With Hurricane Milton brewing on the west coast of Florida, Disney has finally revealed its plan for park closures. Facing criticism for their lack of announcements earlier, Disney issued the following statement:
"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.
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With that said, Walt Disney World Theme Parks are having their hours adjusted due to the storm. The parks will be closed in phases beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9.
Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park will close at 1:00 p.m., while Magic Kingdom park, EPCOT, and Disney Springs will close at 2:00 p.m.
All theme parks are "likely" to remain closed on Thursday, October 10th, although Disney is considering opening Disney Springs in the late afternoon on Thursday, "with limited offerings."
In addition to adjusting the theme park operating hours, Disney is also making plans for its Disney Resort Hotels as well as its transportation system and other experiences. Here's the latest update:
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will temporarily close beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 9, and are "likely" to remain closed until Sunday, October 13.
Walt Disney World Transportation will stop operating on Wednesday, October 9 after Disney Springs and the Walt Disney World theme parks close. Additionally, Disney is lifting its cancellation policies on dining and other experiences until further notice.
It's rare that Walt Disney World closes its parks, but certainly not unexpected given the magnitude of the situation Central Florida is currently facing. As of the latest reports, Hurricane Milton is now a Category 5 storm with winds of 165 mph. It's expected to make landfall as a strong Category 3 on Wednesday night in the Tampa Bay area, though we should start feeling the effects earlier. 11 Florida counties are currently under mandatory evacuation orders.
Even if Central Florida isn't directly hit by Hurricane Milton, the storm is forecast to dump as much as 18 inches of rain on the area, likely resulting in major flooding.
For those of you who are have never experienced a major hurricane, it's not something to take lightly. And for those who are having their vacations impacted by the storm, the good news is that Disney is widely considered to be one of the best places to ride it out due to their effective preparedness.