Walt Disney World came to a standstill as Hurricane Milton recently made landfall in Florida and wreaked havoc.

In the wake of the storm‘s powerful winds and heavy rains, Disney was forced to temporarily close its doors, which is a rare occurrence for the world-famous theme park.

As the hurricane’s impact unfolded, Disney’s management and emergency response teams worked diligently to ensure the safety of guests, employees, and the park itself. However, there were still some guests who decided to weather the storm within the confines of the resort.

Hurricane Milton recently made landfall in Florida on October 9, bringing strong winds and torrential rain with it

Image credits: justthemeparks

Image credits: justthemeparks

“When we found out how bad things were going to get and that it was supposed actually to hit in the area our planner had to adjust everything,” BreAnna Ratliff, who traveled with her family from Paintsville, Kentucky, to Florida earlier this week, told WSAZ.

She said she found out about the catastrophic impact of the storm only on the way to the theme park. Her family eventually decided not to turn around.

Theme parks like Walt Disney World came to a standstill as the storm hit the region

@justthemeparks Hurricane Milton is here at Walt Disney World! We’re staying safe in our room at the Art of Animation & hope everyone else in Florida is safe too! We’d also like to say a huge thank you to all the cast members who are working through the hurricane and those who kept the Magic Kingdom open this morning! The small queue’s definitely helped distract us! ❤️😂 Trust us to time our vacation during a hurricane! 🌀 #hurricanemilton #wdw #waltdisneyworld #artofanimation #disneyparks #themeparks ♬ original sound – justthemeparks

@littlelifeofkay Next updates most likely in the AM, stay safe everyone ❤️ #hurricanemilton #disneyworld #disney #fyp ♬ original sound – ✨🏰Disney Kay 🏰✨

“We didn’t want to get on the road and then get stuck in all that traffic when it’s supposed to be hitting this area, so we figured it was just safer to stay put right now,” BreAnna said.

“If we had known about all of this sooner, we probably would’ve changed our vacation and things. It’s been a bit stressful, it has been stressful not knowing,” she added.

Another family of New Zealanders also found themselves caught up in the monstrous storm, which left at least 16 dead.

A number of visitors weathered the storm inside the world-renowned theme park

@littlelifeofkay Thank you to the amazing ride out crew and cast members! ❤️ #hurricanemilton #disneyworld #disney #fyp ♬ Countryside – Andrew Joy

 

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“Our windows have been rattling and I can hear tree branches falling down from our oaks,” Mei Kirkpatrick told Stuff Travel on Thursday evening.

“My husband has been cleaning up the property – clearing all the branches that have fallen on the property,” she added.

After the “worst of the storm” had passed, Disney announced that they would resume operations on Friday

The Walt Disney World theme parks will resume normal operations tomorrow, Friday 10/11. For updated information, visit https://t.co/CMZLu8MYeL pic.twitter.com/q0JxB4LgeH

— Walt Disney World (@WaltDisneyWorld) October 10, 2024

After the worst of the storm was over, Disney shared an update on Thursday to announce that the theme park would resume operations on Friday.

“We’re grateful Walt Disney World Resort weathered the storm,” the update said. “Walt Disney World theme parks and Disney Springs will reopen on Friday, October 11 for the scheduled operating hours. Our hearts are with our fellow Floridians who were impacted by this storm.”

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