UPDATE ON MONDAY - 5:30 P.M. ET:
Walt Disney World near Orlando dodged major hurricane damage as Irma, now a tropical storm, passed over Florida on Sunday and Monday.
The parks were closed down on Sunday and Monday due to Irma’s destructive winds and flooding.
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Disney World won’t be open when Hurricane Irma slams Florida this weekend.
But it adds the park “will be operating as planned Friday, September 8 and will have modified hours on Saturday, September 9.”
According to Orlando’s News 6, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney Springs will close Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will close at 7 p.m. ET.
Blizzard Beach is closed Friday and will reopen on Tuesday. Typhoon Lagoon will close at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
ESPN Wide World of Sports will be closed Saturday until Monday.
Hurricane Irma is expected to make landfall in South Florida on Sunday night
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Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and Sea World are making plans to deal with potentially devastating Hurricane Irma, as it bears down on Florida.
The park said it is continuing to “monitor the path” of Irma.
Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park will be closed Friday and Saturday. The Typhoon Lagoon water park will “remain open for guests during this time,” the park stated.
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground will be closed as well, the park said.
Since 1971, Disney World has closed down four times due to hurricanes.
And it added, “SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando, Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Adventure Island will be adjusting schedules as follows.”
SeaWorld Orlando also has a “peace of mind” hurricane policy and allows people to reschedule or refund vacation packages or park tickets without fees, according to the Sentinel.
According to Tom Schroder, a spokesman with Universal Orlando Resort, the parks’ hours are operating as normal as they monitor the hurricane.
“We have an affirmative, no-questions-asked policy for guests who tell us they want to change plans or seek a refund because of a named storm involving the Orlando area or where they are traveling from,” Schroder told the paper.
Hurricane Matthew in 2016 shut down the theme parks.