With Hurricane Irma setting its sights on Orlando, many theme parks are choosing guest safety over staying open. Walt Disney World is the latest to make an official announcement that its parks will be closing tomorrow night and not re-opening until Tuesday, September 12.
Here is the official notice sent out to Disney travel agents earlier this afternoon…
Based on the latest forecasts for Hurricane Irma and keeping safety top of mind, Walt Disney World Resort will be closing early on Saturday, September 9 and will remain closed through
Monday, September 11. Resort hotels will remain open. We hope to resume normal operations on Tuesday, September 12. We will provide regular updates to our guests on all operational changes. Please continue to check this page for updates.
Walt Disney World Theme Parks, Disney Springs, Water Parks, and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex are making the following operational changes:
- Disney’s Blizzard Beach: Closed as of Friday, September 8 – Monday, September 11
- Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon: Closing early on Saturday, September 9 at 5 PM – Monday, September 11
- ESPN Wide World of Sports: Closed on Saturday, September 9 – Monday, September 11
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Closing early on Saturday, September 9 at 7 PM – Monday, September 11
- Saturday, September 9 Rivers of Light performance is canceled.
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Closing early on Saturday, September 9 at 7 PM – Monday, September 11
- Saturday, September 9 Fantasmic! and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular performances are canceled.
- Epcot: Closing early on Saturday, September 9 at 9 PM – Monday, September 11
- The Saturday, September 9 Illuminations Reflections of Earth performance is canceled.
- Magic Kingdom: Closing early on Saturday, September 9 at 9 PM – Monday, September 11
- Saturday, September 9 Happily Ever After fireworks performance is canceled.
- Disney Springs: Closing early on Saturday, September 9 at 9 PM – Monday, September 11
CLOSURES, CANCELATIONS & MORE
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will be closed beginning Saturday, September 9 at 2:00 PM.
SPECIAL EVENT UPDATES
In anticipation of inclement weather associated with Hurricane Irma, please note the following
event cancelations at Walt Disney World Resort.
- Night of Joy at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex has been canceled on Saturday, September 9, 2017. The performances on Friday, September 8 will take place as planned.
- Guests with tickets for Saturday are welcome to attend Friday’s event instead by exchanging their tickets at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Box Office after 4 PM Friday.
- Requests for a full refund for either event night will be honored.
- Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has been canceled on Sunday, September 10, 2017. The event will take place as planned on Thursday, September 7. Guests are invited to exchange their Sunday, September 10 event tickets for one of 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 2 years
- Receive a full refund for event tickets
To redeem these offers, Guests should call (407) 939-7818 by January 31, 2018 between the hours of 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM., or email us at Ticket.Inquiries@DisneyWorld.com. Please have your tickets available so we may process your request for you as quickly as possible. Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call.
DINING UPDATES
Effective immediately we will not be enforcing dine reservation cancellation policies so no need to cancel dine reservations through Monday, September 11. Pre-paid dining and premium experiences will be automatically canceled and refunded.
Please visit Walt Disney World > Frequently Asked Questions > General Questions to view the Hurricane Policy for Walt Disney World Resort.
Please note the Disney Reservation Center is currently experiencing heavy call volume. If you need to service a reservation for arrival between now and Sept. 13, 2017, we encourage you to stay on the line. If you need to service a reservation for arrival after Sept. 13, 2017 we recommend using your online booking tool, or call back at a later time.
[Source: Disney]
