Hurricane Irma Updates: Walt Disney World Closures and Cancellations

    Here’s the latest info on Hurricane Irma as it relates to Walt Disney World.

    Resources

    Official Walt Disney World Hurricane Irma information page

    Walt Disney World Hurricane Policy
    National Hurricane Center – Cone of Uncertainty
    National Hurricane Center – Public Advisories

    MCO Information on Airline Travel Waivers

    Walt Disney World Resort Hurricane Cancellation and Rescheduling phone number:
    (407) 939-7675

    Walt Disney World – Closures and Cancellations

    Walt Disney World Phase Closures to be completed by 9pm September 9th and remaining closed through Monday, September 11th. Details:

    • Magic Kingdom – Closing early 9/9 at 9pm through 9/11
      • Happily Ever After for September 9th has been cancelled
    • Epcot – Closing early 9/9 at 9pm through 9/11
      • Illuminations for September 9th has been cancelled
    • Hollywood Studios – Closing early 9/9 at 7pm through 9/11
      • Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular for September 9th has been cancelled
    • Animal Kingdom – Closing early 9/9 at 7pm through 9/11
      • Rivers of Light for September 9th has been cancelled
    • Disney Springs will close early September 9th at 9pm through 9/11

    (9/7: 4pm) – Disney will be closing the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground in the afternoon on Saturday, September 9th.

    Disney has cancelled performances of Mickey’s Backyard BBQ and Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue on September 9th, 10th, and 11th.

    (9/7: 2pm) – Disney has cancelled the Not-So-Scary Halloween Party for Sunday, September 10th. Guests who have tickets are provided the following options:

    • Tickets to attend another Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
    • Tickets to attend an upcoming Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
    • 1 Day Magic Your Way Tickets with Park Hopper Option, to be used within the next two years
    • Receive a full refund for event tickets

    (9/7: 2pm) – Disney has cancelled the Saturday, September 9th Night of Joy events. Guests are provided the following options:

    • Guests with Saturday tickets can attend the Friday events by exchanging their ticket at a Wide World of Sports Box Office window starting at 4pm on Friday
    • Refunds can be given by calling (407) 939-7818 or emailing [email protected]

    (9/6: 5pm) – The Disney World website now features a “chat now” callout button specifically for Hurricane Irma concerns.

    (9/6: 2:30pm) – Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park will be closed on September 8 and 9 due to Hurricane Irma. No word on Typhoon Lagoon yet.

    (9/6: 2pm) – Disney has created a landing page for resort-specific information on Hurricane Irma.

    (9/6: 9am) – Aerophile, formerly Characters in Flight, has suspended operation until Hurricane Irma is no longer a threat. Crews will need the extra lead time to secure the balloon.

    (9/6: 8am) – Disney has a notification on their website home page that takes guests to their Hurricane Policy page.

     

    Updates

    (9/9: 11am) – The National Hurricane Center has issued their 11am advisory. Irma is a Category 3 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 MPH.

    While the wind speeds have dropped due to landfall in Cuba, it is expected that the storm will strengthen again as it makes its way into open waters before a United States mainland landfall.

     

    (9/8: 11am) – The National Hurricane Center has issued their 11am advisory. Irma is a Category 5 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 MPH.

    The storm continues the westerly shift that started yesterday morning.

     

     

    (9/7: 5pm) – The National Hurricane Center has issued their 5pm advisory. Irma is a Category 5 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 175 MPH.

    The center-line has shifted considerably west and now has Orlando in its crosshairs. If you are in the Orlando area and need help, please use the resources at FloridaDisaster.org and monitor local news coverage.

     

    (9/7: 4:30pm) – The Orlando International Airport has made it official in a meeting, all commercial flights will cease on Saturday, September 9th at 5pm.

    (9/7: 7:30am) – The Orlando International Airport has removed their previous message, stating a Saturday closure, from their website. They now say they’re monitoring the storm.

    MCO original announcement (left) and updated announcement (right)

     

    (9/7: 5am) – The National Hurricane Center has issued their 5am advisory. Irma is a Category 5 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 180 MPH.

    The storm cone has shifted to the west, putting it closer to the Walt Disney World area. This will likely have a major impact on the attractions area.

    (9/6: 11pm) – The National Hurricane Center has issued their 11pm advisory. Irma is a Category 5 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 MPH.

    The track remains nearly the same, with the center of the cone of uncertainty remaining on the east coast of Florida.

    Despite the appearance of a miss to the East, it’s important to note that local meteorologists have predicted Hurricane force winds in the Walt Disney World area. This is still a very strong storm.

    (9/6: 5pm) – The National Hurricane Center has issued their 5pm advisory. Irma is a Category 5 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 MPH.

    The storm continues to move quickly at 16mph. The track seems to be very similar to the 11am update, with the biggest threat to the eastern coast of Florida. That said, it remains a very large and destructive storm, with hurricane force winds still very possible at the Walt Disney World Resort. We’ll continue to monitor the NHC updates here and Walt Disney World closures above.

    (9/6: 11am) – The National Hurricane Center has issued their 11am advisory. Irma is a Category 5 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 MPH.

    The storm continues to shift to the East. While this is good news this far away from the storm, Disney continues to monitor updates from the National Hurricane Center. At this point, the track is a similar to that of Matthew in 2016.

    (9/6: 8am) – The National Hurricane Center has issued their 8am advisory. Irma is a Category 5 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 MPH.

    Central Florida is now in the middle of the projected path. It is still too early to determine the exact impact we will experience, but Disney continues to closely monitor the situation.

    Other projection models continue to push the storm to the East.

    (9/5: 5pm) – The National Hurricane Center has issued their 5pm advisory. Irma is a Category 5 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 MPH.

    Central Florida remains in the cone of uncertainty. It still appears that the worst of the weather, should the storm hit Central Florida, will occur on Sunday (9/10) into and through Monday (9/11). Here is the latest imagery.

    (9/5: 11am) – The National Hurricane Center has issued their 11am advisory. Irma is a Category 5 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 180 MPH.

    This is the first advisory that puts Central Florida and Walt Disney World within the cone of uncertainty. Right now, if Irma were to hit Central Florida, it would be from Sunday 9/10 through Monday 9/11. Here is the imagery.

     

     

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