Theme parks are preparing to close their gates this week in Orlando, Fla. Both major parks in the area – Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando Resort – have announced they will be closing this week as Hurricane Milton nears landfall. The tropical cyclone, which is currently at a Category 5 storm, is slated to make landfall on Wednesday night, first on the west coast of Florida around 9pm ET, and travel across the state to Orlando by 9am ET the next morning.

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WDW announced that their theme parks and Disney Springs will begin closing in phases starting at 1pm ET on Wednesday (October 9). Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will close at 1pm, while Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Disney Springs will close at 2pm. All parks and the Springs are slated to likely remain closed through Thursday (October 10), though they will consider opening Disney Springs in the late afternoon with only limited offerings, dependent on weather.

In addition, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom on Thursday has been canceled, and tickets will be refunded. You can find out all of the updates on Walt Disney World park closures at DisneyWorld.com/Weather ! For a full list of Hurricane Milton operational impacts visit https://t.

co/Tc059AigSk . Thank you and stay safe! pic.twitter.

com/oUvOxJ7eZI — Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) October 8, 2024 As for Universal Studios, they have announced closures also starting on Wednesday, with Universal Studios F.