Walt Disney World to Close Theme Parks in Anticipation of Hurricane Milton

For the safety of all guests and Cast Members, Walt Disney World’s theme parks and certain resort hotels will alter operations.

UPDATE – October 9th, 2024:

Walt Disney World previously noted that the parks would likely be closed on Thursday, October 10th, a move which they have now confirmed.
They also stated that Disney Springs could possibly open with limited offerings in the late afternoon, but that plan has been canceled.
For partially used multi-day tickets, ticket expiration dates will be adjusted to expire on October 11th, 2025.
The parking garages at Disney Springs will be unavailable to guests during the closure.
Walt Disney World Transportation will cease operation following park closings on Wednesday, as will Minnie Van service (slightly later at 4:00 p.m.) Limited Mears taxi service will be available to Walt Disney World Resort guests.

Previously – October 8th, 2024:

As Hurricane Milton approaches land, Walt Disney World has announced that their theme parks and waterparks will not operate as scheduled on Wednesday, October 9th and Thursday, October 10th.
Over the past few days, Hurricane Milton has strengthened into a category 5 hurricane (regaining the title after weakening to a Category 4 for a time), prompting evacuation notices for the majority of Florida’s coastal cities.
Beginning on October 9th, all theme parks and Disney Springs will close in phases:
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom will close at 1PM
- Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney Springs will close at 2PM.
- Additionally, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and resort mini-golf courses will be closed. Blizzard Beach is closed for refurbishment.
All Walt Disney World Transportation will stop after the closures of the theme parks and Disney Springs with limited Minnie Van and Mears taxi service available to resort guests.
Disney shared it is likely all theme parks will remain closed on October 10th with a potential reopening of Disney Springs later in the afternoon with limited offerings.
All Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party tickets for October 10th will be refunded to the original form of payment.
Effective immediately, Disney will not enforce cancellation policies for dining and other pre-booked experiences with pre-paid bookings being automatically refunded within 7-10 business days.
Disney is also waiving change and cancellation fees for vacation packages and hotel stays with check-in dates from 10/8 through 10/14. Most room-only and vacation packages can be modified or canceled online without fees. Guests with vacation packages that include flights or other third party services will need to call Disney Central for assistance in modifying these plans.
Guests staying at certain Walt Disney World Resort hotels will be able to shelter there. However, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will temporarily close on Wednesday, October 9th at 11AM.
These resorts are expected to remain closed until Sunday, October 13th with Copper Creek Cabins expected to reopen on Friday, October 11th.
Please contact Disney or the travel company you booked your vacation with for any information regarding your stay. You can also refer to Walt Disney World’s Weather Updates & Information page for the latest information regarding closures at the resort.

Walt Disney World Hurricane Policy:

If the National Hurricane Center issues a warning for the Orlando area within 7 days of your check in date, guests can contact Disney to reschedule or cancel their vacation packages and most room reservations without cancellation or change fees.
Guests who booked vacations through a third party should contact the travel company they booked with for information regarding cancellation and change fees.
Cast Members will be able to help accommodate guests choosing to reschedule vacations. If the guest purchased the vacation with special offer pricing, Cast Members will be able to help reschedule with that offer if available. If unavailable, Cast Members can assist in finding alternative offers for desired travel dates. All amounts paid on the prior booking will be applied towards the new booking.
Any discounts and offers applied to the original booking may not apply to rescheduled packages and hotel stays. Guests are responsible for pricing changes for reschedule bookings.
WDW’s hurricane policy also applies at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort and Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort if hurricane warnings are issued for those destinations.

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