Update: October 10, 2024, at 8:10 a.m. ET
Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday night
as a Category 3 storm, bringing damaging winds, heavy rain, life-threatening
floods, dangerous storm surge, and devastating tornadoes.
According to Weather.com,
the torrential downpours and winds of 120 mph that Milton brought Wednesday
night were enough to rip the roof off Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and left
several people in the region dead. At least three million people in the region
were left without electricity.
As for the theme park industry in Florida, Walt Disney World
and Vero Beach Resort Hotel guests are asked to continue sheltering in place. The
Disney World theme parks, water parks, recreation offerings and Disney Springs
are closed through Thursday.
Universal Orlando’s Universal Studios Florida, Islands of
Adventure, Volcano Bay and Universal CityWalk are all closed on Thursday. Halloween
Horror Nights is also canceled for Thursday.
United Parks and Resorts said SeaWorld Orlando and Busch
Gardens Tampa were closed through Thursday.
Update: October 9, 2024, at 8:20 a.m. ET
For travelers visiting Florida for the theme parks, the Walt
Disney World Resort is joining other properties closing ahead of the storm, including
SeaWorld and Universal Studios Orlando.
Disney parks will close in phases beginning at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
United Parks and Resorts revealed it would close its Florida
theme parks, including SeaWorld Orlando, on Wednesday and Thursday. Busch
Gardens Tampa was closed Tuesday and will remain shuttered through Thursday.
Universal Orlando Resort announced Universal Studios Florida
and other locations would close Wednesday.
Update: October 8, 2024, at 6:45 p.m. ET
Officials at Walt Disney World Resort are anticipating operational adjustments beginning Wednesday, October 9 in response to Hurricane Milton, with the theme park providing a link for guests to stay up to date on the latest impacts.
Meanwhile, Universal Orlando Resort is planning to close several parks and experiences early on Wednesday, October 9 and remain closed through Thursday, October 10 before reopening Friday, October 11.
SeaWorld Orlando and LEGOLAND Florida Resort will also be closed Wednesday, October 9 and Thursday, October 10.
Update: October 8, 2024, at 8:15 a.m. ET
The theme park industry is feeling the pressure from
Hurricane Milton as it approaches Florida, with Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announcing
it would close on Tuesday.
At Walt Disney World Resort, the Fort Wilderness Resort
& Campground, the Copper Creek Cabins and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s
Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will close Wednesday.
The full Disney World theme park is on high alert and will
close to guests if necessary.
As for the Universal Orlando Resort, guests are advised to
call ahead to see if the theme park and its signature events will be affected
by Hurricane Milton ahead of landfall.
Original Text
Plenty of
potential park-goers will be wondering whether Walt
Disney World and other major Orlando
area theme parks will be open in the coming days as Hurricane
Milton prepares to make landfall in Florida
this week.
The imminently disastrous
weather system that’s brewing in the Gulf of Mexico and its impending landfall will
arrive only two weeks after Hurricane Helene wrought massive destruction on areas
of Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
As of Sunday,
October 6, the National Hurricane Center
declared that Tropical Storm Milton had strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane,
which is expected to make landfall on Florida’s west coast on Wednesday.
Florida’s Governor
Ron DeSantis has already issued a state of emergency on Saturday for 35 Florida
counties, including Orange County, where Orlando’s major theme parks, including
the Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and
LEGOLAND Florida Resort, are located.
Hurricane Milton
is expected to devastatingly impact communities along the Panhandle and Florida’s
Gulf Coast and beyond as it moves toward the Sunshine State. “Besides
torrential rainfall and flooding concerns, Milton can bring rough surf,
dangerous seas and strong winds that cause power outages and even tornadoes,” the
experts at AccuWeather tweeted over
the weekend.
According to Florida
Today, the hurricane’s effects will be felt hundreds of miles away from the
center of the storm because of the outer bands, particularly on the north and
east edges.
Is Walt Disney
World Closed Due To Hurricane Milton?
As of Monday,
October 7, all of Walt Disney World’s theme parks remain open to the public,
according to an official
announcement released by the resort. However, it has temporarily closed the
ability to make park reservations for Tuesday, October 8, and Wednesday,
October 9.
“Walt Disney World
Resort is currently operating under normal conditions. We are closely
monitoring the path of the projected storm as we continue to prioritize the
safety of our Guests and Cast Members,” the update reads.
Even though the Magic
Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios parks are open, some
experiences may be affected by Hurricane Milton. For instance, the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary
Halloween Party was canceled due to Hurricane Helene on September 26. Although
Magic Kingdom was scheduled to close at 6:00 p.m. to make way for the separately
ticketed, after-hours event, officials instead chose to extend normal operating
hours to 8:00 p.m. so that regular guests could enjoy more park time.
For those who may
be nervous about their upcoming plans and want to avoid uncertainty altogether,
there is the option to reschedule your visit. According to Disney World's hurricane policy
and FAQ page, "If a hurricane warning is issued by the National Hurricane
Center for the Orlando area—or for your place of residence—within 7 days of
your scheduled arrival date, you may reschedule or cancel your Walt Disney
Travel Co. Disney Resort hotel packages and most room-only reservations (booked
directly with Disney) without any cancellation or change fees imposed by
Disney. Most room-only and vacation packages can be modified, or canceled
online, including changes to travel dates."
However, the theme
park giant also notes in its policies, "If you have products and services
provided by third-party suppliers included in your vacation—such as air
transportation, hotels, car rental agencies or travel insurance companies—you
will continue to be responsible for any non-refundable payments, as well as
cancellation or change fees assessed by those suppliers.” The policy also does
not apply to certain special events or dining experiences.
Cinderella's Castle at the Walt Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom. (Photo Credit: Walt Disney World Resort)
Is Universal Orlando
Resort Closed for Hurricane Milton?
Universal
Orlando Resort’s theme parks—including Universal Studios, Islands of
Adventure and Wizarding World of Harry Potter—also remain open to the public as
of Monday, October 7. A statement on the resort’s website reads, “At this time,
our park operations and hours are continuing as normal. We are closely
monitoring the weather. Please check back for updates.”
It's worth noting
that Hurricane Helene did cause some operational changes at the parks,
including the cancelation of the special Halloween Horror Nights event, the
temporary closure of its Volcano Bay water park and early shutdown of the City
Walk shopping, dining and entertainment venue.
Universal
Orlando's hurricane policy states, "In the event that a hurricane or
tropical storm warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center or a state of
emergency is declared for the Orlando area or in your place of residence,
within seven days of your arrival, you can contact our team in advance to
reschedule or cancel your Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations Package,
hotel room only accommodations and Universal Orlando theme park tickets booked
directly with Universal Orlando, without any cancellation or change fees
imposed."
Are SeaWorld
Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Closed for Hurricane Milton?
As of Monday,
October 7, both SeaWorld Orlando, along with its Adventure Island and Discovery
Cove, and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay also continue to be open to the public and
operational as usual. An official
update from the parks’ parent company, United Parks & Resorts, did not
that Aquatica Orlando is closed on October 7, but will reopen on Tuesday,
October 8 at 10:30 a.m.
It went on to say
that the company has enacted its Storm Policy for Discovery Cove for Wednesday,
October 9 and Thursday, October 10, and that park-goers will need to contact Guest
Service to shift their visit to another date. “You may email dco-guestrelations@discoverycove.com.
Please include your reservation number and ‘Hurricane rebooking’ in the subject
line of the email. We apologize for any inconvenience to your party and look
forward to welcoming you."
Guests of both SeaWorld
Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay are covered under the company’s “Weather-or-Not
Assurance” policy, which guarantees the value of their park tickets and applies
to such inclement weather events as “rain, lightning, extreme heat, wind, snow,
hail and more”. To take advantage of this guarantee and request an alternate date
for your visit, you’ll need to stop by Guest Relations at the park or submit
your information online. Make certain you have your original admission voucher
or order number on hand.
Is LEGOLAND
Florida Closed for Hurricane Milton?
LEGOLAND Florida,
along with the LEGOLAND Florida Water Park and Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida,
are also open to the public as usual on Monday, October 7. However, per an
update posted to its website, “LEGOLAND Florida will be closed on Wednesday,
October 9 – Thursday, October 10. Hotel operations continue with limited
capacity.”
LEGOLAND
Florida’s hurricane policy states, "If the National Hurricane
Center issues a tropical storm or hurricane warning for the Central
Florida area—or for your place of residence—within seven days preceding your
scheduled arrival date, you may reschedule or cancel your LEGOLAND Florida
Resort visit without any penalties or fees imposed by LEGOLAND and/or Merlin
Entertainments.
“This policy
applies only to LEGOLAND Florida Theme Park tickets, LEGOLAND Water Park
tickets, Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida tickets and the theme park's various
hotel reservations booked directly with LEGOLAND Florida Resort or LEGOLAND
Vacations, as well as partner hotel reservations and packages booked through
LEGOLAND Vacations.”
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