Hurricane Milton is shutting down all of Orlando’s major theme parks starting Wednesday, Oct. 9.
SeaWorld Orlando was the first to announce that it was closing for the storm, which has been downgraded to a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 145 mph, as of Tuesday. SeaWorld and the neighboring Aquatica Orlando water park and Discovery Cove will be shuttered both Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Thursday, Oct. 10 with a Friday, Oct. 11 reopening possible.
Stay safe, Florida 💙
For more information, please visit https://t.co/XCMBh9RD6V pic.twitter.com/Tg1EgJggas
— SeaWorld (@SeaWorld) October 8, 2024
Universal Orlando Resort followed with its own closure announcement less than an hour later. The resort’s two theme parks and CityWalk district will close at 2 p.m. on Wednesday — about six hours ahead of when the worst of Milton is expected to hit Orlando, according to CNN — and remained closed Thursday.
The Volcano Bay water park will be closed entirely both days, and Halloween Horror Nights events have been canceled for both Wednesday and Thursday.
Update from Universal Orlando Resort.
For more information and FAQs, visit https://t.co/4NqV4mCDt4 pic.twitter.com/ReZ565xKi5
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) October 8, 2024
Fun Spot America will also close its amusement parks in Orlando and Kissimmee on Wednesday and Thursday.
Due to the projected impact of Hurricane Milton, our Orlando and Kissimmee parks will be closed on Wednesday, October 9th, and Thursday, October 10th.
The safety of our guests and team members is our top
priority, and we’ll keep you updated on any changes via social media. pic.twitter.com/5qN84NM808— Fun Spot America (@FunSpotAmerica) October 8, 2024
Disney World was the last to announce its hurricane closures at around 3:30 p.m. eastern time, prompting some critical social media for the resort’s timing.
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park will be closed all day Wednesday. Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will close at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, followed by Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney Springs one hour later.
While Disney initially left open the possibility of reopening on Thursday, Oct. 10, by Wednesday afternoon, Disney announced that all parks and Disney Springs would stay closed for an additional day.
The Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 10 at the Magic Kingdom has been canceled.
Hurricanes have shuttered Disney World multiple times in its 53-year history, most recently with Hurricane Nicole in November 2022. A different 2022 storm, Hurricane Ian, also shut down the resort for two days, costing Disney a reported $65 million.
The Orlando closures follow Monday’s announcements that Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Legoland Florida would also close for multiple days due to the storm.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated after publication to reflect that Disney World officially extended the closure of its theme parks and Disney Springs to Thursday, Oct. 10.