Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World.
Roberto Machado Noa | Lightrocket | beautiful pictures
As Hurricane Ian approached the west coast of Florida, Walt Disney Company and ComcastUniversal Studios is preparing to close its Orlando-based theme parks for at least two days.
Disney announced Tuesday that Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Magic Kingdom will be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays. According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is headed for Tampa and will likely pass through central Florida, home to Disney and Universal parks.
Disney has now moved guests staying at its outside resort locations, such as campgrounds in Fort Wilderness and treehouses in Saratoga Springs, to interior rooms at its other properties. the firm. Additionally, the company has canceled the “trip” of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser scheduled to depart on Tuesday and Thursday due to possible impacts on the guest experience.
The company also said it will not enforce cancellation policies for in-park experiences like Savi’s Workshop at Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios or Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Magic Kingdom.
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park will also be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and its Blizzard Beach location has also closed.
This is not the first time in Walt Disney World’s 50-year history that it has closed due to storms. Most recently, in September 2019, the parks were briefly closed due to the predicted path of Hurricane Dorian. The park reopened a day later when Dorian’s path changed.
Universal will close CityWalk on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with the expectation of reopening on Friday, if conditions permit. Its hotels are already operating at full capacity and will remain open for guests. The company also canceled its Halloween Horror Nights events on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.
