Orlando’s magical destinations are closing as Hurricane Milton bears down on Florida.
After Hurricane Helene, Florida is on red alert this hurricane season, and it’s a good thing, because Hurricane Milton is making its way toward Central Florida and impacts are expected across the state.
Hurricane Milton is currently a Category 5 storm – the highest rating for a hurricane. It had temporarily weakened to a Category 4 due to an eyewall replacement cycle on Tuesday, but it strengthened once again Tuesday evening and remains a Cat 5 as of Wednesday morning. It is on track to make landfall on Florida’s gulf coast late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
The National Hurricane Center says wind shear will cause Milton to weaken ahead of landfall. It is currently expected to remain a major hurricane upon landfall and is expected to cause significant damage. Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency ahead of Milton for 51 Florida counties, including Orlando’s Orange County.
So will the two biggest Orlando destinations – Disney World and Universal Orlando – be closing for Hurricane Milton? The short answer is yes. Here’s the latest from both resorts:
We will continue to update this post with the latest from Disney and Universal.
Walt Disney World theme parks to be closed Thursday, other operations to be limited
We continue to closely monitor the path of Hurricane Milton. Based on the latest projection, we are making additional operational adjustments for the safety of our Guests and Cast Members beginning Wednesday, October 9.
The Walt Disney World Emergency Operations Center is connected to weather experts and community leaders. Please know these adjustments have been made in order to leave plenty of time for our Guests and Cast Members to return to their Resort hotels or homes safely hours before higher winds are expected to reach Central Florida.
Walt Disney World Theme Parks
On Wednesday, October 9, our theme parks and Disney Springs will be closed in phases beginning at 1:00 PM.
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park will close at 1:00 PM
- Magic Kingdom park, EPCOT and Disney Springs will close at 2:00 PM.
It is likely the theme parks will remain closed on Thursday, October 10. We will consider opening Disney Springs on Thursday in the late afternoon, with limited offerings.
This includes the cancellation of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom park on Thursday, October 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 11:00 AM on Wednesday, October 9. They are likely to remain closed until Sunday, October 13.
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.
Recreation
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, Winter Summerland Miniature Golf and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will be closed on Wednesday, October 9 and Thursday, October 10. 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.
Reservations for Dining and Other Experiences
Effective immediately, we 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.
Last updated on Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 5:45 PM ET.
Universal Orlando to close parks, limit operations ahead of Hurricane Milton
Due to Hurricane Milton, Universal Orlando Resort is making the following operational changes for Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Thursday, Oct. 10.
- On Wednesday, Oct. 9, Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Universal CityWalk will be open until 2 p.m. and will be closed on Thursday, Oct. 10. (*Note: 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 Volcano Bay will be closed Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Thursday, Oct. 10.
- Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida is canceled for Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Thursday, Oct. 10.
- Our hotels remain operational as they focus on taking care of our guests.
Parking is not available to the general public after our parks close this afternoon. Hurricane parking is for team members only. We apologize and encourage guests to check the status of public garages available throughout Orlando.
We anticipate a full reopening of our destination, including Halloween Horror Nights, on Friday, Oct. 11 at our normal operating hours pending the outcome of storm impacts.
Last Updated: October 9, 2024 at 9:20 AM
