Disney has officially announced that they will close Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Disney Springs on Wednesday, October 9 at 2:00 pm. Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios will close an hour earlier at 1:00 pm. It is likely that the parks will remain closed on Thursday and re-open on Friday, though these details have not been finalized. The Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party for Thursday has been officially canceled; however, and guests will automatically receive a full refund for their tickets. Other than Ft. Wilderness, the cabins at Wilderness Lodge and the treehouse villas at Saratoga Springs, all resorts will remain operational throughout the storm to take care of the guests currently visiting Walt Disney World resort.
Historically, Disney has provided special activities including character meet and greets at the various resorts to keep spirits high while the winds and rain prevent people from venturing outside. Although they tend to work very long hours during these emergency situations, Cast Members working these shifts are provided housing at the resort to keep everyone safe through the storm.
Typhoon Lagoon and the mini golf courses will be closed Wednesday and do not yet have an official reopening timeline. The water parks take longer to reopen due to the difficulty of cleaning the wave pool and lazy river of all the debris from the storm. This also tends to involve long hours for the Cast Members at these parks and everyone typically pitches in with the cleanup effort regardless of their normal role.
If you are at Disney World during this period, please stay safe and give an extra thank you to the Cast Members you encounter. Not only are they working long and strenuous hours to keep everyone comfortable and safe, they are also often separated from their loved ones and concerned about the safety of their home, family and friends.
Stay safe!! Keep us updated on Disney and yourselves. Thinking of you
Stay safe!!! We are praying for all of Florida!