Hurricane Irma Disney World Closures & Cancellations
Hurricane Irma has caused a number of cancellations already at Walt Disney World, and park closures over the weekend are likely. In this post, we’ll keep you posted with real-time updates on Hurricane Irma’s impact at Walt Disney World, as well as what you can do if you’re already at WDW or are scheduled to travel to Florida in the near future.
For starters, if you have a flight arriving into Orlando Friday or Saturday, reschedule. Of paramount concern is safety, and it’s simply not worth the risk. Beyond that, you will be out several days of your vacation, as the parks will undoubtedly close–probably early on Saturday, completely on Sunday, and to some degree on Monday. It will not be a “vacation,” in any sense of the word. Walt Disney World is normally great at maintaining the illusion of the ‘bubble’, but this is absolutely real life.
We arrived at Walt Disney World early this week and were scheduled to be here until next Monday, but have cut short our trip to get out ahead of the storm are stuck here through the storm as our earlier, rescheduled flight is probably going to be canceled and there are no alternatives. Regardless of Hurricane Irma’s intensity when it reaches Central Florida, the approaching storm is terrifying to us. We’d rather play it safe, especially after seeing the devastation this hurricane caused in Barbuda and St. Martin. (We would have left even earlier, but the availability of outbound flights out of Orlando has been next to nothing for the last several days; if you’re here and haven’t already booked, it’s too late.)
While we have been keeping track of Hurricane Irma with updates in our Tips for Storm Season at Walt Disney World post, which is better aimed at making the most of your vacation time on normal rainy days during this time of year…this is anything but a normal storm. We wanted to post some additional info and warnings here out of an abundance of caution, particularly for those of you tourists (like us) who have no firsthand experience with hurricanes.
Currently, the eye of Hurricane Irma forecast to reach Southern Florida by Sunday, September 10, 2017 as a Category 4 storm. Central Florida is expected to begin feeling tropical storm force winds Saturday night, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm will continue moving north towards Orlando early Sunday and into Monday, with models differing as to the extent it will impact the middle of the state.
Much of Florida is in the cone of uncertainty, with the eye of the storm hugging the east coast as it heads north. Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency early in the week for every county in the state in anticipation of Hurricane Irma possibly making landfall, which was upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane before its approach to Florida with sustained winds over 175 mph.
As Governor Scott indicated, this storm is wider than the state of Florida, and every area of the state will experience extreme weather, no matter how far from the eye of the storm. The storm also likely will impact Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
You can find the latest updates on Hurricane Irma on the National Hurricane Center’s website or on your weather station/website of choice. While computer models are differing slightly on the details, the prevailing theme among forecasts is that this will be the worst storm to hit Florida in decades. We don’t purport to be meteorologists, but all you have to do is turn on the television to understand just how serious this is.
Hurricane Irma could end up drifting east from the coast, but Florida is certain to be in its cone, regardless of last-minute shifts. Not treating this as a serious threat would be foolish.
Updates (September 11, 2017)
September 12, 2017 – 9 am UPDATE: All four Walt Disney World theme parks have reopened, with normal operating hours. A few attractions remain closed due to storm damage clean-up: the Walt Disney World Railroad, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tom Sawyer Island, and Kali River Rapids. Exact reopening times/dates for those are unknown. The water parks will reopen later this week.
Hope everyone was safe during the storm, and those affected Floridians are starting to recover!
September 11, 2017 – 12 pm UPDATE: After an eventful and loud night, Hurricane Irma has passed Orlando. The curfew is still in effect until this evening, but Walt Disney World is allowing people to go out and about within their resorts. In surveying the area around Crescent Lake, it appears there’s minimal damage. There are a lot of branches and leaves on the ground, and a couple of trees have blown over, but nothing major. All things that can be cleaned up or repaired within a few days.
In-room televisions still indicate the parks and Disney Springs will be closed tonight. We anticipate everything will reopen according to normal operating conditions tomorrow. If you have a trip booked for later this week or next, you have nothing to worry about–it’ll be business as usual.
September 10, 2017 – 11 am UPDATE: Hotels have buffets, boxed lunches, and select resorts also have in-room dining available. You can also find daily entertainment schedules for each of the resorts in their lobbies. As long as there is no county-imposed curfew, hotel entertainment will continue per these schedules. (Unscheduled character meet & greets are also occurring.)
Orange County, Florida has a local curfew beginning at 7 p.m. tonight, meaning guests at hotels lacking internal hallways will be confined to their rooms beginning at that time. If you’re at one of these hotels, plan accordingly and grab food before then!
September 9, 2017 – 10 am UPDATE: Walt Disney World transportation will end at 8 pm today for Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, and 10 pm for Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney Springs.
Beyond this and the other announced closures, Walt Disney World will effectively enter its hurricane mode, with only a skeleton ‘ride it out’ crew of Cast Members around the resorts. Last year, long lines were reported for boxed lunches at many resorts. We don’t know if that will be the case this year, but we would highly recommend anyone at Walt Disney World now stock up on various supplies (cereal, microwavables, etc.) from the general stores at their resorts, or from the Speedway in the Crescent Lake area (they still have good options and reasonable prices).
In addition to providing necessary guest services, entertainment will be offered at certain resorts on Sunday and Monday, including character meet & greets, among other things. This will primarily be offered at resorts with interior hallways, as those in other resorts may not be able to leave their rooms during the storm.
September 8, 2017 – 3 pm UPDATE: Walt Disney World just announced that it would be closing its parks early tomorrow, and would remain closed through Monday, September 11, 2017.
Walt Disney World has also revised its closing times for Saturday, September 9: Magic Kingdom and Epcot close at 9 pm; Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom at 7 pm; Disney Springs closes at 9 pm, as well.
September 8, 2017 – 9 am UPDATE: Fort Wilderness will be relocating guests, with those staying at the resort needing to leave the resort by 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 9, 2017. Following that, Fort Wilderness will remain closed through at least Sunday (more likely Monday). This includes all restaurants and entertainment at the campground, including Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue and Mickey’s Backyard BBQ, which have all showings canceled through Monday.
The Spirit of Aloha dinner show at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort has been cancelled for Saturday, and likely will be canceled for Sunday in the very near future. We have not yet heard about the Poly Bungalows, but normally, those guests are encouraged to move to accommodations at other resorts.
Walt Disney World has canceled Night of Joy for September 9, 2017 and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party for September 10, 2017 at Magic Kingdom. Additionally, the Aerophile balloon at Disney Springs is now closed in preparation for Hurricane Irma, and Blizzard Beach will be closed beginning September 8, 2017.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party guests are being given the option to switch to an alternate Halloween Party date, switch to a Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party date, receive a 1-day Park Hopper ticket, or receive a full refund.
Walt Disney World has issued a notice on the main page of its website, which provides info on the current status of Hurricane Irma closures and advises guests to monitor news outlets for the latest weather information.
Although it is not explicitly mentioned on that page, Walt Disney World is waiving cancellation fees for guests with travel dates that include the next week. (Some pre-paid experiences—like Cinderella’s Royal Table—are not officially included in this cancellation fee waiver policy, but Disney will issue refunds there, as well.) Unofficially, they are going beyond Walt Disney World’s hurricane cancellation policy. This likely has not been officially announced because wait times on the phone for Guest Services have already been into the hours.
It’s a bit concerning that so much is ‘business as usual’ at Walt Disney World. It has been a bit surreal to walk around Walt Disney World where everything feels just like it normally would–happy go lucky and carefree–and then come back and turn on the news in our room and hear about the potentially catastrophic hurricane approaching.
As the majority of guests are from out-of-state, likely inexperienced with hurricanes, and may not be actively monitoring the news during their visit. Providing guests with flyers in-room, messages on their phones, or pop-ups based on location in My Disney Experience seem appropriate. They don’t need to induce pandemonium, but encouraging adequate preparation seems like a smart move.
On the one hand, it’s not Disney’s responsibility to keep guests apprised of the news and ensure that people make the appropriate plans to be safe. On the other hand, Disney has built its reputation on being a brand that families can trust, and people do that to extremes. With park operations being total normal and no active information sent to hotel guests, they are lulling people into a false sense of security.
If Hurricane Matthew last year was any indication, lines will be long at the resort food courts to purchase boxed lunches and other food starting on Saturday afternoon. If you’re at Walt Disney World now and are unable to leave Florida before the storm, you should try to stock up on food now to avoid the crowds later–and have better options.
Moreover, please be incredibly courteous to front-of-line Cast Members. Walt Disney World will be operating on a skeleton ‘ride it out’ crew over the weekend–and for good reason. These people have families and are concerned about their safey. At this point, having a ‘magical vacation’ is understandably no one’s top priority.
Again, if you are scheduled to visit Walt Disney World in the next several days, we’d strongly encourage you to rethink those plans. We hear a lot of talk about the hurricane safety, and how Walt Disney World hotels are rated to withstand high-intensity winds and storms. That very well might be true, but you’re still undoubtedly safer in Chicagoland or New York (or wherever) during Hurricane Irma than in Central Florida. During a hurricane, anywhere without hurricane force winds is safer during a hurricane than buildings rated to withstand hurricane force winds. Why risk it?
Beyond that, with Orlando International Airport already announcing it will cease operations on 5 p.m. Saturday, and that many flights will be cancelled and delayed, you may have a difficult time getting to Florida in the first place. In short, if you have the ability to reschedule, that is unquestionably the best option.
We hope Walt Disney World errs on the side of caution. I know it stinks for those in the midst of their annual or even once in a lifetime trips to Walt Disney World, but guest and Cast Member safety are priority #1. Being proactive and keeping guests apprised of the weather situation is the best course of action. I know it’s not the best marketing, but guests occasionally need a reminder that Walt Disney World also exists in a place called “Realityland.”
We will continue to monitor Hurricane Irma’s progress and update this post as more information becomes available. If you’re currently at Walt Disney World and receive and updates directly, please share in the comments.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts…
Are you currently at Walt Disney World or Central Florida? Have you visited during past hurricanes? Any additional info, thoughts, or first-hand experiences to share regarding Hurricane Irma? Any questions? Post any of your thoughts, questions, or anecdotes in the comments.
Am currently at Art of Animation. Scheduled to return home (Colorado) on the 19th. Had off property accommodations, but they asked us not to come after we were already in FL as they were concerned with power outages & flooding in our first floor unit. Scrambled to get any available reservation big enough for my adult daughter, my 10 year old son, and myself. We canceled my daughter’s flight since it was scheduled to arrive Sunday morning. Am really bummed she can’t join us, but am more thankful she is safe at home! Tried to get flights home for us, but we were unable to find anything. We were at Copper Creek, but they didn’t have anything available the rest of the time. Although AoA is not my favorite resort, I have been pleasantly surprised. They were able to combine our multiple multi day reservations to keep us in one room the entire time, credit my account for my daughters unused dining plan, as well as give us each 2 comp days in the parks for after the storm since our annual passes expire on the 14th! We got food in the food court tonight, and the whole process went fairly smoothly. Had multiple options like normal, but also had the boxed meals ($6 each! Cheaper than any meal at Disney) and extra of everything for stocking up since we will be in our rooms for a day or more. I waited in line, got our food, paid, and was back to our room in under 45 minutes. They will be open for breakfast in the morning. They have made the arcade area unlimited free play to keep the kids entertained. We were also able to go swimming in the Big Blue Pool. The cast members in the main areas have been great about communicating events and information; however, those who are already hanging out in their rooms probably have no idea what is going on because no information is being communicated other than via the in resort tv Chanel or the Disney app.
I must give kudos to our cast members. They have been amazing!
How are you guys doing? And power outages?
Sorry Ben, didn’t see this until now. We are fine. No power outages or any problems really. We were even able to sleep through most of it! Lol Thanks for your thoughts & concerns.
We checked into Caribbean Beach on Sept 3rd, were supposed to stay until Sept 16th, but we left yesterday. I wanted to stay but my husband insisted we drive home and get the kids out of there. Disney has promised us a full refund of the unused nights of accomodations and park tickets. We cashed out all our remaining dining plan credits into snacks and took a TON home.
Stay safe!!
It was a pleasure running into you at the Magic Kingdom today! Stay safe!
Love and prayers coming your way…
Thinking of you guys & everyone in Irma’s path.
Thinking about all of you at the Mouse and pray for your safety. We rode out the first hurricane that closed WDW in 1999 — Hurricane Floyd. We were DVC members staying at our home base, The Boardwalk. They closed all of WDW except for the hotels for a couple of days. When they did reopen they only had Animal Kingdom open for shortened hours. I thought the prep they did for the hurricane was amazing. Everything that could be blown around by wind on the Boardwalk was GONE. They packed up carts, tables, and even the famous Disney trash cans. The Boardwalk Ride Out crew did a great job. They kept us informed by message to our room phones, with flyers placed under doors, and via overhead announcements. They put a TV tuned to Weather Channel in the lobby.
We were instructed to close curtains over windows and fill tub with water so you had an emergency water source. Food was provided free by buffet lines set up in the bar area. No charge. The food lines were not bad at all. This is a deluxe resort, so not sure what it is like at one of the more economy locations. It was good that we had interior hallways and didn’t have to go outside. We are from Kansas, so we are used to extreme weather, and Floyd just was like one really long (hours and hours) thunderstorm.
Hopefully the prep done by WDW staff will be similar and those of you there keep safe. Hope this info helped.
Stuck here at pop century. Seem pretty organized so far.
please give us updates, really care about all you guys right now.
Hang in there!
Be safe
Hey Sarah, Hey Tom-
BTW: y’all are both so awesome at what you do with all your research and info and ebooks- I thoroughly enjoy everything y’all put together. I find myself laughing at almost every post- Tom you’re such a funny dude!! Anyhow- my family was to fly in today for -our 1st trip to (any) Disney- I’ve meticulously planned this for months & your guides are how!! (TUâ¤ï¸)…. I truly feel I’ve become a Disney Nerd/Convert (cult?) follower- I’ve just fallen in love w Disney during this planning for this 1st ever trip. I think the lil kid got woke up & im heartbroken over all my (hard work) getting ruined. My three kids are devastated too- bc I’ve hyped everyone up ab this & now… our countdown calendar= No Trip when we reached day 2, 1, 0! Today was to be the best day ever!!! I realize Much more important stuff is ab to go down… I’m just wallowing for a moment & giving background info. We want this to NOT be happening for everyone’s safety & so their lives can continue on without yucky, rough Irma interference. You two stay safe- y’all are going to be okâ¤ï¸â¤ï¸ I went thru Hurricane Hugo in ’89…. I was little- but I remember it!!! And we didn’t have power for 6 weeks afterwards (we were the last 1% to get it turned on… and we were IN THE CITY!!!). But y’all are both very Bright- I know y’all are reading up on all types of preparedness…. I see you both being totally fine…. you’ll just gain some “fun” new storm stories to add to your wonderful writings!! Really like y’all & was excited to possibly run into you both since I saw y’all we’re at Disney the same time we were to fly in…. here’s to hoping we all get to do so in the future: at the most magical place on earth!!! (BTW- y’all should make some t-shirts… so we can represent how we’ll first-timers can navigate the parks after y’all’s “training – we’d buy ’em up!!!
All in FL…. we’re watching and waiting with you all & going to be ready to respond in anyway we can!! Stay strongâ¤ï¸â¤ï¸
I’ve been wondering about you all and I feel you were able to get an early flight out; sorry it got canceled. It’s thoughtful of you to provide this information to other people. (We aren’t coming until next year- our trip got canceled last year during hurricane Matthew.)
Which resort are you staying in during the hurricane?
Sorry, I meant “…and if you were able to get an early flight…”
I saw that the winds are getting slower and the hurricane is supposed to be a 2 by the time it hits central FL; I hope it slows down and doesn’t last very long….
Thank you for the updates. We are suppose to arrive on Tuesday 9/12. We are still debating if we should cancel. Keeping a close eye on everything but any feed back would be appreciated. Prayers that everyone stays safe!
We will be arriving on Sept 19th from Louisiana (all to familiar with Hurricane’s i.e.Katrina) and I have been doing much praying for everyone in the path of this storm. As your Gov. of Florida stated, materiels things can be replaced, but lives can’t. Everyone stay safe and our prayers are with U all. FLORIDA STRONG !!!!!!!
We arrive on the 17th. Fingers crossed.. my prayers are with anyone in the path of Irma. .
Us too. Hoping we can still go but have warned the kids we might have to cancel. Stay safe FL!
Stay safe! We seldom comment but are avid readers and fans. We love your blog so much that we refer to you as if you’re our friends – my husband told me “Tom and Sarah are stuck!” and I knew exactly who he meant! Hope the next few days go smoothly for you!
Hi Tom,
Been a lurker on your site for almost a year. It was significant contributor to the success of our first trip to WDW this past June. Stay safe. Our thoughts are with you and everyone in FL.
We arrived on 9/5 and were originally scheduled to fly out on sunday. After 2 hours on the phone with Southwest on Thursday (effectively ruining the ambiance of strolling around the world showcase) we got rebooked for Monday night and extended our stay. I still wasn’t comfortable with that, so spent more time on the phone that night asking for Saturday flights to St. Louis, but nothing was available. On Friday morning I called back again and was miraculously able to book a direct flight to Chicago late Saturday afternoon. Thankfully a family member is willing to pull a 10 hour drive that day to come pick us up and bring us home. It all meant a lot of worry and time on the phone and a day less of disney when I know we won’t be able to get back here for several years … but with my 1 year old daughter here with us, we knew safety had to come first!
Tom & Sara,
As a fellow native Hoosier, I know we aren’t very equipped to deal with a hurricane. However, reading all the comments from those with experience will hopefully be reassuring to you. Based on what you write to all of us on your blog, I feel confident that you are well prepared if you do end up riding out the storm. Prayers to you both for safety during the storm.
Tom and Sarah, prayers and wishes for your safety and the safety of all guests riding the storm out at Disney. Having been through Charley, I know how frightening it is. For me, the winds were the scariest part. We put the mattresses against the windows, and kept the kids busy with treats and games. At best, we had TV and air conditioning, a plus in August. At worst, we feared trees falling through the roof or window. Happy to say the worst didn’t happen. Hope it’s like that for you guys too. Stay safe.
Thanks for the updates Tom. Sending good thoughts to you and Sarah and everyone in the affected areas. Stay safe! (p.s. does anyone know what happens to the animals at Animal Kingdom and other parts of Disney World?)
My daughter is a cast member at AK and we have had a behind the scenes tour. The animals all have cinder block shelters that I am sure are designed to withstand hurricanes. And there is a designated “ride out” crew of keepers.
Thanks for the update Nadine! I figured Disney would have plans for the animals, it must be so scary for them.
Stay safe! We were at Disney for a Cat 1 years ago and they did amazingly to keep people safe, fed, and sheltered. I know this is more intense, but I also know it’s probably a good place to be overall given the circumstances. Another big thing for people is the aftermath. My husband was in the panhandle for Ivan…. he was fine but the devastation in the neighboring areas meant that even those who make it through unscathed need to wait out for resources and assistance. The best thing people can be is patient, flexible, and appreciative if they have the essentials. Will keep you and everyone in FL in my thoughts!