Hurricane Matthew Disney World Closures & Cancellations
Hurricane Matthew has caused a number of closures and cancellations around Walt Disney World. While we have been keeping track of Hurricane Matthew with updates in our Tips for Storm Season at Walt Disney World post (which is otherwise more aimed at making the most of your vacation time on rainy days during storm season). We wanted to post some additional info and warnings here out of an abundance of caution, particularly for those of you out-of-towners (like us) who have no firsthand experience with hurricanes.
At the time of this post (see the “Updates” section for current info), the eye of Hurricane Matthews is less than 200 miles from the Florida coast; it is forecast to gain strength, making landfall as a category 4 hurricane overnight Thursday night into Friday morning. The storm will continue moving north towards Orlando early Friday, with models differing as to the extent it will impact the area. (We are seeing wind predictions of 85-130 MPH in Orlando…even the low end of that range is deadly.)
Overnight last night, Hurricane Matthews strengthened, with forecasts continuing to show it as one of the most potentially-devastating hurricanes to approach Florida in decades. Florida Governor Rick Scott has pleaded with coastal residents to heed evacuation orders, warning that the damage will be catastrophic, and that “this will kill you.”
Meteorologists were originally forecasting Hurricane Matthew to come within 50 miles of Florida as a Category 3 or 4 hurricane–but not make landfall. The latest projections show it moving farther inland and likely to make landfall on the Florida coast. While it’s not presently expected that the storm will hit Walt Disney World directly, it is expected to be close enough that winds and rains will pose a significant danger. (Orange County currently has a hurricane warning.)
This website’s official position on science (and I’m told meteorology is a form of science) is that “it’s bad,” so I won’t continue playing amateur meteorologist here. I’m just trying to underscore how serious this is, and that you shouldn’t take it lightly just because you’re at–or are going to–the ‘most magical place on earth.’
You can find the latest updates on Hurricane Matthew 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 since 2004.
Hurricane Matthew could end up drifting east from the coast, but not treating this as a serious threat would be foolish.
Updates
UPDATE (October 6, 2016 – 12:05 p.m. EST) Information is trickling out via Cast Members that all Walt Disney World parks will close at 5 p.m. tonight, will stay closed all of Friday, and won’t reopen until Saturday morning at the earliest. We have not yet received any official confirmation of this (so it’s rumor at this point), but it’s highly plausible.
Additionally, the voluntary evacuations at the Poly bungalows and Saratoga Springs Treehouse Villas (discussed below) have now turned mandatory.
UPDATE (October 6, 2016 – 12:48 p.m. EST) Above info confirmed. See screenshot below.
UPDATE (October 7, 2016 – 8:00 a.m. EST) Hurricane Matthew weakened to a Category 3 hurricane overnight. It also shifted slightly to the east, and is now not projected to make landfall in Florida. The storm will likely stay 20 to 30 miles offshore, which means Orlando will more likely than not be outside of the hurricane’s main cone, which is great news for those at Walt Disney World. This does not mean that the weather is okay–just that the potential for catastrophic damage inland is now unlikely.
The Orlando International Airport closed at 8 p.m. yesterday and Orange County remains under a curfew until 7 a.m. Saturday morning, so travel to and around Walt Disney World will remain impacted/impossible until Saturday. Unless the storm loops and returns to Florida next week (as some models suggest), the worst should be over by midday Friday.
Many readers have reported long lines at the food courts at resorts to purchase boxed lunches and other food. While these waits when you’d prefer to be having fun in the parks are irritating, please be mindful that front-of-line Cast Members have no control over staffing. Additionally, they are away from their homes and families during a very stressful time, so make sure to not take out your frustration on them.
UPDATE (October 7, 2016 – 2:45 p.m.) Disney has announced that all theme parks will reopen tomorrow at 8 a.m. Additionally, there are persistent and reliable tumors that Disney Springs will reopen at 5 p.m. (the curfew has been lifted) to resort guests only. This would mean no parking structures will open; it will be bus transport only. Reopening Disney Springs seems logical, especially since demand at hotel restaurants has been intense, leading to long lines.
UPDATE (October 8, 2016 – 1:40 p.m.)
The parks are all open and operations have returned to normal. Although we expected heavy crowds today due to pent up demand, wait times actually have not been too bad. Unless the storm loops back, this is our final update!
We’ll keep you posted with further updates at the top here…
Walt Disney World’s Response
Walt Disney World has issued a notice on the main page of its website, which provides info on the current status of Hurricane Matthew and advises guests to monitor news outlets for the latest weather information.
Disney is also waiving cancellation fees for guests with travel dates that include October 5-13, 2016. (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.) For more information on this, read Walt Disney World’s hurricane cancellation policy.
If you are scheduled to visit Walt Disney World in the next several days, we’d 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 Matthew than in Central Florida.
Beyond that, with Orlando International Airport already announcing that many flights will be cancelled and delayed, you may have a difficult time getting to Florida in the first place. Finally, while the forecast beyond Friday was initially sunny, the latest Hurricane Matthew models are showing it potentially looping back, potentially approaching Florida again. (At the very least, it will cause more rain next week.)
In short, if you have the ability to reschedule, that is probably the best option. With that said, here’s an update on the latest cancellations and closures at Walt Disney World…
Fort Wilderness has a mandatory evacuation, with guests needing to leave the resort by 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 6. Following that, Fort Wilderness will remain closed through Sunday. This includes all restaurants and entertainment at the campground, including Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue and Mickey’s Backyard BBQ.
The Spirit of Aloha dinner show at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort has been cancelled for Thursday and Friday, and guests in the Poly Bungalows are being encouraged to (voluntarily) move to accommodations at other resorts.
Blizzard Beach is closed both October 6 and October 7, 2016. Typhoon Lagoon will close only October 7. The Characters in Flight balloon at Disney Springs is closed through Sunday; other merchants at Disney Springs might have reduced operating hours, as well.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party has been cancelled for October 6, and 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.
As noted above, the four theme parks at Walt Disney World closed on Thursday (by 5 p.m.), and will remain closed all-day on Friday. Universal Orlando and SeaWorld have announced similar closures of their parks, as well.
By closing Thursday afternoon and all day Friday, Disney has erred 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 Matthew’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!
For comprehensive tips, tricks, and ideas for planning your vacation, we recommend reading our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!
For more Walt Disney World news, discounts and special offers, and tips, subscribe to our newsletter.
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? Post any of your thoughts, questions, or anecdotes in the comments.
Just now seeing this article. We were at Pop Century during the storm as our flight out on Sat was cancelled. Disney guaranteed us rooms at a discounted price and gave us complimentary park passes, which has all been used until we could get a flight out. I work in emergency preparedness and yes there were some things that could have been managed better, like limiting the number of people to 1-2 from each room into the food court, but overall Disney did a great job of preparing and having a plan for a closed resort. The food court was dangerous with so many people and families were letting their kids run wild in the crowd, which was just not smart. When there was no lightning, they even opened the pool for guests.
Tom, I am just now reading my emails after our Vacay at WDW from 10-2 to 10-8, we stayed at Old Key West and had a full kitchen but had not bought groceries yet. After leaving MK when it closed at 5pm on Thursday we headed out to Walmart for food for Friday’s hurricane. Didn’t know about a curfew, it wasn’t even raining. Found Walmart, Target and Publix closed! We live in Ky and I’ve never seen Walmart closed. Last winter it dropped 17 inches of snow overnight. Nothing closed! We shoveled our cars out of the garage and went to work. So back to the resort Hospitality House…where we found Chip and Dale! We ordered a bunch of cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets…all they were serving…and spent Friday playing on our electronics and watching TV. I have no complaints with Disney because I, too heard the news mongers saying we were all going to die! And remember there was a curfew so I’m surprised they had as many Castmembers as they did. Luckily I’m not so easily scared. Friday night, since there was no hurricane we visited family in Apopka…free food…lol…I wonder how Florida would survive a foot of snow? I’m guessing they wouldn’t!
Have been here in Orlando since Thursday as a hurricane evacuation forced me to leave my home.
Is Disney Springs crowded today 10/8?
Getting tired of the hotel!
Wow! Wish I’d found your blog 2 days ago. You gave more information than Disney. I was there From 10/2-10/8! No preparation for Hurricane!
Donna- I couldn’t agree more. We were there from 9/30-10/8 and I feel as though Disney epically failed in the management and care of their guests during the hurricane. Communication- was next to non existent. At Pop Century we were told the dining hall was going to be closed all day on 10/7 and we were offered 1 sack lunch per person that cost $13?! The staff were incredibly rude in the food lines and the food that was available was horrible.I stood in line for concierge for over 2 hours (trust me the line wasn’t that long) to get answers as to where to go?! I was also told by the front desk “this is the plan for the value resorts, what did you expect?”. I am so disappointed in Disney and Pop Century management. I expect so much more from Disney.
Donna and Stephanie – If it makes you feel better, Caribbean Beach was also, awful. Disney needs to openly and publicly admits it was a disaster, and provide corrective action plans for the future.
We were at the Art of Animation resort, and all the same problems you did. We were on a dinning plan and the crummy breakfast and sack lunch used up 8 of our meal credits. We were lucky that a manager named Eric, refunded our credits and gave the 4 of us a free counter meal for our dinner. It wasn’t very good, but we were hungry! People at A of A were hoarding food on Oct 7th. We ended up with some candy bars, yogurt, and microwave popcorn for our dinner that day.
Thanks so much Tom for keeping us updated. I’ve been checking your blog every few hours for updates as we’re headed there tomorrow. Trying to be smart about his as we have no hurricane experience but as long as everything is safe, we’re trying to get excited again after a roller coaster week.
At this point, there aren’t really any updates to report. Unless/until the storm loops back and causes issues, everything is back to normal! 🙂
Does anyone know if room service is still open during these storm closures at Disney resorts? We’re arriving on 10/18 for 10 days, don’t think there will be an issue, but god forbid another storm/hurricane comes about, wanted to know if I needed to go to a store, or is room service available. Thanks.
Everything seems to be in the all clear for now, but if the storm does turn around I would highly suggest trying to go to a store. I have read multiple reports of people waiting 3 to 8 hours in line for food at the few restaurants that have been opened. Even then, the menus have been very limited. In storms like these the resorts are short on supplies and cast members so they have to cut as many corners as possible, room service being one of them. That being said, I wouldn’t worry about it right now. The parks are already scheduled to open 8am tomorrow and I doubt anything will hit FL like this anytime soon. Have a fun trip and stay safe!
My sister pre-ordered food and case of water and it worked out well just before the storm. I highly suggest it.
We’ve been here all week in Saratoga Springs. Our kids got out yesterday and back to NC early this morning (Friday) but we decided to hunker down and stay an extra night. Curfew in effect until Saturday morning, so we’ll leave then. We have plenty of water, some fruit, Clif bars, and the power/AC/Cable is all working. We slept right through the worst of it (which was not that bad) last night. Today I get to stay in my jammies all day – not a day in the park, but a restful day nonetheless.
Nothing mentions what happens to guests that were down there and activated multi day passes. Does anyone know? I’ve called and wait so many times. Only once received a cast members on october 4th, sadly the experience with her was awful.
My family and I were there Monday oct 3 and supposed to leave Saturday oct 8. I called Disney the morning of oct 4 because we started our two day multi day pass and wanted to be sure what the penalties were. Our original plans were to attend a park Tuesday and one on Friday. The first cast member we reached told us it’s just rain that once we activate we lose the rest of the ticket. I responded it’s a hurricane and the govenor issued a warning to leave, and airlines are allowing rescheduling without penalities. She said Disney is different and we have 14 days from when we activate. If we want purchase another ticket and we have until dec 2017 to apply the first ticket to new tickets. . Our flights were rescheduled to Thursday 7am to be sure we’d get out in time and there was no way to finish the tickets. She told me that’s disneys policy. I was shocked. wednesday I took my 5 and 6 year old alone to a park because my husband had a conference for magnet and one of us needed to pack. I didn’t want to miss out on all the money we spent. Thankfully we only lost one ticket but we didn’t get to fully enjoy the park Wednesday because we had so much to do before we flew out.
We are here at Caribbean Beach right now and though the weather has been pretty mellow so far, there is an overall feeling of confusion. We waited about 3 hours for food here at the resort since all of the parks are closed and almost everything that isn’t cooked is out of stock. It seems everyone is panicking and wishing to stock up. A letter was brought to our room to remind us to check our hotel voicemail for important messages, but we have yet to receive any other information. I’m worried about getting food for our diabetic child tomorrow. I’ve heard rumors that the resort restaurants will be closed tomorrow. On the other hand, a flashlight was left in our room. Furthermore, all Disney staff have been as amazing and helpful as always and my heart truly goes out to them for all their hard work and extra long hours during this stressful time.
We are also at CB. After seeing the 3hr food court lines at 5pm, we decided to come back at 9:30pm. We still had 1.5hr lines then, but the cast members were AMAZING. All the lines were being directed by lifeguards and Goofy & Pluto were there amusing children and adults while in line. All of the staff and chefs did such a great job.
Unfortunately many of the guests at 5pm were very unpleasant and were taking it out on the cast members, though their frustrations should be directed at management, not staff on the ground. I think the individual cast members, working double and into triple shifts, did an amazing job dealing with the situation. By 11pm, most of the guests were hugging and repeated thanking the staff.
I’m bummed to have lost the Halloween party and several sought after dining reservations resulting in several unused dining credits. But every single cast member I’ve dealt with, in person or on the phone over the last 36 hours have been great.
The food court is open with not a lot of queueing , there’s pasta , burgers chicken and sandwiches and snacks , hope your child is ok
We are at Art of Animation now (family of 8) and while the weather is worsening, the resort itself is fine. Flashlights were handed out by staff in case needed, extra towels, etc. Food is available (although there is a three hour wait to get a pizza from the food court). I would expect a long, difficult day tomorrow with no power/AC, no real food options, and no ability to leave the hotel. That said, it’s not like there is going to be a storm surge or anything like you would normally see causing catastrophic hurricane damage. Heavy rains and damaging winds can be contained if you are prepared, which Disney seems to be.
The eve of the disaster may not be the best time for this question, but I am expecting some financial relief from Disney. When the customer pre pays for park tickets and dining plans and then Disney cannot deliver (through no fault of their own, but still) it seems like some rebate should be forthcoming. They have closed all of the parks, no transportation between the resorts and no Disney Springs. I don’t expect to be charged for Table Service credits for a boxed lunch with fruit and a sandwich (if that’s even available).
Has anyone experienced anything like this before? During the closures in 2004/05 time frame? What is the company policy on this? Thanks for any input.
From what I’ve read from other sources, Disney will work with you to refund a day of an unused park ticket. I imagine they would do the same for the dining plan, that is if you’re not scheduled to be at the parks after Friday. If you’re going to the parks after Friday, you could still use dining credits.
I was there for Hurricane Charley and we never lost power. Or, I should say the power went out in the area, but Disney had their own generators, so we never lost air conditioning, TV or lights. They called the room every half hour to give us updates. While I did have a certain amount of anxiety because it was a strong hurricane, looking back, we actually had no problems. I hope you don’t either. And I hope after it’s over you enjoy your vacation.
That was a very kind and informative reply. Thanks!
I also think the Disney style of making customers happy will continue and you’ll be fully reimbursed or other way of making it up to you.