Hurricane Milton, a category five storm due to make landfall in Florida later today (Wednesday, October 9) or early tomorrow (Thursday, October 10), has already caused hundreds of flight cancellations, suspension of railway services, and surges in congestion as Floridians evacuate their homes.
Florida’s theme parks have also expectedly been impacted, with the majority of them announcing closures for the next few days. So, if you’re on vacation to the state or have a trip booked soon, here is everything you need to know about Florida’s theme parks if you have a trip booked.
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When will Hurricane Milton hit Florida?
Milton is considered a category five storm right now, and it’s due to hit Florida’s shores (likely near Sarasota) on Wednesday (October 9) night or Thursday (October 10) morning, local time.
"Fluctuations in intensity are likely while Milton moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico, but Milton is expected to be a dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the west-central coast of Florida," said the National Hurricane Centre, according to CBS News.
Florida theme parks closing due to Hurricane Milton
Lots of major theme parks in the state have announced their closure until the storm passes. Here’s a full list of which and when theme parks will be closing, up to date at the time of writing:
Disney World
- Walt Disney World theme parks and Disney Springs will close in phases on Wednesday
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will close at 1pm.
- Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney Springs will close at 2pm.
- Disney says its theme parks will probably be closed on Thursday (Disney Springs may open on Thursday in the late afternoon)
- Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will close Wednesday at 11am, and will likely stay closed until Sunday.
- Walt Disney World Transportation will close after Disney Springs, and all theme parks will close at 2pm.
- Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, Winter Summerland Miniature Golf and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will be closed on Wednesday.
- Disney has suspended cancellation fees for its restaurants and paid experiences.
Universal Orlando Resorts
- Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Universal CityWalk will close at 2 pm on Wednesday.
- All theme parks will be closed on Thursday and Universal Volcano Bay, the resort’s water park, will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
- Universal’s hotels remain open.
- Halloween Horror Nights is canceled for Wednesday and Thursday, hopefully reopening on Friday.
SeaWorld Orlando
- SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando and Discovery Cove Orlando will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
LEGOLAND Florida
- Legoland Florida Resort will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.
- The Legoland Hotel remains open at a limited capacity.
Fun Spot America
- Fun Spot America will be closing Fun Spot Orlando and Fun Spot Kissimmee on Wednesday and Thursday.
Can I get a refund?
If you have tickets booked to a theme park, check directly on the park’s website to see what can be done.
When will the parks open again?
Some of the theme parks are closed until further notice and others are planning to reopen later this week, depending on weather conditions. Be sure to check the website of whichever one you’re planning to visit before you travel.
Latest travel advice for Florida
Evacuation orders are in place across Florida, and you can view a full list and map of them here. If you have a trip booked, contact your provider directly to find out what their contingency plans are.
Over the last couple of days, thousands of people have been fleeing Florida over the last few days, and President Biden has described evacuation before it hits as a matter of ‘life and death’, and the National Hurricane Centre has warned that Milton could be ‘one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.’
Hurricane Milton tracker
A live tracker is available on CNN which includes projections on rainfall and flood warnings as the storm approaches Florida, and you can check it out here.
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