Disney Announces Immediate Closure of Theme Park “Until Further Notice”

Due to unfortunate extreme conditions, a massive Disney resort has announced it will be closing immediately.

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Despite Disney advertising its long list of theme parks as magical destinations, the real world often seeps in. From crime and physical assault to inclement weather, there’s been no shortage of unfortunate incidents breaking up an otherwise perfect experience for guests at the Disney parks in recent months.

Both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts have been hit with extreme weather conditions in the last month, with Disneyland closing entirely earlier in August due to Hurricane Hilary. Several facilities at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, closed due to Hurricane Idalia. Walt Disney World is bracing for another tropical storm as Hurricane Lee intensifies off the coast of Florida.

Unfortunately, extreme weather is about to hit another major Disney theme park destination, with Hong Kong Disneyland announcing an indefinite closure effective immediately.

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This Disney resort lies directly in the path of Typhoon Saola, the strongest typhoon to hit Hong Kong in five years. This severe storm has hit top wind speeds of 220 km per hour (135 mph) – making it the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. The hurricane made landfall at the start of this month and has caused quite a lot of havoc for Hong Kong Disneyland. The resort has closed multiple times in the last week, with the resort announcing that it would be closing yet again.

Saola has ripped up trees, detached scaffolding, and caused at least one landslide as the storm batters the entire Hong Kong area. As stated on the official resort website, Hong Kong Disneyland is closed “until further notice.” This will surely put a damper on guests’ trips, but it’s important that guests and Disney cast members remain as safe as possible at this time. We do not yet know when the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort will reopen, so stay tuned here for information.

The Hong Kong Disney Resort is full of classic Disney theme park experiences. Guests will find familiar rides and attractions like “it’s a small world” and Dumbo the Flying Elephant as well as unique experiences that can only be found here like Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars and Mystic Manor, the resort’s version of the iconic Haunted Mansion.

Seeing an entire Disney theme park close is quite rare and happens only when conditions are extreme enough to warrant the closure. We saw multiple Disney theme parks and resorts close as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020.  Hong Kong Disneyland closed several times due to COVID-19, with the resort taking extra safety precautions for several months after the initial outbreak.

Hong Kong Disneyland is one of the newer additions to The Walt Disney Company’s collection of theme parks, with the resort first opening in 2005. Guests will find Hong Kong Disneyland located in Lantau Island, Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong Disneyland is comprised of seven different lands, similar to what can be found inside Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, or Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. 

Have you visited Hong Kong Disneyland? What’s your favorite Disney theme park?