Credit: Arist Xiong, FlickrOne Disney park announced its last-minute closure today.
It’s rare for a Disney theme park to close completely (with the exception of the extended closures caused by COVID-19). However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
Should a hurricane hit Walt Disney World Resort, for example, and pose a significant risk to its guests, the four parks will close—sometimes for more than one day at a time. Hurricanes such as Charley, Frances, Jeanne, Matthew, and Irma in 2017 have led to temporary closures of Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.
The parks (features like Cinderella Castle included) are built to withstand hurricane-strength winds. However, some areas remain more vulnerable than others, with guests previously evacuated from The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort to other Disney World hotels to ride out the storm in a more secure environment.
Storms aside, Disney has also closed its theme parks in the past for earthquakes (the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami shuttered Tokyo Disney Resort for over a month), protests (Disneyland is the only one to fall foul of this to date), and national emergencies, such as the September 11 attacks in 2001, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
It’s important to remember that Disney never wants to close its parks. Fox once estimated that Disney loses up to $80 million a day when its parks are shut.
The only parks it willingly closes are Tpyhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, Disney World’s two water park options which have operated on alternate schedules with one remaining open while the other undergoes refurbishment since COVID-19. That’s why weather—which poses an immediate risk—is still the most pressing reason behind most closures.
This Week’s Disney Park Closures
That’s the case this week at Hong Kong Disneyland. The fifth of Disney’s six theme park resorts worldwide, this has closed a handful of times due to typhoons over the years. Like Florida, it’s located in a subtropical climate, which makes it prone to tropical storms.
Yesterday (September 4), we reported that Hong Kong Disneyland had issued a warning as Typhoon Yagi—dubbed the strongest storm to hit China in nearly a decade—gained strength. As a result, it had closed all outdoor attractions, such as Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs (the park’s new family roller coaster in World of Frozen), RC Racer, and Dumbo the Flying Elephant, for safety reasons.
Today, the park abruptly shortened its operating hours at the last minute. Instead of closing at 8 p.m. as scheduled, the park closed to guests at 6 p.m.
A notice posted on the park’s website warns that more closures may follow:
Hong Kong is currently affected by inclement weather. The park may delay open and operate with limited offerings upon opening. The park may also remain closed if poor weather conditions continue. Inspiration Lake Recreation Centre will remain closed until further notice. Please check our website for the latest information.
At present, there are no opening times listed for Hong Kong Disneyland tomorrow, when Yagi is expected to be at its closest to Hong Kong. The next day the park appears to plan to open to guests is Saturday when it will open from 10.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.
When Hong Kong Disneyland is open to guests, it’s arguably Disney’s most underrated theme park.
Not only does it boast one of the company’s most unique castles in Castle of Magical Dreams (which replaced the former replica of Disneyland Park’s Sleeping Beauty Castle in 2020), but it’s also home to world-class attractions such as Mystic Manor (the park’s non-ghostly spin on Haunted Mansion), Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars (its equivalent of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which takes its inspiration from Disney California Adventure Park), and Stark Expo (Disney’s first Marvel land, which preceded Avengers Campus by four years).
We’ll keep you updated on when Hong Kong Disneyland reopens!
Have you ever been at Disney during a hurricane or typhoon?