Florida airports and Disney World start to reopen after Hurricane Milton damage

Airports and theme parks in Florida hit by Hurricane Milton are reopening now that the deadly storm has moved east of of the state and out into the Atlantic.

At least 16 people are dead after the hurricane swept across the state causing widespread damage and flooding. The UK Foreign Office says: “ There still remains a high risk from further flooding in the coming days and areas of Florida remain without power and mains water.

“The local authorities are warning people not to return to or visit areas affected by Hurricane Milton until they say that it is safe to do so.”

Tens of thousands of British holidaymakers in the state were confined to their accommodation as the storm moved through, striking the cities of Tampa and Orlando. Airports closed all day on Thursday, with all flights cancelled.

Arrivals at Orlando International Airport resumed at 8pm local time on Thursday (1am on Friday BST) with a Delta flight from Atlanta, followed by United flights from Denver, Houston and New York Newark. Two Delta flights to Atlanta departed from Orlando late on Thursday night. But the vast majority of flights remained cancelled until 7.30am local time on Friday.

The Orlando hub sustained some damage, with officials posting a photograph of a fallen palm tree blocking an access road.

Tampa International Airport has been closed since Wednesday but reopened at 9am local time (2pm BST) on Friday.

Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Norse are resuming most of their flights from the UK. Virgin Atlantic has a flight from London Heathrow to Orlando, while from London Gatwick BA has two departures and Norse Atlantic one service.

From Manchester, Virgin Atlantic has two Friday flights to Orlando while Aer Lingus has one.

British Airways has cancelled the Friday departure from Gatwick to Tampa and back.

Melbourne Orlando airport has also reopened, with Tui’s Thursday flight from Glasgow to to the secondary airport taking off 24 hours late. Outbound holidaymakers have lost a day of their trips and are due a partial refund.

Conversely about 300 Scots have had an extra day in Florida, though not an enjoyable one.

Most flights returning from Florida to the UK are expected to be completely full after dozens of flights between the Sunshine State and Britain were cancelled. Around 10,000 UK passengers have been forced to stay longer in central Florida.

On flights that are now leaving, travellers already booked take priority, leaving those whose departures were cancelled scrabbling for seats. Indirect routings, typically through other US cities, are problematic: tens of thousands of Americans are trying to leave Florida after hundreds of departures were cancelled.

Some leading theme parks across the area hit by Hurricane Milton are now gradually reopening. Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World are operating normally.

But Busch Gardens outside Tampa will remain closed on Friday. The company said: “Following Hurricane Milton, our team is evaluating the parks. We are grateful for our dedicated team of animal care experts, including veterinarians, who remained onsite during the storm to monitor the animals.”

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park will remain closed for a further 24 hours until Saturday 12 October. The Disney organisation said: “Our hearts are with our fellow Floridians who were impacted by this storm.”

Tourists who remain in the state in areas hard hit by the hurricane have been told by the National Hurricane Center: “Drive only if necessary and avoid flooded roads and washed-out bridges. If you must go out, watch for fallen objects in the road, downed electrical wires, and weakened walls, bridges, roads, and sidewalks that might collapse.”

Florida is an increasingly popular destination for British families during the October half-term. While some may be reluctant to travel after two hurricanes in two weeks struck the “Sunshine State”, airlines and holiday companies are now applying normal cancellation terms.

Disney World and Orlando theme parks reopen after Hurricane Milton

Disney World and the other Orlando-area theme parks are reopening Friday after Hurricane Milton roared through Florida.

The theme parks and resorts closed temporarily on Wednesday afternoon, hours before Milton made landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane. They remained closed on Thursday as Milton moved away from Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean.

Milton came less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Florida's Big Bend region. More than 230 people have died due to Helene, many due to inland flooding in the Appalachians, according to The Associated Press.

Here is the latest status on the theme parks reopening after Milton.

Guests weather early bands of rain from Hurricane Milton at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Fla., Oct. 9, 2024.

Joe Burbank/AP

Walt Disney World theme parks and Disney Springs have reopened Friday under scheduled operating hours, according to a Friday morning update on the Walt Disney World website.

Disney had closed its theme parks, water parks, miniature golf complexes and nearby Disney Springs on Wednesday afternoon. The company had also halted Walt Disney World Transportation service temporarily and canceled the Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party event at Magic Kingdom that had been scheduled for Thursday.

Guests at the Magic Kingdom break out ponchos at Cinderella Castle as bands of weather from Hurricane Helene move through Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Fla., Sept. 26, 2024.

Joe Burbank/AP

Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and the Treehouse Villas at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa are likely to remain closed until Sunday, Oct. 13, according to Disney.

In this July 18, 2019, file photo, the three dimensional globe logo at Universal Studios, in Orlando, Fla.

Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images, FILE

Like Disney, Universal Orlando is reopening all theme parks, Universal CityWalk and their seasonal Halloween Horror Nights event Friday.

Universal had closed Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, the water park Universal Volcano Bay, and CityWalk on Wednesday after 2 p.m. and remained closed on Thursday. Halloween Horror Nights was also canceled for Wednesday and Thursday.

"On Friday, Oct. 11, we look forward to welcoming back our guests as we return to our normal operation across all our theme parks, CityWalk and Halloween Horror Nights inclusive of Early Park Admission for Universal Orlando Hotel guests, Premier Passholders and Preferred Passholders," Universal said in a Friday morning update on its website.

The SeaWorld amusement park is seen in Orlando, Fla., May 15, 2020.

Charlotte Kesl/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE

SeaWorld Orlando, whose parent company is United Parks & Resorts Inc., is reopening Friday but had canceled their Spooktacular and Howl-O-Scream events on Friday, according to an update on the park's website.

"Following Hurricane Milton, our team is evaluating the parks. We are grateful for our dedicated team of animal care experts, including veterinarians, who remained onsite during the storm to monitor the animals, and we appreciate our ambassadors who are onsite to help ensure our park is ready to welcome you," United Parks & Resorts said in its latest update.

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