How Disney World Prepares for Hurricanes

UPDATE: Disney World will be conducting a phased reopening of the theme parks and Disney Springs on September 30th. Click here for more information.

A hurricane is on its way to Florida, and there’s a chance that Disney World will be impacted.

Hurricane Ian is gaining strength in the Caribbean right now, and is expected to hit Florida later this week. The governor has declared a state of emergency and there have already been evacuation orders. Even though Disney World is in the center of the state, we have seen the parks close down due to storms in the past. Because of this, we have an idea of how Disney prepares for these storms. So, let’s talk about ways that Disney World might be getting ready for Hurricane Ian right now.

Park & Hotel Changes

On Tuesday, September 27th, Disney World announced that the theme parks and Typhoon Lagoon were closing on Wednesday September 28th and Thursday, September 29th. Disney Springs is also closing on the 28th and on the 29th.

UPDATE: Disney World will be conducting a phased reopening of the theme parks and Disney Springs on September 30th. Click here for more information.

We noticed that hurricane signs were up while we visited Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. The sign says that hours may fluctuate due to Hurricane Ian and that guests at the hotel should check the in-room TVs for more updates.

#HurricaneIan signs are popping up around Disney World. Stay safe, everyone! pic.twitter.com/lLKJTXKLQy

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) September 27, 2022

When we stopped by Disney Springs, we saw that Uniqlo had a sign on the door indicating its closure this week. The store will reopen at 10AM on Friday, September 30th.

Disney has announced several closures throughout the resort. Rooms at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, or the Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will be closed from September 28th through September 30th.

The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will also be closed from Tuesday, September 27th to Thursday, September 29th.

Disney World’s mini golf courses Winter Summerland and Fantasia Gardens are also closing temporarily on September 28th and 29th.

Disney’s Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Fort Wilderness has been canceled from September 28th to September 30th.

We also noticed that beverage carts were being removed throughout the parks to prepare for the storm.

Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe at Magic Kingdom was also prepping for the hurricane — the seats and umbrellas have been removed.

If you were hoping to do the Remy scavenger hunt around World Showcase soon, there have been some changes.

Cast Members moved any Remy that was perched up high or outdoors on an EPCOT Food & Wine Festival booth to the nearest indoor merchandise location.

Learn about some of the closures in Disney World

Transportation Changes

During a storm, certain transportation around Disney World will obviously not be safe. Monorail service will likely stop in the event that the storm impacts Disney World.

Boats around the resort will also likely not be available during a storm, as the waters could definitely get choppy. This would include Friendship Boats, boats to and from the hotels and Disney Springs, boats to Magic Kingdom from the surrounding resorts, and the Magic Kingdom ferry boat.

Another form of transportation that isn’t available during storms is the Disney Skyliner. The Skyliner already shuts down for basically any type of heavy rain or wind, as well as lightning, so do not expect to use it during a hurricane. In the past, we’ve seen the Skyliner gondolas moved off of the main lines to keep everyone safe.

So, if you’re going to be in Disney World this week, prepare to have your transportation plans shaken up a bit. You might want to go ahead and get familiar with Disney’s buses or download Uber to have a backup plan.

Click here to learn more about Disney World transportation

Resort Activities

During the event of a storm bad enough to cause changes in Disney World’s schedule, there will usually be extra activities at your Disney hotel. Whether the parks close early or completely, we’ve seen things added to the hotels like games, crafts, movie marathons, and more to help people ride out the storm.

These will usually take place in the main part of the hotel, which is why it’s important to consider which resort you’re staying at if you’re booking during hurricane season. You’ll probably want to be at a hotel where you don’t have two walk outside to get to the main building, that way you can safely take part in these activities during a storm.

Something else we’ve seen during storms in the past are special character meet and greets! Disney will arrange characters to show up at the hotels in order to make up for not being able to be in the theme parks.

These activities aren’t a guarantee, but know that Disney will usually try to do something to make the experience of being at Disney World during a hurricane better for everyone. So, we expect that Disney is probably putting some plans in place for these kinds of activities right now.

NEWS: Disney World Hotels Showing No Availability Ahead of Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Meal Kits

When storms have hit Disney World in the past, we’ve also seen hurricane meal kits pop up on menus around the resort. A lot of quick service spots will add these options to their menus so that you can grab food to keep in your hotel room in the event of a storm. This way, you know you have food in your room even if you can’t actually leave your room due to bad weather.

We’ve seen breakfast and lunch meal kits for both adults and kids, and they also have had options available for vegetarians and people with gluten/wheat allergies. In the past, these meal kits have been $10 or lower.

These usually contain items like bagels and cream cheese, Greek yogurt, milk, fruit, juice, sandwich wraps, veggies, chips, cookies, waters, condiments, utensils, and napkins. These are great options to keep in your mini fridge in your room in case you can’t reach the dining options at your hotel! We wouldn’t be surprised if we saw these pop up on menus soon.

So, that’s what Disney World is likely doing to prepare right now. There haven’t been any official announcements on what Disney is doing for the storm, but we’ll keep you updated if and when those are made.

For more on Hurricane Ian and hurricanes at Disney World, check out more on the Disney World hotels showing no availability ahead of Hurricane Ian, what you need to know about Hurricane Ian, and how Disney World has weathered hurricanes before.

Stay tuned to AllEars for more news and updates.

Tropical Storm Ian Is Officially a Hurricane: What You Need To Know

Have you ever been in Disney World during a hurricane? Tell us in the comments.

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