WARNING: Disney Park Faces Total Closure in Two Days

Theoretically, Disney’s theme parks are open every day of the year. In practice, that often isn’t the case. We’ve seen Disney parks close for a variety of reasons over the years, such as earthquakes, global health crises, technical malfunctions, and even national days of mourning.

Sometimes, these closures are more minor than others. For example, we’ve seen several Disney theme parks announce early closures in recent months. At Disneyland Paris, one theme park – Walt Disney Studios Park – is set to start closing down in phases as early as 11 a.m. on one day in early October to prepare for an event.

The same resort is closing both theme parks on select days during the holiday season, while Magic Kingdom is shuttering early at Walt Disney World Resort later that same month in October for the Gartner IT Symposium/Expo.

When it comes to total park closures, however, weather is the most common culprit.

In recent years, we’ve seen both hurricanes and typhoons shutter Disney parks across the globe.

While Walt Disney World Resort has avoided any hurricane closures this season (so far, at least), Hong Kong Disneyland has not been as lucky. Typhoon Wipha wreaked havoc in July, and another typhoon could potentially close the park in just two days.

Potential Typhoon May Close Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong is set to issue a Strong Wing Signal No 3 between midnight and 3 a.m. on Sunday as a tropical cyclone heads into the area.

The Hong Kong Observatory has not ruled out raising the storm warning signal on Sunday night.

“According to the present forecast, the tropical cyclone will intensify progressively and skirt around 200 kilometres to the southwest of Hong Kong on Monday morning,” said acting senior scientific officer Shum Chi-tai.

Forecasters added that the storm’s outer rainbands are approaching the Guangdong coast, with strong winds expected to gradually affect the Pearl River Estuary on Sunday.

For now, it’s too early to know how this will impact Hong Kong Disneyland operations. While inclement weather can close the entire park, less severe conditions can also simply cause the closure of outdoor attractions.

With a similar humid climate to Orlando, Hong Kong experiences its fair share of storms. When lightning and heavy rain hit the area, it shutters attractions such as Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, Jungle River Cruise, Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars (the park’s substitute for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad), RC Racer, and Slinky Dog Spin.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom if you do get caught at Hong Kong Disneyland during a partial park closure. The theme park – which has bounced back into profitability as of late after years of financial woes – is home to its fair share of impressive indoor attractions, including the Iron Man Experience, Mystic Manor (its unique take on the Haunted Mansion concept), Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!, Hyperspace Mountain, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. While it’s also typically home to Frozen Ever After, the attraction is currently closed for refurbishment.

Has your Disney vacation been impacted by inclement weather so far this year?