Disney World and Universal closures halt tourism in Orlando as Milton approaches

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tourism in Orlando quickly came to a halt Wednesday as the main airport and at least three theme parks and other businesses were suspended switch offcausing Florida residents and visitors to flee Hurricane Milton to settle in hotels in the area.

Milton, which is expected to come ashore late Wednesday like a big stormthreatened to ruin the vacations of tens of thousands of tourists who came to Orlando to visit Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld or to attend Oktoberfest festivals such as Universal's Halloween Horror Nights. Disney and Universal were scheduled to close Wednesday afternoon, while SeaWorld didn't open at all. Everyone is expected to remain closed on Thursday.

Orlando International Airport, the seventh-busiest airport in the country and Florida's busiest airport, suspended operations Wednesday morning.

The closures dampened the expectations of some tourists, while the looming storm caused some concern among others.

Linda and Bob Shaffer of northeastern Pennsylvania said they stocked up on pizza, peanut butter, drinks, flashlights and a deck of cards at their rental home. They decided to attend the resort's entertainment hours before going into hiding during the hurricane.

“We're just killing time until we have to stare at each other for the next 24 hours,” Linda Shaffer said.

The damp weather didn't stop Serena Hedrick and her 16-year-old son Corey as they headed to Universal Studios on Wednesday. Corey had been worried about what might happen during her first hurricane, but consoled herself with her hotel's promise of non-stop movies, kids' activities and food.

“It is what it is,” Serena Hedrick said.

The Osborne family arrived from Memphis two days early, so they were able to spend almost two days at the theme parks before Milton arrived. Alexander Osborne said other relatives decided not to participate because of the storm, but he wasn't afraid of experiencing his first hurricane.

“It is not dangerous to be here now and I want to spend time and enjoy what we can because we will be spending the next few days in our hotel rooms,” he said.

Fifteen-year-old Nicholas Gutowski said he trusted the Disney infrastructure at the hotel where he and his sister stayed.

“It’s definitely scary, but Disney has backup power,” he said.

Originally from Texas but currently living in Tennessee, Gutowski and his sister Joy Blackburn, 26, squeezed two Disney theme park visits into one day, knowing they were running out of time before the theme parks closed.

As amusement park visitors thronged for a few more hours Wednesday, workers in a Universal Orlando parking garage hugged each other goodbye and wished each other good luck in the hours before Milton was scheduled to land.

The Orlando region is the most visited destination in the United States due to Disney World, Universal and other attractions, attracting 74 million tourists last year alone.

Halloween-related celebrations have also made October one of the busiest and most lucrative times for theme parks.

While Disney rarely closes its doors, its hotels are often havens for coastal residents fleeing storms. A check of Disney World's online reservation system on Tuesday showed there were no available seats.

Hurricanes in the Orlando area are not uncommon. There were three who passed through the Orlando area in 2004 – Charley, Frances and Jeanne. Hurricane Irma passed west of the Orlando metropolitan area in 2017, and Hurricane Ian swept through the area as a downgraded tropical storm in 2022, causing flooding in some places.

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Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform X: @MikeSchneiderAP.