Where things stand with Florida theme parks, cruise ships and more as Ian approaches

[ad_1]

(CNN) — If Hurricane Ian landed in western Cuba On Tuesday, Floridians anxiously watched the rapidly intensifying storm. That included the operators of the popular Florida theme parks.

Here’s a status report as of 12:45 a.m. ET Tuesday with several major theme parks, along with other tourist attractions:

Table of Contents

Busch Gardens (Tampa):

As a result, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay said it will be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

“Due to Hurricane Ian’s planned path, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has issued its Named Storm Policy… Precautions have been put in place under the parks comprehensive weather preparedness plan to ensure the safety of our animals and ambassadors during this time,” the park announced on its website.

“All admission tickets have been extended through December 31,” the park said. Also, “Annual Pass guest tickets with an expiration date of September 30 will be extended until October 16.”

Discovery Bay (Orlando)

The all-inclusive day resort with animal encounters and tropical aquatic environments also closes on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The parks said it “will reschedule or refund reservations booked online or through the call center. We will not charge a cancellation or change fee for this service.” You can call +1 407-513-4600 for more information.

Disney World (Orlando)

Most Disney World properties will remain open as of this update.

The resort said on its website that it is “currently operating under normal conditions as we prepare for necessary adjustments based on the latest information from the National Weather Service.”

However, some properties and units are being closed. The following are closed Wednesday through Friday:

• Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
• Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• The bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Closed from Wednesday to Thursday are:

• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon (Blizzard Beach is currently closed anyway)
• Winter Summerland Mini Golf and Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf

Disney Springs, a shopping, dining and entertainment area, will remain open.

Universal Resort (Orlando)

As of Tuesday morning, Universal Orlando Resort is still open.

John Greim/LightRocket/Getty Images

The thrill rides movie theme park is currently continuing normal park activities. The park’s severe weather policy does not have a charge for rescheduling or canceling the park should it close.

“In the event that a hurricane or tropical storm warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center or a state of emergency is declared for the Orlando area or your residence, please contact our team within seven days of your arrival to arrange your Universal Parks & Resorts vacation package, hotel rooms only, and Universal Orlando theme park tickets booked directly with Universal Orlando, without incurring cancellation or change fees,” the park said on its website.

LEGOLAND (Winter Harbor)

LEGOLAND Florida Resort will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, according to an email sent to CNN Travel around noon ET Tuesday.

This closure includes LEGOLAND Florida Theme Park, LEGOLAND Water Park and Peppa Pig Theme Park.

“During this time, the resort’s hotels will remain open to guests with existing reservations. The safety of our guests and employees is our top priority as we monitor the impact of the storm in our area,” the resort said.

Park tickets for Wednesday, September 28 through Sunday, October 2 will be automatically extended until December 31, 2022, according to LEGOLAND.

People will be able to rebook vacation rentals without penalty once the park’s call center reopens. Guests with questions about the resort’s hurricane policy can: click here.

SeaWorld Orlando

CNN Travel has contacted SeaWorld Orlando via email for updates. The park has not responded, but the website lists normal opening hours for Tuesday.

Cruise ships

Florida ports have very active cruise schedules. Here’s the status of some of those shipping routes as of 8:15 p.m. ET Monday:

Norwegian cruise lines: The company changed five ports on the Norwegian air, which departed Miami on Sunday, the cruise line tells CNN. The ship was scheduled to dock at George Town, Grand Cayman; Roatan, Honduras; Harvest Caye, Belize; and Cozumel in the western Caribbean and will now stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas, to avoid Ian’s path.

“The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our number one priority. Due to Hurricane Ian’s projected path, Norwegian Sky’s itinerary has been modified to reflect the following. Guests who have booked shore excursions in any of the affected ports through Norwegian Cruise Line will have their excursions refunded to their onboard account,” said a cruise line spokesperson.

MSC: The company has changed course on at least one of its ships and is monitoring the possibility of changing other ships, a spokesperson told CNN. The MSC Coastoriginally planned in the Western Caribbean has been diverted to ports in the Eastern Caribbean.

The cruise line also monitors the MSC Divinia, which departed Port Canaveral on Sunday for a four-night sailing trip to Nassau and the Ocean City Marine Reserve. MSC says both cruise ports are outside Ian’s planned path, but advised passengers before departing that conditions could prevent the ship from returning on Thursday. The cruise line says that if there is a delay in their return, the cruise will be extended at no extra cost to guests.

The cruise line does not expect Ian to influence the MSC Coastdeparting from the Port of Miami on Saturday, October 1.

Carnival Cruise Lines: The company has made adjustments to two of its sailings.

The ship Carnival ecstasy, which set out Monday from Mobile, Alabama, for a six-day sailing trip, will visit Progresso Mexico on Wednesday and then visit Cozumel on Thursday. The change rearranges visits as the ship would be the first to visit Cozumel, the cruise line tells CNN.

The Carnival Glory left New Orleans on Sunday for an eight-day sailing trip and will now dock in Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico. The ship’s original itinerary was to visit both Key West and Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas.

National and State Parks

As of 11 a.m. ET Tuesday, Everglades National Park in South Florida remained open. The National Park Service advised people to check the latest weather updates before going to the park, a wilderness area without many evacuation routes.

As of 9:30 a.m. ET, dozens of Florida state parks were closed:

• Alafia River State Park (Hillsborough County)
• Anclote Key Preserve State Park (Pasco and Pinellas counties)
• Bahia Honda State Park (Monroe County)
• Caladesi Island State Park (Pinellas County)
• Cayo Costa State Park (Lee County)
• Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park (Charlotte and Lee counties)
• Cockroach Bay Preserve State Park (Hillsborough County)
• Collier-Seminole State Park (Collier County)
• Curry Hammock State Park (Monroe County)
• Dade Battlefield Historic State Park (Sumter County)
• Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park (Collier County)
• Don Pedro Island State Park (Charlotte County)
• Egmont Key State Park (Pinellas County)
• Estero Bay Preserve State Park (Lee County)
• Fakahatchee Beach Preserve (Collier County) State Park
• Fort Zachary Taylor (Monroe County) Historic State Park
• Gasparilla Island (Lee County) State Park
• Highlands Hammock State Park (Hardee, Highlands counties)
• Hillsborough River State Park (Hillsborough County)
• Honeymoon Island (Pinellas County) State Park
• Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Memorial at Gamble Plantation Historic State Park (Manatee County)
• Koreshan State Park (Lee County)
• Lake June-in-Winter Scrub State Park (Highlands County)
• Lake Manatee State Park (Manatee County)
• Little Manatee River State Park (Hillsborough County)
• Long Key State Park (Monroe County)
• Lovers Key State Park (Lee County)
• Madira Bickel Mound State Archaeological Park (Manatee County)
• Mound Key State Archaeological Park (Lee County).
• Myakka River State Park (Manatee and Sarasota counties)
• Oscar Scherer State Park (Sarasota Province).
• Paynes Creek Historic State Park (Hardee County)
• Skyway Fishing Pier State Park (counties Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas)
• South Fork State Park (Manatee County)
• Stump Pass Beach State Park (Charlotte County)
• Terra Ceia Preserve State Park (Manatee County)
• Weeki Wachee Springs State Park (Hernando County)
• Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park (Pasco County)
• Wingate Creek State Park (Manatee County)
• Ybor City Museum State Park (Hillsborough County).

Tampa . International Airport

Florida tourists who want to use Tampa International Airport should get there as soon as possible.

The airport will suspend all activities from 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The closure will allow the airport to prepare the airport, terminals and other places for the approaching hurricane.

The airport issued these reminders:

• Passengers should contact their airline for flight status updates. Those flying Tuesday before the airport suspends operations are urged to arrive at least two hours before their flight.

• TPA is not a designated storm shelter and does not have the resources to protect people or vehicles during a storm. For a list of open shelters in Hillsborough County, click here.