Hurricane Nicole Brings Severe Weather to Walt Disney World

UPDATE 11/10 | 11:30 am: Walt Disney World has reported that their crew has assessed the resort property and found minimal debris in the area. There are also reportedly no power outages so they are moving forward with their phased reopening as described below.

That should do it for updates on this post, however, if Walt Disney World posts any additional closures, reopenings, or any other impacts in the area on disneyworld.com/weather, we will share them at the top of this post.

UPDATE 11/10 | 8 am: Walt Disney World has provided some important updates to dining experiences across the resort hotels along with restaurant reopening times for Thursday. The full list can be found HERE.

Dining and Enchanting Extras

Effective immediately, Disney will not enforce cancellation policies until further notice for dining and other experiences like Savi’s Workshop and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Guests with pre-paid reservations will be canceled and refunded to the original form of payment.

Performances of Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground have been canceled for Thursday, November 10.

Theme Parks

Walt Disney World Resort theme parks will reopen in a phased approach beginning at 12:00 pm Thursday, November 10. Planned theme park operating hours based on current projections are as follows.

Magic Kingdom Park: Noon to 6:00 pm (Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is scheduled for 7:00 pm to midnight.)
EPCOT: 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park: 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm (Fantasmic! will not be presented on Thursday, November 10.)

Transportation to theme parks will begin 30 minutes prior to the scheduled park reopening time.

Reservations for bookable experiences within the theme parks will resume at the scheduled park reopening time. Partially used multi-day theme park tickets with a validity window impacted by Hurricane Nicole will be automatically extended within 24 hours to allow the use of the remaining unused ticket days through September 20, 2023. In order to enter a park, both a park reservation and a valid ticket for the same park on the same date are required.

Water Parks and Mini Golf

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park will remain closed Thursday, November 10. (Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park is currently closed.)
Winter Summerland Miniature Golf and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will remain closed Thursday, November 10.

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground is anticipated to reopen Thursday, November 10, following an assessment of storm impacts.
Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will reopen for guests checking in Thursday, November 10.
At this time, all other Walt Disney World Resort hotels remain open to guests.
Character breakfasts at Disney resort hotels will not include Characters Thursday morning, November 10, so Disney can accommodate more resort guests staying at these locations for breakfast.

Disney Springs

Disney Springs will begin a phased reopening at 12:00 pm, Thursday, November 10.
Disney Bus transportation from Disney Springs will resume at 2:00 pm Thursday, November 10.

UPDATE 11/9 | 10 pm: The National Hurricane Center has reported that Tropical Storm Nicole has strengthened into a category 1 hurricane. The Key Messages in their newest update is below.

UPDATE 11/9 | 7 pm: Walt Disney World has provided operating hours for their theme parks on Nov. 10 as well as some additional updates and information.

Walt Disney World Theme Parks and Water Parks

While this schedule may change, as of 7:00 pm Wednesday, November 9, Disney is planning to make the following operational adjustments as they continue to prioritize the safety of their cast members and guests during the storm:

THEME PARKS

Walt Disney World Resort theme parks will reopen in a phased approach beginning at 12:00 pm Thursday, November 10. Planned theme park operating hours based on current projections are as follows.

Transportation to theme parks will begin 30 minutes prior to the scheduled park reopening time.

Reservations for bookable experiences within the theme parks will resume at the scheduled park reopening time. As previously shared, extended evening theme park hours at Magic Kingdom will be canceled Wednesday, November 9.

To align with modified theme park hours, nighttime spectaculars will be canceled Wednesday, November 9, including Disney Enchantment at Magic Kingdom park, Harmonious at EPCOT, and Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Partially used multi-day theme park tickets with a validity window impacted by Hurricane Nicole will be automatically extended within 24 hours to allow the use of the remaining unused ticket days through September 20, 2023. In order to enter a park, both a park reservation and a valid ticket for the same park on the same date are required.

UPDATE 11/9 | 11:45 am: Walt Disney World has sent out the following notice to guests and cast members advising them of a planned and phased closure of the theme parks.

wdwannouncementclosuretropicalstormnicole DIS

THEME PARKS

Walt Disney World Resort theme parks will have a phased closure today, Nov. 9, beginning at 5 p.m. and will remain closed through tomorrow morning, Nov. 10. Resort guests are encouraged to enjoy food and beverage options at the theme parks prior to returning to their Disney resort hotel. Theme parks will likely not reopen at their regularly scheduled time tomorrow, Nov. 10.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Closing today, Nov. 9, at 5 p.m. with last dining reservations at 5 p.m.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Closing today, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m. with last dining reservations at 6 p.m.
Magic Kingdom Park: Closing today, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. Last dining reservations for Be Our Guest, Liberty Tree Tavern, Diamond Horseshoe, and Cinderella’s Royal Table will be at 6 p.m., and last dining for all other dining reservations will be at 6:30 p.m.
EPCOT: Closing today, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. The last dining reservations for Monsieur Paul, Space 220 Restaurant, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, and Garden Grill Restaurant will be at 6 p.m., and last dining for all other dining reservations will be at 6:30 p.m.

As previously shared, extended evening theme park hours at Magic Kingdom will be canceled today, Nov. 9.

To align with modified theme park hours, nighttime spectaculars will be canceled today, Nov. 9, including Disney Enchantment at Magic Kingdom Park, Harmonious at EPCOT, and Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

WATER PARKS AND MINI GOLF

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon will temporarily close tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 10. (Disney’s Blizzard Beach is currently closed.)
Winter Summerland Miniature Golf and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will close early today, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. and will remain temporarily closed tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 10.

WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT HOTELS

Guests staying at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground will be required to depart by 3 p.m. today, Nov. 9. Disney is contacting guests with reservations to help them find alternate accommodations.
Guests staying at the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort will be required to depart by today, Nov. 9, at 3 p.m. Disney is contacting guests with reservations to help them find alternative accommodations.
At this time, all other Walt Disney World Resort hotels remain open to guests.
Character breakfasts at Disney resort hotels will not include characters tomorrow morning, Nov. 10, so Disney can accommodate more resort guests staying at these locations for breakfast.
Guests may reschedule their trip or cancel their stay; any customary cancellation fees will be waived.

STAR WARS: GALACTIC STARCRUISER

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser voyage scheduled to begin tomorrow, November 10 will be canceled. Disney is contacting guests with reservations.

DINING AND ENCHANTING EXTRAS

Effective immediately, we will not enforce cancellation policies until further notice for dining and other experiences like Savi’s Workshop and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Guests with pre-paid reservations will be canceled and refunded to the original form of payment.
Performances of Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground have been canceled for Wednesday, November 9.
Ferrytale Fireworks: A Sparkling Dessert Cruise has been canceled for Wednesday, November 9.

DISNEY SPRINGS

Disney Springs will close early today, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m., with last dining reservations at 6:30 p.m. Disney Springs will remain closed through tomorrow morning, Nov. 10.
Disney Bus transportation from Disney Springs will operate until 8 p.m. today, Nov. 9.

UPDATE 11/9 | 8:30 am: Tropical Storm Nicole will produce heavy rainfall today into Thursday across the Florida peninsula. Hurricane conditions are expected across portions of the coast of southeast and east-central Florida beginning this evening or tonight where a hurricane warning is in effect.

Nicole is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane just before it makes landfall in Brevard County.

It’s important not to focus on the storm’s exact track as it is a large storm with hazards extending well to the north of the center, outside the forecast cone.

Walt Disney World theme parks are operating under normal conditions at this time. If you’re planning on visiting the Central Florida area, you should continue to monitor news outlets for the latest weather information.

Walt Disney World Water Parks and Miniature Golf locations are temporarily closed on Thursday, November 10.

Guests can reschedule their trip or cancel their stay and any customary cancellation fees will be waived.

Any reservations with The Sunshine Flyer after 4 pm (or the last serviced time) on Wednesday, November 9 and for any time on Thursday, November 10 will be automatically canceled and refunded.

UPDATE 11/8 | 3:00 pm: The Orlando International Airport (MCO) has announced that they will cease commercial operations at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 9th due to forecasted inclement weather.

Operational Update – Tropical Storm Nicole
Together with our partners, a decision has been made to cease commercial operations at 4:00pm on Wednesday, November 9th, until circumstances permit operations resume.
— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) November 8, 2022

UPDATE 11/8 | 10:00 am: Nicole has now been upgraded to Tropical Storm Nicole.

UPDATE 11/8 | 9:00 am: The National Hurricane Center reports that subtropical Storm Nicole has maximum sustained winds near 50 mph (80 km/h) with higher gusts. The storm is expected to make a transition to a tropical storm later today and begin strengthening, and it is forecast to be near or at hurricane strength by Wednesday and Wednesday night while it is moving near the northwestern Bahamas and approaching the east coast of Florida.

Walt Disney World has announced closures and cancelations in advance of the storm’s arrival. (Note: The resort closures listed below were removed from the official WDW site with their 9:45 am update.)

~~The following Disney resort hotels will be closed from November 9-11:~~

Performances of the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue have been canceled for Wednesday, November 9 through Friday, November 11 in light of the temporary closure of Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Guests who have pre-paid reservations will be automatically canceled and refunded. (Note: The restaurant and show cancelation listed above were removed from the official WDW site with their 9:45 am update.)

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park and Disney’s Miniature Golf courses will also be closed due to the forecasted inclement weather.

UPDATE 11/7 | 11:30 am: A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued and will be in effect until Thursday, November 19 for Duval, Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns, Glynn, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Orange, Osceola, Okeechobee, and Camden counties.

The Walt Disney World Resort is in both Orange and Osceola counties, so folks traveling to the area this week should keep a close eye on any announcements that may affect their travel plans.

Original post:

Over the weekend, Subtropical Storm Nicole became strong enough to be named and is forecast to become an even larger storm as the week progresses which could bring severe weather to the Walt Disney World area later this week.

The National Hurricane Center reports that the storm will cause widespread impacts from a long period of coastal flooding, tropical-storm-force winds, heavy rainfall, rough surf and rip currents. These conditions are likely along the southeastern United States coast and the Florida east coast as well as portions of northwestern and central Bahamas.

Projections now indicate that Nicole could be at or near hurricane strength by the time it moves closer to the east coast of Florida on Wednesday or Thursday. A Tropical Storm Watch is already in effect for the northwestern Bahamas and additional watches could potentially be issued for more portions of The Bahamas and the east coast of Florida later today.

As always when severe weather is heading toward the Walt Disney World area, this post will be updated at the top as new information comes in from the National Hurricane Center.

Jackie Gailey

Website

Senior Editor for the DIS and DCL Fan | Disney Vacation Club Member | Thrilled to have been a '13/'14 Disney Parks Moms Panelist (now planDisney) | Lover of all things Disney; the Magic of Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Disney Cruise Line | ºoº