Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando will reopen on Friday after Hurricane Milton forced a rare shutdown of Florida’s theme parks.
The companies previously announced phased closures beginning Wednesday, with plans to remain closed on Thursday. Their hotels remained open to service guests.
Now both Disney and Universal say that they expect their theme parks to reopen Friday.
“We’re grateful Walt Disney World Resort weathered the storm, and we are currently assessing the impacts to our property to prepare for reopening the theme parks, Disney Springs and possibly other areas on Friday, October 11,” Disney said in a statement posted to its website. “Our hearts are with our fellow Floridians who were impacted by this storm.”
Universal, meanwhile, may even open some of its businesses on Thursday, according to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts.
“For the theme parks, the great news for that is we’ll be open tomorrow, and maybe even tonight, with CityWalk [Universal Orlando’s shopping and entertainment district],” Roberts told the Bloomberg Screentime conference Thursday.
“I think the media did a great job for warning people, and it was taken quite seriously,” he added. Comcast also has a substantial number of cable customers impacted by Hurricane Milton, and Roberts said the company has 1,000 people on the ground to deal with the aftermath.
“Our hearts are with all those impacted by Hurricane Milton, and we are dedicated to helping our community recovery. We are also grateful for the hard work of our Team Members during this challenging time,” Universal said in a statement on its website. “On Friday, Oct. 11, we look forward to welcoming back our guests as we return to our normal operation across all our theme parks, CityWalk and Halloween Horror Nights.”
Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s west coast Wednesday night, though its impacts were felt across the state as high winds, tornadoes, flooding and power outages were widespread. Disney World in particular has only rarely shut down over its 50-plus years in operation, though hurricanes are the primary reason for doing so.