Walt Disney World has instructed its hotel guests to shelter in place this week as the powerful Hurricane Ian approaches Florida.
The entertainment giant said all guests who plan to maintain reservations despite the storm should be checked in by 3 p.m. Wednesday and prepare to hunker down on site. Disney is also waiving fees for guests who opt to cancel or reschedule their trips rather than stay.
“Guests that are checked in by 3 p.m. Wednesday will be asked to shelter in place at their resort for the duration of the storm, this includes any resort-to-resort transfers,” Disney said in an update posted to its website.
Disney will not permit new guests to check in on Thursday and customers will not be allowed to check in until after 3 p.m. on Friday, the company added.
The Mouse House announced earlier that its Walt Disney World theme parks and water parks, including Magic Kingdom and Epcot, would temporarily close on Wednesday and Thursday.
“We are monitoring weather conditions so we can make timely decisions for the safety of our Cast and Guests, including when it’s safe for Cast to return to the site to prepare for reopening,” Disney World said in a statement to The Post.
The company said its Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and the Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort are closed through Friday.
Orlando International Airport and Tampa International Airport each suspended flight services this week ahead of the storm’s arrival, further complicating matters for would-be Disney guests.
State officials have ordered the evacuation of millions of Floridians in response to Hurricane Ian, which reached top winds of 155 mph as of Wednesday morning.
“Air Force Hurricane Hunters find Ian has strengthened into an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane,” the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Officials warned the hurricane is “expected to cause life-threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds and flooding” in Florida.
