Hurricane Irma becomes more likely to impact operations at Walt Disney World later this week

Sep 05, 2017 in "Severe Weather impacts to Walt Disney World"

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Posted: Tuesday September 5, 2017 10:38am EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

Impacts to Florida from Hurricane Irma are likely to be felt later this week as the Category 5 hurricane moves closer to land.

The latest advisory from the National Weather Service indicates a fairly wide possible path of the hurricane, and its exact track remains unclear at this point. Longer range models indicate a turn to the north on Sunday, with the hurricane then progressing up through Florida.

As always, Disney will be monitoring the weather situation, but as of now has not yet indicated any operational changes to the parks.

For questions about Irma and your trip, join in the discussion on our forums.

If you have a trip to Disney World booked, be aware of the Walt Disney World Hurricane Policy, which was introduced in 2016 after a series of hurricanes in the mid 90's.

From the official Disney World site:

If a hurricane warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center for the Orlando area—or for your place of residence—within 7 days of your scheduled arrival date, you may call in advance to reschedule or cancel your Walt Disney Travel Company Magic Your Way vacation package and most room only reservations (booked directly with Disney) without any cancellation or change fees imposed by Disney.

If you have products and services provided by third-party suppliers included in your vacation—such as airlines, hotels, car rental agencies or vacation insurance companies—you will continue to be responsible for any non-refundable payments, as well as cancellation or change fees assessed by those suppliers. The policy does not apply to certain special events or dining experiences.

This policy also applies to Disney's Vero Beach Resort or Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort in the event a hurricane warning is issued for those destinations.

If you have questions or you wish to reschedule your vacation due to a hurricane warning, please call (407) 939-7675.

Discuss on the Forums

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andysolSep 11, 2018

1 Year anniversary. Still the best Disney trip I've ever had and loads of fun sharing it on here too!

wdwjmp239Oct 08, 2017

Even though we had IRMA tear through Florida a few weeks ago, we're open and ready for business! Come on down and bring your Disney face! Have fun! :)

Chef MickeyOct 07, 2017

Monthly bill doesn't matter. Too many factors go into utilization. Simply look at the price per kwh. Florida power prices are on par with most southern states at around 11 cents and lower than national averages of around 12.5 cents. Sydney Australia is around 23 cents per kwh while Hawaii is around 37 cents per kwh, just for some perspective. But never let facts get in the way of a good story. Carry on.

JoeCamelOct 07, 2017

While I can see 3600 ft with kids generating a bill of $400 I have a very leaky house/windows and an old heat pump system and my average here on the west coast (FL) is $100. My utility says my consumption is about average for Florida.

Bullseye1967Oct 07, 2017

I don't find that to be an exaggeration. I have no clue where you would get a figure like $125. For the years i lived in Kissimee and paid KUA (Kissimmee Utility Authority), we averaged around $400 a month and kept our thermostat at around 74. Yes we had kids and our house was about 3600 sq ft, but I can't see a studio apartment paying $125.

rocketraccoonOct 07, 2017

With the original facade it reminds me of something you'd see at Universal Studios more than anything. Maybe they decided that it might not've looked great to have just the building and bit of track. Maybe it would've been slightly annoying to get rid of and re-do the area when they resigned it so they just printed some new banners. It's a nice escape from the rain at least.

Chef MickeyOct 06, 2017

I guess I'll say it...why is/was that even there to begin with? The "reimagined" photo above looks so much cleaner anyway. This is like the hat in front of the Chinese Theater.

WDWtravelerSep 28, 2017

Photo update as of Thursday, September 28. Debris removal via barge at Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom. The trees used to be thick enough you couldn't see the windmill on the hill.

psherman42Sep 27, 2017

I was actually there Saturday night and it was running.

Tom P.Sep 25, 2017

We were at Disney Springs on Thursday evening and it was still closed. I haven't seen any update on it since then.

Gabe1Sep 25, 2017

Thanks for updated photos Being at WDW before and after Irma I was impressed with how the resorts and parks held up. I never worried during lockdown at Wilderness Lodge. 24 hours post Irma the parks looked overall fantastic and most areas were free from any obvious damage. My town looked worse after a low level tornado and still does 7 weeks after. I slept through the worst of Irma. I expected at least noise to the glass doors to balcony. Nope. Overwhelmingly the parks held up incredibly well.

Clamman73Sep 25, 2017

I did some retro-imagineering to your pic.

RiderSep 24, 2017

Animal Kingdom update. Still some big trees down and some stumps that will need to be removed. Big tree near the entrance destroyed the fence around the swan pond. A temp fence has been installed. The lemurs lost one of their trees. I think this is hurricane damage: The door near the tiger habitat has been repaired/replaced. A huge tree fell over the river near the new Pandora/Africa walkway. This one might be around for a while until they figure out how to remove it. Other items spotted but no pictures: A few trees fell around Pizzafari but only stumps remain now. One looks like it tore up some utility line and there is a barrier setup to keep guests away. Also the African Crown Crane habitat in the Safari queue had a tree fall on part of the fence. The birds are MIA until that gets fixed.