Hurricane Ian is likely to blame for closed Disney attractions

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Several Disney attractions are currently closed today, and Hurricane Ian is likely to blame.

Hurricane Ian

Late last week, we began our coverage of Hurricane Ian. It officially hit Florida and the Orlando area on Wednesday night, and Disney World has been taking precautions. First, the parks and Disney Springs were closed Wednesday and Thursday. They are operating today under a phased reopening, which you can read about HERE. More experiences and activities will open in the days ahead.

Damage from such a strong storm is to be expected, and it appears the first round occurred during the first night of the storm, September 28. You can read about flooding at the Swan and Dolphin and damaged buildings at the Contemporary in this post.

Now that the parks are reopened, we are seeing the damages caused at various points around the theme parks. At this time, it does not appear any major damage has been sustained.

Animal Kingdom

When I (Monica) first reported that Animal Kingdom would not open until 11:00 am for resort Guests and 1:00 pm for everyone else I wondered if maybe Disney noticed more damage to that park. My next thought was, “well, maybe they need to tend to the wildlife first before making sure it is safe for Guests to visit.”

So far, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, and Kali River Rapids are all down at Animal Kingdom today. With more foliage at that park, our first guess is that fallen trees are to blame for the closures.

disney patent possible yeti fix — Credit: Maggie

What’s interesting is that the Safari and Kali River Rapids are not on the My Disney Experience app wait times. It’s possible damage at these attractions may require a more lengthy closure.