The Orlando area was extremely fortunate that Hurricane Milton weakened as it made landfall, passing through central Florida as a Category 1 storm. While there was a lot of rain, power outages, and even a few tornadoes that forced us to seek shelter, it could have been much worse.

The day after Milton hit, Disney World was closed. The following day, we were lucky enough to get park reservations when Disney World reopened. Many others weren’t as fortunate, as people lamented on social media about their inability to secure reservations. We suspect the lack of reservations was due to hotels being packed with Floridians seeking shelter inland and because it was also a holiday weekend.

We chose Hollywood Studios with plans to park hop to Epcot. We arrived a little before 10 AM, a time when the parking lot entrance usually has a line, but there was hardly anyone there. We were able to park within 10 rows from security and the gates. However, Disney was clearly expecting large lines as both security areas were open, and there were extra cast members prepared to direct foot traffic from the buses and Skyliner.

One thing that struck us was the number of people in line to buy tickets. We don’t usually see more than a few parties arriving without tickets and reservations. Given that reservations were booked, we wondered if these patrons would actually be able to get in. They were. Perhaps Disney reduced online reservations to accommodate the expected influx of unticketed guests? Your guess is as good as ours.

We only spent a few moments pin trading at the front of Hollywood Studios before walking to Epcot using the walkway to Disney’s Boardwalk. It was on this journey that we noticed the Friendship boats from the Epcot area resorts weren’t running. We spoke to a cast member who told us the water was too high, so they weren’t operational. They didn’t know when the service would return. However, the boats were available to take guests to Epcot, except for the boat from the Swan and Dolphin hotel. We later found out this was because the high water reduced clearance under the footbridges near Swan and Dolphin, only permitting travel between Yacht and Beach Club and Boardwalk Inn to Epcot.

Along our walking path, we encountered a lot of storm debris, fallen trees and tree limbs, and minor flooding. Crews were hard at work clearing the detritus. At the Boardwalk, we noticed some of the awnings were down. Whether they were damaged or intentionally removed is unknown. We didn’t see any debris or major issues within the parks, which Disney probably took care of right away.

After spending some time in Epcot, we took the Skyliner back to Hollywood Studios for lunch at ABC Commissary, followed by some coffee and people-watching. The weather was perfect. Overall, it was an enjoyable day. Now that we’re firmly into fall, the temperature and humidity are dropping, and Florida starts to become the oasis that those in northern regions flee to for the winter.

Despite the challenges posed by Hurricane Milton, our visit to Disney World turned out to be a good experience. The resilience of the park and its staff, along with the improving weather, made for an enjoyable day.