Walt Disney World came to a standstill as Hurricane Milton recently made landfall in Florida and wreaked havoc.
In the wake of the storm's powerful winds and heavy rains, Disney was forced to temporarily close its doors, which is a rare occurrence for the world-famous theme park.
As the hurricane’s impact unfolded, Disney's management and emergency response teams worked diligently to ensure the safety of guests, employees, and the park itself. However, there were still some guests who decided to weather the storm within the confines of the resort.
Highlights
- Hurricane Milton forced Walt Disney World and other theme parks in Florida to close.
- Nevertheless, some guests decided to weather the storm within the confines of the resort.
- The world-famous park announced that operations would resume on Friday since the "worst of the storm" was over.
- "Our hearts go out to our fellow Floridians who were impacted by Hurricane Milton," the theme park said.
Hurricane Milton recently made landfall in Florida on October 9, bringing strong winds and torrential rain with it
Image credits: justthemeparks
Image credits: justthemeparks
“When we found out how bad things were going to get and that it was supposed actually to hit in the area our planner had to adjust everything,” BreAnna Ratliff, who traveled with her family from Paintsville, Kentucky, to Florida earlier this week, told WSAZ.
She said she found out about the catastrophic impact of the storm only on the way to the theme park. Her family eventually decided not to turn around.
Theme parks like Walt Disney World came to a standstill as the storm hit the region
“We didn’t want to get on the road and then get stuck in all that traffic when it’s supposed to be hitting this area, so we figured it was just safer to stay put right now,” BreAnna said.
“If we had known about all of this sooner, we probably would’ve changed our vacation and things. It’s been a bit stressful, it has been stressful not knowing,” she added.
Another family of New Zealanders also found themselves caught up in the monstrous storm, which left at least 16 dead.
A number of visitors weathered the storm inside the world-renowned theme park
“Our windows have been rattling and I can hear tree branches falling down from our oaks,” Mei Kirkpatrick told Stuff Travel on Thursday evening.
“My husband has been cleaning up the property - clearing all the branches that have fallen on the property,” she added.
After the "worst of the storm" had passed, Disney announced that they would resume operations on Friday
After the worst of the storm was over, Disney shared an update on Thursday to announce that the theme park would resume operations on Friday.
“We’re grateful Walt Disney World Resort weathered the storm,” the update said. “Walt Disney World theme parks and Disney Springs will reopen on Friday, October 11 for the scheduled operating hours. Our hearts are with our fellow Floridians who were impacted by this storm.”