Hurricane Milton: What to know if you are traveling to Florida --[Reported by Umva mag]

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with the latest information. Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday, heading in a west-to-east path from the Gulf of Mexico, like an ice cream cone trying to scoop up the state from the Gulf through Orlando to the eastern shores. Milton arrived as a Category 3 …

Oct 10, 2024 - 18:28

Hurricane Milton: What to know if you are traveling to Florida --[Reported by Umva mag]

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with the latest information.

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday, heading in a west-to-east path from the Gulf of Mexico, like an ice cream cone trying to scoop up the state from the Gulf through Orlando to the eastern shores.

Milton arrived as a Category 3 hurricane (the highest level of hurricane is a 5) just south of the Tampa Bay area Wednesday evening and triggered a staggering 116 tornado warnings with damage reaching as far as Palm Beach County on the state’s east coast. The high-speed winds ripped the roof off Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and the storm’s aftermath was still being felt across the state on Thursday. Forecasters are predicting a storm surge of 8–12 feet amid as much as 5–18 inches of rain in some areas. Parts of Florida are still under mandatory evacuation orders.

If you have an upcoming trip scheduled to Florida, you’ll want to stay abreast of the developments in your specific destination, as the impact from the damage from Hurricane Milton will largely depend on where you are planning on visiting. However, if you had plans to visit the western coast of the state this week, you will need to rearrange travel.

Here’s what you need to know about travel to Florida right now.

Is it safe to travel to Florida?

You should proceed with outsized caution if you have plans to go to central Florida, the state’s west coast or Palm Beach County this week, and consider changing your travel plans.

Florida’s west coast regions of Tampa and Sarasota and the surrounding areas are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall just two weeks ago. These cities have already been asking visitors to stay away. The Sarasota government updated its website on Oct. 1 to say: “Lido Beach is CLOSED. Beachgoers and ‘disaster tourists’ are slowing down and impeding our storm recovery efforts. There are no restrooms, concessions, lifeguards, or other amenities. There may be seen and unseen hazards on the beach. Please stay off the beach and allow City staff to continue with recovery efforts in the area.”

And the state’s official tourism website, Visit Florida, has added a more dire warning as of Thursday morning: “There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the coast from east-central Florida northward to southern Georgia, where a Storm Surge Warning remains in effect.”

PowerOutage.us reports that more than 3.5 million people across the western, central and mid-eastern sections of Florida are without power as of Thursday morning.

Theme Park Updates

Milton traveled across a wide cross section of the state, including Tampa and Orlando, home to the Florida’s most popular theme parks.

Walt Disney World closed its four theme parks, two waterparks and Disney Springs on Wednesday afternoon and will stay closed on Thursday. Certain accommodations are also closed temporarily: Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground (including dining and recreation locations); the Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. Fort Wilderness Campground and the Treehouse Villas will likely remain closed until Oct. 13, with the Copper Creek Cabins likely to reopen on Oct. 11. All other accommodations are operational.

Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Universal CityWalk and Universal Volcano Bay closed on Wednesday afternoon and will remain closed on Thursday. And Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida are canceled for Oct. 9 and Oct. 10. All hotels are operational.

Legoland Florida announced will be closed through Thursday, with its hotel operating at a limited capacity. Busch Gardens Tampa will be closed on Thursday. SeaWorld Orlando is currently closed with plans to reopen on Oct. 11.

Most parks have a severe weather policy for guests who are impacted by the hurricane. You can call customer service or refer to the park’s website for further details.

Airlines and Airports in Florida

Tampa International Airport (TPA) halted operations on Tuesday morning. It’s unclear when the airport will reopen; TPA officials have said that it depends on how much damage, if any, the airport sustains, and how long it takes to fix that.

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) — where Allegiant Air operates commercial flights — closed on Tuesday afternoon after the last flight departed, the airport said. Allegiant has canceled all flights at PIE through Thursday.

Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers is closed through Thursday, but currently plans to reopen on Friday.

Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) is also closed until further notice.

All four airports lie within mandatory evacuation zones.

Orlando International Airport (MCO) ceased commercial and private flights Wednesday morning, officials said, while leaving the airport open to emergency aid flights. Officials said that the airport will reopen once the storm passes and damage has been assessed.

Palm Beach International (PBI) closed Wednesday evening. Officials say it will reopen when it is safe to do so.

More than 3,200 flights had already been canceled through Thursday, mostly in MCO, TPA and RSW.

Airlines that service Florida are offering a variety of travel waivers because of the storm. The particulars of each waiver vary, but they generally apply to flights to, from or through various airports in Florida between Oct. 8–10. With the waivers, travelers can change their flights without having to pay a difference in fares. Generally, the new travel date must be by Oct. 17.

Check with your airline for more details if you have travel coming up this week.

What to do if you have a hotel or Airbnb booked in Florida

Now is the time to proactively change your reservation. If you reserved directly with a hotel, first check its website and see if it has posted any updates. You can also call the hotel directly or the main reservations number. Keep in mind that many properties may likely be managing the crisis, so calling the property directly should be a last option.

If you booked through a third-party online travel agency or aggregator like Expedia or Travelocity, it’s important to understand the cancellation policy. The OTA still owns your reservation prior to your travel, so contacting the hotel directly will likely result in you being referred back to the OTA or travel portal for assistance.

For impacted hotels available on Expedia and Hotels.com, the companies are waiving cancellation policies so you’ll be able to get a full refund for areas that fall in Milton’s path. Customer care teams are available to help with rebooking and cancellations 24/7 for Expedia and Hotels.com.

Vrbo has activated its extenuating circumstances policy. which will also allow travelers to get a full refund for trips not yet started and partial refunds for trips already underway in the affected areas. Vrbo will also refund the full traveler service fee for those affected.

Airbnb has put its major disruptive events policy into effect for areas of Florida experiencing government travel restrictions, such as mandatory evacuations, with a check-in or reservation date through October 10 (although this may be extended). This policy means hosts can cancel eligible stays without consequences, and guests who have an eligible booking can cancel for a full refund if their trip has not yet started or a partial refund for any nights not stayed if they’ve had to cut their trip short. Airbnb.org is also offering temporary housing to people impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

What to do if you have a cruise leaving from Florida

Passengers wait to board the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas at Port Everglades. CARLINE JEAN/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE/GETTY IMAGES

Port Tampa Bay ceased all inbound and outbound vessel traffic on Tuesday and has not announced a reopening plan yet. Port Canaveral is also closed to all vessel traffic and has not announced a reopening date.

Both ports are currently operating under Zulu port conditions, meaning the possibility of gale force winds could impact maritime operations within 12 hours.

If you have plans to cruise from Florida in the near future, be prepared for possible cancellations, route changes and delayed departures.

It’s important to understand the cancellation or rebooking policy for the specific cruise company you booked, so check with your individual line for details.

As TPG’s cruise team has reported, per the terms of the cruise contract to which you consent before sailing, cruise lines do not owe you compensation if they alter your itinerary. If the line makes changes, you will be refunded for any shore excursions you booked through the cruise line that were to take place in the ports you’re skipping. (Check with your tour provider directly if you’ve booked a third-party excursion.)

TPG’s guide on what happens if a cruise gets canceled is the next place to refer to for guidance if you receive notice that your cruise is canceled.

Will your credit card or trip insurance cover changes?

If you purchased travel insurance before Milton became a named storm, you should be able to recoup most of your travel expenses. Unfortunately, if you purchased a policy after the storm was named, it won’t help.

“Insurance covers the unexpected,” Jenna Hummer, public relations director of Squaremouth (a company that provides comparisons of travel insurance from major U.S. providers), said. “So once something is considered ‘foreseen’ — in this case, when a tropical storm or hurricane has been named — you can no longer get coverage for that storm.”

“Trip cancellation and trip interruption will reimburse lost or unused prepaid, nonrefundable expenses due to a hurricane making it impossible to get to your destination,” Stan Sandberg, cofounder of TravelInsurance.com, said. “Many plans will also provide coverage if there is a mandatory evacuation at the destination. A few plans will even provide coverage in the event there is a NOAA hurricane warning at your destination during your trip dates.”

Trip delay coverage will reimburse you for unexpected travel costs such as food, transportation, internet service and lodging when your flight is delayed for an extended period of time.

“Remember that your credit card won’t cover anything not purchased on that card,” Hummer said, regarding trip insurance that’s part of a credit card’s benefits. “So, if you haven’t paid for your whole trip with that card or other people in your group used another payment method, you won’t be fully covered.”

TPG has a comprehensive guide on credit cards that include trip cancellation and interruption insurance, and what might be covered in a natural disaster.

How to help

If you’d like to help those in the storm’s path, there are several options to explore:

Bottom line

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday night as an incredibly forceful Category 3 hurricane that triggered power outages and several deaths. It arrived just two weeks after Hurricane Helene, which brought unprecedented rain to the Tampa and Sarasota areas that were once again in the direct path of the storm.

If you have plans to travel to the area, it may be prudent to delay or cancel your plans until a future date.

For more helpful tips on navigating travel during hurricane season, read:

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