Tracking Hurricane Dorian: Potential Impacts to Disney Parks, Disney Cruise Line

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With Hurricane Dorian battering the Bahamas before heading towards Florida and elsewhere on the eastern seaboard, Walt Disney World guests may be in for some harsh weather. While tracking on the storm could change (and have), here’s what we know so far about its potential impacts on Walt Disney World, the Disney Cruise Line, and more.

Note: updates will be added to the top of this post.

Update (9/9/2019: 1:45 PM EDT):

Disney Cruise Line:

  • The Disney Cruise Line website has shared another update regarding their ships and destinations in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.
  • Dorian path through The Bahamas significantly impacted some islands.
  • While the Cruise Line’s ships have returned to their regular itineraries, work continues on supporting the relief effort.

Disney Dream on Monday, September 9 – UPDATED

  • The Disney Dream sailing on Monday, September 9, will sail as scheduled from Port Canaveral and is currently expected to visit Castaway Cay on Thursday instead of Wednesday, as long as all necessary work is completed.

Castaway Cay – UPDATED

  • “We continue the process of cleaning up areas of the island and making repairs related to the tropical storm conditions experienced last week. We anticipate re-opening the island on Thursday, September 12, as long as all necessary work is completed. Guests going ashore will see signs of the recent storm's passing and some experiences on the island may be unavailable.”

Update (9/4/2019 12:00 PM EDT):

Orlando International Airport:

  • MCO announced on their twitter that they’ve resumed operations as of noon today.
  • The airport is encouraging passengers to check with their airlines for any questions regarding flights saying,  “Please check with your airline for flight-specific updates before coming to MCO.”

Disney Cruise Line:

Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy:

  • Following the cancelation of the Disney Dream sailing scheduled for Wednesday September 4, further weather projections into the weekend seem unlikely to affect upcoming Disney Cruise Line sailings.
  • Disney says they do not anticipate any impact to Disney Dream’s sailing on Friday, September 6, or Disney Fantasy on Saturday, September 7.
  • “We expect to know more on Wednesday when the storm is forecasted to pass Florida’s east coast. Given the inherent unpredictability of tropical storms and hurricanes, we’re continuing to closely monitor the path of Hurricane Dorian and will provide updates as necessary.”

Castaway Cay:

  • Disney Cruise Line says, “all is well at Castaway Cay.”
  • Disney also notes that “due to the tropical storm conditions the island experienced” there is some cleanup that needs to be done at Castaway Cay.
  • This mostly relates to landscaping and as well as “minor repairs to the roof of one small covered pavilion area.”
  • For the time being, Castaway Cay remains closed.
  • “We are awaiting the arrival of survey equipment to evaluate the pier and ship channel, as is required after any storm, before we are able to reopen Castaway Cay to guests.”
  • Additionally, a guest sailing on the Disney Dream shared a video of Castaway Cay on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CRobinsonFl/status/1169356697925824513

Update (9/3/2019 3:30 PM EDT):

  • Walt Disney World Resort will resume operations on Wednesday, September 4 with the following hours:
    • Magic Kingdom will operate from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. with Extra Magic Hours from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m.
    • Epcot will operate from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
    • Disney’s Hollywood Studios will operate from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
    • Disney’s Animal Kingdom will operate from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
    • Disney Springs will operate from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.
    • Disney’s Blizzard Beach will remain closed
    • Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park will operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    • Winter Summerland Miniature Golf will operate from 10 a.m.to 10 p.m.
    • Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Note that morning Extra Magic Hours have been cancelled, though Magic Kingdom will host Extra Magic Hours from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Update (9/3/2019 1:30 PM EDT):

  • The Walt Disney World Resort has made another adjustment to its park hours for today. Epcot will now be open until 7 p.m. and Disney Springs will remain open until 8 p.m. All other park and attraction hours remain the same (as seen below).

Update (9/2/2019 4:30 pm EDT):

Walt Disney World:

  • The Walt Disney World Resort has announced operational adjustments and closures starting Tuesday, September 3rd.
    • Magic Kingdom will now operate from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with Extra Magic Hours from 7 to 8 a.m.
    • Epcot will now operate from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    • Disney’s Hollywood Studios will now operate from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Extra Magic Hours from  6 to 9 a.m.
    • Disney’s Animal Kingdom will now operate from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Extra Magic Hours 7 to 8 a.m.
    • Disney Springs will now operate from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    • ESPN Wide World of Sports will remain closed
    • Disney’s Blizzard Beach will remain closed
    • Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park will now operate from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    • Winter Summerland Miniature Golf will now operate from 10 a.m.to 3 p.m.
    • Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will now operate from10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • No announcements regarding reopening or other adjustments have been made at this time.

Fort Wilderness

  • Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground will be closed beginning Tuesday, September 3.
  • This includes all special events and entertainment.

Disney After Hours

  • Additionally, the Disney After Hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom that had been canceled for Tuesday has been canceled.
  • Guests who pre-purchased event tickets will have the following options:
    • Exchange for tickets to attend another Disney After Hours event in 2019.
    • Exchange for tickets to a Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party event in 2019.
    • Exchange for 1-Day Flexible Date Ticket with Park Hopper Option, which can be used any day prior to December 31, 2020
    • Receive a full refund for event tickets.
  • Applicable guests should call (407) 939-7818 or email [email protected] by December 15th .

Other cancelations

  • The Spirit of Aloha dinner shows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort have been canceled for Tuesday, September 3rd.

Dining:

  • Theme park dining reservations will be honored up to one hour prior to closing on September 3rd.
  • Resort dining reservations will be honored until 6 p.m. on that day as well
  • Effective immediately, Disney will not be enforcing cancellation policies for dining and other experiences
  • Pre-paid dining and other experiences outside of the modified operating hours for September 3rd will be automatically canceled and refunded.

Entertainment adjustments for Monday, September 2nd

  • Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom Park will still go on as planned.
  • However, a modified version of Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular show will be presented due to winds.
  • Tonight’s IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot has been canceled.
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios will show a modified version of Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular.
  • The 9:30 p.m. Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been canceled.

Orlando International Airport:

  • MCO has announced that it will cease commercial operations as of 2 a.m. on Tuesday, September 3rd:

Update (9/2/2019 11:30 am EDT):

Disney Cruise Line:

  • Disney Cruise Line has released an updated statement regarding the Castaway Cay crew that remained on the private island while Hurricane Dorian passed through to the north.
  • “Many of our Guests have asked questions about Castaway Cay. Some of our Crew remained on the island and their care and safety is our highest priority. As forecasted, sustained winds on the island did not extend beyond tropical force strength and our Crew has returned to their living quarters after spending a few hours in our storm shelter yesterday. Our thoughts continue to be with the people in areas of The Bahamas that are being impacted by this storm and we stand ready to contribute to recovery efforts.”

Update (9/2/2019 12:00 am EDT):

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort:

  • With Hurricane Dorian looking to impact South Carolina later this week, Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort has announced that it will close at noon on September 2nd.
  • Currently, no reopening date for the resort has been announced.

Update (9/1/2019 8:30 pm EDT):

Disney Cruise Line:

Disney has released a statement regarding Castaway Cay and Cast Members who are still on the island…

Many of our guests have asked questions about Castaway Cay. Some of our Crew remained on the island and their care and safety is our highest priority. We are in regular contact with island leadership, who is making sure our Crew is well taken care of in our storm shelter, which is designed for these types of situations and has restrooms, power and is well stocked with food and water. Castaway Cay remains south of the more significant weather and is currently experiencing tropical storm force winds, which based on the current forecast, are expected for the next several hours before gradually diminishing. Our thoughts are with the people in areas of The Bahamas that are being impacted by this storm and we stand ready to contribute to recovery efforts.

Update (9/1/2019 5:30 pm EDT):

Disney Cruise Line:

  • The Disney Dream is making changes to two of its sailings due to Hurricane Dorian.
  • First, the sailing that departed on August 30th and had previously been scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on September 4th has now been further extended.
  • Currently, plans call for the ship to port in Grand Cayman on September 2nd and arrive at Port Canaveral on September 5th.
  • As a result, the Disney Dream sailing originally set to depart on September 2nd has been canceled.
  • Prior to this announcement, plans called for the sailing to be shortened, departing on September 4th and returning September 6th.
  • Since the sailing was canceled, guests are eligible for a full refund.
  • Additionally, guests can receive a 20% discount on a future cruise.
  • “Guests should contact us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032 between Monday, September 9, 2019, and Thursday, October 31, 2019, to let us know if they would like to apply their credit to a new sail date between now and December 31, 2020, or receive a full refund. Guests who already moved to a different voyage will be able to apply the discount to their new sailing (some restrictions may apply).“

Update (9/1/2019 4:00pm EDT):

Disney's Vero Beach Resort:

  • According to their website, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort will close at 6 p.m. today (Sunday, September 1st) due to projected weather.
  • No reopening date was stated at this time.
  • The site added, “Nothing is more important than the safety of our Guests and Cast Members.”

Update (8/31/2019 10:30pm EDT):

Orlando International Airport:

  • With the path of Hurricane Dorian seemingly turning, Orlando International Airport (MCO) has announced that it will continue to operate on Monday, September 2nd.
  • Previously the airport planned to cease operations at 2 a.m. on that day.
  • However, they still advise passengers to contact their airlines for flight schedules and statuses.
  • Their full statement can be viewed below:

Update (8/30/2019 4:30pm EDT):

Walt Disney World:

  • Although Walt Disney World is currently operating normally, they are monitoring the path of Dorian and have taken some preliminary precautions.
  • Sporting events scheduled to take place at ESPN Wide World of Sports this weekend have been canceled.
  • Disney’s Blizzard Beach will be closed on Sunday (at least).
  • Guests with current and upcoming reservations at the following resorts are being informed that they should prepare for anticipated weather impacts:
    • Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
    • Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
    • Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
    • The Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Orlando International Airport:

  • Orlando International Airport (MCO) has announced that it plans to cease commercial flight operations on Monday, September 2, 2019 at 2 a.m.
  • Their full statement can be viewed below:

  • In follow-up tweets, the airport added “We understand this will lead to the question on when operations may resume, so we'll say this: This is a very serious storm. The decision to cease operations was one that was made collectively along with airport partners. That said, we still need to wait and see what effect this storm will have on the airport itself. As we have been doing, we will release additional operational updates as soon as we have them. Thank you, everyone.”

Update (8/29/2019 6:00 pm EDT):

Walt Disney World:

  • Due to inclement weather, A Gatsby Evening at the Edison, which had been set for September 1st at the Disney Springs venue, has been rescheduled for September 19th.

Previously:

What’s happening:

  • Thanks to highly advanced weather radar and storm tracking, meteorologists are predicting that Hurricane Dorian will be hitting Florida’s Atlantic (Eastern) coast within the next few days.
  • Central Florida residents and Walt Disney World guests will likely be affected by heavy rains and high winds.
  • Orlando’s NBC news affiliate, WESH 2 reports that Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency and is encouraging residents to prepare for the storm—having up to seven days worth of supplies.
  • As of this afternoon, Dorian strengthened into a hurricane although its exact path and predicted landfall could change over the next 48 hours.
  • The most recent forecast shows Dorian reaching landfall on Monday likely “somewhere along the Florida or Georgia coast.
  • Guests with travel scheduled to Walt Disney World this weekend who are concerned about how the weather  affects their trips should read the company’s Hurricane Policy. 

Via WESH 2

Via WESH 2

What they’re saying:

  • Governor Ron DeSantis via Twitter: “We’ve been monitoring this storm with (the State Emergency Response Team) and will continue to watch closely. All Floridians on the East Coast should have 7 days of supplies, prepare their homes & follow the track closely.”

What they’re saying:

  • The National Hurricane Center (NHC): “Once the cyclone reaches the western Atlantic well east of the Bahamas, it will encounter a favorable environment of low shear and warm waters, resulting in a more marked intensification. The NHC forecast is more aggressive than the previous one and brings Dorian to category 3 intensity by the end of the period.”