Disney World and Universal Orlando Theme Park are closing as Florida prepares for Hurricane Milton

Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, two major theme parks in Orlando, are preparing to close as Florida braces for a severe storm from Hurricane Milton.

Disney said it will gradually close its theme parks and the Disney Springs entertainment complex starting at 1 p.m. Wednesday and will “likely” remain closed Thursday as well. “We will consider opening Disney Springs in the late afternoon with limited offerings,” Disney said on its website, adding that Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom was canceled on Thursday.

Universal said it would suspend operations at its theme parks and City Walk on Wednesday at 2 p.m. and remain closed on Thursday. “We anticipate a full reopening of our destination, including Halloween Horror Nights, on Friday, October 11, during our normal operating hours until the impacts of the storm are resolved,” the park’s website says.

SeaWorld Orlando also announced its closure on Wednesday and Thursday.

“We continue to closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Milton,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement. “Please note that these adjustments have been made to allow our guests and Cast Members sufficient time to safely return to their resort hotels or homes, hours before stronger winds are expected to reach Central Florida.”

Milton was a Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm has sustained winds of 155 mph and is expected to make landfall on Florida’s west coast on Wednesday.

Aside from recent major hurricanes, the COVID-19 pandemic and the September 11 attacks, Disney rarely suspends operations at its theme parks. October is busy for the theme parks due to Halloween events such as Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights and Disney’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.