How Walt Disney Cast Members kept guests safe and happy during Hurricane Ian

During Hurricane Ian’s path of destruction in Florida a few weeks ago, guests staying at Walt Disney World (WDW) resort experienced a new way to experience the magic while they sheltered in place in their hotels.

According to an official Disney blog, thousands of WDW cast members stayed on-site to ride out the storm “to care for guests and staff key park operations.” Some cast members were tasked with keeping the animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park safe, while others were tasked with preparing meals for guests sheltering at the resort hotels.

At Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, even Disney characters got guests dancing and fully entertained in the lobby while the storm passed overhead.

Once the storm passed, Disney also had cast members on-site to begin cleaning the parks and resorts so that they could be “show ready” for guests just the following day as the weather cleared.

“The combined efforts of cast members at all levels of the Company enabled Walt Disney World Resort to reopen safely after closing for two days,” said the blog post.