Walt Disney World Resort to Close Parks Early on Wednesday Ahead of Hurricane Milton’s Arrival

—

by

Mr. Daps
in , ,

Walt Disney World Resort is closing its parks and Disney Springs early on Wednesday ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, currently a Category 4 Hurricane. This comes after Disney already announced the modification of operations for some of its resorts and Orlando International Airport announced it was closing to commercial traffic on Wednesday as well.

The parks at Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Springs will be closing at the following times on Wednesday, October 9, 2024:

  • Magic Kingdom – 2:00 PM
  • EPCOT – 2:00 PM
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios – 1:00 PM
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom – 1:00 PM
  • Disney Springs – 2:00 PM

All of the theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort are expected to remain closed on Thursday as well. Disney Springs may open later in the day on Thursday. Disney has also canceled Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on Thursday night. Those who have tickets for this event will get their money back. Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, Winter Summerland Miniature Golf, and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will all be closed on Wednesday as well. It is very likely that these will remain closed on Thursday as the storm passes through.

Transportation at Walt Disney World Resort will be suspending service after the closure of the parks on Wednesday as well. There will be limited Minnie Van and Mears Taxi services available to Walt Disney World Resort guests.

Here is the official announcement from Walt Disney World Resort regarding the operational changes:

Monitoring Hurricane Milton

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.

Last updated on Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 3:30 PM ET.

Operational Impacts include:

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. 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.

During the storm, those who are at the Walt Disney World Resort should follow the directions of Disney cast members and officials. This is for the safety of guests and cast members during this major weather event. Daps Magic will continue to follow this storm and provide updates as they become available.e

Mr. Daps

Mr. Daps is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Daps Magic! Find Mr. Daps regularly at Disneyland with his trilby and bow tie taking pictures and simply enjoying the Happiest Place on Earth. He is the weekly host of GEEKS CORNER and your reporter for all that Disney And Positive Stuff. Find videos of all of that one the Daps Magic YouTube channel.  Mr. Daps is also a Brand Ambassador with Her Universe! Find Mr. Daps on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads! If you see Mr. Daps in the parks, be sure and say hi!

Book your next Disney Cruise Line adventure with Mouseways Travel, the official travel partner of Daps Magic. They focus on the details so you can focus on the fun!