Walt Disney World Will Reopen Friday, Needs Some Clean-up
Hurricane Milton methodically passed through Florida overnight on Wednesday and well into Thursday. After making landfall, the storm’s velocity dropped somewhat, but it still wreaked havoc in some parts of the Sunshine State. At one point, 3.2 million Floridians were without power, but Walt Disney World remained mostly intact.
We’ve since learned that the parks will reopen tomorrow. First, Disney must perform some clean-up, though. Here’s what we know about what just happened and what Disney has confirmed for tomorrow.
Walt Disney World Suffers Minor Damage
During a weather event of this nature, theme parks will almost always suffer some minor damage. It’s inevitable. We all remember a couple of years ago when Jurassic Park River Adventure some of its wall siding:
🚨 We have Assets Out Of Containment 🚨
Hole in the side of Jurassic Park River Ride. #Universal #IslandsOfAdventure #HurricaneIan pic.twitter.com/zf9d4gKns2
— Stu 🎃 (@youngie88) September 29, 2022
So, Cast Members dutifully spent Thursday cleaning up debris and scanning for physical damage. Sadly, there was some, although it was fractional compared to the potential doomsday scenarios in play.
In fact, the first incident was literally a false alarm. Multiple TikToks showed sleepy guests crowding in the lobby at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. Alarms had signaled guests to evacuate their rooms around 3 a.m.
@asumom71 Thank goodness they took precationary measures. We’re now back in our rooms! #disneyworld #disney #disneyland #waltdisneyworld #disneygram #wdw #disneylife #disneyparks #magickingdom #disneylove #disneyfan #disneymagic #instadisney #mickeymouse #waltdisney #disneyinsta #disneyprincess #epcot #disneyphotography #disneyig #orlando #disneyaddict #disneystyle #disneylandparis #disneyphoto #florida #hollywoodstudios #animalkingdom #disneypins #disneyvacation #firealarm #hurricanemilton #disneywildernesslodgeresort
Cast Members initially believed that a sensor reading had triggered a system cascade and an incorrect alarm. Now, they think it was something much simpler. Some jerk reportedly pulled a fire alarm as a prank.
Meanwhile, two other DVC resorts suffered minor damage. At Disney’s Contemporary Resort, guests reported minor flooding in and outside their rooms. I haven’t seen specifics about the exact room numbers, but my instant suspicion is that many of them were in the Garden Wing rooms.
The Polynesian Suffers Roof Damage
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort definitely suffered more than most. You can understand why when you watch this late Wednesday TikTok of whipping winds.
@emilypedersen22 thank you to EVERYONE for all the kindness on my last disney cast member hurricane milton video!! when i have the chance to (been crazy with working and keeping the magic alive) ill show you my room and give details of how yesterday went🤍 we currently can’t leave our rooms til minimum 9 am, so still waiting to get the call that it’s safe to work. #disneyworld #hurricanemilton #milton #dcp #disney #dayinmylife #wdw #castmember #florida #orlando #disneytiktok #didneyvlog #disneycreator #disneyparks #polynesianvillageresort #disneyspolynesianresort #disneyfyp #fyp #foryoupage @Disney Parks
According to the Tikiman page on Facebook, “Guests were evacuated in the middle of the night after part of Aotearoa’s roof peeled back.” That’s a longhouse close to the Island Tower, making it potentially problematic for the upcoming grand opening. I presume Disney will prioritize that.
Still, all things considered, Hurricane Milton could have been much worse at the resorts. Here’s a viral video of how savagely the wind was blowing at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort:
@justthemeparks Hurricane Milton is here at Walt Disney World! We’re staying safe in our room at the Art of Animation & hope everyone else in Florida is safe too! We’d also like to say a huge thank you to all the cast members who are working through the hurricane and those who kept the Magic Kingdom open this morning! The small queue’s definitely helped distract us! ❤️😂 Trust us to time our vacation during a hurricane! 🌀 #hurricanemilton #wdw #waltdisneyworld #artofanimation #disneyparks #themeparks
Finally, here’s aftermath video of the grounds at the Polynesian:
@disneyfoodblog The day after! Our team is slowly reporting in as safe and sound, though some don’t have power at the moment. DFB friend fordyta sent over this video this morning from the Polynesian. Looks like lots of cleanup will be needed, but hopefully little major damage. I’ve been getting lots of questions about how soon WDW parks might be back up and running. Too soon to tell with a storm this size, but usually parks are open within one or two days. Crews need time to make sure all is cleaned up, tested, and safe. When the parks do reopen, there may still be rides and attractions closed for damage or safety reasons. #disney #disneyworld #waltdisneyworld #milton #hurricane #hurricanemilton #aftermath #disneynews #disneyresort #disneyresorts #disneyparks #disneytips
You can tell that the primary concern at this point is debris. Some lampposts and signs have also been knocked down, but that’s normal during hurricanes.
As the media has noted recently, Disney follows the EPCOT Building Codes from 1970, making them capable of surviving a Cat-3 hurricane. That’s why Disney World is considered one of the safest places to be during a Florida storm.
Disney Will Reopen on Friday
By 8 a.m. on Thursday, it was obvious that Disney World had avoided the worst of Hurricane Milton. So, everyone awaited word on how the parks would proceed with a reopening plan.
Remember that Disney had initially left some flexibility about returning on Thursday. Later on Wednesday, park officials correctly recognized that would be a bad idea. Similarly, some wondered aloud whether Disney Springs might reopen on Thursday evening.
Disney decided not to do that, either. The rationale is the same in both instances. Cast Members have plenty to worry about with their own homes right now. Asking them to come to work on Thursday evening would have been absurd.
So, Disney has chosen to reopen its theme parks as scheduled on Friday, October 11th. All four theme parks and Disney Springs will open at their normal times. Here are the precise operating hours:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Magic Kingdom: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- EPCOT: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
If you have tickets for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on Friday, the event will occur as scheduled, starting at 7 p.m. and lasting through midnight.
As an aside, park reservations booked quickly for Friday, and several other dates have sold out as well. So, Floridians are clearly excited about the idea of recuperating at Disney World.
Universal Orlando and MCO Will Reopen Friday
Universal Orlando Resort also tweeted its reopening plan. The parks will operate as scheduled on Friday. Even better, Early Park Admission will be available, and Halloween Horror Nights will return after two straight nights of cancellations. So, if you have HHN tickets for October 11th, you’re much luckier than people who bought them for October 9th and 10th.
Finally, please understand that Orlando International Airport (MCO) won’t offer outbound flights on the evening of October 10th. The airport will receive a few domestic inbound flights, but that’s it. Departures will begin again on October 11th.
Operational Update/8 – Hurricane Milton
Although we’ll receive a few domestic arrivals this evening, no departures or international flights will occur. Please don’t come to the airport for a departing flight tonight. Departures begin tomorrow. Check with your airline for updates. pic.twitter.com/PoUxvgLmiU— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) October 10, 2024
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