Getty Magic Kingdom in 2015.
Hurricane Irma is moving closer to Florida, with South Florida and the Keys under a hurricane warning. Walt Disney World is also in the path of the hurricane. Disney parks will close early Saturday and will remain closed on Sunday and Monday. Events have also been cancelled. In the past, Disney has closed the parks for hurricanes.
National Hurricane CenterThe latest track of Hurricane Irma.
Disney has announced plans for Irma. Here are the following hours for the parks and operation changes:
Disney’s Blizzard Beach: Closed as of Friday, 9/8 – Monday, 9/11
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon: Closing early on Saturday 9/9 at 5 PM – Monday, 9/11
ESPN Wide World of Sports: Closed on Saturday, 9/9 – Monday, 9/11
Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Closing early on Saturday, 9/9 at 7 PM – Monday, 9/11
The Saturday, 9/9 Rivers of Light performance is canceled.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Closing early on Saturday, 9/9 at 7 PM – Monday, 9/11
The Saturday, 9/9 Fantasmic! and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular performances are canceled.
Epcot: Closing early on Saturday, 9/9 at 9 PM – Monday, 9/11
The Saturday, 9/9 Illuminations Reflections of Earth performance is canceled.
Magic Kingdom: Closing early on Saturday, 9/9 at 9 PM – Monday, 9/11
The Saturday, 9/9 Happily Ever After fireworks performance is canceled.
Disney Springs: Closing early on Saturday, 9/9 at 9 PM – Monday, 9/11
The resort has not announced plans to close yet, but there is precedent. Last year, all four parks were closed for a day in October for Hurricane Matthew. The park also closed in 2004 for Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne and in 1999 for Hurricane Floyd. Photos of Disney closed during Matthew went viral last year, showing the park eerily quiet and empty. During Matthew, guests at Fort Wilderness were taken to other hotels.
Theme Park Tourist reported in 2015 that Disney asks guests staying on property to shelter in their hotel rooms. Guests stuck at the parks during storms have previously reported having movie marathons and having sandwich buffets. They might also be asked to leave their rooms and shelter in a big ballroom or lobby area.
Back in 2006, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared Disney World a “StormReady community,” meaning that it is a safe place to be during a major storm. The agency praised the resort for having its own emergency operations center, a radio club and 24-hour warning capabilities.
Disney always has a hurricane policy, stressing that if the National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane warning for the Orlando area or a guest’s place of residence within seven days of your scheduled arrival date, you can request a refund or cancel your Walt Disney Travel Company Magic Your Way vacation package and room-only reservations booked through Disney without fees. If you booked your vacation through a third party, you must contact the third-party to cancel, not Disney, the company says. Anyone with questions about your vacation can call (407) 939-7675.
Walt Disney World is located in the cities of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake in Orange County. You can click here for the map of evacuation routes. You can click here for a map of Orange County shelters.
Although the 11 a.m. NOAA forecast shows Irma directly over Central Florida by Monday, the agency has not issued a Hurricane Watch or Warning for the area yet. A hurricane watch is in effect for “North of Jupiter Inlet to the Flagler/Volusia County Line” and “North of Bonita Beach to Anclote River,” while a hurricane warning is in effect for “Jupiter Inlet southward around the Florida peninsula to Bonita Beach,” Florida Keys, Lake Okeechobee and Florida Bay.
Here is the seven-day forecast for Orlando from the National Weather Service:
Friday Afternoon: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 101. Northeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 77. North northeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Windy, with a northeast wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a low around 75. East northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday: Hurricane conditions possible. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 79. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Sunday Night: Hurricane conditions possible. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Monday: Tropical storm conditions possible. Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
