Disney World and Orlando theme parks reopen after Hurricane Milton

By Yi-Jin Yu

Disney World and the other Orlando-area theme parks are reopening Friday after Hurricane Milton roared through Florida.

The theme parks and resorts closed temporarily on Wednesday afternoon, hours before Milton made landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane. They remained closed on Thursday as Milton moved away from Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean.

Milton came less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Florida's Big Bend region. More than 230 people have died due to Helene, many due to inland flooding in the Appalachians, according to The Associated Press.

Here is the latest status on the theme parks reopening after Milton.

Is Walt Disney World reopening after Hurricane Milton?

Joe Burbank/AP

Guests weather early bands of rain from Hurricane Milton at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Fla., Oct. 9, 2024.

Walt Disney World theme parks and Disney Springs have reopened Friday under scheduled operating hours, according to a Friday morning update on the Walt Disney World website.

Disney had closed its theme parks, water parks, miniature golf complexes and nearby Disney Springs on Wednesday afternoon. The company had also halted Walt Disney World Transportation service temporarily and canceled the Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party event at Magic Kingdom that had been scheduled for Thursday.

Joe Burbank/AP

Guests at the Magic Kingdom break out ponchos at Cinderella Castle as bands of weather from Hurricane Helene move through Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Fla., Sept. 26, 2024.

Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and the Treehouse Villas at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa are likely to remain closed until Sunday, Oct. 13, according to Disney.

Is Universal Orlando Resort reopening after Hurricane Milton?

Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images, FILE

In this July 18, 2019, file photo, the three dimensional globe logo at Universal Studios, in Orlando, Fla.

Like Disney, Universal Orlando is reopening all theme parks, Universal CityWalk and their seasonal Halloween Horror Nights event Friday.

Universal had closed Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, the water park Universal Volcano Bay, and CityWalk on Wednesday after 2 p.m. and remained closed on Thursday. Halloween Horror Nights was also canceled for Wednesday and Thursday.

"On Friday, Oct. 11, we look forward to welcoming back our guests as we return to our normal operation across all our theme parks, CityWalk and Halloween Horror Nights inclusive of Early Park Admission for Universal Orlando Hotel guests, Premier Passholders and Preferred Passholders," Universal said in a Friday morning update on its website.

Is SeaWorld Orlando reopening after Hurricane Milton?

Charlotte Kesl/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE

The SeaWorld amusement park is seen in Orlando, Fla., May 15, 2020.

SeaWorld Orlando, whose parent company is United Parks & Resorts Inc., is reopening Friday but had canceled their Spooktacular and Howl-O-Scream events on Friday, according to an update on the park's website.

"Following Hurricane Milton, our team is evaluating the parks. We are grateful for our dedicated team of animal care experts, including veterinarians, who remained onsite during the storm to monitor the animals, and we appreciate our ambassadors who are onsite to help ensure our park is ready to welcome you," United Parks & Resorts said in its latest update.

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