Hurricane Milton Is Headed Towards Disney World — Should You Cancel Your Vacation?

Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on the West Coast of the Florida Peninsula as a major hurricane.

The storm is on track to affect Disney World between October 8th and 9th, and Disney has started to make preparations. New hotel reservations for Disney World resorts have been halted, as well as park pass reservations for those who need them, including Annual Passholders. As the storm intensifies and heads towards Florida, you may be wondering if you should go to Disney World this week. While you make the best decision for you and your family, here are a few things to consider.

UPDATE: Disney World has announced theme park closures due to Hurricane Milton. 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has issued a State of Emergency for 35 counties, including the two counties Disney World resides in — Orange and Osceola counties. In a recent press conference, DeSantis stated that this might “potentially be an I-4 storm,” meaning it could track along Interstate 4, which would hit more of the population of Florida than if it tracked in other areas.

As of now, the NHC predicts that this storm could become a major category 3 hurricane just before hitting Florida. However, the track of the storm has changed to be more in the south of the peninsula. Predictions and forecasts will likely change until the last minute before it makes landfall. This means that at this time, it’s hard to say what the extent of this storm will be at Disney World.

The NHC has just issued their 11am #Milton advisory; Here's a look… More of course today on WESH 2 News… pic.twitter.com/P4inW4nkAc

— Eric Burris (@EricBurrisWESH) October 6, 2024

Even with the current change in track, Disney World will still likely be affected by lots of rain and high winds. Last week, during Hurricane Helene, Disney World only closed Typhoon Lagoon but none of its main four theme parks. However, Hurricane Milton is likely to affect Disney World more directly than Helene did, so the possibility of Disney World closing the parks for a day may be higher this week than last.

We’ve seen park pass reservations halted for October 9th, so it is possible that Disney is considering this course of action. As of 1PM ET on October 6th, Disney issued a statement that they are “currently operating under normal conditions” and closely monitoring the storm.

In the case that the parks do close, Disney World has plans and procedures in place for the people staying at the resort hotels. Cast Members do their best to accommodate you and make you comfortable while you ride out the storm. For example, extra activities are often scheduled for in the hotels and food services are generally offered.

Disney World’s hotels are all generally considered safe when it comes to hurricanes (though limited spots like Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, or the Treehouse Villas may be evacuated in some situations for certain safety concerns).

The day or two following a hurricane can be empty in the parks with shorter wait times. This is usually because people decide to cancel their trip the week of the hurricane or go home early before the hurricane hits. This can be a good opportunity to experience the parks with lower crowds.

If you need to travel to Disney World, you may find it a little trickier days before and after a hurricane. According to Forbes, airlines have started issuing alerts for airports in the vicinity of the storm’s track. United Airlines is currently offering changes to current bookings without a change fee for those who bought plane tickets before Friday, October 4th for flights traveling October 7th through October 10th. So if you were planning on flying to Disney World this week, but decide to change your plans, check with your airline for any alerts and updates.

We know it can be a really tough decision to make to go or not to go to Disney World this coming week. Disney World has procedures in place in case of park closures and hurricane accommodations at the hotels. However, it may lose you a day in the park and make travel more difficult in the days leading up to and after the hurricane. You have to make the best decision for yourself, but these are just a few of the things you may want to think about as you do so.

For more Milton updates, keep following AllEars.

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