Update: As of the morning of September 26, Universal Orlando has decided to cancel the Halloween Horror Nights event this evening. Any tickets for the 26th will be honored Sept 27-29. In addition, Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which is expected to see significant rainfall, will also be closed for the day.
One of the reasons that Walt Disney picked central Florida for his “East Coast Disneyland” was that the weather was pretty nice all year round. It didn’t get so cold that the park would have to close in the winter. However, there is the occasional problem of hurricanes that force theme parks to close due to weather, and now Disney World, Universal Orlando, and other theme parks are doing just that.
Hurricane Helene is currently on its way to Florida and while the current path of the storm is expected to miss most of Florida, they are likely to get a fair amount of rain at the very least. This has led to several theme parks deciding to close some if not all of their resorts.
Disney World And Universal Orlando Are Closing Water Parks And More
This morning both Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort announced that their water parks will be closed for the day on September 26. Universal’s Volcano Bay opened in 2017 and is seen as one of the highlights at Universal Orlando Resort. Disney World will be closing Typhoon Lagoon. Blizzard Beach, the other water park has been closed at Disney World since March for refurbishment and is scheduled to reopen in November.
Disney World’s two miniature golf courses are also scheduled for closure and several tours, including Savor the Savanna, Up Close with Rhinos, Walking with Giants, and Wild Africa Trek have also been canceled for the day.
At this point, the rest of Disney World, as well as the rest of Universal Orlando Resort are scheduled to be open. That could certainly change as the day goes on if the hurricane changes course or if more rain from the storm is expected.
While the theme parks may remain open guests should be prepared to deal with some rainy days at Universal and Disney World. That means that even if the parks are open, some individual attractions or experiences may close. Some outdoor rides, specifically roller coasters, can’t operate in excessive rain so be prepared for that. Minor flooding at Disney World is also a possibility with enough rain.
Other Theme Parks In Florida Are Closing For The Day
While Disney World and Universal are planning for mostly business as usual tomorrow, other theme parks will not be. Busch Gardens, which is in Tampa Bay and therefore on the side of Florida closer to the storm, has decided to close down the park for the day tomorrow. At this point, other area theme parks, like SeaWorld Orlando and Legoland Florida, are planning to remain open, though that could always change if the weather changes.
While the claim that Magic Kingdom's castle comes apart in hurricanes has been a persistent Disney World myth, hurricanes have hit Disney World and other theme parks before. While damage has occurred, the parks were built with the possibility of hurricanes in mind, so they should get through this with little incident.
