Theme Parks Prepare for Worst Case Scenario — A Direct Hit from Major Hurricane

It’s possible Ian will be the worst hurricane to hit many Florida attractions in their history. Here’s how much of that is to be handled, especially by Disney World officials.

Featured Image Courtesy: Market Watch (from Hurricane Irma)

For forty years Walt Disney World has stood without taking a direct hit from a hurricane. There have been close calls. Hurricanes Floyd and Charley probably impacted the resort the most. Yet Floyd’s eye stayed in the Atlantic Ocean in 1999. 2004 was a different story. Hurricane Charley followed a similar trajectory as what we’re seeing with Ian’s projection. Luckily for Walt Disney World, the hurricane passed by to the east of the parks. That meant that while much of Orlando was damaged by Charley, Disney World had some of the lowest wind gusts of the area.

From what we’re seeing out of Ian and its possible track, that might not be true this go-around.

Image Courtesy: Theme Park Insider

Instead, the most recent models put the hurricane on path to first slam head-first into Tampa’s Busch Gardens. As a Category Four hurricane at landfall, the roller coaster and zoo based theme park is likely to take heavy damage. Then, it appears that Ian may move northwest of Disney World, Universal Studios and Seaworld. That would potentially put those parks on the “dirty side” of the hurricane. And at that point, they would be facing a Category 2 or Category hurricane in the full force of its power. Things can and do change quickly with hurricanes but this is the most likely model less than 48 hours from impact.

In essence, this has the very real possibility of being a worst case scenario for Tampa Bay’s attractions and the worst hurricane to ever hit the Orlando theme parks.

So let’s talk about what is about to happen with Disney World. 

First, cast members on the storm team are going to make sure that all objects that could become airborne in a hurricane are stored away. That means decorations will be brought down, chairs and tables will be brought into restaurants and guests will even be told to bring their patio furniture in from their balconies. Next, once officials at the park have a good idea of first tropical storm force winds reaching the area, they will set a time to have all animals placed into storm-prepared habitations. You might think of Animal Kingdom theme park but that also includes other creatures like the horses who pull the trolleys at Magic Kingdom.

At some point, should the hurricane’s eye head near Disney World, an announcement will be made for when the parks will close. There will also come a point when guests staying at the hotels will be asked to stay indoors and the exterior automatic doorways will be turned off. Hurricane procedures mean that guests staying at a Disney World hotel will receive a complimentary flashlight from the front desk in case of a power outage. Hotels will begin selling non-perishable, prepared box meals rather than the normal food fare available from restaurants. Monorails will be parked in safe locations including both lines used for the Contemporary.

Image Courtesy: Blog Mickey

Once the storm has passed, damage assessments will occur. First teams will check transportation safety, then structural damage, then theme parks and individual attractions. We’ve never seen Disney World lose power for a long duration from a storm and that seems unlikely even if the park takes a direct Category 2 hit. However, guests venturing out of their rooms once the storm has passed can expect to see many trees down and debris everywhere. If the past is a sign for the future, Disney teams will clean that debris with a speed that is amazing. Should damage occur to most attractions, repair will be swift and mostly hidden. However, should Cinderella Castle, Spaceship Earth, Tron, Space Mountain, the Tower of Terror, or other very visible symbols take damage, these are more difficult to repair swiftly. Tron in particular is a major concern for Disney operations — the material on the canopy was only recently installed and hasn’t been tested with a real hurricane scenario before.

Finally, if the storm is even more severe than we are expecting, Disney World could be shuttered for a few days. In a very dangerous situation, some resorts might offer guests the option of moving their families to hallways instead of their rooms.

Universal Studios, meanwhile, has far less real estate to deal with damage. However, the theme park might also suffer from power outages, so guests sheltering in their hotels should keep that in mind over the next few days. Locales like SeaWorld and Discovery Cove will work to make sure animals are kept safe. Many of these facilities feature backup generators to offer redundancy and protect animals that need specific water conditions dependent on electricity.

As for our coverage of Hurricane Ian, we are sending reporters to Walt Disney World on Friday. We do not feel it would be ethical to have reporters staying at a Disney hotel during the hurricane’s initial pass-thru. While that would bring untold readers and offer us the chance to do amazing YouTube videos, it also might prevent someone in need from staying in a safe room. We will, of course, have footage of the hurricane, and then we will be on the scene immediately afterwards in a way that doesn’t inconvenience or slow down repair crews. We have also secured tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party right after the hurricane and will report on how that event has been impacted.

For all the latest news that should be fun, keep reading That Park Place. If you are a reader who lives in the impacted area of this oncoming storm, we wish you safety and no loss of property.