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What You Need To Know About Disney World's Hurricane Policy If You Plan To Visit
As Hurricane Irma is increasing in strength, many are wondering exactly where the hurricane will make landfall and how it will affect their lives — including those who have upcoming theme park vacations planned and want to know whether Disney World will be closed for Hurricane Irma. While it is too soon to tell whether Irma will impact Disney or whether the park will be closed, the theme park does take have some long-standing precautions in place against storms, including a Disney hurricane policy.
According to ABC News, Hurricane Irma has strengthened to a Category 4 storm and there's now an increasing chance that the storm could affect Florida and the Florida Keys toward the end of this week. However, the outlet noted that it is still too soon to know for certain what exact impacts the storm could have on the Sunshine State.
Florida's governor, Rick Scott, issued a state of emergency on Monday to allow people and businesses sufficient time to prepare for the storm in case it does impact Florida. Scott noted the importance of preparation in a recent statement, saying "In Florida, we always prepare for the worst and hope for the best ... and while the exact path of Irma is not absolutely known at this time, we cannot afford to not be prepared."
Right now, the park does not appear to have made any official decision regarding whether or not it will remain open as Irma nears, likely because it is too early to determine the storm's path. Disney World does do its best to always try to stay open, as it has only ever closed four times in the park's history. However, all of these closures were in anticipation of hurricanes. Therefore, if you have plans to go to Disney World this week, your best bet is probably to closely follow the storm's path as well as the park's official website to discern whether or not a closure is a possibility.
Moreover, regardless of whether or not the park closes, Disney World does have a hurricane policy in place that allows you to cancel or reschedule Disney plans made through the company if a hurricane warning is issued within seven days of your arrival. This includes vacation packages and room reservations made through the park, but not reservations made through third party suppliers (like airline tickets, etc). Thus, be sure to keep a close eye on weather warnings to see if Disney's hurricane policy has been activated.
If you do have upcoming Disney plans, it is important to remain vigilant and look out for weather and official park updates — and, of course, to be safe if you do decide to travel in and around the Florida area later this week.
Read more on Hurricane Irma:
Will Hurricane Irma Be As Bad As Harvey?
The Latest Irma Forecast Shows The Monstrous Hurricane Barreling Toward The Caribbean Islands
Will Hurricane Irma Hit Orlando? Florida Is Concerned About The Storm's Effects
Hurricane Irma Is Getting Closer To The Caribbean's Leeward Islands
How To Track Hurricane Irma, The Next Major Storm Heading This Way
These 2017 Hurricane Predictions Reveal The Storm Season Isn't Even Close To Over
Irma Has Been Upgraded To A "Catastrophic" Category 5 Hurricane
