Are you wondering how you can prepare for potential hurricanes at Disney World? This is the right blog post for you.
It is a magical place, but yes, there is a potential that guests may experience hurricanes at Disney World.
This is because Walt Disney World is in Florida, where hurricanes have been known to hit. In fact, Florida experiences hurricanes more than any other state in the US.
Luckily, Disney World is in Orlando, and isn’t close enough to the coast to be affected in a major way most of the time.
But, that doesn’t mean that you won’t be impacted at all, if a hurricane hits on your Disney World trip.
As someone who has been at Disney World during two hurricanes, I have experienced this myself.
So, here are my tips for how you can plan and prepare for possible hurricanes at Disney World.
This post is all about how you can prepare for potential hurricanes at Disney World.
Hurricanes at Disney World
When is the hurricane season?
Hurricane season in Florida is usually between June and November.
So, if you’re visiting over the Summer, for Halloween or the beginning of Christmas, you may be impacted by a hurricane at Disney World.
Do hurricanes hit Disney World?
As Disney World is in Orlando, it is less likely to be impacted by hurricanes.
And, if you are impacted during your stay, it is unlikely that the hurricane will be as intense as it is on the coast.
But, it could cause issues.
For example, the parks may close early or they may be closed throughout the hurricane.
Thankfully, this has only happened nine times in Disney World’s history, but it’s important to be aware of this.
Ways To Prepare for Hurricanes at Disney World
1) Choose your hotel/resort very carefully.
The general consensus is that Disney World is one of the safest places you could be during a hurricane.
So, this may be the time you opt to stay on-site, instead of in an off-site hotel/villa etc.
I have stayed at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort during hurricanes, and never regretted staying on-site.
During hurricanes, Disney often offers special activities at their Resorts, such as:
- Sometimes meet-and-greets with characters
- Games
- Movies
Resort gift shops should remain open, and you may also be able to buy packs of food to take back to your room.
You may also have to stay in your room for a period of time during the hurricane, so if you’re going to be stuck in a room, at least Disney has some great hotel rooms/suites/studios/villas etc. to choose from.
Also, this may not be a time you want to stay in a Cabin at Fort Wilderness or Copper Creek, a treehouse at Saratoga Springs or a bungalow at the Polynesian etc.
Disney may even have to temporarily close these accommodation options (something they have done in the past – such as, during Hurricane Ian).
But ultimately, it’s up to you to weigh up if it’s worth the small risk of staying there during a hurricane.
2) Make sure you have travel insurance that covers you
This is important in general, but especially if you’re going to Disney World during a hurricane.
In September 2019, I had to stay in Disney World for an extra four nights, because of Hurricane Dorian and our flights home getting cancelled. Thankfully, this extra cost was covered by insurance.
More often than not, you won’t have to claim on insurance for Disney trips, but you never know.
3) Be aware of cancellation policies.
If you stay on-site, Disney has a pretty lenient hurricane cancellation policy.
If a hurricane warning is issued within 7 days of your Disney World arrival date, you can cancel most room-only and vacation packages and tickets without a cancellation fee.
You can also reschedule without a change fee – though the potential promotion on your original package/room-only stay will not apply.
For more, information visit Disney’s site.
Here is the Disney Vacation Club Hurricane Policy Statement.
The flexible hurricane cancellation policy does not currently apply to group bookings, meetings, conventions etc. Disney advises these guests to call their events manager for guidance/more information.
If you decide to book an off-site stay, check the hurricane cancellation policy before booking.
4) Expect the unexpected.
The last time I was at Disney World during a hurricane (for Hurricane Idalia in August 2023), Typhoon Lagoon and the golf courses were temporarily closed for a day.
But Disney’s four main theme parks remained open (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Animal Kingdom).
Although it rained and was windy, we went to Hollywood Studios and had a great day!
@caffeinebythecastle I went to Hollywood Studios today, despite the hurricane. Even though I got kind of drenched from the rain, and it was quite windy, I had a great day (more videos to come soon!). The wait times were very short (Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway was as low as 5 minutes!). Have you ever been at Disney World during a hurricane? 💖 #disneyhurricane #disneyworldhurricane
The lines were very short, and the buses were pretty much empty (no need to purchase Genie+ on a day like that 😂)!
@caffeinebythecastle I went to Magic Kingdom today, and there was no one on the bus on the way there (but there was on the way back). There was a bit of rain this morning, but it soon cleared, and it’s now a beautifully sunny day ☀️ The wait times are still quite low (but a little higher than Hollywood Studios yesterday) 💖 #disneyhurricane #disneyworldhurricane
But then again, the parks could close and you could be confined to your room for a period of time.
The point is it’s hard to know what could happen.
In 2019, when we left for our vacation in early-mid August, we didn’t even know that there was going to be a hurricane!
This is the risk of taking a Walt Disney World trip during hurricane season.
But if you do hear about a hurricane hitting Orlando before your trip, you should consider if you still want to go. Before you book your trip, you should probably have an idea of what this plan would look like – just in case you are impacted by this.
And if you do visit Disney World during this season, you may want to order some groceries or take some with you. This is a good idea for most Disney World trips – but especially if it falls during hurricane season.
So, yes, preparing for the unexpected is important.
5) What to do if you’re travelling for a special event/birthday/anniversary etc.
If you’re travelling for a special event, you may want to schedule your departure day a few days before this. This could prevent your flights/transportation from getting disrupted by a hurricane.
However, if you would cancel anyway if there was an anticipated hurricane, this may not impact you.
Ta Ta For Now
Although hurricanes at Disney World can be disruptive, I personally still travel during hurricane season. But this is an individual choice to weigh up before booking your Disney trip.
Have you ever stayed at Disney World during a hurricane? Please let us know if you have any further advice!
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