Hurricane Irma cancels concerts, cruises, closes theme parks

Massive storm on path to Florida

Walt Disney World. (Getty Images)

ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricane Irma continues to swirl on a projected path toward Florida.

The storm has impacted cruise ships that sail into and out of Central Florida and it also may affect tourist attractions.

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CRUISE LINES:

Port Canaveral will cease all operations at 3 p.m. Friday and is closed until further notice, officials said.

Sustained gale force winds are predicted in the area due to Hurricane Irma.

For updates, monitor the Port's Facebook and Twitter pages and its website. The Port's hotline is 321-394-3411.

  • Disney: The Sept. 2 cruise of the Disney Fantasy is currently sailing a modified Western Caribbean itinerary and is expected to return to Port Canaveral two days earlier than planned on Thursday, September 7. Guests on this sailing will be refunded two nights of their voyage fare and provided a 25 percent discount on a future cruise, which may be booked by calling 855-347-2784 or 407-566-7054 from Sept. 18 through Oct. 18, 2017. The September 9 sailing of the Disney Fantasy is canceled. Refunds will automatically be processed back to the original form of payment used for the cruise booking. Guests are invited to book a future cruise at a 25 percent discount by calling 855-347-2784 or 407-566-7054 from Sept. 18 through October 18, 2017.  The Sept. 4 cruise of the Disney Dream is sailing a modified Bahamian cruise itinerary and will return to Port Canaveral one day earlier than planned on Thursday, Sept. 7. Guests on this sailing will be refunded one night of their voyage fare and provided a 25 percent discount on a future cruise, which may be booked by calling 855-347-2784 or 407-566-7054 from Sept. 18 through Oct. 18, 2017. The September 8 and September 11 sailings of the Disney Dream are canceled. Refunds will automatically be processed back to the original form of payment used for the cruise booking.  Guests are invited to book a future cruise at a 25 percent discount by calling 855-347-2784 or 407-566-7054 from Sept. 18 through Oct. 18, 2017.

 

  • Carnival : The Carnival Liberty Sept. 7 three-day Bahamas cruise from Port Canaveral and the Carnival Victory Sept. 8 three-day Bahamas cruise from Miami have been canceled. A full refund will be provided to all guests who were scheduled to sail on these voyages.

    Currently, six Carnival ships -- Carnival Glory, Carnival Magic, Carnival Splendor, Carnival Pride, Carnival Sensation and Carnival Ecstasy -- are sailing on modified itineraries to maintain a safe distance from the storm.

    In addition, Carnival is making preparations for a potential landfall in South Florida, where Carnival headquarters is located.

 

  • Norwegian Cruise Line is continuing to closely watch Irma.

    Norwegian Escape is sailing at full capacity with about 4,000 displaced guests from both Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Escape that were unable to secure flights back home when the ships returned early to Miami on Thursday, September 7. Norwegian Escape will depart Cozumel, Mexico, at 5 p.m. Monday. The ship will proceed toward Miami and will dock once PortMiami reopens. Due to the devastating impact in the Caribbean from Hurricane Irma, all of Norwegian Escape’s upcoming Eastern Caribbean sailings until November will be altered to a Western Caribbean itinerary. All guests scheduled to sail on any affected cruises will be notified of the change.

 

CENTRAL FLORIDA CONCERTS

Several concerts in the Orlando area have been cancelled or rescheduled due to Hurricane Irma.

Dr. Phillips Center

A Saturday Paramore concert at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts has been rescheduled for Dec. 5. Tickets already purchased will be valid for the new concert date, but those who can no longer attend will receive a full refund where they purchased the tickets by Friday, Oct. 6.

A Tuesday performance of "The King and I" has been canceled. People can exchange their tickets for another performance later in the week, pending availability.

Hard Rock Live

The Modest Mouse concert scheduled for Friday has been canceled. Tickets will be refunded where they were purchased.

 

WALT DISNEY WORLD:

Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground will close by 2 p.m. Saturday. Guests will have the option to stay elsewhere on property.

Disney has canceled the Night of Joy event for Saturday Sept. 9, due to potential severe weather associated with Hurricane Irma.

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party has been cancelled for Sunday. Friday's party will go ahead as planned. Call (407) 939-7818 or email Ticket.Inquiries@DisneyWorld.com for ticket exchanges.

The Friday night show at ESPN Wide World of Sports will continue as planned.

Disney said guests with tickets for Saturday can attend Friday's event instead by exchanging their ticket at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Box Office starting at 4 p.m. Friday. Refunds can be processed by calling 407-939-7818 by January 31, 2018, or email at ticket.inquiries@disneyworld.com.

  • Magic Kingdom
  • Epcot
  • Hollywood Studios
  • Animal Kingdom
  • Typhoon Lagoon
  • Blizzard Beach -- Closed Friday and Saturday.

 

UNIVERSAL ORLANDO:

In a post on its website, the park said, "Due to Hurricane Irma, our destination will close at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9. We will be fully closed on Sunday and Monday and we anticipate normal operating hours on Tuesday, Sept. 12."

SEAWORLD ORLANDO:

SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will close by 5 p.m. Saturday. Both parks will remain closed on Sunday and Monday.

Aquatica Orlando and Adventure Island will be closed Saturday through Monday.

Discovery Cove will be closed on Sunday and Monday.

 

LEGOLAND FLORIDA:

Legoland will be closed Saturday through Monday. Legoland Hotel will remain open to admit arriving guests.

 

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER VISITOR COMPLEX:

The visitor complex will close Friday through Tuesday. Complex officials anticipate reopening on Wednesday at 9 a.m.

 

ORLANDO EYE:

The Orlando Eye will remain closed Tuesday.


About the Author

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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