Disney World Will Close All Parks as Hurricane Milton Barrels Toward Orlando

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty

Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty

Walt Disney Worldwill close amid Hurricane Milton.In a statement shared Tuesday afternoon, Disneyannouncedthat “on Wednesday, October 9, our theme parks and Disney Springs will be closed in phases beginning at 1:00 PM.“Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will close at 1 p.m., and the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Disney Springs will close at 2 p.m.“It is likely the theme parks will remain closed on Thursday, October 10. We will consider opening Disney Springs on Thursday in the late afternoon, with limited offerings,” the statement continued.The closure also means the cancellation of the park’s popular Halloween event, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, on Thursday. Event tickets will be refunded.Disney had previously announced on Monday, Oct. 7, thatits more rustic accommodations would be closingas of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9. That includes Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground (including dining and recreation locations), the Copper Creek Cabins at Wilderness Lodge, and the Treehouse Villas at its Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via GettyUniversal Orlandoalso announced it’s pending closure on Tuesday afternoon.“On Wednesday, Oct. 9, Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Universal CityWalk will be open until 2 p.m., weather permitting, and will be closed on Thursday, Oct. 10,” it stated. Universal’s water park, Volcano Bay, will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.Other attractions in the region had already made the call to close due to Milton.Busch Gardens Tampa Bayannounced Mondaythat it would close on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and instructed visitors to check the company’s social media pages for further updates. SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica Orlando, which share the same parent company, remain open as of Tuesday morning.Hurricane Milton was downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane early Tuesday after strengthening into a Category 5 storm on Monday. Shortly before 12 p.m. ET on Monday, theNational Hurricane Center(NHC) said that it had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph.The NHC predicted that Milton would come ashore as a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) in the Tampa Bay area on Florida’s Gulf Coast late Wednesday.Universal Orlando Resort.Universal Orlando ResortOn Sunday, Oct. 6, Disney World had already paused new hotel reservations for Wednesday and Thursday in anticipation of the hurricane making landfall.However, as of Monday morning, a representative for Disney told PEOPLE the Orlando resort was still operating “under normal conditions.”“We are closely monitoring the path of the projected storm as we continue to prioritize the safety of our Guests and Cast Members,” the statement added.Busch Gardens.James Borchuck/The Tampa Bay Times via APThe park closure marks the 12th time it’s done so in Disney World’s 53-year history.Nine of the past 11 closures were due to hurricanes: Floyd (September 1999), Charley (August 2004), Frances (September 2004), Jeanne (September 2004), Matthew (October 2016),Irma (September 2017),Dorian (September 2019),Ian (September 2022)and Nicole (November 2022).Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The parks also closed following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 andamid the COVID-19 pandemic, which marked its longest closure ever. The park closed in March 2020 andreopened in phases starting in July 2020.Milton is the second major hurricane to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast in the past two weeks.Hurricane Helenestruck the state’s Big Bend region on Sept. 26 as a Category 4, andcaused devastationthroughout the southeast, also impacting Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Walt Disney Worldwill close amid Hurricane Milton.

In a statement shared Tuesday afternoon, Disneyannouncedthat “on Wednesday, October 9, our theme parks and Disney Springs will be closed in phases beginning at 1:00 PM.”

Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will close at 1 p.m., and the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Disney Springs will close at 2 p.m.

“It is likely the theme parks will remain closed on Thursday, October 10. We will consider opening Disney Springs on Thursday in the late afternoon, with limited offerings,” the statement continued.

The closure also means the cancellation of the park’s popular Halloween event, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, on Thursday. Event tickets will be refunded.

Disney had previously announced on Monday, Oct. 7, thatits more rustic accommodations would be closingas of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9. That includes Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground (including dining and recreation locations), the Copper Creek Cabins at Wilderness Lodge, and the Treehouse Villas at its Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty

Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty

Universal Orlandoalso announced it’s pending closure on Tuesday afternoon.

“On Wednesday, Oct. 9, Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Universal CityWalk will be open until 2 p.m., weather permitting, and will be closed on Thursday, Oct. 10,” it stated. Universal’s water park, Volcano Bay, will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Other attractions in the region had already made the call to close due to Milton.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bayannounced Mondaythat it would close on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and instructed visitors to check the company’s social media pages for further updates. SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica Orlando, which share the same parent company, remain open as of Tuesday morning.

Hurricane Milton was downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane early Tuesday after strengthening into a Category 5 storm on Monday. Shortly before 12 p.m. ET on Monday, theNational Hurricane Center(NHC) said that it had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph.

The NHC predicted that Milton would come ashore as a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) in the Tampa Bay area on Florida’s Gulf Coast late Wednesday.

Universal Orlando Resort.Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Orlando Resort

On Sunday, Oct. 6, Disney World had already paused new hotel reservations for Wednesday and Thursday in anticipation of the hurricane making landfall.

However, as of Monday morning, a representative for Disney told PEOPLE the Orlando resort was still operating “under normal conditions.”

“We are closely monitoring the path of the projected storm as we continue to prioritize the safety of our Guests and Cast Members,” the statement added.

Busch Gardens.James Borchuck/The Tampa Bay Times via AP

James Borchuck/The Tampa Bay Times via AP

The park closure marks the 12th time it’s done so in Disney World’s 53-year history.

Nine of the past 11 closures were due to hurricanes: Floyd (September 1999), Charley (August 2004), Frances (September 2004), Jeanne (September 2004), Matthew (October 2016),Irma (September 2017),Dorian (September 2019),Ian (September 2022)and Nicole (November 2022).

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The parks also closed following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 andamid the COVID-19 pandemic, which marked its longest closure ever. The park closed in March 2020 andreopened in phases starting in July 2020.

Milton is the second major hurricane to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast in the past two weeks.

Hurricane Helenestruck the state’s Big Bend region on Sept. 26 as a Category 4, andcaused devastationthroughout the southeast, also impacting Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

source: people.com