Walt Disney World Resort has announced that closures will continue on Thursday that initially started on Wednesday. This comes ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton. The Category 4 hurricane is already causing damage in Florida as tornados have spawned from the hurricane ahead of it making landfall tonight.
Walt Disney World Resort announced that all four of its parks will remain closed on Thursday. Disney Springs will also be closed. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has been canceled as well for Thursday. Those who had tickets for this Halloween party will receive refunds. Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, Winter Summerland Miniature Golf, and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will also all remain closed on Thursday. Below is a look at the official announcement that is found on the Walt Disney World Resort website:
Monitoring Hurricane Milton
Last updated on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at 1:15 PM ET.
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.
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 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.Operational impacts include:
Theme Parks & Disney SpringsOn 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.
- Parking garages at Disney Springs will also close at 2:00 PM, and will remain unavailable during the storm.
On Thursday, October 10, our theme parks and Disney Springs will remain closed, and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party will be cancelled (event tickets will be refunded).
For partially used multi-day tickets, ticket expiration dates will be adjusted to expire on October 11, 2025.
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.
- Minnie Van service will be temporarily unavailable beginning at 4:00 PM on Wednesday, October 9.
- Limited 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 are closed on Wednesday, October 9, and will remain closed on Thursday, October 10. Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park remains closed for planned refurbishment.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.
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall between 10:00 PM and midnight local time on Wednesday night. While an exact spot for landfall hasn’t been pinpointed due to the storm’s “wobble,” it is expected to severely hit the region around Tampa Bay. This is an area that is still recovering from being hit by Hurricane Helene just weeks ago.
The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay has described Hurricane Milton as “a historic storm for the west coast of Florida” that could be the worst to hit Tampa Bay in over a century. It could be a Category 3 or Category 4 hurricane when it strikes. While it is expected to weaken as it crosses Florida, it will remain hurricane strength as it crosses over land and then enters the Atlantic Ocean.
Walt Disney World Resort will continue to monitor and adjust its operations as Hurricane Milton gets closer to Orlando. The entire region is currently under a Hurricane Warning along with a Tornado Watch. Disney will work to keep both its guests and cast members safe throughout the storm. Those who are staying on Disney property are advised to follow the directions of cast members and officials to help keep everyone safe. Safety instructions aren’t just to keep guests safe but also to keep cast members and others safe as well. Please abide by these instructions during this very serious storm.
Daps Magic will continue to monitor this storm and provide updates as they become available.
