Disney World guests reveal park photos post-Hurricane Irma
Disney World’s shine was dulled in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which ripped across Florida as it downgraded to a tropical storm. But despite some of the gloomy images shared by guests staying at the resorts, the Most Magical Place on Earth remained largely intact.
Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened their doors to park-goers as normal at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, and Disney Springs opened an hour later. However, some attractions, like Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, remained closed, and the Kilimanjaro safaris were postponed until later in the day due to weather-related cleanup.
On Monday, the parks were closed and images of flooding and fallen trees around Epcot and the resorts began hitting the web. According to some observations on Twitter, electrical transformers reportedly exploded and some buildings had water leaks.
Though, as one guest noted, Cinderella’s castle “is still there” 24 hours after Irma hit on Sunday.
Kristen Bell was one of the people stranded at Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resort during the storm. She posted photos and video of her time with guests as she sang hits from Frozen, played bingo with senior citizens, and hosted wheelchair races. The actress even helped out the family of her Frozen costar Josh Gad when they were stranded in Florida.
As Bell told Jimmy Kimmel over video chat, “We’ve been making the most of a crazy situation.”
See more photos around the resorts and parks below.
With the exception of the Fort Wilderness Campground and the Saratoga Springs Treehouse Villas, Disney World’s resorts began operating as usual on Tuesday.