Courtesy: Flickr / John Spade
UPDATED at 1:35 p.m. on Oct. 6, 2016
From damaging winds and rain to the potential to loop back to Florida, Hurricane Matthew is wreaking havoc on vacations both on land and at sea.
Predicted to bear down on the tip and eastern coast of Florida, as well as the central part of the state, and Georgia and South Carolina, the storm is expected to be a category 4.
U.S. airlines that fly into destinations in those three states are waiving their change fees. At 5 p.m. on Thursday, the Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando resorts will close and will stay closed through Friday. Travelers heading to those properties won’t be charged for rescheduling or canceling vacations within seven days of the hurricane warning.
SeaWorld closes at 2 p.m. on Thursday and will remain so through Friday. Its Aquatica water park will be shuttered both days.
Port Canaveral is now closed to cruise ships. Many ships have been relocated, including the Disney Dream, which was scheduled to return to port on Friday but will now return on Saturday; its Oct. 7 departure has been canceled. The Disney Magic returns from a five-night Canadian itinerary on Friday, then was originally slated for an eight-night Bahamas voyage, but will now turn into a trip to Canada.
