Entrance of Walt Disney World near Orlando – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Photo by Jerome LABOUYRIE
They visited Disney World to enjoy rides in the theme park and take pictures with Mickey Mouse. They are now incorporating an unexpected experience into their Disney trips, where they will hole up at the resort to weather a powerful hurricane that is threatening Florida.
Hurricane Milton, which was once a dangerous storm system in the Gulf of Mexico, has become a historic hurricane that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has warned will be a “monster” in the last few days. Forecasters were caught off guard by how quickly Milton worsened, leaving many Disney fans trapped in the Orlando region who hadn’t planned for airport closures or other weather-related travel disruptions.
As her son celebrates his 30th birthday, Telissa Carpenter, an Indianapolis resident, said, “We realized that we’re stuck here.” The two are vacationing at Disney.
Over the weekend, a day after her arrival in Florida, Carpenter learned for the first time about any weather-related problems. Her Disney app alerted her to the fact that the resort was keeping an eye on a storm that was gathering speed.
A few hours later, she got another notification, this time from her airline: Tuesday’s flight home had been canceled. Other forms of transportation, such buses and trains, were also either reserved or canceled, and the family’s budget did not allow for the few flights that were available.
In all the years Carpenter has spent on Disney vacations, she has never seen this wrinkle.
“I understand it’s hurricane season, but we’ve been doing this since 2017 and never really had an issue in October,” she said. “We, at the time of our plans and leaving, had no idea that it was going to be this serious of a situation.”
Although this week has mainly gone according to plan at Walt Disney World Resort, the theme parks will be closed starting on Wednesday at 1 p.m., and “it is likely the theme parks will remain closed on Thursday,” the resort said on Tuesday afternoon.
The National Hurricane Center reported in a 5 p.m. advisory that Hurricane Milton was around 480 miles southwest of Tampa as it rushed toward Florida on Tuesday afternoon as a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. Wednesday night is when the hurricane is predicted to approach Florida’s west-central coast, with Milton aiming for landfall in the heavily populated Tampa Bay region.
Mandatory evacuations have been issued along the coast due to the storm. The Orlando airport, which is located farther inland in the larger Orlando region, where Disney is situated, declared that it will close on Wednesday at eight a.m.
According to the fan-run Walt Disney World Magazine, in Disney’s more than 50-year existence, only a few hurricanes have resulted in the parks closing. The region appears to be as dependent on tourism as tourists from all over the world are: With 74 million visitors last year, the region is the most popular travel destination in the US, according to The Associated Press, thanks to Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and other theme parks.
Preschool teacher Cara Prior of Thompson’s Station, Tennessee, drove to Disney on Saturday with her husband and daughter, 14, riding in the family camper, hoping for a fun-filled week. The family has been moved to a Disney hotel at no cost, but Disney is closing the campsite where their camper was parked ahead of the storm.
A few hours before the family left for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney, Prior stated over the phone on Tuesday afternoon, “I know tomorrow we’ll probably be sitting in the hotel a little nervous.” However, “we have been informed that Disney has numerous backups and a generator on a generator on a generator.”
Some were able to abruptly cancel their Disney vacations. Fairbury, Nebraska physician assistant Kensly Williams was scheduled to travel to Florida with her family on Wednesday. She decided to reschedule as the weather became increasingly bleak.
Williams added, “I would never want to put my family in danger.” Williams has two young children, ages three and six months.
She also didn’t want to be strolling through Disney during a storm.
“I think anybody that has toddlers knows that they don’t tolerate being soaking wet and changes in the schedule very well,” she said.
Travelers who didn’t need to go to Florida this week are highly discouraged against doing so, according to Ashleigh Giliberto, a Miami theme park vacation planner.
“People save for years to be able to go to Disney — the average person goes, what, once in their lifetime? It’s a big trip for people, and it’s something they look forward to,” she said.
“If I had someone come to me and say, ‘Would you book me a room?’ I’d say, ‘No, I won’t.’ I will not make a new reservation during an active hurricane. I don’t think it’s smart,” she said.
Indiana visitor Carpenter expressed her anxiety of being stranded in Florida during the hurricane. One nice thing came her way: when her first trip was canceled, she now has a later-in-the-week flight home. She did, however, state that she is still waiting to see.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” she said. “I don’t know what it’s going to be like, or what the aftermath is going to be like, or realistically, if we’re even going to be able to get home on Friday.”
Stories that matter are our priority. At Florida Insider, we make sure that the information we provide our readers is accurate, easy-to-read, and informative. Whether you are interested in business, education, government, history, sports, real estate, nature or travel: we have something for everyone. Follow along for the best stories in the Sunshine State.
Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.