PHOTOS: A Look at the Crowds in Disney World Leading Up to Hurricane Ian

UPDATE: Disney World will be conducting a phased reopening of the theme parks and Disney Springs on September 30th. Click here for more information.

It’s official — Hurricane Ian, upgraded from Tropical Storm Ian, is moving towards Florida.

The state has begun its preparations, like the state of emergency issued by Governor Ron DeSantis and the shift in operations at Orlando International Airport. And, with Disney World also beginning to gear up for the storm, what are crowds looking like around the resort?

Disney World has announced that they will be closing Typhoon Lagoon (keep in mind Blizzard Beach is still closed) on September 28th and 29th. Specific room types at select Disney World hotels are also being closed from September 28th through September 30th. Additionally, mini golf courses and some shows are also closed during this period of time. So, with many closures and preparations underway, are the crowds emptying out of the resort?

Crowds seem to be pretty normal, despite the incoming storm. Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, it was business as usual…

…with some heavier crowding over in Pandora — World of Avatar.

Of course, Creature Comforts had a pretty long line. (A normal sight for any Starbucks location at the resort.)

This line looked even longer than usual because half of the store is closed to get new flooring.

The floors are being redone at the Starbucks in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, so half of it is currently closed ? pic.twitter.com/UlupXOgNtq

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) September 27, 2022

EPCOT was the same — we spotted pretty normal crowds throughout the park.

However, we noticed an exceptionally long wait time over at Frozen Ever After — 150 minutes!

We were also at Orlando International Airport today where there were tons of travelers.

MCO is busyyyy with people trying to evacuate Orlando ahead of #HurricaneIan ?️ pic.twitter.com/JeM0DvyvZ3

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) September 27, 2022

So if you’re headed to Disney World to take advantage of storm crowds, it doesn’t look like you’ll be met with an empty resort. We’ll continue to monitor crowds throughout the storm, so stay tuned.

For more hurricane information:

• Disney’s current cancelations and closures for Hurricane Ian
• Disney Resort Hotels showing no availability leading up to Hurricane Ian
• Disney World under Tropical Storm Warning

And we’ll keep bringing you the latest regarding Hurricane Ian, so stay tuned to AllEars.

Tropical Storm Ian is officially a hurricane: what you need to know

Will you be in the resort during the storm? Let us know in the comments.