Disney World Closes Some Resort Areas but Parks Remain Open amid Impending Direct Hit from Hurricane Milton

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty

Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty

As Florida braces for Hurricane Milton,Walt Disney Worldremains open — but the Orlando resort is already making adjustments to “some areas with unique environments” in anticipation of the storm.At 6.p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, Disney Worldannouncedthat its more rustic accommodations will be closed ahead of the storm. 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 will temporarily close beginning at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9.The update added that Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will likely stay closed until Sunday, Oct. 13, and that the Copper Creek Cabins at Wilderness Lodge are likely to reopen on Friday, Oct. 11.Disney did not make any announcements regarding its other resort hotels or the parks, which as of Tuesday morning, remain open. It’s possible Disney will make additional closure announcements as the storm approaches.Similarly,Universal Orlando saidTuesday morning that park operations and hours were “continuing as normal,” adding, “We are closely monitoring the weather. Please check back for updates.“Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via GettyOther attractions have 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.Copper Creek Cabins lodging options in Wilderness Lodge resort.Ron Buskirk/UCG/Universal Images Group via GettyOn Sunday, Oct. 6, Disney World 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 APIf the parks do close, it would only be the 12th time 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.

As Florida braces for Hurricane Milton,Walt Disney Worldremains open — but the Orlando resort is already making adjustments to “some areas with unique environments” in anticipation of the storm.

At 6.p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, Disney Worldannouncedthat its more rustic accommodations will be closed ahead of the storm. 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 will temporarily close beginning at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

The update added that Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will likely stay closed until Sunday, Oct. 13, and that the Copper Creek Cabins at Wilderness Lodge are likely to reopen on Friday, Oct. 11.

Disney did not make any announcements regarding its other resort hotels or the parks, which as of Tuesday morning, remain open. It’s possible Disney will make additional closure announcements as the storm approaches.

Similarly,Universal Orlando saidTuesday morning that park operations and hours were “continuing as normal,” adding, “We are closely monitoring the weather. Please check back for updates.”

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

Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty

Other attractions have 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.

Copper Creek Cabins lodging options in Wilderness Lodge resort.Ron Buskirk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty

Ron Buskirk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty

On Sunday, Oct. 6, Disney World 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

If the parks do close, it would only be the 12th time 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