Hurricane Matthew Updates October 2016

As Hurricane Matthew churns up the East Coast, we will be updating this page with news items, park closings and other relevant information. The most recent entries will be at the top of the page. (Disney Cruise Line info at the page bottom.) Stay safe out there!

Saturday October 8, 2016 8:53 am

Walt Disney World is back in business EXCEPT for Ft. Wilderness. The campground remains closed today. Folks staying there may be able to return Sunday, October 9th.

Disney Springs, Water Parks and Miniature Golf will open at 10am.

Friday, October 7, 2016 – 12:50: pm

Statement from Walt Disney World: On October 8, all WDW themeparks will open at 8am. Disney Springs, Water Parks and Miniature Golf will open at 10am.

Friday, October 7, 2016 – 12:45 pm

Walt Disney World Cast members are being told to report to work with shifts beginning at 1pm.

Orange County still under curfew.

Hurricane Warning cancelled for Orange, Seminole, Polk, Osceola and southern Brevard. Tropical Storm warning still in effect.

Orlando International Airport: early assessments show no major impact for signs of physical damage to the main terminal facilities. All flghts at MCO have been cancelled for today. MCO is hopeful to gradually resume flight schedules in the morning, October 8th.

Friday, October 7, 2016 – noon

Another guest on Disney property writes: Got an update around 10:30 a.m. from Disney on the room phone. All parks, golf courses, hotel restaurants, Disney Springs closed until further notice. No future opening dates determined at this time. Curfew in effect for Orange County. Stay inside. All Mears taxis and buses off roads. Orlando airport still shut down.

Also, Facebook has activated its safetycheck feature for those in the affected areas. You can check yourself in as safe, or check on family/friends HERE.

Friday, October 7, 2016 – 8 a.m.

A guest on Disney property checks in: "We received a voicemail in our room mid-day yesterday saying we were supposed to stay in our room today until we receive the 'all clear.' Also, cast members were hand-delivering letters to each room last night that said they will send us updates through our room voicemail."

Walt Disney World has announced the following closures/cancellations:

— All theme parks, water parks, miniature golf courses, and Disney Springs are closed today, October 7.
— Characters in Flight balloon is closed through Sunday, October 9.
— Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is canceled for tonight, October 7. For refunds or rebooking, call 407-939-7818 beginning 9 a.m. on Monday, October 10.
— Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground is closed through October 7. This includes the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue and Mickey's Backyard BBQ.
— The Spirit of Aloha at Polynesian Village Resort is canceled through October 7.
— Spa locations are closed through Saturday, October 8.
— Events at the ESPN Wide World of Sports have been canceled through October 8.

For guests staying at Disney resort hotels:

— Most restaurants will stay open. If you need to cancel, however, cancellation fees will be waived.
— Cancellation fees will be waived for Disney guests leaving early.
— Best Friends Pet Care is closed through October 7, but a crew will remain with animals already there.
— For other questions regarding a Disney hotel stay, visit the Disney World Hurricane Matthew Info page.

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that more than 220,000 in Central Florida are without power.

The National Hurricane Center said that between 6 and 7 a.m. wind gusts of up 107 mph were recorded on the tip of Cape Canaveral. As of 8 a.m., Matthew was about 35 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral carrying maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, moving northwest at 13 mph. Matthew remains a Category 3 storm as it moves north along Florida's east coast.

Thursday, October 6, 2016 6:45 p.m.

A guest at Animal Kingdom Lodge reports: "Jiko is closed, they are letting people from Boma sit in there, too. Long lines for Boma. They are texting guests when they can get in. They had said Mara would close at 5 p.m. but it is still open now."

Thursday, October 6, 2016 4 p.m.

From a reader staying on Disney property: Disney has provided resort guests with flashlights with batteries, and made available box lunches for guests to purchase if they would like as they are expecting little to no food service tomorrow. The box lunch consists of a sandwich, fruit, and muffin. In addition, guests have been told to turn in-room refrigerators and freezers to the coldest setting; also to turn the thermostat down to the coldest setting. A final suggestion is if you have bags of ice in the freezer keep them there. If power goes off put them in the room's washing machine, if there is one, where it is insulated. If it drips it just goes into the machine drain.

Thursday, October 6, 2016 3:50 p.m.

All final departure times for LYNX bus and ACCESS LYNX trips will occur by 5 p.m. allowing passengers to complete their trip. These vehicles will be off the road by 8 p.m.

Thursday, October 6, 2016 3:30 p.m.

Orlando International Airport (MCO) says that flight activity there is expected to cease tonight by 8 p.m., although many flights have already been canceled. Operations will resume on Saturday, October 8, as facilities, aircraft and crew are available. For flight information, visit the airport's flight status page.

Thursday, October 6, 2016 2 p.m.

President Barack Obama has declared an emergency in the state of Florida and has ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local response efforts to Hurricane Matthew.

Obama's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate efforts to alleviate the suffering caused by the hurricane. The directive applies to more than two dozen counties in Florida. Emergency declarations are designed to help provide emergency services to protect lives and property, and to lessen the threat of a catastrophe.

Rainforest Cafe at Disney Springs closing at 3 p.m. today, October 6, ahead of the 5 p.m. general closing of Disney Springs.

Thursday, October 6, 2016 12:23 p.m.

Universal Orlando closing Wet n Wild today at 2 p.m. Theme parks and CityWalk close at 5 p.m. Halloween Horror Nights canceled. Friday all parks closed and Horror Night canceled. Saturday operations resume.

Thursday, October 6, 2016 12:14 p.m.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is canceled also for Friday, October 6, 2016.

Thursday, October 6, 2016 12:01pm

Orlando International Airport (MCO) will shut down commercial operations at 8 p.m. today.

Orlando Sanford Airport has ceased domestic commential flights as of 10 a.m. today. International commercial flights will end at 6:30 p.m. today. Flights will resume TBD.

Thursday, October 6, 2016 9:51 a.m.

At this time, Orlando Airport (MCO) is open, as is Miami. Fort Lauderdale (FFL) is suspending operations at 10:30 a.m. today.

Thursday, October 6, 2016 8:37 a.m.

Magical Express is not accepting bags for any flights after 2:50 p.m. today.

Disney is not able to check you in for flights on Southwest, you need to do so at the airport.

Thursday, October 6, 2016 8 a.m.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party canceled for tonight.

Fort Wilderness Campground closed as of 11 a.m. today through Sunday. Guests have been relocated to other resorts.

Fort Wilderness:

Spirit of Aloha at the Polynesian Village Resort canceled October 6 and 7.

Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue and Mickey's Backyard BBQ canceled though Sunday, October 9.

Characters in Flight at Disney Springs closed through October 9.

Most Central Florida schools and government offices are closed Thursday and Friday.

SeaWorld Orlando will close as of 2 p.m. Thursday, October 6, and will remain closed Friday.

Legoland closing early Thursday and will remain closed on Friday.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016 – 6 p.m.

Statement from Walt Disney World:

"Walt Disney World Resort is currently operating under normal conditions as we continue to monitor Hurricane Matthew. Recent forecasts indicate that there could be rain and wind in the Central Florida area as early as Thursday evening, October 6, 2016. Please continue to monitor news outlets for the latest weather information."

What we know right now, from various local news outlets:

— At 2 p.m., the National Hurricane Center said, that its new forecast (above) shows Hurricane Matthew could make landfall in Brevard County. "The storm is continuing its trek toward Florida and has prompted evacuations across the state. Matthew is a dangerous and life-threatening Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 120 mph as it passed through the Bahamas, and it was expected to be very near Florida's Atlantic coast by Thursday evening. The storm was forecast to scrape much of the Florida coast and any slight deviation could mean landfall or it heading farther out to sea."

— The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Walt Disney World has told visitors at Fort Wilderness campground that they must leave by 11 a.m. Thursday, October 6, as Hurricane Matthew approaches. Disney is accommodating requests for relocating when necessary but also encouraging those who are able to leave the area to do so. A Disney spokeswoman said it would make more sense for people to leave the property with their RVs than to risk damage to their vehicles. Disney is also relocating guests who are staying at the Polynesian bungalows, which are on the water, and the Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs.

— Disney has announced that Blizzard Beach water park will be closed Thursday, October 6.

— SeaWorld Orlando has announced it will close early Thursday and that it will be shut down all day Friday, October 7.

— American Airlines has cancelled all flights to South Florida airports for Thursday, October 6.

— Florida Highway Patrol statement: "Our troopers are ready and in place to assist however needed. Emergency travels only the next few days please."

— All Central Florida public schools, universities and colleges will be closed Thursday and Friday. At the University of Central Florida, officials at the 63,000-student school urged students to leave campus if they could do so safely, but offered shelter options as well. State transportation and Central Florida Expressway Authority officials stopped all construction to keep roads clear, and tolls have been suspended in counties under evacuation orders. In addition, SunRail's last train was at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

— Much of the area is under a Hurricane Warning.

DISNEY CRUISE LINE

Thursday, October 7, 2016 noon

**Please note the Disney Cruise Line Contact Center is currently closed due to the anticipated weather conditions associated with Hurricane Matthew in Central Florida. We will reopen on Saturday morning, October 8.**

Based on the projected path of Hurricane Matthew, as well as its expected impact on the Bahamas, Disney Cruise Line is making the following adjustments to itineraries:

Disney Fantasy

• The October 8 sailing of the Disney Fantasy is being altered to a 6-night western Caribbean cruise departing on Sunday, October 9, from Port Canaveral. This sailing will include stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Castaway Cay. Guests who remain on the revised itinerary will receive a pro-rated refund equal to the amount of one-night of their cruise fare and an onboard credit. Guests who would like to rebook a future sailing at a discount OR cancel their sailing for a full refund are invited to call us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032 on Saturday, October 8.
• The October 1 sailing of the Disney Fantasy is being extended by one day given the uncertainty around the impact Hurricane Matthew will have on Port Canaveral. We are planning to disembark in Port Canaveral on Sunday, October 9. We are working with the guests onboard to assist them with their travel arrangements.

Disney Dream

• The October 3 sailing of the Disney Dream is being extended by one day, as Port Canaveral will not be available for the ship’s scheduled arrival on Friday, October 7. We are now planning to disembark in Port Canaveral on Saturday, October 8, once the Coast Guard has determined that the port is safe for cruise ship operations. We are working with the guests onboard to assist them with their travel arrangements.
• The October 7 sailing of the Disney Dream from Port Canaveral is being cancelled. Refunds will automatically be processed back to the original form of payment used for cruise bookings. Guests are invited to call us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032 beginning Monday, October 10, to book a future cruise at a discount.
• We are hopeful that the October 10 Disney Dream sailing will be able to complete its planned itinerary to Nassau and Castaway Cay. Should that not be possible, we are always prepared to visit alternate ports or spend days at sea.

Disney Magic

• The October 7 sailing of the Disney Magic from New York is being changed to a Canadian itinerary, with plans to visit Sydney, Nova Scotia; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Saint John, New Brunswick. Guests who remain on this revised itinerary will receive an onboard credit. Guests who would like to rebook a future sailing at a discount OR cancel their sailing for a full refund are invited to call us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032.

While we always strive to deliver magical cruise vacations, nothing is more important to us than providing a safe experience for our guests and crew. We will continue to closely monitor Hurricane Matthew and provide updates as necessary.

Wednesday, October 6, 2016 8am

Disney Dream

• The October 3 sailing of the Disney Dream is being extended by one day, as Port Canaveral will not be available for the ship’s scheduled arrival on Friday, October 7. We are now planning to disembark in Port Canaveral on Saturday, October 8, once the Coast Guard has determined that the port is safe for cruise ship operations. We are working with the guests onboard to assist them with their travel arrangements.
• The October 7 sailing of the Disney Dream from Port Canaveral is being cancelled. Refunds will automatically be processed back to the original form of payment used for cruise bookings. Guests are invited to call us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032 beginning Monday, Oct. 10, to book a future cruise at a discount.

Disney Magic

• The October 7 sailing of the Disney Magic from New York is being changed to a Canadian itinerary, with plans to visit Sydney, Nova Scotia; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Saint John, New Brunswick. Guests who remain on this revised itinerary will receive an onboard credit. Guests who would like to rebook a future sailing at a discount OR cancel their sailing for a full refund are invited to call us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032.

Disney Fantasy

• The October 8 Disney Fantasy sailing from Port Canaveral to the eastern Caribbean is expected to sail as scheduled. We will continue to monitor the weather and make any necessary adjustments.