney Travel Company or Disney Destinations, LLC. (In other words, if you booked through Walt Disney World directly–either by phone or Disneyworld.com–you’re eligible. Same goes for reservations booked via an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner or travel agent.)
Most room-only and vacation packages can be modified, or cancelled 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 cancelled online. Guests with these reservations will need to call Walt Disney World for assistance. (Expect longer-than-normal hold times.)
Due to Hurricane Milton, Universal Orlando Resort is making the following operational changes for Wednesday, October 9 and Thursday, October 10, 2024:
- On Wednesday, Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Universal CityWalk will be open until 2 p.m. and will be closed all-day on Thursday, October 10, 2024.
- Universal Volcano Bay will be closed all day on Wednesday, October 9 and Thursday, October 10.
- Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida is cancelled for Wednesday and Thursday nights
- Universal hotels remain operational as they focus on taking care of guests.
Note that hours of operation are subject to change based on forecast alterations and some attraction and experience availability may be limited on Wednesday as we prepare for an early closure.
Universal Orlando Resort anticipates a full reopening, including Halloween Horror Nights, on October 11, 2024 at normal operating hours pending the outcome of storm impacts.
Elsewhere around Central Florida, LEGOLAND Florida Resort will be closed Wednesday and Thursday due to Hurricane Milton. This closure also includes Peppa Pig Theme Park.
LEGOLAND Florida Resort will be OPEN in a limited capacity, including to guests with existing reservations.
Due to the projected path of Hurricane Milton, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando, and Discovery Cove parks have enacted its Named Storm Policy and will be temporarily closed on:
- Busch Gardens Tampa is CLOSED on Tuesday, October 8th, Wednesday, October 9th and Thursday, October 10th. Howl-O-Scream is cancelled for Thursday, October 10. Tickets may be used for any remaining Howl-O-Scream event nights.
- Adventure Island remains running on its seasonal schedule without changes at this time. Please check social media for updates regarding park opening on Friday, October 11.
- SeaWorld Orlando remains OPEN on Tuesday, October 8th. SeaWorld Orlando will be CLOSED on Wednesday, October 9th and Thursday, October 10th.
- Aquatica Orlando remains OPEN on Tuesday, October 8th. Aquatica will be CLOSED on Wednesday, October 9th and Thursday, October 10th.
All date-intended tickets for closure days have been extended through December 31, 2024 and requires no action to be taken. Precautions are in place following the parks’ comprehensive weather preparedness plan to ensure the safety of animals and ambassadors during this time. Guests are encouraged to check back on our website and follow our social media channels for updates. Stay tuned for information regarding reopening following the storm on Friday, October 11, 2024.
Orlando International Airport announced that it will cease commercial passenger and private operations due to Hurricane Milton starting at 8 am on October 9, 2024. MCO itself is NOT closed and will remain open to accept emergency/aid and relief flights as necessary.
Currently, MCO is expected to resume operations on Friday, after assessing all damage to airport property and facilities. Orlando International Airport notes the time for the reopening is “fluid” and subject to change. It could happen sooner–or later–depending upon Hurricane Milton’s intensity and impacts in Orlando.
Per Orlando International Airport’s official @MCO Twitter account, key airport, airline, and federal agency representatives will continue monitoring the weather and determine whether any future closures may be necessary.
We don’t have much to add here. Hurricane Milton is currently a major Category 4 system, and is likely to make landfall south of Tampa Bay on Wednesday night with a path taking it right through Central Florida on Thursday–directly towards the tourist corridor and Walt Disney World. Governor DeSantis has warned of catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge in areas of Florida, with impacts far broader than where of the eye makes landfall.
Ultimately, if you are at Walt Disney World, be safe. Take this seriously, for your own sake and that of Cast Members and other guests. As accurate as storm forecasting has become, it’s still not 100% certain. It’s only appropriate for Walt Disney World to prioritize human life and safety, erring on the side of caution and closing the parks, relocating guests, and canceling entertainment. Here’s hoping this passes quickly and with minimal damage and harm, and Walt Disney World can resume normal operations on October 11, 2024. We’ll keep you posted either way!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Are you currently at Walt Disney World or Central Florida? Have you visited during past hurricanes? Any additional info, thoughts, or first-hand experiences to share about riding out a hurricane at Walt Disney World? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
