Walt Disney World and a few other places reopened on Friday, and other spots aim to reopen this weekend.
Here’s a status report of the latest plans of various theme parks, other tourist attractions in Florida and what’s going on with various cruises. News of top tourist attractions in the Carolinas appears near the end of this article:
Walt Disney World (Orlando)
Walt Disney World announced that its four big theme parks are reopening Friday on the following schedule:
• Magic Kingdom Park: 10 a.m.
• EPCOT: 11 a.m.
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: noon
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park: 1 p.m.
Disney Resort hotel guests and guests staying at other select hotels will be allowed to enter two hours earlier than times posted above.
Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will also reopen at 3 p.m. Friday. ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will be open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Typhoon Lagoon water park has a planned reopening of Sunday. (Blizzard Beach is closed for the season.)
Walt Disney World Transportation will begin operating as normal on Friday but is subject to weather protocols, the park said.
Disney Springs, the entertainment, dining and shopping complex, reopened at 10 a.m. Friday.
Busch Gardens (Tampa)
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay said on its website that it would be closed through Friday.
That also holds true for other Florida parks held by the SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment company:
• Adventure Island (Tampa)
• SeaWorld Orlando
• Aquatica Orlando
• Discovery Cove (Orlando)
As of 11 a.m. Friday, the company said all of the parks are expected to reopen Saturday.
The company also said Discovery Cove will reschedule or refund reservations booked online or from the call center with no cancellation or change fees. For additional information, call 407-513-4600.
People with a reservation booked through a third-party reseller can rebook visit dates with the specific park, but people wanting a refund will need to contact their reseller partner.
Universal Resort (Orlando)
The iconic Universal globe spins outside the entrance to the Universal Studios theme park in Orlando.
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
Universal Orlando Resort, including CityWalk, has had a “phased reopen” on Friday for hotel guests, the resort said in an email to CNN Travel.
Its Halloween Horror Nights event will open at 5 p.m. Friday for all guests with existing tickets. Volcano Bay water park also reopened Friday.
On Saturday, Universal Orlando Resort and the Halloween Horror Nights will reopen to all guests.
LEGOLAND (Winter Haven)
LEGOLAND Florida in Winter Haven remained closed on Friday.
Yaroslav Sabitov/Shutterstock
LEGOLAND Florida Resort and associated parks will be closed on Friday, according to the resort’s website.
“LEGOLAND Hotel and Pirate Island Hotel will remain open to guests with existing reservations,” the park said.
As of 11 a.m. Friday, the park did not have information for when it would reopen.
Park tickets for Wednesday, September 28, through Sunday, October 2, will be automatically extended through December 31, 2022, LEGOLAND said previously.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (Cape Canaveral)
Icon Park (Orlando)
The Wheel was still closed as of 2:45 p.m. Friday. “As always, guest safety is our top priority and as soon as our technical team has completed the required inspections, we’ll announce its opening,” the park said.
Crayola Experience (Orlando)
Cruise ships
NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE: The company canceled its 10-day sailing of the Norwegian Getaway, which was scheduled to depart Thursday from Port Canaveral.
The company also changed ports on the eight-day sailing of Norwegian Sky.
MSC: The company rerouted the MSC Seashore, which was originally scheduled to be in the Western Caribbean, to ports in the Eastern Caribbean.
The MSC Seashore is still set to depart from the Port of Miami on Saturday, according to cruise line. The MSC Divina will also depart on its regularly scheduled cruise from Port Canaveral on Sunday.
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE: The company has announced changes to its schedule. With the ports of Tampa Bay, Canaveral and Jacksonville affected by Ian, the following sailings have been canceled:
• Carnival Paradise: Four-day cruise from Tampa on Thursday.
• Carnival Elation: Four-day cruise from Jacksonville on Thursday.
• Carnival Liberty: Three-day cruise from Port Canaveral on Friday.
Guests will receive a full refund and a 25% future cruise credit, Carnival said.
Carnival Sunshine, which departed Charleston on Monday, is expected to dock once the Port of Charleston reopens. That’s expected to happen Sunday, Carnival told CNN Travel in an email Friday afternoon. The ship was originally scheduled to return Saturday
The following ships have also had changes in their schedules and ports of calls: Carnival Liberty, Carnival Paradise and Carnival Elation.
National and state parks
Portions of Everglades National Park reopened on Friday.
Irina Schmidt/Adobe Stock
As of late Friday morning, around 100 Florida state parks were closed, including Amelia Island State Park (Nassau County), Don Pedro Island State Park (Charlotte County), Lake Manatee State Park (Manatee County) and Rainbow Springs State Park (Marian County).
Zoos
Carowinds (North Carolina / South Carolina)
Brookgreen Gardens (Georgetown County, South Carolina)
South Carolina state parks and historical sites
• Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site
• Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site
• Edisto Beach State Park
• Hampton Plantation State Historic Site
• Hunting Island State Park
• Huntington Beach State Park
• Little Pee Dee State Park
• Myrtle Beach State Park
Wright Brothers National Memorial (North Carolina)
Biltmore Estate (North Carolina)
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