As tropical storm Nicole makes its way to Central Florida this week, Walt Disney World is being proactive and announcing a few closures ahead of time.
Afternoon Update (Nov. 9)
Walt Disney World has just made the big decision to close its parks early today:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Closing today, Nov. 9, at 5pm with last dining reservations at 5pm.
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Closing today, Nov. 9, at 6pm. with last dining reservations at 6pm.
- EPCOT: Closing today, Nov. 9, at 7pm. Last dining reservations for Monsieur Paul, Space 220 Restaurant, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall and Garden Grill Restaurant will be at 6pm, and last dining for all other dining reservations will be at 6:30pm.
- Magic Kingdom Park: Closing today, Nov. 9, at 7pm. Last dining reservations for Be Our Guest Restaurant, The Diamond Horseshoe, Liberty Tree Tavern and Cinderella’s Royal Table will be at 6pm, and last dining for all other dining reservations will be at 6:30pm.
All parks will remained closed through the morning hours of tomorrow, November 10, and will likely not reopen at their regularly scheduled time. We’ll update this post when we have reopening times.
We also have more resort closings:
The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser voyage scheduled to begin tomorrow, Nov. 10, will be canceled. Disney is contacting Guests with reservations.
Guests staying at the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort will be required to depart by today, Nov. 9, at 3pm. Disney is contacting Guests with reservations to help them find alternative accommodations.
At this time, all other Walt Disney World Resort hotels remain open to Guests.
In dining news, character breakfasts at Disney Resort hotels will not include characters tomorrow morning, Nov. 10, so they can accommodate more Resort Guests staying at these locations for breakfast.
To align with modified theme park hours, all nighttime spectaculars will be canceled today, Nov. 9, including Disney Enchantment at Magic Kingdom Park, Harmonious at EPCOT, and previously mentioned Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Ferrytale Fireworks: A Sparkling Dessert Cruise will also be canceled tonight, Nov. 9.
Disney Springs will close early today, Nov. 9, at 7pm, with last dining reservations at 6:30pm. Disney Springs will remain closed through tomorrow morning, Nov. 10.
Disney Bus transportation from Disney Springs will operate until 8pm. today, Nov. 9.
Morning Update (Nov. 9)
There have been some updates overnight from Walt Disney World, and here is the latest:
Guests staying at the campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground,either in a tent or RV, will be required to depart by today at 3pm. They are contacting Guests with reservations to help them find alternative accommodations, if needed.
The extended evening theme park hours at Magic Kingdom will be be cancelled for tonight (Wednesday, Nov. 9), along with all performances of “Fantasmic!” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Afternoon Update (Nov. 8)
Walt Disney World has made some changes from this morning’s announcement (below).
The water park and miniature golf closures remain in effect, but it appears Disney has chosen to rescind the resort and “Hoop-De-Doo Musical Review” closures. As of now, they will remain open to guests.
But I do have three new closures that may affect some Guests at Walt Disney World (and some trying to get here this week).
On Wednesday, November 9, 2022, both Orlando International Airport and Orlando Sanford International Airport will be closing starting at 4pm, and Melbourne Orlando International Airport will be closing at 2pm. These closures are indefinite pending the weather and any possible damage or flooding.
If you have a flight scheduled to arrive or depart after those times, contact your airline for flight updates.
I will keep an eye out and update this post as needed with any additional changes as Nicole gets closer.
Morning Update (Nov. 8) — As noted above, resort & dining closures no longer in effect.
Resort Closures
For the safety of WDW Guests and Cast Members, the following resorts will be closed Wednesday, November 9 through Friday, November 11, 2022:
- Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
- Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Disney says they are contacting Guests with current and upcoming reservations impacted by this change. Guests affected may reschedule their trip or cancel their stay, and any cancellation feeds will be waived.
Show Closures
Since Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground will be closed, all performances of the “Hoop-De-Doo Musical Review” have been canceled for Wednesday, November 9 through Friday, November 11, 2022.
Guests with pre-paid reservations will be automatically canceled and refunded.
Water Parks and Miniature Golf
Walt Disney World Water Parks and Miniature Golf locations are temporarily closed on Thursday, November 10:
- Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park
- Winter Summerland Miniature Golf
- Fantasia Gardens
- Fairways Miniature Golf
Other Details
Other than the above mentioned closures, Walt Disney World Resort is currently operating under normal conditions.
They state they are closely monitoring the path of the projected weather from sub tropical storm Nicole and will continue to prioritize the safety of Guests and Cast Members.
We will update this post if we hear of any other closures due to the storm.
What to Expect
The governor has announced a state of emergency in 34 of the state’s 67 counties, including Lake, Orange, Oscoloa and Seminole, which are adjacent to, or contain portions of, Walt Disney World.
If you are visiting Walt Disney World and Orlando during this time, it is currently under a Tropical Storm Watch, so expect strong winds and heavy rains from Wednesday through Friday morning as the storm passes over.
Subtropical Storm Nicole is not expected to be as strong as Hurricane Ian, which passed over the area in September, but flooding is possible.
The east coast of Florida from Fort Lauderdale to Daytona Beach will have the worst of the storm at it hits land Wednesday morning.
The Facebook page of the US National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida, is a good source of current news on the storm and its path.
As of this post, here are the current forecast maps for Florida:
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