5 Things You Must Know When Hurricanes Hit Walt Disney World

Florida’s official hurricane season is approximately 183 days long (beginning June 1st and ending November 30th), peaking in the August and September months. Walt Disney World opened in 1971, which means they’ve endured roughly 8052 days of hurricane season. Disney World hasn’t had to close their gates often because of a hurricane, yet it has happened.  Past hurricanes like Floyd, Charley, Francis, Ivan, Jeanne, and Wilma have resulted in either entire day park closures or modified park hours (delayed opening or early closing).  Of these hurricanes, Charley hit Orlando the hardest, yet there was no irreversibly devastating impact to Disney World specifically (though some attractions bore structural damage in need of repair).

With history revealing only a small number of actual Disney park closures and because of the favorable geographic location of Walt Disney World within the state of Florida (more on that later),the chance of you having a completely ruined trip at Walt Disney World due to a hurricane or storm are slim. But that does not mean that hurricanes shouldn’t be treated as the destructive and often fatal force of nature that they are. In truth, every storm, from tropical depressions to high category hurricanes should be taken seriously and treated with precautions in place. Just because Disney World hasn’t faced a truly cataclysmic storm, doesn’t mean it can’t happen. If you are planning a vacation during these sometimes tumultuous/sometimes uneventful hurricane months, my advice is to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Like my father always says, “Life happens, and sometimes it happens to you.” So what can you do to prepare in advance when traveling to Walt Disney World during hurricane season? There are are some things to consider in the following slides.