ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Orlando’s tourism industry came to a screeching halt Wednesday as the main airport and at least three theme parks and other businesses reopened. shut downFlorida residents and visitors remain evacuated hurricane milton Stay in a local hotel.
The Milton is expected to come ashore late Wednesday. as a tempestruining the vacations of tens of thousands of tourists who came to Orlando to visit Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and more, or to take part in October festivities such as Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. There is a risk of Disney and Universal were scheduled to close Wednesday afternoon, but SeaWorld did not open at all. Both are expected to be closed on Thursday.
Orlando International Airport, the seventh busiest airport in the United States and the busiest in Florida, ceased operations Wednesday morning.
The closure tempered some tourists’ expectations, but the impending storm caused some anxiety.
Linda and Bob Shafer, who live in northeastern Pennsylvania, said they stocked their rental condo with pizza, peanut butter, drinks, flashlights and playing cards. They decided to wander around the resort’s entertainment hours before making plans to barricade themselves during the hurricane.
“We’re just killing time until we have to look at each other for the next 24 hours,” Linda Shafer said.
Meanwhile, Serena Hedrick and her 16-year-old son Corey were unfazed by the humid weather as they headed to Universal Studios on Wednesday. Corey was worried about what would happen in his first hurricane, but was reassured by the hotel’s promise of non-stop movies, children’s activities and food.
“That’s what it is,” Serena Hedrick said.
The Osborn family left Memphis two days early so they could spend almost two days at the theme park before Milton hit. Alexander Osborne said other relatives decided not to attend because of the storm, but he wasn’t worried about experiencing his first hurricane.
“It’s not dangerous to be here right now. I’m going to be in a hotel room for the next few days, so I want to take my time and enjoy it as much as I can,” he said.
Nicholas Gutowski, 15, said he had faith in Disney’s infrastructure at the hotel where he was staying with his sister.
“It’s scary for sure, but Disney has backup forces,” he said.
Gutowski and his sister Joy Blackburn, 26, who are originally from Texas but now live in Tennessee, visit Disney theme parks twice in one day, knowing that time is running out until the parks close. Packed with.
Workers in the Universal Orlando parking lot hugged each other, said goodbye and wished each other well in the hours before Milton touched down, as theme park visitors packed in for another few hours Wednesday. It matched.
The Orlando area is the most visited tourist destination in the United States due to Disney World, Universal, and other attractions, with 74 million tourists visiting last year alone.
Halloween-related activities make October one of the busiest and most lucrative months for theme parks.
Although Disney rarely closes its doors, its hotels often serve as a haven for coastal residents fleeing storms. When I checked Disney World’s online reservation system on Tuesday, there were no openings.
It’s not unheard of for hurricanes to form in the Orlando area. In 2004, three people crossed the Orlando area: Charlie, Frances, and Jeanne. Hurricane Irma hit just west of metro Orlando in 2017, and Hurricane Ian hit the area as a tropical storm in 2022, causing flooding in some areas.
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