Walt Disney World is not cutting its main theme park hours as Hurricane Idalia approaches Florida, but it is making other preparations in advance of the storm, including dropping room rates for evacuees.
The Typhoon Lagoon water park will be closed Wednesday, but the four main parks will open as scheduled. Disney is waiving all reservation change and cancellation fees for WDW resort check-ins through September 4. For guests currently staying at a Walt Disney World resort, they can extend their stay at discounted rates through August 31 if their travel plans have been affected by the storm. Those guests should visit their hotel's front desk for instructions.
Walt Disney World is offering Florida residents evacuating from Idalia and first responders assisting in storm-related recovery efforts 50% off Disney Resort hotel stays on the evenings of August 29-31. Evacuees should call 407-W-DISNEY to book, while first responders should call 407-828-3200 (Option 3). The offer is open for new bookings only and is subject to availability.
Idalia's current track has the storm hitting Florida north of Cedar Key on the Gulf coast tomorrow around 8am. The National Hurricane Center now is forecasting the Idalia to be a major hurricane when it makes landfall. The storm's expected path should take its eye well north of the Orlando area, but high winds and rain still could affect the theme parks and resort areas.
Busch Gardens Tampa yesterday said that it would close at 3pm today and remained closed Wednesday due to the storm. Universal Orlando will open as scheduled Wednesday but Early Park Admission will not be offered.
For more theme park news, please follow Theme Park Insider on social media and sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekly newsletter.
It says that late August is now the slow season at WDW and around Orlando in general. Early school starts + hurricane season + no holiday events = low crowd levels. And it's still too hot at this time of year for Disney to pump its crowds with a runDisney event.
EPCOT F&W, MNSSHP, HHN (starting this weekend) - There are plenty of holiday events going on at WDW and the greater Orlando area right now. I thought the whole point of starting the traditional fall festivals earlier and earlier was to encourage more guests to visit during August and early September. I guess that isn't really working if the resort can essentially market itself as a storm shelter during hurricane season.
The numbers show that the public is not turning out for Halloween in August. And HHN hasn't started yet over at Universal - not that they offered cheap rooms for the storm, anyway.
With all the discount being offered now, it's obvious attendance is down this summer and heading into the winter at WDW (reported wait times confirm this, too). However, with about 30,000 rooms at the resort, Disney often has rooms available this time of any year.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
What does it say about current resort occupancy (leading up to a Holiday Weekend no less) that WDW can offer such dramatic discounts and widely publicize availability to those impacted by the pending storm?