Disney Announces Huge Perk for Guests with Tickets Affected by Hurricane Ian

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Via InsideTheMagic.net

On Tuesday afternoon, out of an abundance of caution and in keeping with the company’s dedication to Cast Member and Guest safety, the Walt Disney World Resort announced plans to close temporarily as Hurricane Ian barrels toward Florida.

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba on Tuesday morning before continuing on its path toward Florida. The storm is expected to gather strength, intensifying into a Category 4 storm before making landfall on Florida’s west coast somewhere between Tampa and Fort Myers. It’s unclear at this time whether the storm will make landfall as a Category 3 or Category 4 hurricane.

TRACK, MODELS, SATELLITE: Hurricane Ian enters Gulf of Mexico on projected path toward Central Florida

In response to the impending arrival of the hurricane, multiple entities across Florida announced plans to close. Many of Florida’s airports announced details about plans to close, including Orlando International Airport near Disney World, which had already scrapped plans for the dedication of its brand-new $2.8 billion Terminal C because of the hurricane’s projected path.

Terminal C - Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Around midday on Tuesday, Central Florida’s major theme parks and theme park resorts began to announce their respective plans to close in response to Hurricane Ian’s projected arrival onto Florida soil and the path it’s expected to take once it makes landfall.

SeaWorld Orlando and Universal Studios Orlando Resort announced plans to be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, as did the Walt Disney World Resort. Legoland is also closing, as is Kennedy Space Center, but the space center will continue with normal operating hours on Wednesday with plans to be closed on Thursday.

magic kingdom universal

Because Hurricane Ian is, by nature, largely unpredictable, it’s impossible to say with 100% certainty when Florida’s theme parks will resume regular operating hours. However, the hope is for them to be open on Friday, pending weather conditions, damage, etc.

Now Disney World has made an announcement that will hopefully help some Guests breathe a sigh of relief.

As reported by Scott Gustin in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon:

Per Disney World’s website:

Partially used multi-day theme park tickets with a validity window impacted by closure due to Hurricane Ian will be automatically extended to allow use of the remaining unused ticket days through September 30, 2023. In order to enter a park, both a park reservation and valid ticket for the same park on the same date is required.

Simply put, Guests who had begun using their park tickets but were unable to use them all because of the closure on Wednesday and Thursday will not lose the unused days remaining on their tickets. Instead of the usual expiration of the tickets, which depends on the ticket purchased, park tickets affected will be good through September 30, 2023.

For more information, visit Disney World’s website by clicking here.

Disney Hotel Guests Share Petty Complaints During Hurricane Lockdown

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Resorts

Disney’s Pop Century Resort is one of 25 different Resort Hotels available to Walt Disney World Resort Guests. It’s one of many value Resorts available to Guests looking for magical Disney theming at a lower cost than moderate or deluxe Resort hotels

This week, Disney’s Pop Century Resort is home to thousands of Guests sheltering from Hurricane Ian. Locals and tourists alike are hunkered down while Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney Springs are closed for the storm, which reached nearly Category Five level winds when it made landfall on Wednesday.

Guests from closed Resort hotels – Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, and the Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort – have evacuated to Pop Century and other nearby Resorts.

Walt Disney World Resort is one of the safest places to be during a hurricane. Disney Cast Members volunteer to work, keeping Guests safe and entertained during storms. Unfortunately, the experience at Disney’s Pop Century Resort hasn’t been so smooth this time.

According to Guests on Twitter, Disney recommended that Resort hotel Guests mobile order pre-prepared meal kits to take back to their Resort hotel rooms. However, Tina (@_tinatuna) said that purchases weren’t being fulfilled in sequential order, and Guests were waiting hours for their meals:

Another Guest had the same experience at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. Andrew Lumley (@lumers83) wrote:

Lumley was furious that it took more than three hours to receive his breakfast after Disney Cast Members said mobile ordering was the best way to obtain food promptly.

Disney hasn’t responded to Tina or Lumley. Cast Members are doing their best to keep Guests safe, entertained, and fed during Hurricane Ian, and these complaints just seem in the face of what people across the state of Florida are experiencing.

Hurricane Ian Forces Disney World Parks to Close

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World has informed Cast Members that all theme parks and water parks will close ahead of Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, September 28, and Thursday, September 29, 2022.  Disney Springs will be closed on Wednesday, with a decision to be made for Thursday later today.  At this time, there is no information on whether the Parks will remain closed longer than Wednesday and Thursday. Many factors go into the decision to close and the duration of the close. This announcement comes out of an abundance of safety for Cast Members and Guests. The Parks will remain closed until conditions are safe to resume normal operations. Find out what happens when the Parks are closed here. 

To date, the longest Walt Disney World has kept Parks closed due to a hurricane is  2.5 days, which occurred due to Hurricane Irma in 2017. That hurricane made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Florida Keys and plowed north directly through Orlando. Disney escaped the storm with minimal damage. 

Disney’s first ever Hurricane closure was in 1985 for Hurricane Elena. Since then 7 other hurricanes have forced the Parks to close, for at least part of the day: Hurricane Floyd on 1999, Hurricane Charley in 2004, Hurricane Francis in 2004, Hurricane Jeanne in 2004, Hurricane Mathew in 2016, Hurricane Irma in 2017, and Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando has never been hit with stronger than a Category 1 storm. Since Orlando is several hours inland, the storms typically have weakened by the time they reach the Orlando area. Don’t let the name fool you though, a Category 1 hurricane is still dangerous and capable of causing harm and property damage. 

Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Ian struck landfall in Cuba early today as a Category 3. It is expected to gain steam in the Gulf of Mexico and strengthen to a Category 4 storm before making landfall in Florida. On Monday the storm experienced rapid intensification with winds increasing from 57mph to 125 mph in 24 hours. Governor Ron DeSantis has issued a direct warning that Floridians should evacuate if  at all possible saying, “Our recommendation is to heed evacuation orders. The storm surge can be life threatening…that is not something that you want to be a part of.” 

Florida National Guard Adjutant Gen. James Eifert said, “We are assessing constantly the location and path of the storm, and repositioning and prepositioning our resources and our people to be able to most immediately and effectively respond once the landfall has passed. We are here. and we are ready.”

Orlando’s MCO airport closed on Tuesday to all but emergency flight traffic.

Disney Announces First Round of Closures Ahead of Hurricane Ian

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

Hurricane Ian is projected to impact operations at Walt Disney World this week. While it’s still uncertain whether the storm will greatly impact Central Florida, out of caution, Disney has announced a few closures and is lifting certain cancellation penalties.

Here is the statement from Disney from September 26:

Walt Disney World Resort is currently operating under normal conditions as we prepare to make necessary adjustments based on the latest information from the National Weather Service. We continue to put the safety of our Cast Members and Guests first and will share updates as we monitor Hurricane Ian.

Current Updates:

    • Disney Resort Hotels: Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and the Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort since these locations will temporarily close Wednesday, Sept. 28 through Friday, Sept. 30 due to the weather. We are contacting Guests with current and upcoming reservations.
    • Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon will close temporarily Wednesday, Sept. 28 and Thursday, Sept. 29. (Disney’s Blizzard Beach is currently closed).
    • Winter Summerland Miniature Golf and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will also temporarily close Wednesday, Sept. 28 and Thursday, Sept. 29.
    • Reservations for Dining and Other Experiences: Effective immediately, we will not enforce cancelation policies until further notice for dining and other experiences like Savi’s Workshop and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
    • We are currently monitoring weather conditions and will communicate any changes to park operating hours or special events at a later time.

The most up-to-date information about temporary closures and impacts will be available via the My Disney Experience app, DisneyWorld.com/Weather.

Please note that all reopening timelines are tentative, and subject to safety conditions.