Prior to the news Hurricane Idalia was projected to hit Florida, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando took precautions of closing select attractions and modifying early opening hours.
“Due to the inclement weather, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park …Winter Summerland Miniature Golf and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will be closed on August 30,” reads a statement posted on the Walt Disney World weather page. The notice first went live in the late afternoon of August 29 and has since been updated to reflect the same message on August 30.
Per the official Universal Orlando website: “Universal Orlando Resort theme parks including Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Volcano Bay are planning to open and operate as normal at 9:00 am on Wednesday, Aug. 30. However, we will not offer our usual Early Park Admission benefit for on-site hotel guests, select Annual Passholders and other select travel trade clients on this day while our teams prepare the parks for opening after the storm.”
Even with the changes, it’s worth noting that both theme park resorts have maintained that they will be open for business operation during the storm.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida on August 30 just before 8 a.m. At the time the hurricane had sustained maximum winds of 125 mph.
As of noon, August 30, the hurricane now sits at a Category 1 after briefly reaching Category 4 overnight. The storm has reportedly flooded streets, closed airports, cancelled flights, along with causing widespread power outages across Florida.
Storm surge damage is reported to stretch about 200 miles along Florida’s west coast, past the Tampa Bay area. The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee said “locations may be uninhabitable for several weeks or months” because of wind damage. Storm surge could prevent access, too.
Were you planning to visit Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando Resort during Hurricane Idalia? Let us know in the comments!
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