Disney World refuses to let workers go home early as Hurricane Milton approaches: report

The Walt Disney Company owns its theme parks and Orlando, Fla. Its nearby resort refused to allow workers to go home early in the hours before Hurricane Milton arrived, according to employees.

Four people who work at various Disney World parks told Business Insider that their bosses refused to cancel work despite worsening weather conditions Wednesday.

Workers told the publication that they were expected to be on hand to help lower the hatches during and after the parks closed — a move that employees felt was unsafe, according to Business Insider.

Employees also said they were “flying blind” because of poor communication from higher-ups, Business Insider reported.

Disney “cast members” complained that they were made to work Wednesday morning even after it rained and the parks were empty, the news site reported.

Disney closed four Central Florida parks early Wednesday morning due to the incoming storm.

Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom closed to guests at 1 a.m. ET while Magic Kingdom and Epcot closed at 2 p.m. The parks reopened Friday.

An employee who spoke to Business Insider estimated that the Magic Kingdom was at 10% capacity before Disney decided to close the park.

“I wish the park wasn't open for the day,” the employee said.

A worker told Business Insider that by the time they left at 2:45 p.m. ET, the weather had worsened to the point where a tornado warning was issued at 3:22 p.m. in Orange County, where the parks are located.

The handful of tourists who showed up at Disney World on Wednesday managed to get in a few hours of fun even as the employees who greeted them worried about what the storm would do to their homes.

“This is going to be interesting,” Dr. Craig Chavis, a chiropractor in Maryland, posted on Instagram, along with a photo of his rain-soaked family enjoying the Magic Kingdom.

“But the park was almost empty today.”

Nearby restaurants, shops and gas stations were also open – sometimes over the objections of their staff.

“They got their precious few hours of fun,” said Amy Shavers, who was waiting at a family diner table near the theme park.

“Safety is always our first and foremost factor when making decisions that will affect our cast members and guests, and during the storm, we provided frequent and timely updates on our changes to ensure they returned home hours before the worst of the central weather. Gone. Florida,” Disney said in a statement to the Post.

A family who stayed at a Disney resort hotel during the storm praised the company for keeping them informed of developments while ensuring their safety.

Internal communications seen by Business Insider show that Disney expected some employees to report to clean the parks on Thursday.

“After the storm, we may need the cast to help with post-storm recovery efforts,” Disney executives told employees via the Cast Life app, the internal messaging service used to communicate with employees.

“The cast is scheduled to perform on October 10 — even in areas that will not be open to guests — calling local area cast hotlines and checking their schedule on the Disney Cast Life web/app for schedule information.”

A Disney employee told Business Insider that it's “crazy” that managers “expect not only to call me but potentially go out to the parks to clean.”

“It's sick.”

The employee said they chose not to report to work Thursday regardless of the outcome.

“I don't feel safe driving tomorrow at 7 a.m. when this is all over,” the employee told Business Insider Wednesday evening.

“Orlando is unique only because, yes, we're inland, but we see scary rain and scary winds. And just because we're not getting washed out and dealing with storm surge and structural damage doesn't mean it's not scary.”

Earlier this week, Goldman Sachs estimated that the hurricane's impact on Disney's theme parks could cost between $150 million and $200 million.

Additional reporting by Steven Helling