Current:Home > FinanceDisney World and Universal Orlando remain open ahead of Hurricane Milton-LoTradeCoin
Disney World and Universal Orlando remain open ahead of Hurricane Milton
View Date:2024-12-23 16:29:51
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Major theme parks Walt Disney World and Universal remained open Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Milton ’s expected hit as a major storm in Florida even as other parts of Orlando’s tourism machine shut down.
Disney said it was operating under normal conditions and planned, for now, only to close its campgrounds and rental cabins in wooded areas.
Both theme parks said they would continue monitoring the weather and adjust accordingly.
Meanwhile, other parts of Orlando were shutting down — including Orlando International Airport, which said it would cease operations Wednesday morning. The airport is the nation’s seventh busiest and Florida’s most trafficked.
The Orlando area is the most visited destination in the United States due to Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort and other theme parks, attracting 74 million tourists last year alone.
October is also among the busier times for theme parks because of Halloween-related celebrations, which have become major money generators over the past couple decades. Universal Orlando hosts “Halloween Horror Nights,” with ghoulish haunted houses based on slasher films and other pop culture horror, and Disney has its tamer “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.”
While Disney rarely shuts its doors — save for dangerous hurricanes in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Sept. 11 attacks — its hotels are often havens for coastal residents fleeing impending storms. A check of Disney World’s online reservation system on Tuesday morning showed no vacancies.
Those lucky enough to get a hotel reservation have gotten unexpected treats during past storms. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, guests at a hotel on Disney property found themselves stranded with actress Kristen Bell, who voiced the role of Anna in the beloved Disney film, “Frozen.” While in Orlando, the actress found time to sing songs for evacuees at a nearby hurricane shelter.
Once a hurricane passes, the theme parks try to return operations to normal as quickly as possible. After Hurricane Charley charted a devastating path through Orlando in 2004, Disney World had utility vehicles picking up downed tree limbs and clearing roads on its property within an hour in the pitch-dark night.
___
Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform X: @MikeSchneiderAP.
veryGood! (421)
Related
- Jordan Chiles Reveals She Still Has Bronze Medal in Emotional Update After 2024 Olympics Controversy
- Amazon Black Friday 2024 sales event will start Nov. 21: See some of the deals
- Bluesky has added 1 million users since the US election as people seek alternatives to X
- US overdose deaths are down, giving experts hope for an enduring decline
- Record-setting dry conditions threaten more US wildfires, drinking water supplies
- Why Dolly Parton Is a Fan of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Little Love Affair
- Noem’s Cabinet appointment will make a plain-spoken rancher South Dakota’s new governor
- Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump’s election looming over talks
- U.S.-Mexico water agreement might bring relief to parched South Texas
- Jana Kramer’s Ex Mike Caussin Shares Resentment Over Her Child Support Payments
Ranking
- The Fate of Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager's Today Fourth Hour Revealed
- San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had mild stroke this month, team says
- Insurance magnate pleads guilty as government describes $2B scheme
- The results are in: Peanut the Squirrel did not have rabies, county official says
- Man jailed after Tuskegee University shooting says he fired his gun, but denies shooting at anyone
- Amazon Prime Video to stream Diamond Sports' regional networks
- It's about to be Red Cup Day at Starbucks. When is it and how to get the free coffee swag?
- Supreme Court seems likely to allow class action to proceed against tech company Nvidia
Recommendation
-
Fantasy football buy low, sell high: 10 trade targets for Week 11
-
Taylor Swift drops Christmas merchandise collection, including for 'Tortured Poets' era
-
Nicky Hilton Shares Her Christmas Plans With Paris, the Secret To Perfect Skin & More Holiday Gift Picks
-
LSU student arrested over threats to governor who wanted a tiger at college football games
-
Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger welcome their first son together
-
The Latin Grammys are almost here for a 25th anniversary celebration
-
Record-setting dry conditions threaten more US wildfires, drinking water supplies
-
Massachusetts lawmakers to consider a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution