Credit: Alan Wat, FlickrFor the second time in a week, one Disney resort is facing the threat of a tropical storm.
If you feel like you’ve heard the words “tropical storm” and “Disney” in the same sentences a lot lately, you’re not imagining things. This year’s relentless weather has hit Disney hard, with storms pulling off the rare feat of shutting down theme park operations.
At Walt Disney World Resort, both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton have impacted the parks this year. All four theme parks and resorts temporarily closed on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 9, ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall near Siesta Key as a Category 4 hurricane.
Weeks earlier, Hurricane Helene forced Disney to cancel Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom Park, as well as to cancel (then actually un-cancel) several tours around its parks.
Further afield, Shanghai Disney Resort closed in mid-September due to Typhoon Bebinca – the worst typhoon to hit Shanghai since 1949.
Exactly a month earlier, the impact of another typhoon – Typhoon Ampil – forced Tokyo Disney Resort’s operator, The Oriental Land Company, to shutter both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea several hours earlier than planned.
Hong Kong Disneyland has had an even rougher experience with typhoons this year. Disney’s smallest theme park resort has had no choice but to adjust operations multiple times in July, September, and October.
Most recently, it had to close all of its outdoor attractions on November 9 after Super Typhoon Yinxing sparked a No. 3 warning signal in Hong Kong.
Four days later, the park is under yet another tropical storm warning.
Today (November 13) marks the second time the Hong Kong Observatory has issued a No. 3 warning signal in less than a week. The alarm was raised at 2.30 p.m. HKT as Tropical Cyclone Toraji edged closer to Hong Kong.
“In the past few hours, Toraji maintained tropical storm intensity and edged closer to the coast of Guangdong steadily. Under its combined effect with the northeast monsoon, local winds are strengthening gradually,” Hong Kong Observatory said on Wednesday afternoon.
The poor weather has inevitably impacted Hong Kong Disneyland. While the park has remained open today, a warning was issued to guests that several outdoor attractions would cease operation due to the wind.
As per the Hong Kong Disneyland app, eight attractions closed at the park:
- Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars
- Jungle River Cruise
- Mad Hatter Tea Cups
- Orbitron
- RC Racer
- Slinky Dog Spin
- Toy Soldier Parachute Drop
- Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs
Indoor attractions—such as Mystic Manor, the park’s version of Haunted Mansion, Frozen Ever After, Iron Man Experience, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh—were unaffected.
According to HK Emporium, the park’s nighttime spectacular, “Momentous,” was performed without fireworks. Due to the weather conditions, the park will likely also face a delayed opening tomorrow morning.
The park has a rough history with tropical storms. In September 2023, it closed for two days due to Typhoon Saola, which felled several trees across the resort.
Much has been made of the increasing impact poor weather has on theme parks – especially as we feel the effects of climate change. Earlier this month, we heard how SeaWorld Orlando plans to increase its focus on indoor attractions to mitigate the impact of storms and hot temperatures on park attendance.
Do you think the weather is having a heavier impact on theme parks lately?